Weapons Carrier

[79x100]

I may be stupid and American vehicles are not really my thing but why is the Dodge "Weapons Carrier" so called? Was it designed for specific weapons or is the name a code to confuse the enemy ?

[Cara]

I also wondered this.

 

The only reasoning I have been able to come up with was that the Army simply coded them Dodge WC63 (For instance) like a model of car, and the GI's made up a name to go with the initials, hence Weapons Carrier.

 

Don't know if this is true or an old wives tale, but is the only explanation I have been able to come up with, thus far.

 

Cara

x

[Bodge Deep]

As far as i know (could well be wrong) one of the original purposes of the WC was as a high mobilility artillery platform (the WC55's gun truck being the 1st incarnation). But by the time they'd gone into production they were dropped as an idea & the 55's stripped of their guns and returned to what we now recognise as 51's & 52's (Lloyd?). The WC is, as with DUKW's etc a ref to year of comission, wheelbase, weight etc... its predecessor being the Dodge VC series.

They are named as Weapon(s) Carrier on both the build cards (filled on production line) and data plates so i would guess that the name originated with the vehicle. WC - Weapons Carrier being a convenient 'handle' for the pickups, WC for the rest (after all a weapons carrier ambulance... :?

Hope this helps

[Jack]

I was of the understanding that they were originally designed as a gun platform and I think for a mortar platform.

 

Will have a look at my book tonight 8) but I think that is pretty much bang on.