The Dodge WC 62 Personnel/Cargo Carrier was a variant of the Dodge WC truck series built for the U. S. Army during the Second World War. It was a 1 ½ ton, six-wheel drive (6×6) cargo truck produced under the Dodge and Fargo trademark of the Chrysler Cooperation. While most of 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 of the series like the WC 62 Personnel/Cargo Carrier displayed here.
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 WC-62 Personnel and Cargo Carrier displayed here is a variant of the WC vehicle program. A change in U.S. Army doctrine expanded the rifle squads from eight to twelve soldiers. As a result, Dodge extended the length of the WC 51 by 48 inches, added a third axle, and converted it to a 6×6 vehicle. The added features increased the cargo weight of the truck by ¾ of a ton. Over 43,000 Six-wheeled vehicles were produced. The Allied forces received nearly 6,300 WC 62 and WC 63 (winches attached) vehicles.
From the Count Ferdinand von Galen Collection, donated by his family in memoriam.
