GMC CCKW 352 (M45): The backbone of the Allies.
HISTORY:
In the late 1930’s the US was developing a new truck for its armed forces and was being supplied with modified trucks by GMC, and its design was eventually adopted into service by the US and several other countries in 1941 as the CCKW 353, It was an all wheel drive 3 axle truck that was rated to carry 2 1/2 tons of cargo. Often, it was used as a normal cargo carrier. Towards the end of WWII, the US was experimenting with mounting the M45 AA mount onto the bed of the CCKW. (although it wasn’t directly mounted to the truck bed, but rather it was the M45 attached to its M20 traile that was itself mounted to the truck bed and with its wheels removed) and was powered by a GMC 270 engine with 94HP that gave it a power-to-weight ratio of 11.8.
The 353 saw extensive use by Allied forces during the Second World War and was what kept the Allied forces resupplied from 1941 all the way to 1945. This was due to the trucks’ relatively high reliability and their ability to be mass-produced by factories in the US. It was also a very versatile truck that became the standard for trucks of similar use, such as the M35 series trucks that are still used today, although even today, the CCKW 353 is still used by civilians for historical representation.
After WWII, the CCKW was used by both the East and the West extensively for logistics until it was eventually replaced by more modern vehicles such as the M35 series trucks. However, much like the Willys MB, many of the CCKWs were purchased by civilians as military surplus and have been kept in near-pristine conditions. Many CCKWs were also converted into work vehicles. However, many of those CCKWs have been lost to time. In total, almost 600,000 CCKWs were produced from 1941 to 1945.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Top Speed: 45 Mph/72 Kph (maximum allowable speed)
Turn Radius: 34 feet (approx. 10 meters)
Engine: GMC 270 (94 HP)
Weight: 2,396 lb (M45) + 8,800 lb (empty weight)= 11,096 lbs (more than 5 tons)
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Length: 270 in (6.86 m)
Width: 88 in (2.24 m)
Height: 109 in (2.77 m) (without M45 mount)
Ammo Reserves: 16 200-round ammo boxes
Armor: (rounded to the nearest whole millimeter)
- Hull: 3/3/3
- Turret: 6/6/6
Weaponry:
M45 Mount: 4x12.7 M2HB Browning (M45 mount)
Belt Capacity: 800 (200 per gun)
Horizontal Traverse: 60 degrees a second, 360 degrees
Vertical Traverse: 60 degrees a second, -10/90 degrees (facing rearwards)
Additional notes:
The CCKW in this configuration often had a fabric roof covering the cab, the truck also had no actual armor, and the Hull armor mentioned above is actually the approximate thickness of the truck’s metal body. The CCKW 353 with an M45 mount also never saw combat and never evolved past the experimental stage due to the US already having the M16 halftrack and the introduction of the jet age, making the M45 mount become outdated.
However, the Idea of mounting the M45 quadmount onto a truck was revived during vietnam as the M35A1 (M45), where it was used more as a fire support vehicle rather than for anti-aircraft use. But because of this, Images of the CCKW with an M45 mount equipped during the 1940s and 1950s are rare. And the most common place to see it is in museums. The CCKW 353-B2 is also already in-game in the Chinese TT, as it is a near-exact copy of the CCKW 353-B2 with the only major differences being the visual appearance of the cab.
And while it may seem redundant to have the CCKW in the US TT I believe that it would offer an additional vehicle to the TT and would help to give this vehicle more recognition as it was one of the most famous military vehicles of the 18th century and its also quite unusual for it to be committed from its home country’s TT yet be available for other nations.
Additional images
[This one is a restored version of the vehicle likely used by a European museum, although I am not sure where exactly, as I cannot figure out what the banner says.]
- Yes
- No
Sources
1940 GMC CCKW-353 — Fagen Fighters WWII Museum
https://ia801309.us.archive.org/22/items/TM_9-801_Truck_GMC_CCKW/TM9_801_1944.pdf (this WILL take a while to load as it is over 500 pages)
CCKW GMC-353 LWB and 352 SWB 2-1/2 ton 6x6 medium trucks
OTHER: As a small, reasonable request, can the driver view for this and other similar open cab vehicles be placed behind the glass, rather than in front of it? It would make the driver’s view much more natural and allow for a more pleasant driving experience.