Figure 1.--There is the common notion that World War II battles were won by the tank. Tanks undeniably played a key role, but primarily in punching a hole through the eneny's front line. The key vehicle in exploiting the battle-winning break through was the truck. It was the truck that moved men and material through the holes created by tanks and airpower and then kept the front-line combat troops supplied as the break-out developed. This was a findamental weakness of the Wehrmacht. It was also a weakness of the Red Army until American Lend Lease provide huge numbers of trucks (1943-45). Here we see some boys somewhere in southern Italy gathering arond an American truck probably in 1943. It looks smaller than the iconic duce and a half. We believe the truck the Dodge WC-53 Carryall 3/4 ton truck. It might have been made by other companies also, but not sure on that. Production started in 1941. We can't see the whole truck, but look behind the feet of the kids and you will see the destinctive three double slats on the engine hood. Also look at the protection grill for the headlights and the twin towing hooks on the front bumper.

It is the tank that dominate many World War II histories and the interest of the casual reader. Less often considered are the more prosaic wheeled vehicles. There were wheeled fighting vehicles such as armored cars. Many armored cars were partially tracked vehicles. Although not often conceived as a major weapon system, the truck proved to be along with the tank, played a critical role in the allied victory. The German Blitkrieg was able to deal with short campaigns on the relatively small bsttlefields, but in the Soviet Union the shortages of trucks was a significant contraint. There is the common notion that World War II battles were won by the tank. Tanks undeniably played a key role, but primarily in punching a hole through the eneny's front line. The key vehicle in exploiting the battle-winning break through was the truck. It was the truck that moved men and material through the holes created by tanks and airpower and then kept the front-line combat troops supplied as the break-out developed. This was a findamental weakness of the Wehrmacht. It was also a weakness of the Red Army until American Lend Lease provide huge numbers of trucks (1943-45). Not only did American trucks make possible the rapid drive liberating France, but American trucks delivered to the Soviets through Lend Lease were a key factor in the 1944 battles that demolished the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. All the major automobile companies made trucks (GMC, Crysler, and Studabaker). The Soviets seem to remember Studabaker trucks best. Many American servicemen recall with affection the utilitarian jeep. The motor cycle was important during World War I, but less so during World War II. It found its greatest with the Germans, in part because they lacked the industrial capacity to build utilitarian four-wheeled vehicles as the United States did.

Armored Cars

There were wheeled fighting vehicles such as armored cars used during World War II. Many armored cars were partially tracked vehicles. The armed car was inroduced by the Brutish. It was invented by Royal Page Davidson at Northwestern Military and Naval Academy with the Davidson-Duryea gun carriage (1898). he first fully armored car was the Motor War Car designed by Vickers (1902). They proved were useful for colonial powers such as the British against lightly armed rural and urban unrest. Armored cars were employed during World war I on the Western Front. The Allies had armor-plated, open-topped vehicles with machine guns or other light guns or artillery pieces. It was, however, not a major vehicle type. The system of trenches posed a formidable barrier. Wheeled vehicles could not easily handle uneven terrain as well as German fire power. The British Army did use armoured cars with considerable success in the Middle East campaigns (Palestine and in Mesopotamia) with open relatively flat enviroments in a kind of calvalry role, flanking and pursuit. A great variety of armored cars appeared on the World War II battlefield. A primary purpose was reconisance, but here designers encountered problems. Effective reconisance required mobility, but as weapons and armored were added, mobility was impaired. Armored cars were also used to move troops, but to a relatively limited extent. Usage varied in part because of the differing tactical dictrine of combatant countries.

Trucks

Although not often conceived as a major weapon system, the truck along with the tank, played a critical role in mobile warfare. And here was a critical weakness in the German war plan. Hitler launched World War II with a Wehrmacht that was not fully mechanized. The only military force that was fully mechanized in 1939 was the British Army. It did not show up in the short campaigns in Poland (September 1939), the West (May-June 1940), and the Balkans (April 1941), but it did manifest itself in the massdive invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). The Wehrmacht entered the Soviet Union still highly dependent on horsepower. German manufacturers were incapable of producing the number of vehicles needed. This created massive pronlems for the Germans. It left them highly dependent on the limited Soviet rail system, restricting operations to rail heads. And to conduct the invasion in the time frame given, the Wehrmacht seized vejicles from all over occupied Europes. This mean they were using all kinds of vehicle types from many different manufacturers. It resulted in a maintenance nightmake because of the vast number of parts thst had to be stocked. And the German horses proved incapable of withstanding the rigors of the Russian winter. In contrast, the truck prived to be a vital oart of the Allied victory. The World War I experience had taught the American Army the importance of using a small number of vehicle types and interchangeable parts. The work horse for America was the 2 1/2 ton dual axel truck--the redoutable duce and a half. It was built by several different manufactuers (General Motoes, Mack, Studabaker, and others), but the parts were interchangeable. In all the United States built an astonushing 2.6 million trucks and they were key to the Allied victory. Not only did American trucks make possible the rapid drive liberating France, but Studabaker American trucks delivered to the Soviets through Lend Lease were a key factor in the 1944 battles that demolished the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. OKW was unprepared for the mobility that American Lend Lease trucks gave the avenging Red Army.

Troop Transports/Load Carriers: Lastkraftwagen

The Germans had a specialized vehicle which might be desribed as a light troop / cargo truck. We do not see any similar Allied or Soviet vehicle types. While it might be placed in the truck category, it was different in some ways from what one normally thinks as truck. One it did not have a closed cab, which proved a disadvantage on the Eastern Front, especially during the winter. And it did not have an open bed cargo area. For these reasons, we think it appropriate to put the Lastkraftwagen in a category of its own. As for the German name. The Germans did not come up with a new work--truck like the Americans. Rather they just put existing words together. The basic word was Wagen, meaning of course wagon. To create a work for truck (meaning a load carrting motor vehicle), they added added Kraft (meaning force) producing Kraftwagen or powered/motorized wagon. Finally they added Last mening load, giving the meaning load power wagon. We would simplify the translation as something like 'heavy load truck'. And they even a name for the driver (Lastkraftwagenfahrer) and his assistant (Lastkraftwagenbeifahrer). These vehicles were built beginning in -- WH 5223. They were small triaxial trucks based on the Krupp Protze which was used as a troop transport, and Artilleritraktor with two spare wheels. Vehicles like this would provide the Wehrmacht needed mobility, but the total production run was a mere 7,000 unts--miniscule by World War II standards. There were more than enough to invade Czechozlovakia. Thus we see these vehicles in the run up to the war and early phase of the War. The number built was hugely inadequate for the all-important invasion of the Soviet Union. We see quite a few images of these and similar German vehicles--some done as half tracks during the first years of the War. You can see the Lastkraftwagen here towing small artillery pieces, probably 75mm cannons -- the standard German field gun. Larger Lastkraftwagen were needed to tow the the more potent German 88 mm cannon. It may seem like 75mm and 88mm is not much differet. The entire cannon and carriage is, however, much smaller. less then half the size of a 88. The 88 was much bigger because of the pneumatic recoil system built onto the 88 to absorb the very heavy recoil that was designed for that gun as an anti-aircraft gun which needed much power to fire upwards and which gave the 88 a long range and powerful punch making it a potent anti-tank weapon. The half-track Lastkraftwagen tower had a stronger engine and more gun crew space for the 88s. We see fewer of the vehicles on the battlefield as the Luftwaffe lost air superority and battlefield oponests becme increasingly well armed. And the Germans had to increasingly focus limited industrial capacity in other areas.

All-terraine Vehicles

The Willys Jeep jeep is the original all-terraine four-wheel vehicle. This vehicle type made its first appearance during the War. The U.S. Army introduced it in 1941. It is one of the iconic vehicles of the War. Soldiers christened it a 'jeep', no one knows just why. The best guesses are the initials GP, meaning general purpose. Another theory is ‘Eugene the Jeep,’ a small, mysterious animal of great resourcefulness and power, first appearing in the Popeye comic strip during 1936. The jeep was akind of small truck and aload carrying cart could be attached. The name thus carried over to the small escort crriers built by the United states--they became known as jeep carriers. Many American servicemen recall with affection the utilitarian jeep. It proved to be the most utilitarian vehicle of the War. The United States built an incredible 0.6 million and shipped large numbers to both the Britsh and Soviets. The Soviets were not impressed with American tanks, but trucks and jeeps were an entirely different matter. The Germans had a comparable vehicle--the VW Kübelsitzwagen. It was also an excellent vehicle, but the Germans did not have the industrial capacity to build them in the same numbers as the Americans. This is the primary reason that the Germans used the motorcycle more extensively than the Allies. The vehicles were used for multiple purposes. Armored cars and small tanks were initially conceived as rconisance vehicles, but because of mobility limitaions, it was the ATV vehicles were often employed for reconisance, especially by the U.S. Army.

Motorcycles

The motor cycle was important during World War I, but less so during World War II. They served for dispatch riders and scouts and wuth a side car to transport inddividuals and particularly valuable supplies. Most of the combatant countries prepared to use the motorcycle as they had in World War I. The French were knocked out of rhe War after the German victory in the West (1940). This left the British with active infantry operations only in the Western Desert. The Germand did use the motorcycle widely in its offensive campaigns, including the massive Barbarossa campaign. For the Wehrmascht, the motorcycle had the advantage that it was easier to build and required a smaller motor than cars and jeep-like vehicles. The United States planned to use motorcycles and some were deployed in North Africa. American commanders soon decided that the jeep was a much more useful light vehiche and American industry had the capacity to buld them in large numbers. The Americans did use some, particularly the military police, but they were not widely used. It found its greatest with the Germans, in part because they lacked the industrial capacity to build utilitarian four-wheeled vehicles as the United States did.

Created: 8:45 AM 9/17/2012
Last updated: 10:06 PM 1/26/2017