For more than half of the 20th Century, the 2-1/2-ton 6x6 truck was the backbone of US military tactical transport. The pace-setter for this type of vehicle was the GMC CCKW, which not only served as a transport, but also formed the basis for a myriad of specialized vehicles: air-transportable versions multiple engineering variants, mobile medical facilities, anti-aircraft weapons, and trucks that fulfilled a host of other tasks. The CCKW has been the subject of a number of books and articles over the years, but this volume is the first to draw on the archival records of General Motors to trace the truck to its roots in the 1939 ACKWX and then tell its story through its debut in 1941 and the varied services it rendered with US forces in all theaters in the ensuing decades. GMC's obvious role is covered, but so too are less-known stories, such as the contribution made by multiple Chevrolet facilities to CCKW production. The book describes the development, production, and US use of the CCKW, ACKW, AFKWX, and CCW in WWII and Korea.

A detailed, pictorial history of the 1 1/2-ton Chevy truck and its use by the U.S. Army during World War II. From 1940 to 1945, large numbers of trucks of all categories were delivered to the U.S. Army by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors. Over 160,000 of these trucks were G-506 light four-wheel-drive trucks—which became the standard 1 1/2-ton, 4x4 truck for both the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps during the war. In addition, many more thousands were delivered to Allied forces as part of the Lend-Lease program, including nearly 50,000 delivered to the Soviet Union. Tough, well-built, and more agile than the deuce and a half, the Chevy 11⁄2 ton played a part in every theater of operations during the war. Its durability and mechanical reliability made it ideal for a wide range of missions. Not for nothing did Chevy advertise the trucks during the war as “Vehicles of Victory.” More than 75 years after it was designed, the small Chevrolet truck is still a favorite with collectors. This fully illustrated book details the different series of trucks and their many uses within the U.S. Army including cargo trucks, panel delivery trucks for the Signal Corps, dump trucks for engineers, telephone trucks, tractors, and bomb service trucks for the air force. It also covers their part in the Lend-Lease program, and their continued use after the war.