Figure 1.--And here we see a Sudeten German boy proudly wearing his Hitler Youth J uniform, decorating the soldiers' banners with flowers. This was no occupation of a hesitant people, it was a heartfelt embrace of Hitler and the NAZIs. The press caption read, "We are grateful to our Fuehrer: A Hitler youth boy decorate the army flag of a motor detachment which occupied the town of Schluckenau (in 'zone number two') Oct. 2, with flower. The inscription on the house in the background reads: 'We are greatful to our Fuehrer.'" Schluckenau was a center in Czechoslovakia for the pro-Nazi Sudeten German Party (SdP) led by Konrad Henlein. And an incident occured there during the Munich crisis. It would a few nonths later be a Wehrmacht stageing area for the German occuption of Prague and the rest of Czechoslovakia. It is now Šluknov in the Czech Republic. The vehicles are a light troop / cargo lorry built in 1938 called a Lastkraftwagen -- WH 5223. They were small triaxial trucks based on the Krupp Protze used in as a troop transport, and Artilleritraktor with two spare wheels. You can see a few artillery pieces ving towed. Vehicles like this would provide the Wehrmacht needed mobility, but the total production run was only 7,000 unts. This was more than enough to invade Czechozlovakia, but hugely inadequate for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Click on the image for a fuller discussion..

All the major World War II combatant countries had industrial companies producing wheeled vehicles. The United States had the largest industrial capacity, but did not enter the War until 1941. Even so, as a result of Lend Lease (March 1941), American military equipment had begun to reach first Britain and then the after the German invasion (June 1941), the Soviet Union. With the Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor, America finally was drawn into the War (December 1941). It already was devoting a substantial proportion of its industrial capacity to motor vehicles, but primnarily civilian cars and trucks. As a result of war mobilization following Pearl Harbor, the industrial output of military vehicles was massively expanded. This took some time, but by 1943 an incredible flow of American vehicles began to reach not only American fighting men as well as America's allies. The sitiation was very different for Germany. Not only did Germany have a much smaller indudtrial base, but the counytry did not begin to fully utiulize its industrial capacity until after the battlefiels situation had begun to shift. German companies were not as fully auotmated with assembly line methods as American compaies. And they tended to produce more complicated finally crafted vehicles than American countries. This both reduced the number of vehicles that could be built as well as created maintenance problems in the field. This weakness was partially rectified by using the output of manufactuers in occupied countries. France was especially important. Renault trucks were very important to the Wehrmacht. The Germans also seized used vehicles. This provided many of the vehicles needed for Barvarossa, but it created a logistical nightmare. German repair crews had to learn to service many vehicle types as well as required a huge range of spare parts as well as items like filters and tires. Even with the vehicles obtained in the West, the vaunted German Wehrmacht still had to rely heavily on draft animals. German armies were noted fir their fighting skill, but logistics was a weakness in the best of time. And trying to maintain vehicles of many different makes and types proved a daunting undertaking. American and Soviet vehicles tended to be simpler and were limited to a much smaller number of types. This made them easoet to produce and maintain. The Soviets produced trucks before the War. American automobile compamnies were important here. Production was, however, not adequate to meet the needs of the Red Army which, like the Germans, still relied heavily on draft animals. The arrival of American Lend Lease trucks transformed the capabilities of the Red Army on the eastern battlefield.

Britain

Britain before the War had Europe's largest automotive industry. This is one reason that Britain at the onset of the war had the only fully mechanized army in the world. Several different companies were involved. The companies prodyced both cara and trucks. The automobile plabts were quickly shifted over to the construction of military vehicles. It thus had a substantial capability of producing trucks. Unlike America and Canada, however, there was no effort to create a standard design that all the diffeent manufactuers produced. Thus there were several different types of Briish military trucks produced during the War, all in relatively small numbers. Britain's most important trucks were made by Bedford. They made different size trucks. This included ac3-ton model with was close in size to thhe American duce and a half. AEC also manufactured wheeled vehicles, including an artillery tractor (carrier) band tanker trucks. Albion Motors in Scotland builr artillery tractors and tank transporters. Austin Motors made heavy military trucks. Austin also made military ambulances. They were not only provided Commonwealth forces, but some went to the Americans in a kind of reverse Lend Lease. Leyland Motors produced trucks during the War. The most important was the Leyland Retriever It had a 6 litre, 4 cylinder overhead camshaft petrol engine. General Montgomery used one as his mobile headquaters during the War. Morris made artillery tractors. Royal Ebfield built motorcycles. Scammell Lorries Limited produced artillery tractors and recovery vehicles. The Excelsior Motor Company built a light-weight motorcycle, the Welbike, used by the airborn.

Canada

Germany made no carfeful calculation over the relative poltential of the Allies before lunching the War. It was all done in Hitler's mind. And he did not believe the British and French would fight and if they did, the Wehermacht could quickly defeat them before their superior resources could come into play. And he was very neary right. This of course was the same clculation Kaiser Wilhelm anf the Imperial General Staff made in World War I. We have seen German propganda pieces comparing the relative capacity of Germany to that of the Allies (Britain anf France). What did not come into the calculation was the Dominions, lt alone America. While most of the Dominions had a limited industrial base, Canada was an exception. Canada had a limited industrial base at the time of World War I, this was, however, not the case by World War II. Canada like the United States developed a major automotive industry, led by American compaies located in nearby Detroit. Both Chevrolet and Ford had Canadian operations and as result, were much more efficent than European manufacturers except for the American operations in Germany. Canada did not have the technical skills needed to quickly begin the production of tanks. Trucks were a very different matter. It was perfect fit for Cnadian industry. They were alreadsy producing trucks and the transfomation of car assembly limes into truck lines was areltivdely simple matter. Chevrolet Canada after the outbreak of the War, quickly designed the Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) truck made it different configurations. Ford Canada also built the CMP trucks. The CMP began rolling off the assemby lines in 1940. The Canadian automotive manufacturers very quickly ramped up production because of an unusual degree of inter-company collaboration, the use of interchangeable parts, and idle production capacity -- a lingering impact of the Great Depression. The CMP trucks were made in huge numbers. Canada by itself built more trucks than not only Germany, but the entire Axis. This fact alone gives some idea as to what the Germans faced after failing to defeat Britain and the Soviet Union in quick summer capaigns. One source claims that Canada built 0.5 million CMP trucks during the War, but this needs to be confirmed. The trucks were not only provided to Canadian forces, but to the British, other Dominions, as well as the Soviet Union.

France

France like Britain and Germany had an important automotive industry. Renault was an the major manufacturer. Unfortunaltely for the Allies, France was invased and occupied by the Germans early in the War (June 1940). Very little damafe was done to French industry in the process. As a result, the French automotive industry fell undamaged into German hands and becme an important component of the German war economy. French trucks would as a result, a year later, play an important role in Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941).

Germany

The sitiation was very different for Germany. Not only did Germany have a much smaller indudtrial base, but the counytry did not begin to fully utiulize its industrial capacity until after the battlefiels situation had begun to shift. German companies were not as fully auotmated with assembly line methods as American compaies. And they tended to produce more complicated finally crafted vehicles than American countries. This both reduced the number of vehicles that could be built as well as created maintenance problems in the field. This weakness was partially rectified by using the output of manufactuers in occupied countries. France was especially important. Renault trucks were very important to the Wehrmacht. The Germans also seized used vehicles. This provided many of the vehicles needed for Barvarossa, but it created a logistical nightmare. German repair crews had to learn to service many vehicke types as well as required a huge range of spare parts as well as items like filters and tires. Even with the vehicles obtained in the West, the vaunted German Wehrmacht still had to rely heavily on draft animals. German armies were noted fir their fighting skill, but logistics was a weakness in the best of time. And trying to maintain vehicles of many different makes and types proved a daunting undertaking. American and Soviet vehicles tended to be simpler and were limited to a much smaller number of types. This made them easoet to produce and maintain.

Italy

Japan

Soviet Union

Our information on Soviet wheeled vehicles is limited. In contrast to the Germans we do not see many images of Soviet motorcycles. Not do we see many armored cars. We think some were used in Civil War era and developed during the inter-War era, but from a very early stage, the focus of the Red Army was on tanks--tracked vehicles. The early use of arnored cars was in part becuse tracked vehicle technology was so primitive. The Tsarist Army did not use tanks in World War I and as a result it was new technology that needed to be developed. The primary wheeled vehicle of importance to the Red Army was the truck. Modern mobile warfare rquired trucks and in large numbers. Tanks might punch a hole in enemey lines, but unless trucks are availble to rapidly move men equipment through that hole and exploit before the ememy can plug the gap, it is of little value. Very few trucks were in use in Tsarist Russia at the time of World War I and as in Germany they were of minimal importance in military importance. Significant production only began after the Revolution. The Soviets began producing trucks after the Revolution. American automobile companies were important here. Production was, however, not adequate to meet the World War II needs of the Red Army. The Soviets even more than the Germans still relied heavily on draft animals for logistics support. This lacl of mobility was a major factor in the devestaing losses suffered by the Red Army during the German Barbarossa offensive. The arrival of American Lend Lease trucks helped transform the capabilities of the Red Army on the eastern battlefield. The Soviets were unimpressed with American tanks, American trucks were a very different. Soviet production combined with Lend Lease deliveries gave the Soviets a level of mobility the Germans could have only dream of in 1941. The result was a series of crippling losses in 1944. Along with the production of motor vehicles, the availability of rubber for tires was imprtant. Soviet economic policy was autarky. Thus theu were willing to spend more to produce needed raw materials than the cost of importing. The Soviets began producing polybutadiene using the Lebedev process (1932–33). They used potatoes and limestone as raw materials. The Soviets developed the largest synthetic rubber industry in the world, producing more than 50,000 tons per year (1940). as a result of the NAZI-Soviet Pact, they became NAZI Germany's largest supplier. After the NAZI invassion, American rubber tires became an important Lend Lease item.

The United States

All the major World War II combatant countries had industrial companies producing wheeled vehicles. The United States had the largest industrial capacity, but did not enter the War until 1941. Even so, as a result of Lend Lease (March 1941), American military equipment had begun to reach first Britain and then the after the German invasion (June 1941), the Soviet Union. With the Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor, America finally was drawn into the War (December 1941). It already was devoting a substantial proportion of its industrial capacity to motor vehicles, but primnarily civilian cars and trucks. As a result of war mobilization following Pearl Harbor, the industrial output of military vehicles was massively expanded. A very important decesion was made at the onset. Create a standard design for military vehicles and have the various automotive companies produce these vehicles rather than their own vehicles. This somewhat delayed production in 1942, but in the end greatly simplified production (parts suppliers could also standardize production) as well as field maintenance and motorpool operations. Not only was less training required, but there was a high degree of part interchangebility. Given the number of vehicles produced, this was a very important decision. It happened automatically in World War I because the United States provided most of the trucks used ny the Allies. We are not sure who made this decesion for World War II. After Pearl Harbor, the American military had no idea how to mobilize American industry for the war effort. President Roosevelt turned to General Motors Chairman William Knudsen. We suspect that Knudsen was involved in this very important decesion. And here he may have been influenced by the earlier decesion of the Canadians to standardize. (Both GM and Ford had operations in Cnada.) This took some time to organize, but by 1943 an incredible flow of American vehicles began to reach not only American fighting men as well as America's allies. The United States manufactured several trucks, but the mainstay was the M-35 ('duce and half' 2½ ton) truck. They were manufactured in huge numbers. The M35 cargo truck was a triple-axle, 6x6 cargo truck initially deployed by the United States Army. The basic design continues to this day and has been adopted by armies around the world. It evolved into a veritable family of specialized vehicles. In World war the Duece and a half not obly carried troops and cargo, but was used to move artillery. It was capable of towing even the largest American artillery pieces, including the 155mm 'Long Tom' Towed Gun. And it ws the core of th famed Red Ball Express. I believe the 155mm was America's largest Army cannon in World War II. One of the few jobs a duce and half could not do was serve as a trans transporter.

Created: 5:05 PM 4/23/2015
Last updated: 7:36 PM 4/19/2019