The Dodge WC 51 Weapon Carrier 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) utility truck 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.
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 Dodge WC 51 Weapon Carrier was deployed to both the Pacific and European Theaters. It was initially designed to carrier a squad of eight personnel. This changed when U.S. Army Doctrine increased the squad size to twelve. Unable to accommodate the new size squad, the WC 51 was used as a Weapon Carrier. The vehicles’ low silhouette and four-wheel drive capabilities made it the ideal transporter of vital supplies to the frontlines. The displayed Dodge WC 51 Weapon Carrier was restored to represent the U.S. units assigned to the European Theater.
From the Count Ferdinand von Galen Collection, donated by his family in memoriam.
