Includes hundreds of period photos covering all the details of the trucks, vans and trailers vital to maintain the communications of the U.S. Army in WWII. The Signal Corps was at the forefront of the technological development of communications throughout World War II. Tasked with coordinating all American military activities, the Signal Corps initially had to rely on a communications landline network covering some 1 300 000 km. This network together with radio communications provided President Roosevelt with a global overview of military operations down to battalion level updated hourly for nearly five years. Technological evolution was so rapid that radio communications soon took over from the landline network, however adaptation remained a priority within the US Army Signal Corps for when landline networks were unavailable or radio silence had to be observed; signallers also maintained older communications methods including homing pigeons. Almost every large piece of Signal Corps equipment required wheeled transport. Early in the war the Model “K” vehicles, designed for the Signal Corps’ needs, quickly proliferated with 84 variants being produced. After that designation was abandoned the Signal Corps would catalogue a further 62 models of vehicles and trailers, most of them were associated with a particular radio or radar installation. This comprehensive and fully illustrated account covers radar, radio vehicles, plus specialized vehicles such as telephone repair trucks, mobile telephone switchboards and homing pigeon units, all described in technical detail and illustrated by hundreds of period photos.

A detailed summary of all the types of Diamond T vehicles used by the US Army during World War II, packed full of period photos and diagrams. Between 1940 and 1945, Diamond T Motor Car Company supplied just over 50,000 vehicles to the US military, and also to the Allies. Of this, just over 30,000 were heavy 4-ton 6x6 trucks of varying types: cargo, tow truck, pontoon carrier, engineer, cartographic, etc. The "Diamond" would serve in all theaters of operations, wherever its robustness and reliability were necessary to complete the mission. Due to its expertise, Diamond T also produced the famous half-track, with more than 10,000 manufactured. All of these models are described in this work by Didier Andres, an expert in the subject. The text is illustrated throughout using archival and period photographs and diagrams.

In 1940, the U.S. Army began to standardize the production of vehicles it required to fight a modern war—including support and medical vehicles. The first deliveries of the 3⁄4-ton Dodge WC54 ambulance arrived in 1942. Built by Chrysler, and utilizing the same chassis and engine as the entire Dodge WC series, the WC54 ambulance has specific features to use for the rescue and transport of injured soldiers. In all, more than 26,000 Dodge WC54 vehicles would be built during the war. Used by the U.S. military and its allies, it remained in service after the war in a number of countries including France. The Dodge WC54 ambulance is an iconic vehicle from this period, and remains highly sought after by collectors—it is still possible to find ambulances in varying states of repair available for sale. Based upon his own painstaking restoration of a WC54, the author presents in detail every element of this vehicle—chassis, cabin, electrical circuitry, accessories, and markings. He explains the adaptations made to the body, mechanics, and markings of the ambulance during the war, and shows the differences between the Dodge WC54s used by the U.S. military and those of the French army. Abundantly illustrated with more than 450 photos, this book is a perfect reference for all enthusiasts of military vehicles.

A detailed history of the most widely used 37-mm gun of WWII and its applications. Developed in response to the 1899 Hague Convention, the 37-mm gun met the restrictions on the size of weapons that could fire explosive shells, yet was also light and lethal enough to be used in battle. After World War I, in which the French Model 1916 37-mm was used extensively, several countries developed or adopted the 37-mm gun. Behind in their development of an antitank gun, the United States relied on the German Pak 36 37-mm design as a basis for development. By the mid 1930s, the US Ordnance Department designed the M3 37-mm gun and M4 carriage resulting in a towed antitank gun, the first antitank gun in the US Army. This gun proved effective at the beginning of World War II, but as German armor protection increased, it could not penetrate the frontal armor of many German tanks and was relegated to lesser roles. However, the gun proved effective against the Japanese tanks and Japanese strong points in the Far East. The US military used the gun on several production and experimental armored vehicles including the M3 Lee Medium Tank, the M3 Stuart Light Tank, the M5 Stuart Light Tank, the M8 Armored Car, the T17E1 Staghound Armored Car and the M3A1E3 Scout Car. The gun was also used on several non-armored vehicles, the P39 Aeracobra, and selected naval vessels. Despite its small size, the US M3 37-mm gun served throughout the war, on many vehicles and performed exactly as designed. Fully illustrated, this is the first complete account of the development and use of the US 37-mm gun in World War II.