Is this a Studebaker?

[52-fan]

I know one of the Russian trucks in the background is a Studebaker, but is the open cab truck one of the early ones?

[wolfie]

yep, think it is anyway.

[r1lark]

yep, think it is anyway.

X2,................

[Skip Lackie]

Flat top front fenders means Stude US6.

[StudeNewby]

Flat top front fenders means Stude US6.

That's what I was thinking. And if Skip says it, that's good enough for me.

[Commander Eddie]

Definitely a Studebaker. Sloped windshield and squared off front fenders. The best looking military truck in the war in my estimation.

[Skip Lackie]

The other conclusive indicator is wind wings, though they're not really discernible (to me anyway) in that picture. As noted above, the one on the right (yellow arrow) has the canvas cab, which the Russians didn't like and asked the US to stop sending. So Stude stopped building them. From the Stude truck history on the SDC website:

"At the request of the Army, Studebaker also developed an open-cab version of the US6 in 1942, and built 10,006 of them during 1942 and 43. These trucks used a completely different cab design without wind wings. Manufacture of the open-cab trucks was assigned to other companies in March 1943, after which Studebaker built only closed-cab trucks using the M-series model C9 cab."

FWIW: I believe the smaller trucks in front of and behind the US6 in the background are Chevys.

[sgriggs]

I can see why the Russians would prefer the steel closed cab version with their winters!

[Buzzard]

Seeing as I own one I concur with all above. Studebaker was the only manufacture to make the top of the fenders flat so as to offer the maintenance crews a decent work bench so that their tools wouldn't roll or slide off. The first truck appears to be a Chevrolet while the third looks to be an International. From what I have read I believe the open cabs were more intended for North Africa, Burma and the Philippines. The "wind wings" were a result of Studebaker using conventional cabs with military spec front ends. The BIG difference however is that the windshields open out for better ventilation, probably not a big feature in Russia. Attached are pics of some tee-shirts I had made several years ago when I had my company to promote Studebakers and my automotive business. You can see how many places received Studebakers during the war years.
Bill

[Skip Lackie]

The US Army contracted with Studebaker for the US6 trucks in early 1941, and production began in June 1941 -- six months before the Pearl Harbor attacks. The govt signed similar contracts with all of the other auto builders for military products. Specific truck models were produced by GMC, Chevy, Reo, Diamond T, International, and others. Decisions about how/where to deploy them came later, based on such factors as logistics, supply line considerations, and the climate in a particular theater of war. As Bill said, the open-cab units were probably intended for warm climates, but that decision conflicted with a separate decision to focus Studebaker US6 shipments to the Soviet Union. As a result, some of the Studebaker US6 trucks sent to Russia had open cabs -- clearly unsuitable for the Russian climate. It's worth noting that US6 trucks also went to the British for use in Burma and Southeast Asia. Don't know if they were open or closed cabs.

[Lothar]

Another example of the extensive Lend-Lease program are the two Sherman tanks in the picture. They are almost certainly Sherman hulls, but the turrets look odd to me. They may have Russian-made turrets mounting Russian guns, to simplify ammunition logistics. I think that the other tank in the picture is a Russian-made KV-1. A real Tiger hunter!