BURMA DODGE TRUCKS
Photos of Burma Dodges found at National Archives in College Park, MD and from truck service manual. The color photos were taken by Keith Webb at the Tank Museum in Melborne Australia before the recent auction. See his web site for more pictures and auction results at http://www.oldcmp.net/mtm_06_1.html
The black and white photos of the Burma Dodge trucks in India and on the Ledo Road where found at the National Archives in College Park, MD I just stumbled on them and the only way to make copies I had was to Xerox them and later digitalize them. This would account for the poor quality. I hope to go back some day and scan them into a computer.
According to Don Bunn in his book DODGE TRUCKS page 111 the trucks were built for the Chinese Army by Dodge. The contract was for 15000 trucks and production started in Oct 44 ran into early 46. They were built extra heavy duty and were right hand drive. GVW rating of 20000lb. Had a Clark 5 speed transmission, 9.00/20 tires, ten-stud Budd disc wheels, 331 ci 128 hp L-head six cyclinder engine, 13in clutch, 170in wheelbase and a maximun payload capacity of 11,200 lbs. The front clip most likely inspired the design of the post war Dodge 4x4 power wagons. Another article makes mention that a ship carrying Burma Dodges was sinking off Australia during WWII. Some of the trucks were off loaded to Australia which explains why the Tank Museum had a Burma Dodge truck and a couple wrecks. The article had mention that a large dairy in Australia
had used these trucks at one time.
The spammer are leaving tons of spam as guest comments so will have to delete that option. Below are few valid comments:
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My father was wounded on the Burma Road while passing a convoy of these trucks. The Japs strafed the convoy and a lot of the Chinese drivers jumped from their trucks. My father was on an Army Harley passing by at the time.He was a S/Sgt and a member of the Flying Tigers in the Army Air Force. He was in the Assam Dragons. He ended up in a hospital in India for several weeks, but never received a Purple Heart. Another sergeant wrote his letters for him to Mom while he was injured. He would not talk about the war much, but he was in China, India, and Burma for three years and three months. Anyone that might happen to have any photos of him or his group, I would appreciate a digital file of them very much.
- Harry E. Moran II, Sun, 3 Jul 2011 10:29AM
My Father was on the Burma Road driving one of the trucks and cooking for the troops. When the Air Force split off after the war he joined th Air Force and became a mechanic on the Jet aircraft.
I will look in some of his albums and see if he has any pictures on the Burma road. If so I will pass them on.
You have a very good web site.
- Andy J. Barfield III, Sat, 4 Apr 2009 8:16AM
My dad, 89, has a picture of himself sitting on the fender of a Dodge truck as he was trying to start the China exit home after the war. He was glad that it was a new truck. It had just arrived. It broke down when the brakes locked up during the first few miles. They had a mechanic but all he had was a knife to work with. He freed up the brakes. They then get hit over a dozen times trying to get down the mountain. No injuries till he boarded a plane over the Hump. He ruptured his ears and is still fighting with the VA for help. They finally got him a high powered aid and he can hear a little. He still laughs about that truck, more now than then.
- Harry Branch, Fri, 30 Jan 2009 7:39AM
my father worked on and assembled those trucks in Inda and Burma during the war. He is 86 now and I am trying to get as much information for him as I can. I have a real interest in what he did as he traveled the entire world during the war and warked at the base of the burma road at Ledo. Any information you can give me would be appreciated.
- Tom Purvis, Tue, 28 Nov 2006 7:14PM |
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