page_title: Dodge WC series
section_title: 1941–1942 — ​1⁄2-ton WC series
hierarchical_section_title: Dodge WC series / History and design / 1941–1942 — ​1⁄2-ton WC series
caption_attribution_description: Photographed at the War &amp; Peace show. Actually a WC-3 Weapons Carrier without winch — the U.S Ordnance Department Administrative and Tactical Vehicles per QMC Contract.nr, 1940 through 1 January 1944 (Dodge T-207) identifies registration number 28572 as a T-207 — meaning a WC-3
context_page_description: The Dodge WC series was a prolific range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Dodge / Fargo during World War II. Together with the ​¹⁄₄-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge ​¹⁄₂-tons and ​³⁄₄-tons made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WWII – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units. Contrary to the versatility of the highly standardized jeep, 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 trucks and weapons carriers, command cars, reconnaissance vehicles, ambulances, carryalls, panel vans, and telephone installation and mobile emergency / field workshop trucks.
  From 1940 to 1942, almost 82,400 G-505 ​¹⁄₂-ton 4x4 Dodge trucks were built — initially called the VC series, but the great majority in the WC series, and in more variants.
context_section_description: The 1940 VC-series Dodge 1/2-ton 4x4s were well liked but considered only an interim solution, because they were essentially a modified civilian truck. At the outset of World War II a more military design was laid out. Dodge replaced the 1940 VC-1 to VC-6 with the equally half-ton rated WC series of military light trucks, produced in 38 model variants, of which 30 were four-wheel driven, in varying amounts — thousands of some models were produced, while only a few of some others were made. Where the military VC-series still used much civilian sheet-metal, distinguished by a brush-guard in front of the grille — the WC‑series came with wide-open, almost flat fenders that prevented mud build-up, clogging rotation of the wheels — as well as a redesigned, sloping nose with an integrated, round, grated grille / brush-guard. A new ambulance with a fully enclosed, all-steel box rear body was designed, on a longer, 123 inch wheelbase; and PTO-driven winches were now fitted to some models.
  The ​¹⁄₂‑ton WC models were the first all-military design Dodge developed in the build-up to full mobilization for World War II, and they were the U.S. Army's first standard light truck – prior to the jeep – when the U.S. formally declared war in December 1941.
  Both the Dodge half-ton VC and WC trucks were part of the Army G-505 series. Some 77,750 four-wheel drive ​¹⁄₂‑ton WC numbered trucks were produced during late 1940 to 1942 under War Department contracts. Additionally, aside from the fully military 4WD models, a small total of 1,542 two-wheel drive units retaining civilian sheet-metal were also supplied to the U.S. military, bearing WC model numbers in this same range. These models carried the SNL-code G-613, and brought the total number of half-ton WC‑series up to some 79,300 units, and the grand total of all half-tonners (VC and WC; 4WD and 2WD) to almost 84,000.
caption: World War II soldiers called the ​1⁄2-ton 1940/1941 Dodge Reconnaissance / Weapon Carriers a "Jeep" before the Willys MB.[25][26]
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