WC57 Dodge Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4

Dodge produced the WC-57 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car from 1942 to 1944, part of the Dodge 3/4 ton WC series of trucks. The Command Car was used for transporting officers and for reconnaissance missions. Its distinctive profile made it a target, however, and production was soon phased out. The WC-57 differs from the WC-56 Command Reconnaissance Car in that the WC-57 was equipped with a winch and had a longer frame to accomodate it.

The very similar WC-58 Radio Car differed only in the provision of radio mounting racks behind the front seats and additional wiring.

The Olive-Drab.com Gallery has a photo of Lt. Gen. Patton with his WC-56 or WC-57 Command Car.

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1st Lt. Harry E. Bangs, Maintenance Officer, standing with WC57 (or WC56) Dodge Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, 23 March 1943. The windshield and radiator have been barricaded for overseas shipment.

Today in WW II: 18 Sep 1939 Soviet troops link up with German troops at Brest Litovsk and Vilna, dividing Poland. More ↓

18 Sep 1943 US Army, Marine, and New Zealand troops land on Vella Lavella, fifteen miles northwest of Kolombangara, between New Georgia and Bougainville, Central Solomons.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Dodge WC-57 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/winch (G-502)

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the WC-57 3/4-ton Command Car at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

WC-57 Dodge Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/winch. Photo from Berlin-Patrol 2011, courtesy of Abraham Telvi.

Dodge 3/4-ton Command Car (WC56 or WC57) towing 1/4-ton MB-T trailer manufactured by Willys or the nearly identical T3, made by Bantam. The pill box is a German construction taken over as a U.S. Army command post. Location is probably Exit E1 on Omaha Beach, Normandy, just after D-Day, 6 June 1944.

WC57 Dodge Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4 (w/winch) at the New York City Veterans Day parade, 11 November 2013. Photo courtesy Phil Gilson.

General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, stops to chat with a G.I. as he rides his Dodge 3/4-ton WC-56 / WC-57 Command Car along a road while on a tour of inspection of the beachheads of France. 12 June 1944.

71st Naval Construction Battalion (CB) convoy, Highway 1 near junction with Highway 36, Okinawa, 7 June 1945. WC-57 Command Car visible with many other vehicles.

Dodge WC-57 Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/winch Photo Gallery

Workers at Chrysler Corporation Dodge truck plant sitting in production line Dodge WC-57 (or WC-56) 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Cars, Detroit, MI, August 1942.

Parking lot at Chrysler Corporation Dodge truck plant with rows of Dodge WC-57 (or WC-56) 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Cars awaiting final inspection, Detroit, MI, August 1942.

Dodge WC-56 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/o winch (G-502)
Dodge WC-57 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 with winch (G-502). Photo courtesy of Steve Andersen.

Steve Andersen's 1943 WC-57 Command Reconnaissance car in process of restoration.

Restored 1943 WC-57 Command Reconnaissance car, an exact duplicate of General Patton's command car. More information: General Patton and his Dodge Command Cars. Photo used with permission.

Another view of the restored 1943 WC-57 Command Reconnaissance car, an exact duplicate of General Patton's command car. More information: General Patton and his Dodge Command Cars. Photo used with permission.