The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog number, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 2-1/2-ton, 6x6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design (from 1941 to 1945) for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War. The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion.

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 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 6x4, 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 the total 2-1/2-ton trucks. GMC's total of 550,000 purely 6x6 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, 4x4 Chevrolet G506, at 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, 6x6 cargo truck.

Pictured here is a 1:32 scale replica of a US 1942 production GMC CCKW 353 6x6 2-1/2-ton truck (known rather affectionately as the 'Deuce-and-a-Half'), which played a pivotal role in the Allied armies advance through northwestern Europe during 1944-'45. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 9-inches
Width: 2-1/2-inches

Release Date: January 2024

Historical Account: "Landing Ship, Tank" - Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939-1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore with no docks or piers. This enabled amphibious assaults on almost any beach.

The LST had a highly specialized design that enabled ocean crossings as well as shore groundings. The bow had a large door that could open, deploy a ramp and unload vehicles. The LST had a flat keel that allowed the ship to be beached and stay upright. The twin propellers and rudders had protection from grounding. The LSTs served across the globe during World War II including in the Pacific War and in the European theatre.

The first tank-landing ships were built to British requirements by converting existing ships; the UK and the US then collaborated upon a joint design. The British ships were used in late 1942 during the Allied invasion of Algeria. By 1943, LSTs participated in the invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy. In June 1944, they were part of the huge invasion fleet for the Normandy landings.

Over 1,000 LSTs were laid down in the United States during World War II for use by the Allies; the United Kingdom and Canada produced eighty more.