WC56 Dodge Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4

Dodge produced a total of 21,156 WC-56 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car vehicles 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, one of the reasons production was soon phased out.

The WC-56 differs from the WC-57 Command Reconnaissance Car in that the WC-57 was equipped with a winch. The WC-58 Radio Car is identical to the WC-56 or WC-57 but has provisions for a radio set to be mounted in the rear seat area.

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

American and French officers review troops from a WC-56 Dodge Command Car during World War II
American and French officers review troops from a WC-56 Dodge Command Car during World War II.

Today in WW II: 7 Apr 1939 King Zog of Albania flees the invasion of his country by Italian fascists, forcing him into exile.  More ↓
7 Apr 1945 German aircraft ramming unit [Sonderkommando Elbe] makes its only flight, destroying 24 B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers of the US Eighth Air Force.
7 Apr 1945 Following the loss of Okinawa, Kantaro Suzuki becomes Prime Minister of Japan, ad advocte of ending the war on any terms, opposed by Japan's military leaders.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Dodge WC-56 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/o winch (G-502)

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the WC-56 3/4-ton Command Car at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

Dodge WC-56 Command Car, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/o winch Photo Gallery

Dodge WC-56 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/o winch (G-502)
Dodge WC-56 Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 ton, 4x4 w/o winch (G-502). Photo: "Baby" courtesy of Deryk Walker.

Securing a WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car in an automobile transport boxcar, Detroit, MI, vicinity, August 1942.
Securing a WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car in an automobile transport boxcar, Detroit, MI, vicinity, August 1942.

WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car at Dodge factory undergoing final inspection of lubrication, springs, axles, and the entire undercarriage, Detroit, MI vicinity, August 1942.
WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car at Dodge factory undergoing final inspection of lubrication, springs, axles, and the entire undercarriage, Detroit, MI vicinity, August 1942.

General George S. Patton, Jr. standing in a WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car during a Ward Bonds rally and parade in Los Angeles, CA, 9 June 1945.
General George S. Patton, Jr. standing in a WC-56 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 Command Car during a Ward Bonds rally and parade in Los Angeles, CA, 9 June 1945. This photo is available in high resolution in the Olive-Drab.com Gallery.