Thе GMC CCKW was a 2½ ton 6×6 U.S. Army cargo truck that saw heavy service in both World War II and the Korean War. The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion.
The CCKW came in many variants, including open or closed cab, long wheel base (LWB 353) and short (SWB 352), and over a score of specialized models. It began to be phased out with the deployment of the 6×6 M35 in 1950, but remained in active U.S. service until the mid-1960s.
In 1940, the US Army set a requirement for an all wheel drive 6×6 truck with a 12 ft (3.7 m) cargo area and a 2½ ton (2,268 kg) off-road payload. General Motors, already supplying modified commercial trucks to the Army, modified the 1939 ACKWX-built for the French Army-into the CCKW. The General Motors design was chosen by the Army and went into production at GM'S Yellow Truck and Coach division's Pontiac, Michigan plant alongside 6×4 CCWs. Later they were also manufactured at GM's St. Louis, Missouri Chevrolet plant.
Initially, all versions used a modified commercial closed cab design having a metal roof and doors. By 1944 an open cab version, with a canvas roof and doors, was used. This was easier to build, and the roof could be removed to lower the shipping height. 1 in 4 open cabs had a machine gun mounting ring above the co-driver's position.
The CCKW provided a platform for the widest range of bodies on any U.S. military vehicle, with the 12 ft (3.7 m) cargo version being the most common. As steel was more heavily rationed during the course of the war, the steel cargo bed was replaced by a wooden one. Wooden beds proved unsatisfactory and a 'composite' bed with steel sides, framing, and wooden bottom slats was developed. However, the composite bed was still unsatisfactory and the bed design returned to all steel.
A rectangular van configuration was used in communications, medical, workshop, and many other specialty roles.
- engine: 6 cylinders
- capacity: 4400 cc
- horsepower: 91 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 72 km/h
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