The M6 bomb service truck is a

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

that was produced by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The M6 was a 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. It could also be used to tow ammunition around an ammunition dump. The truck was designated as an M6 Chevrolet bomb service truck. 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

The M6 bomb service truck was a 4×4

with a

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

of ,TM 9-2800, p. 88. a width of , and a weight of , when unloaded, and a weight of when loaded.Doyle, p. 96. It was powered by an , six-cylinder,

, engine. The engine had two fuel tanks with a total capacity of and a range of .TM 9-765, p. 134, p. 267.

Design and use

The 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 Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

roof over the driver's compartment. In hotter areas, the canvas roof could be removed and the

windshield The windshield (American English and Canadian English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from t ...

folded down for extra ventilation.Hogg, p. 89, p. 131. It had a rear area where it could carry ammunition, since it could be used in ammunition dumps to carry ammunition around the dump. 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).

Winches and hoists used

Before 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.Doyle, p. 97. With the winches and hoists, the M6 could haul up to five M5 bomb trailers at once around airfields.Farmer, p. 515.

Production history

7,000 M6s were produced by Chevrolet in

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.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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Government documents

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Journal

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military trucks of the United States Chevrolet trucks Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944