One of my favorite stops at Oshkosh each year is at the WWII reenactor’s camp, where there’s always a great selection of militaria to check out, including this Dodge WC56 Command Car, patiently standing at Parade Rest.
Intended to be a reconnaissance vehicle larger than a Jeep, it was not that popular as it was heavier and not as maneuverable, plus the profile was quite a bit more recognizable from a distance – not a good thing for a commander!
I love the rugged simplicity of WWII-era vehicles.
The owner had written up the facts and figures on the vehicle, so I’ll spare myself the retyping:
This is one handsomely restored copy… it’s certainly in much nicer condition than it was when it left the factory!
There were 21,156 copies of the WC56 made… I wonder how many still exist?
One final note – as we were walking up to the camp, To the Colors was being blown, so we doffed hats and saluted (civilian-style) as the colors were raised. The flag was then slowly lowered to half mast and a soldier’s name who was killed in action during WWII was solemnly read, after which the colors were hoisted back to full staff. It was a very touching moment, and a great way to start our day.
It’s a long way from Texas to Oshkosh but I sure would like to be tagging along with you. A very interesting collection.
Is this car from Houston? I believe I have seen it or one quite similar here. It is way too restored to be a true CC but it sure is fun to see.
Mr. Stembridge, it seems that we have several things in common. We both went to Ga Tech, both lived in metro Atlanta, both like aviation (I flew for a regional airline for 8 years and then air ambulance) although I’ve never been to Oshkosh. And we both like military vehicles. In fact, I am a former Marine and Motor Transport Officer (“Motor T. If you can’t truck it, _uck it.”) and a veteran of the first Gulf War 90-91.
Of course, I never had these WC56s in my motor pool – way before my time. We had 5 tons, both M813s or M923s, HMMWVs, and a few older M151 Jeeps. We also had the Osh-Kosh LVSs (“Dragon Wagons”), and an assortment of trailers.
Just looking at these photos brings the smell of canvas, metal, rubber, diesel, and POL (Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants) back to me. Mix in the smell of grass, the porta potties, the heat from the sun, the humidity, and I’m right back doing field ops in 1989-93.
Glad to have brought back a pleasant (?!) memory, and thanks for serving! My brother was Air Force combat camera during GW1, but never left the States – he ended up doing a lot of videos for spouses and families sending messages to the troops overseas.
I lost a close coworker to cancer earlier this year, and he loved this kind of stuff – was an expert on uniforms and such, and enjoyed picking apart military movies… he would have enjoyed this post and your comment especially.
Thank you for the kind words Ed. I’m so sorry to hear about your coworker. I tend to do the same thing – pick apart a movie – when I see either a military movie or aviation (or both). But I’m mellowing out as I grow older and just don’t care that much about it anymore. Also, when I flew for the regional airline I used to feel compelled to “correct” passengers when they would ask (dumb) questions or comment about the BE-1900D (Beech 1900) or CL-65 (Canadair Regional Jet), but I realized I was wasting my time and just let it slide (“What are those things on the wings [referring to the winglets]? Are they to sit on? Hyuck hyuck hyuck…”).
I remember George C Scott riding around in one of these in the movie Patton.
An old friend of ours had one of these that he used as a utility vehicle, mainly at his waterfront property on Hood Canal. It carried and placed most of the big rocks in the bulkhead back in the day when property owners could still protect their land from the winter onslaughts of wind and wave. After he retired he decided to restore the old Dodge, and had gotten a pretty good start on the project when he decided he probably wouldn’t be able to finish it. I told Harold LeMay about it, and although Harold by that time had a nearly ironclad policy against buying unfinished project vehicles, the work that David had done was done well enough that he bought it and finished the restoration.
Thanks for the fun read, Ed. Such a cool and historic ride.
BTW: Did they really spell it ‘Cicily’????
I was in a reserve unit in the early 1970’s, and although the unit did not have a staff car, all the vehicles were WW2 variety. 2 1/2 ton Dodge trucks and the smaller pickup size, with jeeps made up our motor pool.
I recall driving “deuces” quite well, during our annual treks (300 miles each way) for summer camp. Loaded up, they were quite sluggish. I used to dread the thought of summer camp, 2 weeks of misery. I used to think of it as a 2 week dental visit. The journey was as bad as the encampment. Driving in convoy at about 30 miles an hour, it took two days to reach our destination, Camp AP Hill in VA. In June or July heat, it was hard to not fall asleep while driving. The co-driver had to watch his buddy very carefully.
Once there, it was all tent living under combat conditions. 1/2 mile treks to latrines and in the opposite direction the showers. By the time you got back from the showers, you were covered with dirt from the dirt road walk.
One year we traveled to Fort Drum, NY. It resembled a real Army post. We billeted in old WW1 wooden barracks. It was like the Waldorf, in comparison to the “Hill”.
Fortunately, I never went overseas in my active and reserve duty. I can’t imagine the hardships combat veterans endured while their lives were also endangered. I honor all who sacrificed for our country. God Bless them All!
I remember doing a 6 week exercise at AP Hill. At Camp Lejeune, the EPA rules were so strict, we couldn’t train without disturbing the red speckled woodpecker or violating the turtles’ habitat on the beaches. We often went to Fort Picket or AP Hill to train in Amtracks (Amphibious tractors) so we could drive the amtracks while firing the grenade launchers and 50 cal machine guns simultaneously – something we couldn’t do at Lejeune. We shipped the amtracks there by rail. The motorpools went by convoy (“motor march”).
We also had one M49 deuce and a half fuel truck and one M50 water truck. They were Vietnam era POSs still running in the early 90s. They were so underpowered and slow that the rest of the convoy had to hold back so we wouldn’t lose them – they were not the turbo versions. They were always down for maintenance and drug down my combat readiness numbers, causing me to catch hell from the S-4 (“the four”).
I had a brand new 3/4 ton Dodge Radio Van when I was Commo Chief for the mighty Co A 793 MP Battalion in Furth, Germany in the mid 60’s. We also had IIRC 30 plus M151A1 jeeps. All radio equipped. Yes, that is the famous “Red Ball Express” of WW2 fame.
That Dodge was one tough mother. During one of our annual FTX’s we were moving at night under blackout using the “cat eyes”. Just because the tops of the weeds are level doesn’t mean the ground under it is. I slid off the side of an unseen ditch and the Dodge fell over onto the tire on the carrier on the driver side door. The tire was the only thing touching, so I put it in granny and drove very slowly out of the ditch. It was only about ten yards before the truck started leveling out and got back on four wheels, thank God. I figured I was in for at least an article 15 for screwing up a brand new vehicle. When the light of day came around the only damage we found was a muddy tire and a little scratched paint. That truck could go anywhere an M151a1 could go. It just took a little longer. Since our radio relays were on the highest points around we did a lot of “hillclimbing”.
Our van was equipped with 3 VRC-10’s and one GRC-8. Keeping warm was not a problem with all those radios on, even when the temp was below freezing. These were tube radios, not solid state ones so they generated lots of heat. We hauled our spares inside the van, usually 4 or 5 complete sets plus our tool boxes and replacement parts. It also pulled a 3/4 ton trailer full of generator and 5 gallon jerry cans of gas for the generator. Like I said, one tough truck. It performed the mission it was designed for very well. It was designed for off road and was not an autobahn cruiser. It took me to the top of the mountain and back again in relative comfort and safety. I loved it.
I saw a WC56 at a car show about 5 years ago, and got a few shots of it. Great trucks, and they did the job they were built for. What else can you ask of them?