The 1/4-ton, 4x4, truck of World War Two started out in the hands of the Infantry and a little company called American Bantam Car Company. Bantam worked with the Army's Quartermaster Corps to produce the pilot model that was accepted and then fulfilled their initial contract for 70 trucks. During testing of the pilot both Ford and Willys-Overland were invited to check out this new vehicle. The vehicles were studied in great detail. Soon, at their own expense, Ford and Willys-Overland submitted pilots for testing too. This book covers the production prototypes--Bantam BRC-40, Ford GP and the Willys MA.

The jeep was the most famous military vehicle of World War II, and its name has become synonymous with a whole class of military and civilian all-terrain vehicles. The jeep originated in a prewar US Army requirement for a simple, inexpensive, and robust vehicle for basic utility chores. Its simple design proved to be adaptable to a host of military tasks including use as a scout vehicle, battlefield ambulance, communications vehicle, and staff car. This book, covering “the savior of World War II”, focuses on the design and development of this versatile vehicle used on nearly every front of World War II.

The U.S. Cavalry, which began in the nineteenth century as little more than a mounted reconnaissance and harrying force, underwent intense growing pains with the rapid technological developments of the twentieth century. From its tentative beginnings during World War I, the eventual conversion of the traditional horse cavalry to a mechanized branch is arguably one of the greatest military transformations in history. Through Mobility We Conquer recounts the evolution and development of the U.S. Army's modern mechanized cavalry and the doctrine necessary to use it effectively. The book also explores the debates over how best to use cavalry and how these discussions evolved during the first half of the century. During World War I, the first cavalry theorist proposed combining arms coordination with a mechanized force as an answer to the stalemate on the Western Front. Hofmann brings the story through the next fifty years, when a new breed of cavalrymen became cold war warriors as the U.S. Constabulary was established as an occupation security-police force. Having reviewed thousands of official records and manuals, military journals, personal papers, memoirs, and oral histories -- many of which were only recently declassified -- George F. Hofmann now presents a detailed study of the doctrine, equipment, structure, organization, tactics, and strategy of U.S. mechanized cavalry during the changing international dynamics of the first half of the twentieth century. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, maps, and charts, Through Mobility We Conquer examines how technology revolutionized U.S. forces in the twentieth century and demonstrates how perhaps no other branch of the military underwent greater changes during this time than the cavalry.

A history of the Second World War with a focus on supply, transport, and other crucial operations—includes photos. Logistics, though less dramatic or glamorous than other aspects of war, nevertheless play a decisive role in the outcome of campaigns and battles. This book focuses on the role of logistics in World War II, marshaling some astounding facts and figures to convey the sheer scale of the task all belligerents faced to equip vast forces and supply them in the field. Military historian John Norris also draws on firsthand accounts to illustrate what this meant for the men and women in the logistics chain and those depending on it at the sharp end. Many of the vehicles, from supply trucks to pack mules, and other relevant hardware are discussed and illustrated with numerous photographs. Numerous topics are covered—for example, how Hitler’s panzer divisions were kept rolling in the Blitzkrieg (a German division in 1940 still had around five thousand horses, requiring hundreds of tons of fodder) and the British army’s disastrous loss of equipment at Dunkirk. This is a fascinating and valuable study of a neglected aspect of World War II.

Covers: Crosley, Hudson, International, Nash, Studebaker and Willys, plus others, 1/2-ton to 1-ton pickups, pre and post World War II. Over 150 large B&W photos, details, introductory text, basic specifications. Makes for a great primer and quick reference guide.