Liberty truck

Last updated
Standard B "Liberty" truck
1st-Series Standardized Liberty truck.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerVarious (see below)
Production10,000–14,000
Body and chassis
Class B 3 to 5 short tons (2.7 to 4.5 long tons; 2.7 to 4.5 t)
Body style open cab, Cargo truck
Powertrain
Engine Gasoline, 425 cu in (6,960 cc; 6.96 L) L-head, 4-cycle,
52  hp (39  kW),
Transmission 4 speed, 4X2,
Dimensions
Wheelbase 160.5 in (408 cm)
Length22 ft (671 cm)
Width7.4 ft (226 cm)
Height6.25 ft (191 cm), 10.5 ft (320 cm) with bows and canvas
Curb weight 10,400 lb (4,717 kg)

The Class-B Standardized Military Truck or "Liberty Truck" was a heavy-duty truck produced by the United States Army during World War I. It was designed by the Quartermaster Corps with help from the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1910 in an effort to help standardize the immense parts catalogue and multiple types of vehicles then in use by the US military, as well as create a truck which possessed all the best features of heavy truck technology then available. It was the first official standardized motor vehicle adopted and produced by the US Military.

Contents

3rd Division soldiers somewhere in France with First-series Liberty truck, 1918 3rd Division soldiers, France with Liberty truck.jpg
3rd Division soldiers somewhere in France with First-series Liberty truck, 1918

History

The Liberty truck was designed by the Motor Transport section of the Quartermaster Corps in cooperation with the members of the civilian Society of Automotive Engineers. Prototype design of the 3–5 ton truck began in mid-1917, and the first two running prototypes appeared 69 days after the design was finalized in mid-1917. Both trucks were assembled and driven over 400 miles from their assembly locations to Washington D.C., arriving without any major breakages or halts on October 19, 1917 and presented to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. Following its approval and subsequent small changes to some design and technical aspects, official production of the First-type truck began in January 1918 with parts being produced by 150 different suppliers and assembly contracts awarded to 15 companies. [1] The following are numbers produced in total prior to the signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918:

Of the 9,364 produced prior to the Armistice, several made it to French shores all of the 1st Series variant with electric lights. The first trucks arrived in early October 1918 and steadily flowed into French ports before and after the Armistice. [3] Few made it into frontline service by wars end. Contracts for an additional 43,000 vehicles were canceled in December 1918 and production halted on trucks entirely by 1919. Following the war, many Class-B Liberty trucks were sold-off surplus to the civilian market and other militaries. Some trucks would see use by foreign armies such as the early Polish Airforce and Army during the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920-21, as well as with the American Expeditionary Force, Siberia. [4] However, several trucks would continue service with the US Military into the lean days of the late 20s and early 30s receiving engine, body and tire upgrades transforming them into wholly different trucks. The trucks seem to have generally disappeared from military use by 1940.

First Series Liberty Truck in use by Polish AirForce ca. 1919-20 First Series Liberty Truck in use by Polish AirForce ca.1919-20.jpg
First Series Liberty Truck in use by Polish AirForce ca. 1919-20
First-series truck with AEF in Siberia near Narwa, ca. 1919 AEF in Siberia near Narwa, ca.1919.jpg
First-series truck with AEF in Siberia near Narwa, ca. 1919

Variants

A 'Class-C' 6-wheeled truck based upon the Class-B Liberty design was also proposed, but never manufactured during WW1. The extension of the frame and addition of a 3rd axle was a common alteration made to several surplus Class-B trucks in civilian and industrial service. The truck was also commonly encountered in other civilian-built variations with frame-mounted equipment such as drills, cranes, and liquid transport tanks.

Powertrain

The Standard B "Liberty" truck's powertrain utilized a gasoline powered 425 cubic-inch L-head inline four cylinder engine that put out 52 horsepower, a 4 speed transmission, and a 4 X 2 drive setup. The Liberty's four-speed coupled with its engine gave the truck a top speed of about 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). [5] The engine was a collaboration amongst 5 different companies including the Buda Engine Co. (timing gear), Waukesha Engine (timing gear, governor, cylinders), Continental (cylinders, crank case), the Hercules Engine Company (pistons), and the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company (timing gear, oiling system). This was just one example of the collaborative effort involved in designing the truck which helped to speed its production and design. [6]

Liberty Truck Engine, Offset right-side Cut-Away Liberty Truck Engine, Offset right-side Cut-Away.jpg
Liberty Truck Engine, Offset right-side Cut-Away
Liberty Truck Engine, Right-side Cut-Awayshowing crankshaft and pistons Liberty Truck Engine, Right-side Cut-Awayshowing crankshaft and pistons.jpg
Liberty Truck Engine, Right-side Cut-Awayshowing crankshaft and pistons
Restored Liberty Truck at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH Liberty B Truck.jpg
Restored Liberty Truck at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH

The engine consumed standard gasoline at a rate of about 3.5 to 7 miles per gallon depending on terrain, speed and driving ability. The truck has a maximum fuel capacity of around 22 gallons which includes the primary dash-mounted fuel tank and a larger reserve tank mounted under the right-hand side of the seat box.

Surviving examples

Static:

Operational:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katyusha rocket launcher</span> Soviet/Russian multiple launch rocket system

The Katyusha is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area more intensively than conventional artillery, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. They are fragile compared to artillery guns, but are cheap, easy to produce, and usable on almost any chassis. The Katyushas of World War II, the first self-propelled artillery mass-produced by the Soviet Union, were usually mounted on ordinary trucks. This mobility gave the Katyusha, and other self-propelled artillery, another advantage: being able to deliver a large blow all at once, and then move before being located and attacked with counter-battery fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Model T engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ford Model T used a 177 cu in (2.9 L) sidevalve, reverse-flow cylinder head inline 4-cylinder engine. It was primarily a gasoline engine. It produced 20 hp (14.9 kW) for a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h). It was built in-unit with the Model T's novel transmission, sharing the same lubricating oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Wheel Drive</span> American auto manufacturer, division of ELB Capital

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive (FWD), was a pioneering American company that developed and produced all-wheel drive vehicles. It was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich. The first production facility was built in 1911 and was designed by architect Wallace W. DeLong of Appleton, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium Mark A Whippet</span> Medium Tank

The Medium Mark A Whippet was a tank employed by the British in World War I. Intended for fast mobile assaults, it was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studebaker US6 2½-ton 6×6 truck</span> American exported military cargo vehicle

The Studebaker US6 (G630) was a series of 2+12-ton 6×6 and 5-ton 6×4 trucks manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation and REO Motor Car Company during World War II. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 2+12-short-ton cargo load over any type of terrain in any weather. Most of these were exported to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease by the US during World War II, since the competing GMC 6×6 CCKW design proved to be more suitable for Western Front conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Champ</span> British jeep-like vehicle

The Austin Champ was a military and civilian jeep-like vehicle made by the Austin Motor Company in the 1950s. The army version was officially known as "Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4×4, Cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1" however the civilian name "Champ" was universally, if unofficially, applied to it. The majority of Champs produced went to the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark VIII tank</span> British/American WWI tank

The Mark VIII tank also known as the Liberty or The International was a British-American tank design of the First World War intended to overcome the limitations of the earlier British designs and be a collaborative effort to equip France, the UK and the US with a single heavy tank design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge M37</span> Military truck of the United States

The Dodge M37 was a 34-ton 4x4 truck developed for service in the United States military as a successor to the widely used Dodge-built WC Series introduced during World War II. Put into service in 1951, it served in a variety of configurations in frontline duty in the Korean War and War in Vietnam before being replaced by two commercial off the shelf (COTS) based 1+14-ton trucks: the Kaiser M715 and the Dodge M880/M890 series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilling-Stevens</span> Former British commercial vehicle manufacturer

Tilling-Stevens was a British manufacturer of buses and other commercial vehicles, based in Maidstone, Kent. Originally established in 1897, it became a specialist in petrol-electric vehicles. It continued as an independent manufacturer until 1950, when it was acquired by the Rootes Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willys MB</span> U.S. military vehicle of WWII ("Jeep")

The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, 14‑ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its Standard Army vehicle supply nr. G-503, were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles. Well over 600,000 were built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. This also made it the world's first mass-produced four-wheel-drive car, built in six-figure numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M35 series 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck</span> US military truck

The M35 2½-ton cargo truck is a long-lived 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck initially used by the United States Army and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. Over time it evolved into a family of specialized vehicles. It inherited the nickname "Deuce and a Half" from an older 2½-ton truck, the World War II GMC CCKW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saurer</span> Swiss manufacturer

Adolph Saurer AG was a Swiss manufacturer of embroidery and textile machines, trucks and buses under the Saurer and Berna brand names. Based in Arbon, Switzerland, the firm was active between 1903 and 1982. Their vehicles were widely used across mainland Europe, particularly in the interwar period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6×6 truck</span> US WWII "deuce and a half" cargo truck

The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog nr, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 212-ton, 6×6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War. The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin RS-4-TC</span> Diesel-electric locomotive

The Baldwin RS-4-TC is a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation between July 1953 and January 1955. The RS-4-TCs were powered by a supercharged twelve-cylinder diesel engine rated at 400 horsepower (298 kW), and rode on a pair of two-axle trucks in a B-B wheel arrangement. 74 of these models were built mainly for the Army while a few of them went to the Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge WC series</span> American WWII light military trucks

The Dodge WC series 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 14-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 12‑ton G-505 and 34‑ton G-502 trucks 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.

<i>Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht</i> German car and light truck family

Einheits-Pkw der Wehrmachtliterally: "standard passenger motor-car of the Wehrmacht" – was the Nazi German plan for a new, multi-purpose fleet of all wheel drive off-road vehicles, based on just three uniform chassis, specifically designed and built for the Wehrmacht. The plan was formulated in 1934, and vehicles were built from 1936 to 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Type 73 Medium Truck</span> All-terrain four-wheel drive (4x4) truck

The Type 73 Medium Truck is an all-terrain four-wheel drive (4x4) truck of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force known as the 1 1/2 Ton Truck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford QL</span> British military truck family

The Bedford QL was a series of trucks, manufactured by Bedford for use by the British Armed Forces in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isotta Fraschini D80</span> Motor vehicle

The Isotta Fraschini D80 is a large truck built in Italy from 1934 to 1955, the Isotta Fraschini D80 NM was built only in 1935.

References

  1. Mroz, Albert.American Military Vehicles of World War I: An Illustrated History of Armored Cars, Staff Cars, Motorcycles, Ambulances, Trucks, Tractors and Tanks, Jefferson N.C.: McFarland & Company Inc., 2009. pg. 232-4.
  2. Mroz, Albert.The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles, Iola, WI: Kraus Publications, 1996. pg. 246-7.
  3. The Stars and Stripes Newspaper, 'Liberty Truck, Americas Best, Reaches France'. October 4, 1918. Vol. 1, No. 35, p. 8.
  4. Tarczyński, Jan, Barbaski Krzysztof, and Jońka, Adam. Pojazdy w Wojsku Polskim: 1918-1939.Londyn: Komisja Historyczna b. Sztabu Głównego PSZ, Oficyna Wydawnicza "Ajaks", 1995.
  5. WWI STANDARD B "LIBERTY" TRUCK, National Museum of the US Air Force, archived from the original on 2010-07-29, retrieved 2009-11-24
  6. The New York Times.'New Army Truck Mechanical Marvel'. October 12, 1917.