The M6 bomb service truck is a truck that was produced by Chevrolet during World War II. The M6 was a 1.5-tonne (1.7-short-ton) 4×x4 truck that was used to tow M5 bomb trailers around on airfields. It could move up to five M5 trailers at once. It used a winch on the rear to load and unload trailers.
M6 bomb service truck | |
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Frontal view of an M6 bomb service truck | |
Type | truck |
Place of origin | United States |
Production history | |
Designer | Chevrolet |
Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
Produced | 1942 – September 1944 |
No. built | up to 7,000 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 6,040 pounds (2.74 t) (unloaded), 6,324 pounds (2.869 t) (loaded) |
Length | wheelbase: 125 in (3.2 m) |
Width | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
Engine | Chevrolet, six-cylinder, 236-cubic-inch (3,870 cc) 83 hp (62 kW) |
Fuel capacity | 48 US gal (180 L) |
Operational range | 125 mi (201 km) |
It could also be used to tow ammunition around an ammunition dump. The truck was designated as an M6 Chevrolet bomb service truck. It is believed[by whom?] that Chevrolet produced about 7,000 of these trucks during World War II. It was soon replaced by GMC CCKW-based M27 bomb service truck.
Specifications
editThe M6 bomb service truck was a 4×4 truck with a wheelbase of 125 in (3.2 m),[1][2] a width of 6 ft (1.8 m),[3] and a weight of 6,040 pounds (2.74 t), when unloaded, and a weight of 6,324 pounds (2.869 t) when loaded.[1][4] It was powered by an 83 hp (62 kW), six-cylinder, Chevrolet, 236-cubic-inch (3,870 cc) engine. The engine had two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 48 US gal (180 L) and a range of 125 mi (201 km).[3][5]
Design and use
editThe M6 bomb service truck, unlike many other trucks in its family, had an open cab with no solid roof and no doors. It normally had a canvas roof over the driver's compartment. In hotter areas, the canvas roof could be removed and the windshield folded down for extra ventilation.[6][7]
It had a rear area where it could carry ammunition, since it could be used in ammunition dumps to carry ammunition around the dump.[3][8] The M6 also was equipped with a winterization kit that included: an insulated battery box with a heating coil, a gasoline heater to heat the battery, and a petcock for the bottom of the fuel tank (for easy releasing of cold air and pressure from the gasoline tank).[9]
Winches and hoists used
editBefore mid-1943, the M6 was not equipped with a spare tire and had a Beebee hoist, while after mid-1943 the Beebee hoist was replaced with either a Holan hoist or a Braden winch; the Braden winch did not prove satisfactory, so a modification order was issued to replace them.[6] With the winches and hoists, the M6 could haul up to five M5 bomb trailers at once around airfields.[10][11]
Production history
edit7,000 M6s were produced by Chevrolet in World War II from 1942 to September 1944. Production of the vehicle ended as a new bomb truck, the M27 (which was based on the GMC CCKW), had newly entered production and was seen as superior.[1]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
editBibliography
edit- Doyle, David (2011). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles (second ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. ISBN 978-1-4402-2572-7.
- Farmer, William C. (1945). Ordnance field guide, Restricted. Vol. 2. Harrisonburg, PA: Military Service Publishing Company. OCLC 2889436.
- General Motors Corporation (1942). Bomb Service Truck M6 (Chevrolet). Washington, D.C.: War Department. OCLC 41742567.
- Hogg, Ian V. (2001). The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalog of Small Arms, Tanks, Armored Cars, Artillery, Antiaircraft Guns, Ammunition, Grenades, Mines, Etcetera. London, UK: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-470-9.
Government documents
edit- Army Service Forces (1943). TM-9-1765B M6 Bomb Service Truck (PDF). Washington, D.C.: War Department. OCLC 220422129.
- Ordnance Department (1943). TM-9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles. Washington, D.C.: War Department. OCLC 18977727. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- War Department (1942). TM-9-1765A: Axles, Propeller Shafts and Wheels of Bomb Service Truck M6 (Chevrolet). Washington D.C.: War Department.
Journal
edit- United States Infantry Association (1944). "United States Army – Infantry". Infantry Journal. 54–55. Washington, D.C..: United States Infantry Association.