Air transportable CCKW.

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RANGER
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Air transportable CCKW.

Post by RANGER »

Many of the surplus CCKWs rebuilt in Europe have the Air Transportable Open cab installed whether they have the airborne chassis or not.
US ARMY HONOR GRADUATE MECHANIC, Restorer of fine Jeeps, MV's, MVPA 40+yrs, DAV, Army Aircrew member, Donor to Military Museums & CAF, MV Hobby since 1945
Other Hobby- Army Air Force & Busting Big Ass Military Imposters-Good at it
RANGER
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Post by RANGER »

There was a rubber brake hose GM-2204044 at the chassis splice. I have some NOS stored away.
US ARMY HONOR GRADUATE MECHANIC, Restorer of fine Jeeps, MV's, MVPA 40+yrs, DAV, Army Aircrew member, Donor to Military Museums & CAF, MV Hobby since 1945
Other Hobby- Army Air Force & Busting Big Ass Military Imposters-Good at it
Robbo
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Post by Robbo »

Here's a little known fact - a lot of airborne GMC's were converted by Ford at their Richmond California Plant:

http://www.nps.gov/pwro/rori_library/rori_studies.htm

And General Motors Holden Ltd., the Australian GM subsidiary, developed the prototypes and continued building a version quite different to the US made version for deployment in the SWPA.
RANGER
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Post by RANGER »

Another fact is that not all CCKWs that were transported bu air in WWII were the special Air Transportable type.
My uncle Max hauled the chassis of a completely disassembled CCKW in a C-47. He was a member of the 39th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 317th Troop Carrier Group. They were called the "Jungle Skippers," and the name was printed on the upper fuselage of their C-47s. The truck he used to get to the flightline was a 3/4 Ton WC.
US ARMY HONOR GRADUATE MECHANIC, Restorer of fine Jeeps, MV's, MVPA 40+yrs, DAV, Army Aircrew member, Donor to Military Museums & CAF, MV Hobby since 1945
Other Hobby- Army Air Force & Busting Big Ass Military Imposters-Good at it
42cckw
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Post by 42cckw »

Hi Ranger
I have a friend who is 87 and was a motor pool SGT during WW11 with the 43rd Div on New Guinea and New Georgia, He has told me many stories about motor pool life in the jungle, they never had what you needed you always had to improvise, you have seen the pictures of them tipping a jeep on its side to fix the transmision , he said thats exactly how he did it ,anyway one day after riding him around in my 353 he was looking it over and commenting on what good shape it is in and he told me that most of the trucks they had were flown into New Guinea in C47's that had been cut in half with a cutting torch and it was his job to see they were welded back together using a Generator that had a jeep engine towed behind a Ford jeep , I did mention they had a air transportable truck that had a bolted flange in the frame behind the cab he just looked at me and said don't know about that all the ones we got were cut in half with a torch and it was my job to see they were glued back together :lol: . He told me most people can't imagine the conditions they had to work in . They had jeeps ,dodges GMC"S and a few studebakers. As we were riding in my open cab truck, He looked at me and said you should have been with me one day when we were crossing a small stream on New Georgia Island in a GMC just like this one with a smile on his face , I got half way across when all of a sudden a great big wall of water hit the side of the truck :shock: and killed the engine, with water flowing from one side of the cab and out the other that thirty seconds before that you could have walked across that stream and not got your knees wet ,now the water was starting to push his truck down stream with him in it, some of his buddies that had already crossed threw him some ropes while he was standing on the seat in the cab then he tied the ropes to the truck while his buddies tied them of to some trees to stop the truck from moving further down stream, he told me they always laid the windshield down and drove with no tops, finally using ropes and two other trucks with winches they pulled him and the truck to the other side,and with a smile he says I bet you never had that happen to ya :!:
JIM 42CCKW
RANGER
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Post by RANGER »

The war was Hell and not fought by daily round trips from Motel 6.
Nowadays new collectors like to fanticize, reinact, and glorify the war with CCKWS and other MVs looking like they just came back from a GI rummage sale. In the South Pacific, there was another enemy, Malaria.Wouldn't it be great if reinactors could reinact amputees, soldiers with guts hanging out, those with malaria and a case or two of battle fatigue?
A bit bizarre sounding, but these were chariots of war and not the toys that many now take for granted.
US ARMY HONOR GRADUATE MECHANIC, Restorer of fine Jeeps, MV's, MVPA 40+yrs, DAV, Army Aircrew member, Donor to Military Museums & CAF, MV Hobby since 1945
Other Hobby- Army Air Force & Busting Big Ass Military Imposters-Good at it
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