Dodge

Dodge WC series

The Dodge WC series, nicknamed "Beeps", and at first (from 1940 to 1942) nicknamed jeeps, is a prolific range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Chrysler under the Dodge and Fargo marques during World War II. Together with the later 1⁄4‑ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 1⁄2‑ton G-505 and 3⁄4‑ton G-502 trucks made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WW II – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units (over half as many as the 1⁄4‑ton jeeps). Contrary to the versatility of the highly standardized 1⁄4‑ton jeeps, which was mostly achieved through field modification, the Dodge WC‑series came in many different, purpose-built, but mechanically uniform variants from the factory, much akin to the later family of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. The WC series evolved out of, and was part of a more extended family of trucks, with great mechanical parts commonality, that included open- and closed-cab cargo, troops and weapons carriers, (radio) command, and reconnaissance cars, ambulances, carry-alls, panel vans, and mobile telephone installation and (emergency) field workshop trucks. The Dodge WC series were essentially built in two generations. From 1940 to early 1942, almost 82,400 of the 1⁄2‑ton 4×4 Dodge trucks were built. Initially called the VC series (for 1940), these were the U.S. military's first ever "light" four-wheel drive, (pre)-production trucks, preceding the momentous 1940 rethink, leading to the creation of the "1⁄4-ton truck". However, the great majority, from the 1941 model year, were named WC series, and built in more variants. Contrary to what Dodge's nomenclature maybe suggested, the 1941 WC models were a straight evolution of the 1940 VC models, retaining their G-505 U.S. Army Ordnance Corps' Supply Catalog number. For 1942, the trucks bodies and chassis were largely redesigned – heavier frames and drivetrains uprated them to carry 3⁄4‑tons off-road. And widening their tracks, while greatly shortening the wheelbase on the main models, plus lowering the bodies' center of gravity, gave them a much more square stance, with a much better break-over angle and side-slope stability. The trucks thus became the shorter G-502, 3⁄4‑ton, 4×4 truck (Dodge), and from 1943 also the longer, stretched G-507, 11⁄2‑ton, 6×6 personnel and cargo truck (Dodge) — all while retaining Dodge WC model codes. Although the 3⁄4‑tons improvements meant substantial design changes, they did retain some 80% interchangeable components and service parts with the 1⁄2‑ton models — a vital Army requirement, for field maintenance and operability of the trucks. Dodge was the U.S. Army's main supplier of 1⁄2‑ton trucks, and its sole supplier of both 3⁄4‑ton trucks and 11⁄2‑ton 6×6 trucks in World War II. With over a quarter million units built through August 1945, the G-502 3⁄4‑tons were the most common variants in the WC‑series. After the war, Dodge developed the 3⁄4-ton WC‑series into the civilian 4×4 Dodge Power Wagon; and in 1951, the WCs were replaced by the very similar 3⁄4‑ton 4×4 Dodge M-series vehicles . Though the majority of Dodges built were 'Weapons Carriers', "WC" was not abbreviated from this, but a regular Dodge model code – initially "W" for 1941, and "C" for a nominal half-ton payload rating. However, the "WC" model code was simply retained after 1941 — for both the 3⁄4-ton, as well as the 11⁄2‑ton rated 6×6 Dodges. All in all, not counting mechanically related variants, the WC series alone involved 52 model versions (thirty 1⁄2‑ton 4×4, eight 1⁄2‑ton 4×2, twelve 3⁄4‑ton 4×4, and two 11⁄2‑ton 6×6 models). Creating vehicles of a common platform in such a variety of designs, with payloads ranging from 1⁄2‑ton to 11⁄2‑tons, had no equal in its time, and is seen as an extraordinary feat of the WWII American auto industry.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

All Dodge WC series data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

Scope of the Dodge WC series

The name of this article would at first suggest a focus on models that are indeed called Dodge WC-numbers, either 4×4 or 6×6. However, the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps' central Standard Nomenclature List (SNL) Supply Catalog, covering the WC series, conveys both by its title, "SNL G-657 – Master Parts List, Dodge Trucks", as well as by the explicit types list on its second page, that (because of the large amount of shared parts and components), the family of vehicles must at least be considered to include the: 1940 half-ton (T-202) VC series and 1+1⁄2-ton (T-203) VF models 1941 half-ton (T-207, T-211, and T-215) WC series 1942 (T-214) three-quarter ton and 1943 (T-223) 1+1⁄2-ton WC series, but also 1941 two-wheel drive (T-112) half-tons and (T-118) 1+1⁄2-ton WC series. Additionally, close variants of the T-207 WC-1, and of the T-214 WC-51/WC-52, were derived and made in Canada, as the T‑212 'D8A' and the T‑236 '3/4 Ton APT' (for 'Air PorTable') respectively; and further production of T-203 variants became indicated as both the T-203B, and as the WF series. By contrast, Chrysler / Dodge Canada built another 165,000 mostly three-ton trucks, a hasty addition to the production of Canadian Military Pattern trucks, that were more closely derived from the commercial Dodge T-, V-, and W-Series trucks, and the same is true for the 15,000 'parts bin special' (T-234) "Burma Road" trucks, ordered by Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, at the time an ally against Japan.

History and design

=== 1900–1939 — Dodge Brothers start making cars and 4×4 trucks for the U.S. Army === Dodge had been the United States military's primary supplier of light wheeled vehicles, since before the U.S. joined the First World War. After starting business in 1900, producing precision engine and chassis components for other car builders in Detroit — Ford and Oldsmobile chief among these — Dodge introduced their first car, the Model 30/35 tourer, in 1914. It was stronger and more high quality than the ubiquitous Ford Model T, and in 1916, Dodge cars immediately proved their durability, both in the 1910s U.S.–Mexico Border War — the U.S. military's first operation to use truck convoys, as well as in World War I, when some 12,800 Dodge cars and light trucks were used, primarily as ambulances and repair trucks., but also as staff and reconnaissance vehicles. All the while, Dodge maintained its reputation for high quality truck, transmission, and motor parts they kept making for other successful manufacturers. Dodge civilian, commercial trucks were at first largely based on their passenger cars, offering light- and medium-duty trucks, like pick‑ups, station hacks, panel vans, and carry-alls. Dodge's passenger-car chassis were sturdy enough for such trucks, from their 1914 introduction. But Dodge expanded into medium-heavy duty trucks during the later 1930s and the 1940s. Crucial developments for Dodge were the switch to specific truck-frames and bodies in 1935, for a new, 1936 model-year truck generation. The dedicated truck frames were heavier and stronger than the lighter passenger-car chassis. In 1938, Dodge opened a very large new factory, dedicated to truck manufacturing, and later that same year, Dodge introduced a drastically redesigned new truck line-up again: the 1939 T-seri

Models table – overview

This table provides the relations between U.S. military and Dodge identification numbers, related to chassis payload classification in U.S. tons (907 kg), wheels and drive, and description of body / vehicle type, in accordance with the U.S. Army Ordnance Standard Nomenclature List (SNL) vehicle catalog. The U.S. government used vehicle (group) numbers starting with 'G-', whereas Dodge indicated models sharing the same technical configuration by a common 'T-' number, and their individual model numbers starting with two letters, like 'WC-'. The U.S. Army simply considered the 1941 half-ton Dodge WC series as evolutions of the initial 1940 VC series – all within the half-ton, 4×4, SNL G-505 truck range. In the case of two model codes separated by a slash, the first code refers to the vehicle without a winch, and the second code, in bold print, to the same vehicle, on a longer front frame, holding a front winch, typically resulting in a 10 in (25 cm) longer front overhang, and distinctly reduced approach angle. Not only were the winches driven by a power take-off from the engine, but unlike the later Dodge M-series trucks, on which an extension was bolted to the frame when mounting a winch — on the WC‑series the winch equipped versions were actually built on a different, longer frame. On the 11⁄2-ton rated VF-400 series trucks, the PTO-driven winch had a 10,000 pound capacity, but added almost 1,000 pounds to the vehicles weight, reducing the payload to 2400 pounds. Numbers separated by a comma indicate similar models but with different secondary details.

Engines and drivetrains

All engines were liquid-cooled, gasoline, straight-six Chrysler flathead engines. Recommended fuel octane rating for the initial T-207 WC half-tons was just 60–65, going by the dashboard data plate. The side-valve engines were mated to drive-trains of four-speed manual transmissions and a single-range transfer case, offering part-time four-wheel drive. Only the drive-trains in the 11⁄2‑ton models, the 1940 T‑203, VF-400 trucks, and the 1943–1945, G-507, T‑223 six-wheel drives, had a dual-ratio transfer-case. The low ratio on the 6×6, T‑223 transfer case gave a 1.5 : 1 reduction instead of the direct drive (1 : 1) high gear. The first batch of 1940, small half-ton (G‑505) Dodge VC models, (Dodge code T‑202) received a 201 cu in (3.3 L), 79 horsepower engine, well above their initial commercial rating of 70 hp on the 1939 TC half-tons. The four-speed gearbox fitted, was a stock option on the civilian Dodges, and so were oil filters, oil-bath air cleaners, and heavy-duty generators. The 1941 model-year T‑207-series trucks were again classed as G-505 half-tons, but these were powered by a 218 cu in (3.6 L) straight-six of 85 hp, taken from Dodge's 3⁄4- and one-ton commercial trucks. When the 1941 WC models were updated to T‑211 specifications, that initially remained so – but later T‑211s, and all of the final G‑505 half-ton WC series (the T‑215s), got a 230 cu in (3.8 L) L-head of 92 hp (SAE gross). From the mid 1941, T‑211 half-ton WC models onwards, to 1945, through the production of all 255,200 3⁄4‑ton T‑214 models, and the 43,200 1+1⁄2‑ton, T‑223, stretched six-wheel drive trucks, this 92 hp, 230 cu in (3.8 L) engine powered about 340,000 of all the Dodge WC series, basically unchanged.

Half-ton VC series

The 1940 Dodge / Fargo VC models formed the first production run in the U.S. military's G-505 range of half-ton, light four-wheel drive trucks. Created by Chrysler, based on Dodge's lightest, new for 1939, commercial half-ton TC models of "express" pickups, and their carry-all, the 1940 VC models formed the foundation for the subsequent 1941, G‑505, 1⁄2‑ton WC series trucks. (Dodge's naming system, back then, moved up the first letter alphabetically per model year, and the second letter tied to the truck's payload rating, based on chassis and components strength.) All variants used the same 116 in (2.95 m) wheelbase as the shortest civilian trucks, but with the addition of part-time four-wheel drive. Bodywork and sheet metal on the military VC series pick-ups and carryall were the same as the civilian models — however, for the command reconnaissance and radio cars, a new, dedicated open five seater body was created, manufactured by Budd Company. Also the same 201.3 cu in (3.3 L) inline six, flathead engine was used, but Dodge raised its power output from a 70 hp (52 kW) rating in the 1939 civilian TC, to 79 hp (59 kW) at 3000 rpm for their 1940 light VC models, and for the Army's G-505 VCs. The transmission had 4 speeds, and the transfer case just one – it only shifted drive to the front axle, to engage or disengage four-wheel drive. On-road, it remained rear-wheel drive, to prevent binding that would damage the drivetrain while cornering, as there was no center differential. The G-505 half-ton VC series came in six variants, numbered VC-1 to VC-6, and internally T-202 by Dodge: VC-1: Command Reconnaissance car – 2,155 units VC-2: Radio Command Reconnaissance – 34 units VC-3: Closed cab Pickup with bed seating for troops – 816 units VC-4: Closed cab Pickup without bed

Half-ton WC series

The half-ton, 4×4, Dodge WC series were evolutionary redesigns of the preceding VC series, retaining the military G-505 series code. Starting production in late 1940, until replacement by the 3/4‑ton models in early 1942, they progressed through three mechanical engineering versions (T-207, T-211, and T-215), in barely a year and a half – while receiving the T-215 specification engine midway through production of the T-211 coded versions. Half-ton rated WC series models received thirty-eight numbers, roughly chronologically, in the WC-1 to WC-50 range, but skipping numbers WC-2, WC-28 to WC-35, and WC-44 to WC-46. The WC series is immediately recognizable by its redesigned, now military sheet-metal. Wide-open, simplified front and rear fenders replaced the bulbous civilian ones, offering more wheel-travel, and less risk of wheels clogging stuck with thick mud in the wheel-well. The front brush-guard and grille were redesigned, replacing the civilian art-deco front with a single, integrated, upright, round welded grate. The distribution across the versions was: 31,935 units of the WC-1 through WC-11 models, with the T-207 engineering code and a 217.7 cu in (3,567 cm3) engine with 85 hp (63 kW); 17,293 units of the WC-12 through WC-20 models, with the T-211 engineering code and initially the same engine, however during August 1941 the T-211 engine was increased to 230.2 cu in (3,772 cm3) and 92 hp (69 kW), but the overall T-code number was not changed on affected models (e.g. WC-18) 28,537 units of the WC-21 through WC-27 and WC-40 through WC-43 model, with the T-215 engineering code and a 230.2 cu in (3,772 cm3) engine with 92 HP. The T-207 range had an uprated 85 hp engine, and these units had front axles with Bendix-Weiss constant-velocity joints, whereas T-211 and T-

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2578377CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_WC_seriesCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1361615996 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMFT_6_2015_659_(cropped).jpegCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Glunggenbauer · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

More from Dodge