TRUCK, 1/2 TON, 4X4, AMBULANCE

GENERAL DATA
Crew: 2
Passengers: 4 litter patients
Electrical system: 6 volt
Transmission: 4 speeds
Weight 5,340 lb net
1,300 lb payload
6,640 lb gross
Gear ratio: high: 1.00:1
low 6.40:1
Axle load loaded: front 2,560 lb
rear 4,080 lb
Rear axle gear ratio: 4.89:1
Transfer case speeds 1
Transfer case gear ratio 1.00:1

PERFORMANCE
Turning radius 26 ft 10 in
Fording depth: 32 in
Fuel consumption loaded 12 MPG
Cruising range loaded 300 mi
Allowable speed 56 MPH

ENGINE
Manufacturer Dodge
Type T207 L head, 4-cycle, 6 cylinder
Displacement: 218 cid
Maximum Governed Speed 3,100 rpm
Brake Horsepower: 92 at 3,100 rpm
Torque: 180ft-lb at 1,200 rpm

GENERAL INFORMATION

 This is one of 2,288 ½-ton ambulances built in 1941 for the Army by Dodge. Designated WC9, they were only produced for one year. It’s stated purpose was "to transport sick and wounded personnel". It has racks and straps to carry four stretchers, and two fold-down bench seats for patients able to sit. There are medical equipment storage boxes on the floor along each wall. The rear of the ambulance is equipped with dome lights and an electric ventilation fan. The searchlight was used to look for wounded on the battlefield. There is a blackout headlamp on the left front of the brush guard. It throws a dim beam visible to 75 feet in front of the vehicle. The ½-ton series of trucks were used mostly in the Zone of the Interior, including the Territory of Alaska.

MARKINGS

RED CROSS- The Red Cross insignia identifies this vehicle as an ambulance in regards to the Geneva Convention. Personnel, vehicles, and buildings so marked were to be considered to be in a non-combatant role, i.e. they were not to be fired upon, and were to be allowed to go about their duties treating the wounded and collecting the dead unmolested. As a consequence, units marked with a Red Cross could not defend themselves from capture. A medic could only use force to defend his own life, or that of his patient. The crosses painted on this ambulance are the typical pre-war and Zone of the Interior (stateside) style. The larger crosses on a white background were more prominent in the European Theater of Operations as an aid in aerial identification.

CADUCEUS- The caduceus, flanked by "US", identifies this vehicle as operating for the Army Medical Corps.

9th AREA SERVICE COMMAND- The "snowflake" on the doors is the insignia of the 9th Area Service Command. The Ninth’s area of responsibility covered most of the western United States, including (as far as I can tell) overall supervision of the Alcan Highway project in 1942. The five-pointed star that most people expect to see was only used in war zones.

BUMPER- The bumper markings identify who "owns" the vehicle, and its order of march in convoys.