Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54

The Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 is part of the G-744 (or M-39) series of 5 ton 6x6 trucks. Details of the history, model numbers, and configurations of the M39-series of trucks are on the linked page.

The 5-ton rated M54 Cargo Truck was the Army and Marine Corps' workhorse truck in Vietnam. They not only carried troops and supplies, but were also converted to be "Gun Trucks" by adding armor and weapons such as Quad-50 machine guns. M54s were also used by the other U.S. Armed Services including the Navy and Air Force.

M54 5-ton cargo truck, at a US Government auction, April 2009.

Today in WW II: 17 Sep 1939 Soviet troops invade Poland from the east. More ↓

17 Sep 1944 Thousands of Allied planes begin airborne assault on Holland, Operation Market Garden.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 Photos

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

A 7th Motor Transport Bn, 3rd MarDiv, line haul winds its way through the Hi Phuong Pass enroute to Da Nang, Vietnam, 1969. Vehicles appear to be M54 5-ton 6x6 trucks with dolly semitrailers. One M37 3/4-ton is visible.

2nd Maintenance Bn, 2nd Force Service Support Group, perform a maintenance inspection on a Marine M-54 5-ton 6x6 truck in a staging area, Wilmington, NC, 5 Sep 1981

M54 5-ton 6x6 with APC body conversion to create armored gun truck named King Kong, 523rd Transportation Co, Vietnam, circa 1971. US Army Transportation Museum.

Convoy of 3rdMarDiv Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 from the 7th and 9th Motor Transport Bns, leaves Vandegrift Combat Base with part of the 1,240-ton enemy rice cache the 3rd Marine Regt captured south of Khe Sahn during Operation Main Crag, Vietnam, 1969. The rice will be used to feed South Vietnamese families in resettlement villages established in Quang Tri Province for people left homeless by the war.

M54 5-ton 6x6 cargo truck at GSA Auction, April 2009.

1970 General Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 is owned and restored by Brian Davis, Findlay OH. He purchased it in 2007. Photo taken at the Vintage Aircraft Gathering, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright Field, Dayton, OH, 27-28 September 2008.

Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6x6 M54 Photo Gallery

The BOUNTY HUNTER was an early M54, 5-ton Quad 50 gun truck from the 444th Transportation Company. The crew was credited with wiping out a large enemy force when they caught them crossing the road. (Bruce Barnes) Photo courtesy of Planet Art Publishing, from the book Hard Ride- Vietnam Gun Trucks (Volume 2) . See also Hard Ride- Vietnam Gun Trucks (Volume 1) .

USMC rough terrain forklift unloading cargo from an M54 drop-side cargo truck, Lebanon, April 1983. Note the tall intake on the air cleaner, typical of USMC M54 trucks.

M54A2 located at U.S. Navy facility, Port Hueneme, CA, November 2005. Left front 3/4 view. Photo: Government Liquidation.com

M54A2 located at U.S. Navy facility, Port Hueneme, CA, November 2005. Left rear 3/4 view. Photo: Government Liquidation.com.

1969 Kaiser Jeep M54A2 with winch, located at Tinker AFB, OK, November 2005. Photo: Government Liquidation.com.

Thanks to MSG J. Durham and Ken Berry for help with this page.