Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo.  More ↓
9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge (G502)

The 3/4 ton WC-54 Ambulance was manufactured by Dodge from 1942 through 1945, with a closed body. It had a serious drawback in that its large, steel rear compartment took up a lot of space when the Ambulance was shipped overseas. To solve this, in January 1945 Dodge began manufacturing the WC-64 KD (for "Knock Down"), a new G502 ambulance shipped from the factory with a partially disassembled rear compartment.

A total of 3,500 WC-64 KD vehicles were produced through the end of the war in 1945.

The WC-64 had a 121 inch wheelbase (same as WC-54) with a reinforced frame. The open cab and lower part of the rear body were factory installed, while the wood frame, steel covered rear panels and roof were boxed for field installation. The WC-64 KD Ambulance had a hot-water space heater, a spotlight, and a fixed canvas cab top with a storage pocket for removable side windows.

These trucks were superseded in the 1950s by the Dodge M-43 ambulance of the M-37 3/4 ton truck series, after the Korean War.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the WC-64 KD Ambulance at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

Dodge WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Photo Gallery

WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge (G502)
WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge (G502).

WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge (G502)
WC-64 KD Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge (G502).