Studebaker US6

[GinettaG12P]

The History Channel ran a program entitled Ultimate Weapons of WWII. It ranked the ten most important weapons of the war. At number 9 was the Studebaker US6 truck.

[hausdok]

Sitting here typing a report with the history channel running in the background and not paying attention when I heard "the Studebaker truck" and stopped to see what they were talking about. The Stude deuce-and-a-half was apparently responsible for the Russians' ability to maneuver anti-tank artillery rapidly in the face of the German blitzkrieg and enabled the Russians to halt the Nazi's at the battle of Kursk. A key element in those events that ultimately led to Hitler's defeat.

Apparently we shipped 100,000 Stude Trucks to Russia and those trucks transformed Russia's military from horses and wagons to modern mobile armies.

Never would have considered a truck a "weapon" but the History Channel apparently does.

[raprice]

I wish I would have seen that show. I watch History Channel a lot, but I guess I just missed that one.
Rog

[WinM1895]

Studebaker trucks were also used during the construction of the ALCAN Highway.

[jclary]

Never would have considered a truck a "weapon" but the History Channel apparently does.

Well...if you think about it...almost any item of war that helps defeat the enemy is a weapon. That includes the driver of the truck, the hydraulic test units that check out an aircrafts's system before a mission, the generators that supply power and start the aircraft for a mission, catapult on an aircraft carrier, radar systems, etc.

The sweaty shirtless crew that labors on the hot tarmac loading bombs and ammunition are as important as the pilot who locks on a target and fires the ammo. I might add...if it wasn't for the cook in the chow hall...nothing else gets done!

[JBOYLE]

Eisenhower called the Jeep one of the top ten weapons of the war...along with the unarmed C-47 (DC-3)...so there is precedent in calling non-combat items "weapons'.

[gordr]

Don't forget that the Russians mounted Katyusha rocket launchers (the "Stalin Organ") on many US6 trucks, making them into quite literal weapons.

[hawk58man]

jclary,Thank You, from a humbled , USAF flightline Aircraft Jet Engine Mechanic USAF. "21 years in , 11 years out on the road on TDY, Temporary Duty"..Qualified on F4C,D.E,F . F15A, A10A(TEST TEAM). A7D ,T33 , KC135A..

[57pack]

My wife who is a RN/CDE went to Russia in the mid 1990's on a medical / cultural exchange. Reported to me that many of the older WW2 Russians she met refer to all US trucks of that era as Studebakers. Sort of like the way all tissues are commonly referred to as Kleenex.

[jclary]

...along with the unarmed C-47 (DC-3)...so there is precedent in calling non-combat items "weapons'.

You reminded me that, somewhere in my computer, I had a picture of a C-47 that was slightly altered from "unarmed" while I was in NAM.

A few years ago, I finally decided to sign up for VA services. Not that I needed anything, but just wanted to get in the loop just in case I found myself in a need. After filling out page after page of forms and sending them off. I got this goofy letter wanting more proof I was in the military and in Vietnam. Therefore...I not only sent them more papers (including my orders to NAM, discharge papers after returning, etc.
I also sent them these pictures (and others) of me IN VIETNAM! (All certified mail so that they had to sign acknowledging they got them.)

I don't know how well these pics will turn out on the forum, but the middle one on the right is one of the C-47 Spooky gunships. You would not want to be in the target area of the cannon from this beast!

Sorry 'bout all the other pics, but this was scanned and stored in my computer as one picture. Also, the pictures of me was before I found another 70 or so pounds.

[Dan Timberlake]

I worked with a Russian born engineer for several years. He grew up during Stalin's regime but was a generation too young to serve in WW2. He spoke VERY fondly of the reliablility Studebaker trucks and Studebaker vehicles by association. He credited the Russian winter as what really beat the Germans by totally immobilizing their tanks and killing a bunch of their soldiers.

[62champ]

Lancaster 2008 International - truck apparently had just been bought somewhere in PA and brought to the meet. This was late on the afternoon of the concours and the owner was enjoying the differences in elevation on the show field - truck sounded great.

[Roscomacaw]

Why does the figure 197,000 come to mind?

[8E45E]

Lancaster 2008 International - truck apparently had just been bought somewhere in PA and brought to the meet. This was late on the afternoon of the concours and the owner was enjoying the differences in elevation on the show field - truck sounded great.

Here's another one all restored: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ghlight=crosby

Craig

[t walgamuth]

The Russians loved the Stude trucks so much that after the war they built copies of them for decades after the war.

The cab on it looks a lot like the CE cab.