Forces of Valor 81018 US Army Dodge WC 63 6x6 1-1/2 Ton Truck - Unidentified Unit, Europe, 1945 (1:32 Scale)
"The armies will go as far as practicable and then wait until the supply system in [the] rear will permit further advance."
- General Omar Bradley, August 27th, 1944
The Dodge WC series was a range of light military trucks produced by Dodge during World War II. The series included weapon carriers, telephone installation trucks, ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, mobile workshops and command cars. They were replaced after the war by the Dodge M-series vehicles. WC was a Dodge model code: W for 1941 and C for half-ton rating. The C code was retained for the ton and 1- ton 6X6 Dodges.
The Dodge G-507 WC-62 and WC-63 1 1/2 ton 6x6 trucks were an upgrade of the Dodge G-502 WC trucks for greater load capacity. Produced from 1942 through the end of World War II, about 43,000 of these trucks left the factory. The two models were essentially identical except for the addition of the Braden 7,500 pound (with 7/16 wire rope) MU2 winch at the front of the WC-63, making it longer and heavier.
The Dodge G507 WC-62 and WC-63 were powered by the Dodge 6 cyl. 230 cu. in. 76 hp. T223 engine. The WC-62/WC-63 trucks were 215/225 inches long, 83 in. wide, and 87 in. high. Weight was 6925/7175 lbs. for the WC-62/WC-63.
Pictured here is a 1:32 scale replica of a US Army Dodge WC 63 6x6 1-1/2 ton truck that saw service in the European Theatre of Operations during 1945.
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Dimensions:
Length: 5-1/4-inches
Width: 2-3/4-inches
Release Date: September 2011
Historical Account: "Home by Christmas" - In a desperate effort to bridge the gap between US units at the front and mounting stockpiles back at Normandy, a long distance, one-way, "loop-run" highway system dubbed the 'Red Ball Express' was born. Since circumstances allowed little time for advance planning or preparation, 'Red Ball' was, as one observer noted, "largely an impromptu affair." It began on August 25th, with 67 truck companies running along a restricted route from St. Lo to Chartres, just south of Paris; and reached a peak four days later with 132 companies (nearly 6,000 vehicles) assigned to the project.
Communications Zone (COMMZ) and Advance Section (ADSEC) transportation officials were responsible for overseeing Red Ball activities, but it required the support and coordination of many branches to succeed.
While the Engineers were busy maintaining roads and bridges, MPs were on hand at each of the major check points to direct traffic and record pertinent data. Colorful signs and markers along the way not unlike the old Burma Shave signs that covered America's own countryside kept drivers from getting lost, and at the same time publicized daily goals and achievements. Quartermasters, truck drivers, materiel handlers, and petroleum specialists were ever present both along the route and at the forward-area truck-heads. Disabled vehicles moved to the side of the road, where they were either repaired on the spot by roving Ordnance units or evacuated to rear-area depots.