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48-408: The CCKW came in many variants, including open or closed cab, long wheelbase (LWB) CCKW-353 and short (SWB) CCKW-352 , and over a score of specialized models, but the bulk were standard, general purpose, cargo models. A large minority were built with a front mounted winch, and one in four of the cabs had a machine-gun mounting ring above the co-driver's position. Of the almost 2.4 million trucks that

96-479: A 15 ft (4.57 m), and later 17 ft (5.18 m) cargo bed to be fitted. Only the first 50 units produced had closed cabs, all others were open. None had a front-mounted winch. The cab over design made engine maintenance difficult. As a result, only 7,235 were built, – 2,232 units with the 15 ft (4.6 m) body, and 5,000 of the 17 ft (5.2 m) version. The CCW-353 ( C for 1941 design, C for conventional cab, and W for tandem rear axles)

144-703: A 1948 expedition to Macquarie Island . Australian DUKWs were used on Antarctic supply voyages until 1970. From 1945 to 1965, the Australian Commonwealth Lighthouse Service supply ship Cape York carried ex-Army DUKWs for supplying lighthouses on remote islands. One DUKW is in use by the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) of Germersheim in Germany , a civil protection organisation. DUKWs are still in use as tourist transport in harbor and river cities across

192-400: A 269.5 cu in (4.4 L) displacement. This gasoline engine was designed for commercial trucks, and was reliable in service. The transmission was a Warner T93 5-speed with a direct 4th gear and overdrive 5th gear. The transfer case had high and low gears, and engaged the front axle. Originally all axles were a Timken split type, later trucks also used GM "banjo" types. The CCKW had

240-757: A derivative, the BAV 485 , adding a rear loading ramp. The Zavod imeni Stalina factory built it on the structure of its ZiS-151 truck, and production continued until 1962, with over 2,000 units delivered. Many were used after WWII by civilian organizations such as the police, fire departments, and rescue units. DUKWs were used for oceanographic research in Northern California, as related by participant Willard Bascom . Drivers learned that DUKWS were capable of surfing large winter Pacific waves, with care (and luck). The Australian Army lent two DUKWs and crew to Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions for

288-692: A ladder frame chassis with three driven beam axles, the front on leaf springs, the rear tandem on leaf springs with locating arms. There were two wheelbases, the short Model 352 and the long Model 353. The short, 145 in (368 cm) was used with a short cargo bed as an artillery prime mover for 75 mm (3.0 in) and 105 mm (4.1 in) howitzers. All other models used the long 164 in (417 cm) wheelbase. Tires were 7.50-20, brakes were hydraulic with vacuum assist. Some were fitted with 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) front-mounted winches. A winch added 300 pounds (140 kg) and 14 inches (36 cm). Some open cab chassis were cut in half behind

336-564: A total of 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 6-wheeled trucks that was second only to the WWII "Jeep" —and neither Ford nor Willys individually built as many jeeps during the war. The CCKW was equipped with the GMC 270 engine , an overhead valve inline-6 with 91.5 hp (68.2 kW) or 104 hp (78 kW) at 2,750 rpm, and 216 lb⋅ft (293 N⋅m) at 1,400 rpm. A 3 + 25 ⁄ 32  in (96 mm) bore by 4 in (102 mm) stroke gave

384-428: A two-speed transfer-case engaging the front axle for all-wheel drive operation. The truck rode on a 157 + 3 ⁄ 4  in (401 cm) wheelbase, measuring 256 in (650 cm) long, 90 in (229 cm) wide, and 117 in (297 cm) tall – or 89 in (226 cm) with the rear top bows taken down. Tires were 7.50-20, and weight came in at 7,532 lb (3,416 kg). A special feature were

432-489: Is a DUKW hull copy manufactured in 1993 with unused World War II-vintage running gear parts. In 1999, a refurbishment programme began to extend their service life to 2014. DUKWs were removed from service in 2012. The DUKWs were used for safety, allowing all ranks to undertake training drills for boat work for the landing craft ranks, and drivers undertaking wading drills from the Landing Craft Utility . In

480-554: Is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War . Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation (GMC), the DUKW was used for the transportation of goods and troops over land and water. Excelling at approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious warfare attacks, it

528-520: Is a smaller version of the engine used in the GMC CCKW . All models had a four-speed manual non-synchronized transmission and a two-speed transfer case. The G506 had a ladder frame with two live beam axles on semi-elliptic leaf springs . GM banjo type axles were used, these axles were also used in later GMC CCKW 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 ton (2,268kg) trucks . There were three wheelbases, 125 in (318 cm) extra short wheelbase used only on

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576-431: The 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton 4×4 category. The ACK-353 was equipped with the new for 1939 GMC 248 engine , an overhead valve, low-deck inline-six with a 3 + 23 ⁄ 32  in (94 mm) bore and 3 + 13 ⁄ 16  in (97 mm) stroke, resulting in a 248 cu in (4.1 L) displacement, producing 77 brake horsepower (57 kW) (net). The transmission was a four-speed manual, combined with

624-722: The 10th Mountain Division in the final days of the war. One sank while crossing from Torbole sul Garda to Riva del Garda on the evening of 30 April 1945, drowning 25 out of the 26 onboard. A documentary about the event, The Lost Mountaineers , premiered in 2023. Two other DUKWs used in operation sank without casualties. After World War II, reduced numbers were kept in service by the United States, Britain, France, and Australia, with many stored pending disposal. Australia transferred many to Citizens Military Force units. The U.S. Army reactivated and deployed several hundred at

672-849: The Armistice Army and others likely fell into the hands of the Nazi Germany Wehrmacht . The ACKWX-353 ( A for 1939 design, C for conventional cab, K for all wheel drive, W for tandem rear axles, and X for non-standard chassis) three-ton 6x6 truck was the direct predecessor from which the CCKW was developed. Fitted with the same 77 horsepower (57 kW) drivetrain as the ACK, the trucks weighed 9,856 lb (4,471 kg), and measured 264 in (671 cm) long, 94.5 in (240 cm) wide, and 118 in (300 cm) tall / or 90 in (229 cm) to cab. Some 1,000 of

720-867: The D-Day beaches of Normandy and in the Battle of the Scheldt , Operation Veritable , and Operation Plunder . In the Pacific, USMC DUKWs were used to cross the coral reefs of islands such as Saipan and Guam and the tires were not affected by the coral. Some DUKWs used in WWII were reported to have capsized while landing at Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. DUKWs were also used in Lake Garda in Italy by

768-706: The First Indochina War . Some French DUKWs were given new hulls in the 1970s, with the last being retired in 1982. Britain deployed DUKWs to Malaya during the Malayan Emergency of 1948–60. Many were redeployed to Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation of 1962–66. The Royal Marines used five of these vehicles for training at 11 (Amphibious Trials and Training) Squadron, 1 Assault Group Royal Marines at Instow , North Devon. Four were manufactured between 1943 and 1945. The fifth

816-759: The Lend-Lease program; 535 were acquired by Australian forces, and 586 were supplied to the Soviet Union, which built its own version, the BAV 485 , after the war. DUKWs were initially sent to Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater , but were used by an invasion force for the first time in the European theater , during the Sicilian invasion, Operation Husky , in the Mediterranean. They were used on

864-592: The US Army Ordnance Corps was developing 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 short tons (2,300 kg) load-rated (off-road rating) 6×6 tactical trucks that could operate off-road in all weather. General Motors, already supplying modified commercial trucks to the Army, modified the 1939 ACKWX – built for the French Army ;– into the CCKW. The General Motors design was chosen by

912-494: The "Duck" – was an amphibious truck that shared the CCKW's driveline, but had a totally different body and structure than all the other trucks. First produced at Yellow's Pontiac plant, as demand increased production was added to Chevrolet's St. Louis plant. The hull, designed by an America's Cup winner, gave the truck respectable sea-keeping capability. A very successful design, 21,147 were built. DUKW The DUKW (GMC type nomenclature, colloquially known as Duck )

960-541: The 1946 U.S. acceptance numbers adds up to 524,873 units, excluding the DUKWs and the ACKWX predecessor models. Both of these numbers still include the cab-over engine AFKWX-353 models—leaving a total of some 518,000–519,000 actual CCKW-352 and CCKW-353 units. In addition, GMC serial numbers indicate a production of 23,500 of the same bodied 6x4 CCW models, versus 23,649 units accepted by U.S. ordnance. In any case, GM / GMC built

1008-550: The 3-ton 6x6 trucks were originally contracted by France, but – just like the 4×4 ACK trucks – after the defeat of the French, diverted to Britain in 1940. The British however, deemed the trucks unfavorable for use in the war, due to their long wheelbase and lacking power, and diverted them to the USSR in turn, in 1941. A total of 2,466 ACKWX trucks were built — both according to GMC's serial numbers, as well as

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1056-418: The Army and went into production at GM's Yellow Truck and Coach division's Pontiac, Michigan plant alongside 6×4 CCWs. Later, they were also manufactured at GM's St. Louis, Missouri Chevrolet plant . Sources do not precisely agree on the total numbers of CCKWs built by the end of production in 1945. Ware (2010) lists one single number of 562,750 of CCKW trucks, built across all variants—presumably including

1104-616: The DUKW melted. The DUKW later proved its seaworthiness by crossing the English Channel . The final production design was perfected by a few engineers at Yellow Truck & Coach in Pontiac, Michigan. The vehicle was built by Yellow Truck and Coach Co. ( GMC Truck and Coach Div. after 1943) at their Pontiac West Assembly Plant and Chevrolet Div. of General Motors Corp. at their St. Louis Truck Assembly Plant ; 21,147 were manufactured before production ended in 1945. The DUKW

1152-845: The G7107 and G7117 model trucks were shipped to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program. The Soviet Red Army 's logistics/transport capabilities improved dramatically in the spring and summer of 1943 largely as a result of the steady supply of American-made trucks (such as Studebaker US6s and the Chevrolet G506s) for the USSR. The G506 used a Chevrolet BV-1001-UP, a 235 cu in (3.9 L) overhead valve inline-six cylinder gasoline engine developing 83 hp (62 kW) at 3,100  rpm and 184 lbf⋅ft (249 N⋅m) of torque at 1,000 rpm. This

1200-751: The G7128 Bomb servicer, 145 in (368 cm) short wheelbase (a majority of production ), and the 175 in (444 cm) long wheelbase. All models had hydraulic brakes with vacuum boost, 7.50-20" tires and dual rear tires. Almost all G-506s had closed Chevrolet cabs, shared with the closed cab versions of the GMC CCKW – except for three models. A panel van version was built for the Army Signal Corps , open cabs were used on bomb servicers and cab over engine types were used for long-bodied cargo trucks. The pilot models had flat top panels of

1248-425: The U.S. Army bought between 1939 and December 1945, across all payload weight classes, some 812,000, or just over one third, were 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton trucks. GMC's total production of the CCKW and its variants, including the 2 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 6x6, amphibian DUKW , and the 6×4, 5-ton (on-road) CCW-353, amounted to some 572,500 units – almost a quarter of the total WW II U.S. truck production, and 70 percent of

1296-451: The U.S. Army's acceptance figures. The AFKWX ( A for 1939 design, F for forward cab, K for all wheel drive, W for tandem rear axles, and X for non-standard chassis) 353, a cab over engine , long cargo bed version of the CCKW, went into production alongside it in 1942 at Yellow's Pontiac plant and Chevrolet's in St. Louis. Otherwise mechanically identical, its compact cabin design allowed

1344-610: The US military purchased a total of 167,373 four by four 1 1 ⁄ 2 -ton trucks, and Chevrolet supplied the great majority of them. According to the 1946 revision of the U.S. military's Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Materiel , Dodge (Fargo) – the initial standard supplier of U.S. 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton 4x4 trucks – contributed 6,762 VF model, G-621 series trucks in 1940; and Ford (Marmon-Herrington) and Diamond T supplied another 6,271 and 136 units respectively, leaving 154,204 Chevrolet trucks. However, some 47,700 of

1392-546: The amphibian DUKW. More clearly specified numbers are provided by Sunderlin in Army Motors magazine, and by Jackson, using the numbers found in the 1946 revision of the U.S. military's Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Materiel . Sunderlin reports a total of 528,829 of 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton 6×6 units (excluding the DUKW) produced by GMC—versus a total of 527,168 accepted by the U.S. Army. Jackson's tabulation of

1440-427: The cab for air transport. Each half was a load, at the vehicle's destination, the halves were bolted back together. Initially, all versions used a modified commercial closed cab design having a metal roof and doors. By 1944, an open cab version, with a canvas roof and doors, was used. This was easier to build, and the roof could be removed to lower the shipping height. 1 in 4 of cabs had a machine gun mounting ring above

1488-409: The co-driver's position. The CCKW provided a platform for the widest range of bodies on any U.S. military vehicle, with the 12 ft (3.7 m) cargo version being the most common. As steel was more heavily rationed during the course of the war, the steel cargo bed was replaced by a wooden one. Wooden beds proved unsatisfactory and a 'composite' bed with steel sides, framing, and wooden bottom slats

GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6×6 truck - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-519: The field. These include: The ACK-353 ( A for 1939 design, C for conventional cab, and K for all wheel drive) 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton 4×4 truck was the smaller brother of the ACKWX, and a predecessor to the Chevrolet G506 , competing with the Dodge / Fargo T-203 / VF-400 series, as GM was at that time also trying to clinch the lucrative contract for the standard World War II cargo trucks in

1584-525: The front hubs, designed to take dual wheels in especially challenging terrain. Fitted with steel GS bodies with fixed sides and troop seats, the trucks were originally ordered under French contract, but ended up in use by the British Army, although some 2,000 units delivered to the French in early 1940 were used from June 1940 to reequip the infantry of the light mechanized divisions whose equipment had been lost at Dunkirk . Some were kept in service by

1632-802: The globe. The first "duck tour" company was started in 1946 by Mel Flath in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin . The company is still in operation under the name Original Wisconsin Ducks. Chevrolet G506 The G-506 trucks, 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 4x4 , produced as the Chevrolet G7100 (and originally G4100 ) models, were a series of (light) medium four wheel drive trucks used by the United States Army and its allies during and after World War II . This series came in standard cargo, as well as many specialist type bodies. The G506

1680-409: The latter 1940s and throughout the 1950s, while Speir, now project engineer for the Army's Amphibious Warfare Program, worked on "bigger and better" amphibious vehicles such as the "Super Duck", the "Drake", and the mammoth BARC (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo), many DUKWs were made surplus and used as rescue vehicles by fire departments and Coast Guard stations. In 1952, the Soviet Union produced

1728-567: The outbreak of the Korean War with the 1st Transportation Replacement Training Group providing crew training. DUKWs were used extensively to bring supplies ashore during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter and in the amphibious landings at Incheon . Ex-U.S. Army DUKWs were transferred to the French military after World War II and were used by the Troupes de marine and naval commandos . Many were used for general utility duties in overseas territories . France deployed DUKWs to French Indochina during

1776-500: The same factory. The GMC CCKW began to be phased out once the M35 series trucks were first deployed in the 1950s, but remained in active U.S. service until the mid-1960s. Eventually, the M35 series, originally developed by REO Motors , succeeded the CCKW as the U.S. Army's standard 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 6×6 cargo truck. The name CCKW comes from GMC model nomenclature : In 1939-1940,

1824-402: The top up. It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between 1 ⁄ 16 and 1 ⁄ 8 inch (1.6 and 3.2 mm) thick to minimize weight. A high-capacity bilge pump system kept it afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter. One in four DUKWs mounted a .50-caliber Browning heavy machine gun on a ring mount. The DUKW

1872-407: The total 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton trucks. GMC's total of ~550,000 purely 6×6 models, including the DUKW, formed the overwhelming majority of the ~675,000 six by six 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton trucks, and came in less than 100,000 shy of the almost 650,000 World War II jeeps . Additionally, GM built over 150,000 units of the CCKW's smaller brother, the 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 4×4 Chevrolet G506 , at

1920-427: The transmission drove an air-compressor and winch. It weighed 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) empty and operated at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) on road and 5.5 knots (6.3 mph; 10.2 km/h) on water. It was 31 feet (9.45 m) long, 8 feet 3 inches (2.51 m) wide, 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m) high with the folding-canvas top down and 8 feet 9 inches (2.67 m) high with

1968-549: Was a United States Army Ordnance Corps supply catalog designation for the 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 4X4, truck chassis built in large numbers by the Chevrolet Motor Division of GM . Their official model numbers were initially the "G4100", and later the "G7100" series. They became standard 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton 4x4 trucks for the US Army and Army Air Corps during World War II. During World War II,

GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6×6 truck - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-733: Was a near identical version of the CCKW-353, that lacked its front-wheel drive, resulting in an officially purely on-road, and therefore 5-ton rated, 6×4 version of the same truck. A beam front axle was used, with the transfer case locked in high range. Of the ~118,000 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 6x4 trucks the U.S. built in WW II, GMC contributed 23,649 units of the CCW-353 as standard cargo trucks without winch – almost all of them built in 1942. The DUKW ( D for 1942 design, U for utility, K for all wheel drive, and W for tandem rear axles) — popularly

2064-560: Was built around the GMC AFKWX, a cab-over-engine (COE) version of the GMC CCKW six-wheel-drive military truck, with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. It was powered by a 269.5 cu in (4,416 cc) GMC Model 270 straight-six engine . A five-speed overdrive transmission drove a transfer case to drive the axles, then a two-speed transfer case for the propeller. The propeller and front axle were selectable from their respective transfer cases. A power take-off on

2112-478: Was developed. However, the composite bed was still unsatisfactory and the bed design returned to all steel. Standard cargo models had beds with fixed sides and a drop tailgate, as well as folding troop seats. A standard rectangular van configuration was used in communications, medical, workshop, and many other specialty roles. Special built vans were also used. Many specialized variants of the basic 6×6 CCKW were made, some in small numbers, including some converted in

2160-432: Was initially rejected by the armed services. When a United States Coast Guard patrol craft ran aground on a sand bar near Provincetown, Massachusetts , an experimental DUKW happened to be in the area for a demonstration. Winds up to 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph), rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the seven stranded Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble, and military opposition to

2208-504: Was intended only to last long enough to meet the demands of combat. Surviving DUKWs have since found popularity as tourist craft in marine environments. The name DUKW comes from General Motors Corporation model nomenclature : Decades later, the designation was explained erroneously by writers such as Donald Clarke, who wrote in 1978 that it was an initialism for "Duplex Universal Karrier, Wheeled". The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps alternative designation of LVW (Landing Vehicle, Wheeled)

2256-675: Was seldom used. The DUKW was designed by Rod Stephens Jr. of Sparkman & Stephens , Inc. yacht designers, Dennis Puleston , a British deep-water sailor resident in the U.S., and Frank W. Speir from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Developed by the National Defense Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development to solve the problem of resupply to units which had just performed an amphibious landing, it

2304-454: Was the first vehicle to allow the driver to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab . The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfaces, especially beach sand. This added to its versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles. The DUKW was supplied to the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and Allied forces , and 2,000 were supplied to Britain under

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