The Dodge WC 54 Ambulance was a variant of the Dodge WC truck series built for the U. S. Army during the Second World War. It was a 3/4-ton, four-wheel drive (4×4) ambulance produced under the Dodge and Fargo trademark of the Chrysler Cooperation. While most Dodge WCs were designated as “Weapons Carriers,” “WC” was a Dodge factory code, “W” for year 1941, “C” indicated a 1/2-ton payload rating. Over time, the WC code was retained for newer truck variants, such as the displayed WC 54 Police Van.
Dodge became the primary supplier of light wheeled support vehicles for the U.S. military prior to the First World War. In 1934, at the request of the U.S. Army, Dodge developed the first four-wheel drive, 1 ½ ton truck. Between 1940 and 1945, over 382,000 trucks were produced by Dodge. The 3/4-ton WC variant accounted for nearly 255,000 of the trucks supplied. Under the Dodge WC assembly program over 50 different truck variants were manufactured for the U.S. military.
The displayed Dodge is a WC 54 Police Van, one of the service models produced under the new WC assembly program. Produced in 1942, the WC 54 was initially designed as an ambulance, and became the standard ambulance for the U.S. Army. Over 26,000 WC 54 ambulances were produced by wars’ end. It was used for transport, not first-aid. It had the space to carry four stretcher cases or seven seated on fold down benches. This is the reason it was modified as a Military Police (MP) van. The WC 54 could navigate rough terrain and transport multiple prisoners.
From the Count Ferdinand von Galen Collection, donated by his family in memoriam.
