Truck Studebaker US6: description. The history of the Studebaker Post-war history of the brand

Dedicated to one of the Marshals of the People's War, who saved hundreds of thousands of lives of ordinary Russian guys. Look at the faces ... A smile and laughter is respect for your comrade in arms, regardless of the nationality of the "cab". For Russian is a state of mind! The American truck had a soul. How else.

Unknown Studebaker US6 (Part 1)

Studebaker US6 (U3) with open cockpit prototype and M36 machine gun turret, 1942

The history and track record of the most famous truck of World War II

In the Soviet Union, the famous Studebaker US6 was so popular that in the people's memory it became an integral attribute of the harsh and heroic era of the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years. However, vehicles of this type were not the only “Studebakers” on which our soldiers had a chance to fight, and the history of the “Studer” itself, it turns out, is fraught with a lot of unknowns. So, let's look at the personal file of the Studebaker serviceman.

Archive part

After the Studebaker brothers opened their crew workshop in South Bend, Indiana, in 1852 (GP No. 5, 2014), the military became their regular customers. In 1857, the US Army ordered 100 wagons powered by six mules to enforce constitutional order for members of the Mormon sect based in Utah. In 1861, civil war broke out and the workshop had to build wagons for the army of the "northerners".

At the turn of the 20th century, Studebaker became the largest horse-drawn carriage manufacturer in the world. After the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, the British government asked the firm to build 3,000 horse-drawn wagons for the active army, and this order was completed in six weeks.

When World War I began, Studebaker began to fulfill orders from the Entente countries. For the Russian Imperial Army (RIA) in 1915, 2000 horse-drawn vans and 14,250 wheels for gun carriages were manufactured. And the next year, by order of Zemgor (the main committee for supplying the army of the committee of the All-Russian Zemstvo and City Unions), created to help organize the rear, 40,000 saddles for artillery sleds were made. Carts for various purposes were also built for Great Britain and France. For the US Army, which entered the war in April 1917, they made ambulances and cargo carts, gun carriages and wheels for them.

The "goose" era in the history of Studebaker lasted until 1920, although already in 1902 it began production of cars with electric and gasoline engines, and in 1904 the automobile production was spun off into a subsidiary company of Studebaker Automobile Company.

The first "horseless" vehicles of the firm for military purposes were electric vehicles, manufactured in 1908 for the US Navy. One of them was a 5-ton model 2012a electric car, which weighed 4.5 tons in curb condition. He worked at the naval artillery plant in Washington, where he transported heavy castings as an in-house transport. The second was an ambulance carriage for the capital's naval hospital on a chassis with a carrying capacity of 3/4 tons.

Studebaker electric vehicles built for the US Navy in 1908: 5 ton 2012a and ambulance

Of course, these electric vehicles performed specific functions and cannot be considered full-fledged military vehicles. They could only be cars with an internal combustion engine, the production of which the company began in 1904.The first Studebaker gasoline car in military service can be considered a 30-horsepower Studebaker-Garford passenger car, acquired in 1909 for the United States Marine Corps and becoming the first by the car of the marines. In 1914, two cars of this brand were listed in one of the garrisons of the American army in California.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Studebaker Corporation's automotive products again interested the military, but already other armies. In 1915, 475 vehicles were built by order of RIA. Judging by the few photographs taken in Russia, these were passenger cars of the EU model with a 6-cylinder engine with a capacity of 40 hp, often with sanitary bodies of domestic construction, although there is also a photo of a passenger model SD with a 4-cylinder 30 hp engine. Unfortunately, in the Russian open spaces they did not show themselves in the best way, so already at the beginning of 1916 it was decided to refuse further purchases of overseas cars. In addition to the Studebakers, Ford, Reo and a number of others were also blacklisted. The main military-technical department of RIA even recommended that the owners of cars of these brands be exempted from military-automotive service. However, despite this, "Studebakers" ended up in our country even later. On April 20, 1916, an American hospital convoy departed from New York for Russia, which consisted of 15 newest 6-cylinder Studebaker ED cars, bought with private donations from Americans. The convoy consisted of a lead vehicle, two technical assistance vehicles, 11 ambulances for four lying or 8 sitting wounded, and one “hospital car”. On October 9, 1916, in Tsarskoye Selo, the American ambulance detachment was named after Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna and, under the command of the American doctor Philip Newton, was sent to the front.

"Hospital car" on the Studebaker ED chassis of the American ambulance squad. New York, April 1916

Remaining in the army, the Studebakers were transferred to the jurisdiction of Zemgor, where, as of October 1, 1916, there were 149 passenger cars and 60 ambulances of this brand. As of July 1, 1917, there were still 132 Studebakers in the Russian army and government departments.

Another country that bought Studebaker cars for its armed forces during the First World War was Great Britain. As of 1918, His Majesty's army had 1,447 Studebakers, both passenger cars and trucks based on them.

Passenger cars and ambulances Studebaker EC of the Zemgora ambulance detachment, 1916

But next to the still neutral United States there was a hotbed of instability: in Mexico for several years, a war had flared between the government and the Pancho Villa rebels. On March 9, 1916, Villa's troops, in search of weapons and money, captured the town of Columbus in the American state of New Mexico. To destroy the rebels, the outraged US government issued an order to move American troops into the border regions of Mexico, using vehicles for the first time to supply them. In April 1916, the expeditionary force on the Mexican border under the command of General Pershing concentrated more than 300 vehicles out of 370 available at that time in the entire army, and by August of the same year their number was brought to 1,050 units. The fact of the participation of Studebaker vehicles in the Mexican campaign is known thanks to Captain Arthur Crossman of the 33rd Michigan Infantry Regiment. On his initiative, five Studebaker SF passenger cars were armed with machine guns, armored shields and additional tanks for fuel and water. These predecessors of the Scout Car reconnaissance vehicles did not participate in the battles, but were shown in March 1917 at the parade in El Paso on the occasion of the return of the expeditionary forces.

Captain Crossman's machine gun vehicles based on the Studebaker SF. Parade in El Paso, March 1917

"Autobiography"

In the era of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, there was practically no contact between the US Army and the Studebaker Corporation, except for the purchase of single passenger cars for administrative purposes. After the establishment of peace in Europe, they began to look at the American army as a burden, cutting and cutting costs, which made its fleet so deplorable that in 1935 it was urgently put in order, replacing the cars of the First World period with modern cars. At the same time, the army tried to standardize military vehicles and at the beginning of 1939 developed requirements for all-wheel drive tactical trucks that had a load capacity class of 0.5 tons; 1.5 t; 2.5 t; 4 tons and 7.5 tons.

In 1939, the US Army Quartermaster Corps, responsible for the motorization of the Army, announced a tender for the delivery of 6x6 trucks with a rough terrain capacity of 5,000 pounds (2270 kg), capable of a maximum speed of 45 mph (72 km / h). In the future, such vehicles were supposed to become the main and universal vehicle of infantry, cavalry and artillery units. Bids came from Mack, Studebaker and Yellow Truck and Coach, partly owned by General Motors. On June 15, 1939, Yellow Truck and Coach was declared the winner of the competition. In September of the same year, she built the first ACKWX-353 truck and from the beginning of 1940 began supplying them to the army. Despite the setback, Studebaker completed the construction of a vehicle that met the above requirements.

The car, which received the K25S index, was structurally an all-wheel drive version of the K25 model commercial truck, retaining the cabin, empennage and the Hercules JXD low-valve 6-cylinder 5.24 liter engine with an effective power of 87 hp. at 2400 rpm. Engines of this model were installed by the Studebaker corporation on their trucks since 1937. At the same time, a one and a half-ton model K15F with a 4x4 formula was built. In addition to all-wheel drive, the military purpose of these vehicles was expressed in the presence of a universal cargo platform and a protective grill in front of the radiator grille. In early 1940, the cars were tested at the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Holabird, but the US Army was not interested in them.

Experienced Studebaker K25S. Photo approximately 1940

In the summer of 1940, Congress ordered the Quartermaster Corps to contract with only one contractor for the production of trucks of each class, with the aim of reducing the misalignment of the fleet and the convenience of supplying spare parts. As a result, since September of the same year, the Chevrolet division of General Motors Corporation with the G-4100 family became responsible for the supply of one and a half ton 4x4 cars, and the production of three-axle trucks of the 2.5 t class was entrusted to Yellow Truck and Coach, who developed the new GMC CCKWX-353 model. Therefore, the creation of military vehicles for Studebaker temporarily lost its relevance.

The situation changed after the introduction of the Lend-Lease Law on March 11, 1941. It became clear that one manufacturer could not cope with the fulfillment of orders for military vehicles not only for the US Army, but also for the British Army, and the rule of monopoly supplies was canceled. The Yellow Truck and Coach company, which was still operating in peacetime, could not yet ensure the production of 2.5 t class trucks in the required quantity. In order to study the possibility of duplicate production, on March 31, 1941, the Quartermaster Corps entered into contracts with Studebaker and International Harvester, which already had experience in designing such machines, providing for the construction of 500 trucks of its own design by each manufacturer. These were to include 425 short-base trucks, 25 short-base trucks with a winch and 25 trucks each with a longer base with and without a winch.

American sources write that the Studebaker was originally planned to be connected to the release of the GMC CCKW-352/353, colloquially known as "Jimmy", but transferring production to the technology of another company would lead to a large investment of time and money. In addition, General Motors management was reluctant to outsource the design documentation for the newest GMC 270 overhead valve engine installed on the CCKW model.

Build a Studebaker US6 with a single headlamp for the British Army. Factory shot 1941 from the collection of Richard Quinn

New military "Studebaker", created under contract W-398-QM-9624, was assigned the designation United States 6 (ie government six-wheeled), or abbreviated US6. The car received a modified cab from M-series trucks with a folding windshield frame, an alligator-type hood, L-shaped fenders and a simplified radiator grill. In the original, the cab was created in 1940 using body elements of the 1941 Studebaker Champion by Robert Bourke and Virgil Exner, who worked in the studio of the famous industrial designer Raymond Lowy. The combination of aerodynamics and functionality gives the US6 an original and recognizable look. Due to the fact that the company did not produce suitable engines, the car, like the prototype K25S, was again equipped with a Hercules JXD engine.

By the way, in 1941, low-valve engines were not yet some kind of anachronism. For example, at that time they were produced by Autocar, Dodge, Ford, Mack, Reo, White, Willys and a number of other enterprises. In addition, the majority of armored vehicles produced during the war in the United States received Hercules JXD engines: White M3A1 Scout Car, Ford T17, Ford M8 and Ford M20.

Transmission Schematic Studebaker US6

Transmission diagram Studebaker US6x4

In addition to the engine, a significant part of the units came from subcontractors. The five-speed gearboxes for the US6 were manufactured by Warner Gear, the two-speed transfer case was manufactured by Timken-Detroit Axle. It also supplied the front drive axle with constant-speed hinges of the Rceppa type and a bogie with rear axles and a balanced suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The truck had a Wagner hydraulic brake system and a Bendix vacuum booster. The bodybuilding firm Budd produced the universal all-metal cargo platforms with extended lattice sides, reclining longitudinal benches and a canvas top for the US6.

Serial production of the US6 began in June 1941, and 137 vehicles were manufactured by the end of the month. After completing an order for the American army, in September they began assembling vehicles for lend-lease deliveries to the UK. In total, 4724 cars were manufactured by the end of the year, of which 3912 were handed over to military acceptance.

The Studebaker US6 cars were originally produced in two main variants. A short-base truck with a distance from the front axle to the center of the bogie of 148 inches (3759 mm) was intended mainly for towing field artillery: 75-mm cannons, as well as 75- and 105-mm howitzers. The modification with a base of 162 inches (4115 mm) was assigned the task of transporting goods and personnel. On the nameplates, these models were designated US6-48 and US6-62, respectively. Some of the cars were equipped with a Heil winch with a force of 4540 kg and a cable 91 m long.

The curb weight of a long-wheelbase truck without a winch, which later became the most common modification, was 4483 kg, the total weight was 7030 kg with a nominal carrying capacity of 2270 kg on all types of road surfaces. The maximum traction force for 6x6 vehicles was 5448 kg, but the permissible trailer weight on all types of roads was limited to 2043 kg. The maximum permitted speed is 72 km / h. Tire size is 7.50-20.

Early production cars had nameplates with the brand name on the grille, but they were abandoned in 1942. Since the summer of the same year, in order to save metal, cars began to be equipped with universal cargo platforms of a wooden-metal structure of their own production. Finally, around May 1944, the wiper mountings were moved from the cab roof to the windshield frame.

Dump trucks Studebaker US6 of modifications U10 and U12. From the SNL G-630 parts catalog dated August 15, 1944.

The number of US6 vehicles with special superstructures made in the USA was relatively small. The long wheelbase chassis was used to mount 750 gallon Heil fuel tanks and a variety of repair shops, most of which were for the US Army Department of Weapons and were housed in ST-5 and ST-6 wagon bodies. For the convenience of long-distance transportation, the body of the latter type was of a transformable design, which significantly reduced its height in the stowed position. These vans housed mechanical workshops with a variety of different machines, equipment for welding, car repairs, electrical engineering, small arms, artillery and communications. In total, since 1942, the Mobile Workshop Base in Philadelphia has manufactured 1,455 workshops on the US6 chassis and another 82 pieces at the Raritan Arsenal in New Jersey. In addition, there were also general-purpose semi-open workshops for the engineering corps. The rarest dump trucks with rear or side unloading by means of a hydraulic cylinder, produced only in 1943, can be considered the most rare. The bodies for them were made by Heil, and the permissible load on the highway was 4540 kg.

Studebaker US6x4 modification U7 with an open cab and Studebaker US6 (U5) with a Heil fuel tank. From the SNL G-630 parts catalog dated August 15, 1944.

In January 1942, US6x4 long-wheelbase trucks without front-wheel drive, intended for transport operations in the rear, began to roll off the assembly line. With the exception of the Clark front axle and the absence of a reduction gear in the transfer case, their chassis remained unchanged, but the maximum load capacity on the highway was now 5 American tons (4540 kg). The most common was a flatbed truck without a winch, but its version with a winch and a short-base truck tractor were produced for operation with a semi-trailer with a gross weight of 9897 kg. The latter was the only American 6x4 tractor of its kind built for military purposes. The gross weight of the onboard US6x4 without a winch was 8905 kg, the tractor with a semitrailer - 13 620 kg. Initially, cars of the 6x4 type were equipped with front brake drums, dismantled together with the hub. In this case, the front wheel track was 1699 mm. At the beginning of 1944, a downshift and removable front brake drums were introduced on these machines, due to which the front axle track, like that of 6x6 cars, began to be equal to 1581 mm.

The Studebaker US6x4 (U6) and Reo US6 (U3) truck tractor. From the SNL G-630 parts catalog dated August 15, 1944.

In 1941, the development of the US6x4 truck with a Hercules DJXD diesel engine began. It successfully passed the tests and was even planned to be produced for the Chinese army, but after the Japanese cut off the land communication between India and China, which supplied the Kuomintang army, the serial production of the diesel modification had to be abandoned.

The Studebaker designers developed a two-axle semi-trailer specifically for working with the US6x4 truck tractor, but the military chose another for mass production: a single-axle one, with high metal sides with a carrying capacity of 7 short tons (6356 kg). In different years, 14 (!) Companies built it according to the general specification: Carter (1942-1945), Edwards (1942-1945), Eidal (1945), Fontaine (1945), Fruehauf (1944), Gramm (1943-1944), Highway (1942), Hyde (1943-1944), Kentucky (1942), Miller (1945), Nabors (1942-1944), Pointer - Willamette (1943-1944), Reliance Trailer (1944) and Whitehead & Kales (1942) ... Beginning in 1943, the sides began to be made of wood, which made it possible to reduce the weight by 180 kg. A total of 7752 semi-trailers of this type were built. The largest number (2,327) was in the D-11-A and D-11-B of the Edwards Iron Works of South Bend, which had many years of ties with Studebaker in the manufacture of sleeper cabs, bodies and semi-trailers for its trucks.

The Studebaker US6x4 (U6) tractor unit with a standard 7-ton semi-trailer with wooden sides. Factory photograph of 1943 from the collection of Richard Quinn

The US6 was the first American military truck to feature a standard canvas cab with a drop-down windshield and cutouts instead of doors. The reasons for its appearance were not only in the economy of sheet metal, as is commonly believed, but also in the requirements of the US Army, where they managed to make sure that the two-seater cabins of commercial trucks are cramped for equipped fighters and, moreover, prevent them from observing the air situation. In addition, the open cockpit was more convenient for mounting ring turrets with 12.7 mm machine guns required for air defense. For example, to install them on GMC trucks, a hatch had to be cut out in the roof of a conventional cab above the passenger seat.

Work on the open cockpit began at the initiative of the Quartermaster Corps in March 1942, with Studebaker and Yellow Truck and Coach assigned in charge. Studebaker engineers initially built open variants of the production cockpit, but then designed a completely new design. In June 1942, the Quartermaster Corps approved the Studebaker open cab and ordered Yellow Truck and Coach to switch over to its production in the near future. In total, from the end of December 1942 to the beginning of March 1943, 10,006 airborne Studebakers with a soft top were manufactured: 4902 long-wheelbase US6s without a winch and 5104 US6x4s in the same design.

The production of cars in a similar configuration was discontinued at the insistence of the main customer - the Soviet military, and they were more satisfied with cars with a closed cabin. Despite the outward simplicity, the open cab, due to the design feature, had almost the same weight as the usual one, and cost only $ 2.66 less than the latter. Machine gun turrets, typical of some army trucks with an open top, were not installed on the US6, with the exception of an example with a prototype of a standard cabin.

Experimental Studebaker US6 (U3) for desert areas with single-sided tires in 1943-1945. worked at the company's test site

As for Yellow Truck and Coach, its management, successfully fulfilling the "shaft plan", was not interested in significant changes to its products. After various delays, Yellow Truck and Coach started producing the GMC CCKW with a soft top only in April 1943, but made them until the end of the war.

With the transfer of the corporation to military operation after January 31, 1942, the monthly production of cars began to reach 4-5 thousand units. Since even this performance was not enough, Reo Motors from Lansing, Michigan was involved in the assembly of 6x6 cars. From components supplied by Studebaker and its partners in 1944-1945. they produced 22,204 long-wheelbase trucks without Reo US6 winches. It was possible to distinguish between Studebaker and Reo products only by looking under the hood. Although Hercules supplied engines for both manufacturers, they came to South Bend with a cast “Studebaker” lettering on the exhaust manifold, and to Lansing without any changes.

Due to the expanded assortment of produced modifications in the SNL G-630 parts catalog dated August 15, 1944, each vehicle variant was assigned a code from U1 to U13. Subsequently, this cipher system became widespread among automotive historians, but it has nothing to do with the factory designation of trucks.

The last US6x4 was assembled in July 1945, and the all-wheel drive US6-10 in August of the same year. According to post-war statistics of the American Army Tank-Automobile Command, Studebaker shipped 196,659 trucks to consumers. However, the last car with serial number 197 678 came off the assembly line, with which the company's employees even arranged a collective photo session. The difference of more than 1000 copies can be explained by gaps in the serial numbering. In the rating of the most massive American military vehicles of the Second World War, the Studebakers occupy the fourth place - after the Ford GPW / Willys MB jeeps, GMC CCKW and Dodge trucks of the T214 family (“three quarters”).

During the war, Studebaker built 15,890 M28 and M29 tracked carriers, known as Weasel, and 63,789 Wright Cyclone aircraft engines for Boeing B-17 flying fortresses. We must not forget about her other contribution to the common Victory: 5611 employees of the corporation went to serve in the US armed forces and 111 of them did not return home.

About the American Studebaker US6 all-wheel drive truck, which entered the USSR under Lend-Lease in 1942-45. In total, about 190 thousand cars were delivered, which is only slightly less than the total production of the entire Soviet automobile industry for all the war years.
Powerful and hardy "Studiks" are the main "workhorse" of the Red Army on the way to Berlin. They became one of the symbols of that era and rightfully earned the right to be called "Victory Truck".
Unfortunately, under the terms of the Lend-Lease, the USSR was supposed to return all the surviving equipment to the Americans after the end of the war. And they were not going to make beautiful gestures and give the drained and destroyed country the cars that it so much needed (and absolutely unnecessary for the USA itself). There was nothing to do, trucks and jeeps were sent to the collection points in Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, where the Americans immediately put them under pressure and loaded them onto their ships in the form of scrap metal. Looking at such obscenity, the Soviet people nevertheless hid some of the Lend-Lease equipment, including about 60,000 Studers. The figure is not God knows what, but in the national economy they were very useful, regularly working for 10-15 years or more.
I came across a statement on the Web that these "stowed" trucks were hidden away from prying eyes in remote collective farms, but a careful study of the photographic documents shows that this is not so. Until the end of the 1950s, "Studiks" traveled in considerable numbers around Moscow and other large cities of the USSR, in full view of the Americans. But they obviously did not start a scandal about this.
This post is dedicated to the legendary Studebakers on the roads of the post-war USSR.

In general, the car is quite easy to identify in the general traffic flow even against the background of the GAZ-51, which is very similar in design: three axles, high L-shaped fenders, a very wide front bumper. However, it can sometimes be confused from a distance with a GMC truck . So correct if mixed up where.

At the entrance to Moscow, 1947:

Moscow, pl. Mayakovsky, 1947:

Moscow, 1947:

Moscow, 1947:

Moscow, 1948:

Moscow, Zemlyanoy Val, 1952:

Moscow, Kutuzovsky, 1956:

At high resolution, two Studers are visible at once, although one may be GMC.

Moscow, pl. Lermontov, 1957:

Here we see a homemade bus (barbukhaika) based on Studer.

Moscow, 1958:

Now other places in the Union.

Norilsk bus on the Studebaker US 6 truck chassis, post-war years:

Altai Territory, 1946-47:

Baku, 1947:

Tbilisi, 1947:

Krasnodar, preparation of sleepers, 1948:

Saratov, 1948:

Rybinsk, technical inspection of cars, 1950:

Minsk, Moskovskaya street, 1953:

Minsk, Bicycle Factory, GMC Trucks and Studebaker, 1954:

Tallinn, 1954:

Minsk. pl. Yakub Kolas, 1956:

Studer or GMC?

Tula, pl. Uprising, 1956:

Vitebsk, 1950s:

A makeshift school bus, 1950s:

Omsk, mill, 1950s:

Rzhev, 1960s:

As I wrote above, sometimes other Lend-Lease trucks similar to Studer come across.

Zagorsk, 1947:

What kind of cars?

Minsk, 1948-49. GMC Truck and American Grader:

The company was at one time quite famous in America, but we associate this name primarily with the famous truck supplied to the USSR in 1941-45. on "Lend-Lease". The truck is really famous. It was the most massive of those supplied by the Allies, its deliveries amounted to more than 100 thousand pieces. Most of all, the legendary Katyushas contributed to the growth of its popularity. Here we need to make a small digression. The first serial “Katyushas” (BM-13) were mounted on the ZiS-6 (6x4) chassis.

One of these installations, on the ZiS-6 chassis, was erected on a pedestal near the Rudnya-Vitebsk highway, in memory of the baptism of fire of the Katyusha. The ZiS-5 chassis was of little use for these purposes, could not withstand the loads, besides, the passability on a dirt road was insufficient. But the release of the ZiS-6 in 1941 was curtailed in connection with the evacuation of the ZiS. For the installation of "Katyusha" used light tanks T-60, transport tractors STZ-5, trucks GMC, Chevrolet, International. To put an end to this confusion, a unified model was adopted in April 1943: the BM-13 on the Studebaker US6 chassis.

I was lucky to see this legendary truck only once, in my deep childhood. There was no limit to my surprise then. It seemed to me that this is a three-axle GAZ-51 with simplified wings. Yes, the GAZ-51 really looks like a Studebaker with its cab, hood and lining. The prototypes of the GAZ-51 were even equipped with cabins directly from the Studebakers. Studebaker has always been interesting to me from a technical point of view. A friend of mine has a very rare book on Studebaker, badly battered, and many pages are missing.

But still, we will try with its help and with the help of other sources to recreate the image of this amazing truck. The Studebaker US6 was a three-axle all-wheel drive truck (6x6) with dual slope rear wheels. Carrying capacity of three and a half tons. There was also a version of the US6x4 with a conventional (non-driving) front axle, less common in the USSR. Let's look into the cockpit. Everything here is extremely simple, as befits military vehicles of those years. Noteworthy are the circular clutch and brake pedals.

The starter was also turned on with a foot, a round button, it is located, according to the figure, on the left. The headlight switch, as expected, is located near the left foot. The steering wheel has four spokes. I have heard from old drivers that it is very comfortable, in my opinion, even made of wood. The large number of levers on the floor tunnel are striking. There are five of them: the gear lever, the transfer case control lever, the front axle engagement lever, the power take-off control lever (for controlling the winch) and the parking brake lever. The instrument panel is interesting.

The ignition switch has inscriptions ON and OFF. On cars of the latest releases, instead of a key, there was a rotary lever. Under the dashboard there are buttons labeled Choke (to control the carburetor choke) and Throttle (to manually control the carburetor throttle (manual "gas")). But the most interesting of all is the instruments of the American truck, since they are calibrated in units that are unusual for us. The speedometer, of course, operates in miles. The oil pressure gauge shows pressure in psi (1 psi - 0.0703 kg / cm 2).

A little more complicated with a water temperature gauge showing temperature in Fahrenheit. To convert to degrees Celsius, simple multiplication and division is not enough. The temperature was recommended to be kept in the range of 170-185 o Fahrenheit, which corresponded to 77-85 o Celsius. The fuel gauge was marked F (full tank) and E (empty). Intermediate values \u200b\u200bare fractional numbers (3/4, 1/2, etc.). The cockpit windows were not rigidly fixed and could be lifted from below (like on Soviet post-war trucks). Let's take a look under the hood. The car was powered by an inline six-cylinder low-valve carburetor engine “Hercules” (the motors of this company in 1928-32.

installed on Yaroslavl trucks). It is very similar to the engine of the ZiS-150 truck. They even had the same cylinder diameter - 101.6 mm. (4 inches). But the Studebaker had a slightly smaller stroke by a quarter of an inch (4 1/4 inches instead of 4 1/2). The engine power was 95 hp. at 2500 rpm. Curiously, the intake valve did not open before TDC, but two degrees after it. The compression ratio is 5.82 (for the ZiS-150 - 6). But the engine required gasoline with an RPM of 70-72 (the ZiS-150 was content with A-66). The design of the upper connecting rod head is interesting. It is split and has a bolt for attaching the piston pin.

In the lubrication system, a fine filter was used, connected in parallel (the ZiS-150 also had a coarse filter). It should be noted that it was recommended to check the condition of the filter after 800-1000 km. using a special device screwed in instead of the tie bolt. To check the flow rate, a pressure of 40 psi was set and the amount of oil passed through the filter in one minute was measured. In general, the following oils were used to lubricate the engine: in the summer - M-160 SAE-30, in the winter - M-120 SAE-20. These designations, which have now become so familiar, then very few people knew ...

The power system included a Carter carburetor (the carburetors of this company were used on the first Moskvichs). The carburetor is of a fairly traditional design, with pneumatic fuel braking (compensation-type carburetors were installed on the ZiS-5 and the first ZiS-150). The carburetor was equipped with a maximum engine speed regulator adjusted to 2620 rpm. Transmission. The Studebaker clutch was very similar in design to the YaAZ-200 clutch. A central conical spring was used to press the driving disc to the driven disc. The gearbox is five-speed, with an overdrive fifth gear.

In principle, it does not differ from the ZiS-150 box, they even have the same switching scheme. The bridges of the car are of the split type. They are very similar to the GAZ-51 bridges. The middle and rear axles differ from each other in the location of the main drive housing, jet rod brackets and the length of the axle stockings. Recommended gear oil: SAE-90 in summer, SAE-80 in winter. The suspension of the wheels was traditional for three-axle cars - on longitudinal semi-elliptical springs, the transmission of pushing force and reaction moment from the rear and middle axles was carried out by rods.

The front suspension used double-acting lever hydraulic shock absorbers. Steering. Steering mechanism "Studebaker" had an unusual design and consisted of a screw and a crank with two fingers. Since the screw had uneven cutting, the gear ratio was variable, varied in the range of 18-22. It reached its greatest value when driving in a straight line. There was no amplifier. Interestingly, the camber is called camber. This word somehow did not come into use.

But the word "caster" (caster angle) has become quite familiar. It should be noted that the adjustment of the wheel alignment angles, incl. caster testing was given serious attention at Studebaker, eight pages are devoted to this in the book. An interesting detail: only the US6x4 modification had the transverse tilt angle of the pivot axis (8.5 degrees). Brakes. The braking system of the car consisted of drum (or, as they were then called, shoe type) service brakes and a transmission parking brake. The brake drive is hydraulic.

There was also a vacuum amplifier (vacuum servo mechanism). I must say, the hydraulic drive was not familiar to us then, all the cars produced were equipped with mechanically driven brakes. Actually, in the early 30s there was an attempt to use a hydraulic drive on the AMO-2 truck (which was, in fact, the American Autocar-2M truck). As a result of modernization, AMO-2 has become the well-known ZiS-5, which has mechanical brakes. It was easier that way. But on post-war cars, mechanical brakes were no longer used.

The Studebaker vacuum amplifier was essentially vacuum-mechanical. He acted on the master cylinder rod with a pull. In general, vacuum-mechanical amplifiers have been known in the USSR since 1929. They were used on Yaroslavl trucks in conjunction with a mechanical brake drive. No amplifiers were installed on lighter one and a half lorries and ZiSs. In general, the design of the Studebaker hydraulic brakes was quite traditional and did not differ fundamentally from the design of the GAZ-51 brakes. Wheels with 7.50x20 tires are also similar to the wheels of the GAZ-51.

Electrical equipment. As in Soviet pre-war cars, the rated voltage of the on-board network was 6V (post-war trucks received 12-volt electrical equipment). The Studebaker battery had a capacity of 153 Ah (the GAZ-51 and ZiS-150 had two 6-volt batteries each). All electrical devices are from Auto-Light. On older models, generators with a maximum current of 25A were used, on newer ones, more powerful ones, at 40A. Accordingly, various relay-regulators were used.

Starter - with a mechanical foot drive had a power of 1.5 hp. For a 6-volt device, this is a lot. The signal, like on other trucks, is of a vibration type. The distributor-breaker had only a centrifugal ignition timing machine. Spark plugs - 14 mm thread. (like the ZiS-150, the GAZ-51 - 18 mm.). The "plus" of the current sources was connected to the "mass" of the car (in the "Studebakers", adapted for the installation of radio stations, the "minus" was connected to the "mass"). In the USSR, until 1960, all cars also had a "plus" on the "mass", then the negative terminal of the current sources was connected to the "mass". This was done to reduce body corrosion.

This was the legendary truck, the weapon of Victory, the most massive of all Lend-Lease trucks, loved by drivers. They loved him for its reliability, strength (with a carrying capacity of 3.5 tons, he transported 5 tons), ease of use, a high level of comfort at that time, good cross-country ability. Its design and operating experience influenced the creation of the first Soviet post-war trucks: GAZ-51, ZiS-150, ZiS-151.

©. Photos are taken from publicly available sources.

: For example, American off-road trucks. The most famous of them were the Studebaker cars, thanks to which the Red Army was able to use new tactics of mechanized artillery in the offensive operations of the Soviet troops in 1944-1945. The Studebakers played an important role in the Jassy-Kishinev operation.

Trucks of strategic importance

"In modern war, you can't have an army without trucks."- said Joseph Stalin during a meeting with the personal representative of the President of the United States Wendell Wilkie on September 23, 1942, emphasizing the role of trucks on the Soviet-German front. Speaking about the reasons for the defeats in 1942, Stalin noted the following:

“Our recent failures in the south are due to our lack of fighter aircraft, which is of decisive importance. The second reason that we were defeated was the lack of trucks. All of our factories that used to make trucks have switched to tank production. ”

It is worth noting that before the start of the war, the USSR had more than half a million trucks at its disposal. "The report of the Supply Department of the GAVTU KA on the work during the Great Patriotic War" dated September 28, 1945 read:

« By the beginning of the war, the Red Army's vehicle fleet totaled 272.6 thousand vehicles, of which 257.8 thousand trucks and special (...)

According to the State Automobile Inspectorate of the NKVD, as of January 1, 1941, the fleet of the national economy totaled 807 thousand vehicles, of which:

freight and special - 704 thousand units,

passenger cars - 103 thousand units
The number of serviceable cars was only 55% or 444 thousand units. "

It would seem, judging by these figures, the situation with the trucks was more or less satisfactory. . But most of the fleet of trucks and special vehicles of the Red Army were 1.5-ton GAZs, and there were no off-road vehicles and tractors at all. All in all, on June 22, 1941, the army had 203.9 thousand trucks at its disposal, of which more than half (113.2 thousand units) were in the "lorry".

In case of war, the army was to be replenished by mobilizing vehicles from the national economy: on August 23, 1941, 206,169 units were withdrawn. In the next two years, additional mobilization of vehicles was carried out. In total, during the war, the Red Army received 268 649 vehicles from the national economy. However, the supply of this transport in wartime was associated with difficulties. The cars were handed over to the assembly points slowly, and were often out of order and incomplete. Therefore, the Main Automobile Directorate of the Red Army made the following conclusion:

"In view of the fact that all serviceable machines were mobilized in 1941, and there was not enough spare parts for repairs either in the national economy or in the Red Army, additional mobilization did not give the necessary results either in the quantity or quality of the machines received."

It is curious that, despite the losses, in the first six months of the war, the number of trucks in the Red Army fleet increased by almost 34 thousand vehicles: as of January 1, 1942, there were 237.8 thousand units. The increase was mainly due to the "lorry" withdrawn from the national economy. But the supply of new vehicles to the army was insufficient. For example, from June 22 to December 31, 1941, the Red Army received 37 thousand vehicles of various types, but their total losses during the same time amounted to 159 thousand vehicles. Since after the outbreak of the war, the domestic industry could not meet the need for manufactured vehicles, the Soviet leadership turned to the Allies with a request to start delivering cars - especially trucks.

Lend-Lease trucks

Already in the first days of the war, the USSR tried to establish contacts with the United States as a supplier of weapons and equipment needed at the front and in the rear. On June 29, 1941, the Soviet ambassador to Washington received an order from the head of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov to put before the US President or the Secretary of State the issue of providing assistance to the Soviet Union with supplies. But initially there was no talk of cars. The USSR wanted to receive aircraft, anti-aircraft guns, equipment for the production of aircraft and tires, as well as installations for the production of high-octane fuel on credit for five years.

The issue of trucks was raised at the Moscow conference when discussing with representatives of the United States and Great Britain the needs of the USSR for military assistance from these countries. As a result, the first Lend-Lease protocol, signed on October 2, 1941 in Moscow, included an application for trucks (3 tons, 2 tons and 1.5 tons), 10 thousand units per month. Later it became an integral part of other Lend-Lease protocols.

Trucks "Studebaker" from American supplies in the transport reserve of the command of the Red Army near Mozhaisk. August 17, 1944. Photo by Boris Antonov.
waralbum.ru

The importance of delivering trucks from the United States was emphasized twice by Stalin in 1942 at meetings with the Americans. At the already mentioned meeting with Wilkie, according to the minutes of the conversation, he stated that:

“… I would be willing to restrict US supplies of fighters, trucks, aluminum and explosives, which are in sufficient quantities in America. Everything else could be thrown out. "

On October 6, 1942, during a conversation with the American ambassador, William Standley, the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars concretized the needs of the USSR:

“He, Stalin, told Wilkie that we would withdraw our requests for tanks, artillery, shells, pistols and that we could limit ourselves to supplying us with fighters. We mostly lack fighters. If America could supply us with 500 fighters a month, but good fighters that could withstand battles with German fighters like the Airacobra, then we would be ready to abandon the rest of the weapons (...) Then Stalin told Wilkie that we really needed trucks and, if possible, we would like to receive 10,000 trucks a month from the US. We would be ready to receive even only the chassis. The third item is the supply of aluminum to us in the amount of 5,000 tons per month. The fourth article is the supply of 4–5 thousand tons of explosives to us. The fifth article is the supply of about 2 million tons of wheat to us. Stalin is ready to write to the president about this. "

Roosevelt responded to the request of the Soviet leadership. According to the directory of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR, from June 22, 1941 to December 31, 1945, the Soviet Union received 360,980 trucks from America, the supplies of which were distributed over the years as follows:

937 units	29 837 units	91 620 units	128 361 units	110 225 units

According to the same source, 371,431 trucks were sent under Lend-Lease, of which 354,608 units were imported into the USSR, 6,153 units were transferred to Soviet organizations in Iran and 10,670 units were lost on the way. The first batch of cars arrived from England along with Arctic convoys in December 1941, and from January 1942, cars from the United States began to arrive in the same way. But the main stream of Lend-Lease vehicles went through Iran. Through it, during the war years, 181 thousand vehicles entered the USSR. The advantage of this route was that trucks moving on their own from Iranian ports simultaneously delivered up to 30 thousand tons of cargo to the Soviet Union every month.

According to the report of the GAVTU KA, in total during the Great Patriotic War, 444.7 thousand new machines were received for staffing the Red Army units. Their entry into the army, which declined in 1942, has been steadily increasing since 1943, mainly due to imports, and in 1944 reached the level of 162 thousand cars - or an average of 13.5 thousand units per month. Soviet industry gave the army 36.6% of the total arrival of cars, or 162.6 thousand vehicles, of which 156.2 thousand trucks and tractors. The share of imports amounted to 63.4%, or 282.1 thousand vehicles, of which 246.2 thousand trucks and tractors. True, the same source also mentions other data:

"The total supply of vehicles for the Red Army during the war years amounted to 463,000 units, of which 150,400 were domestic (32.5%) and 312,600 were imported (67.5%)."

A convoy of American trucks carrying Lend-Lease to the USSR stands on a road in Eastern Iraq.
nl.wikipedia.org

One of the most significant compliments to Lend-Lease cars is Molotov's telegram to the Soviet ambassador in Washington on March 6, 1943:

“American weapons and vehicles from the United States are used by the Red Army in both defensive and offensive operations. It is also known that the overwhelming amount of weapons and supplies of the Red Army are domestic. (...)

Great help to the Red Army in increasing its maneuverability is provided by American trucks, which were used not only for the transfer of troops, but also as a means of pulling artillery pieces. The Jips vehicles proved to be good as a means of traction for small-caliber guns and a means of communication for the command because of their good cross-country ability.

"Studebaker"

Due to the fact that the number of different types and brands of American and British cars and their suitability for operation in the USSR were not studied, at first cars were ordered that were offered by foreign firms. This led to a total of 28 different brands and models of cars arriving from abroad.
Later, as their operational and design qualities were revealed, the number of ordered car brands decreased.

Among the trucks, the main choice of the Soviet side fell on the 2.5-ton Studebaker US6, manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation. Ironically, this machine, which worked so well on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, was the brainchild of an American firm founded in the 19th century by descendants of German emigrants.

The movement of Soviet troops on the highway near Berlin. In the foreground is an American-made Studebaker US6 truck, on the left is a ZIS-5, followed by a GAZ-AA. Germany, April 20, 1945. Photo by Georgy Petrusov. avtotema.mediasalt.ru

Deliveries of this truck began in 1942. GAVTU KA indicates that during the year the USSR received 3.8 thousand Studebakers. In 1943, 34.8 thousand of these machines were delivered to the Soviet Union, and in 1944 - already 56.7 thousand units. According to the directory of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR, a total of 179,459 cars of this brand were shipped to the Soviet side under the lend-lease: 171,635 of them were imported into the USSR, 4,334 were transferred to Soviet organizations in Iran and 3,490 were lost on the way. In addition, 1,136 Studebakers were shipped for cash: 982 were brought and 154 were lost on the way.

This car served in the Red Army as a truck, a base for rocket launchers and a tractor. In its post-war analysis, the GAVTU KA mentioned the Studebaker as the best vehicle of all the brands of tractors that it received for towing 75-mm and 122-mm artillery systems. We will not dwell on the technical characteristics, as well as the description of this machine: a lot of review works have been devoted to it. Let us turn our attention to such an aspect of Studer's history as its role in the offensive operations of the Soviet troops on the example of the Jassy-Kishinev operation.

Blow in the south

The Yassy-Kishinev operation was carried out by the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts in cooperation with the forces of the Black Sea Fleet and lasted only ten days - from 20 to 29 August 1944. Its goal was to defeat the German Army Group "Southern Ukraine", which was covering the Balkan direction, to complete the liberation of Moldova and withdraw Romania from the war. An important role in this was played by the 6th Panzer Army of Lieutenant General Andrei Kravchenko. Its tanks fought about 600 km - from the starting position to Bucharest, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy in equipment and manpower, while defeating a number of units and formations of German-Romanian troops. For its successes, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on September 12, 1944, it was transformed into the 6th Guards Tank Army.

On August 20, the 6th Panzer Army took part in breaking through the heavily fortified and deeply echeloned enemy defenses north-west of the city of Yassy. In the process of introducing Lieutenant General Vasily Alekseev into the breakthrough of the 5th Guards Tank Corps, the defeat of the depth of the German tactical defense was completed. Promoting success and not giving the enemy the opportunity to gain a foothold on intermediate defensive lines, Kravchenko's troops overcame several mountain-wooded ridges, water obstacles and a heavily fortified area with permanent structures near Voinesti, Tiwanu and north of Focsani.

Operating in difficult conditions for tank and mechanized troops, the 6th Panzer Army within 11 days captured large strongholds and important communication centers of the enemy: Vaslui, Vyrlad, Tecuchi, Fokshany, Rymnik, Ploiesti. Joining up with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front at Helchiu, she closed the encirclement of the Jassy-Kishinev German-Romanian grouping, defeated the Germans on the outskirts of the Romanian capital and entered Bucharest.

Army Headquarters assessed its contribution to the operation as follows:

"1. To a decisive extent ensured the complete encirclement and elimination of the enemy's Bessarabian grouping

2. Seized the most important oil region - PLOESHTI.

3. Forced Romania to withdraw from the fascist coalition and declare war on Germany. "

Cars of War

"Studers" rescue tanks

In his conclusions about the participation of the 6th Panzer Army in the Jassy-Kishinev operation, its commander noted that the rear of the army had the following transport:

"... the army units had 244 foreign cars, military transport - 85 cars, ZIS - 53, GAZ - 11, foreign cars - 21. Tank trucks - 86, of which ZIS - 74, GAZ - 12".

The tank army, both at the beginning of the operation and during its implementation, was fully provided with ammunition, food, fuel and lubricants. But the army rear did not have enough vehicles for a quick redeployment. To fix this, the warehouse of the 6th Panzer Army threw out a "flyer" so that the rear services of the advancing units could receive everything they needed from it. The transfer of property between the front-line and army "briefings" was entrusted to the "Studebakers".

Tanks T-34-85 and trucks "Studebaker" US6 with 76-mm ZIS-Z cannons in tow before the attack. 1944 year

They also showed themselves well in supplying the advancing tank units. Kravchenko believed that the rear of the corps lagged behind the rapidly moving formations, due to which they could not provide their troops. But the commanders of tank brigades in the reports spoke positively about the work of their rear services. Taking command of the 22nd Guards Tank Brigade after the death of its commander, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Nagirnyak, Guard Colonel Fyodor Zhilin noted the following:

"Work of the brigade's rear: despite 40% provision of transport and a deep raid, parts of the brigade did not have any interruptions in the supply of ammunition and fuel and lubricants."

The commander of the 20th Guards Tank Brigade, Guards Colonel Stepan Shutov, wrote in the report:

“The flawless work of our rear services should be noted. In view of the fact that the pace of advancement of our tanks was unprecedentedly rapid (50-60 kilometers a day), there was a threat of stretching our communications. However, the rear of the brigade and battalions managed to ensure the timely delivery of fuel and ammunition. As a rule, the rear moved immediately behind the battle formations, were always aware of the combat situation and knew the requests and needs of the units. "

A group of servicemen at the deployed banner of the 5th Guards Stalingrad Tank Corps. Under the banner is Major General of the Tank Forces Andrei Grigorievich Kravchenko, who commanded the corps from September 18, 1942 to January 24, 1944, the future commander of the 6th Tank Army.
waralbum.ru

Another aspect of the Studers' contribution to the success of the offensive was their use as artillery tractors. Drawing conclusions about the reasons for the successful actions of the 6th Panzer Army in the Yassy-Kishinev operation, Lieutenant General Kravchenko noted:

“The offensive of artillery together with tank subunits in front of the infantry and with separation from it is new in mechanized artillery tactics, fully justified itself.

Artillery and mortars attached to Studobekkers on trailers, interacting with tanks and infantry assault forces, helped pave the way for the tanks and ensure their action in the depths of the defense. (...) Groups justified themselves in battle - consisting of motorized infantry, tanks and artillery to seize forests and heights. "

It is curious to note that at that time Kravchenko's army could be called "semi-branded". In addition to the fact that imported cars predominated in its fleet, one of the two armored corps of the army was equipped with British and American tanks, having only one T-34 in its composition.

Summing up the story about the "Studebaker", I would like to refer again to the aforementioned report of the GAVTU KA, in which it concluded about the importance of American cars for the USSR in the war with Germany:

“Off-road vehicles of large tonnage (Studebaker, Jiemsi, etc.), Dodge 3/4 t. And Willis - played an important role in the Patriotic War as artillery tractors, replacing to a large extent tractors and horse traction. Willis, in addition, served as a reliable means of communication, command and control of troops and units. "

This reliable technique helped the Red Army become more mobile in offensive operations, master new tactics and successfully apply them in battles. If Soviet trucks allowed the USSR not to lose the war, then American cars helped win it. The Studebaker really became the Victory car.

Sources and Literature:

1. TsAMO. Fund 38. Inventory 11584. Case 396.
2. TsAMO, Fund 339, Inventory 5179, Case 19.
3. TsAMO, Fund 339, Inventory 5179, Case 73.
4. TsAMO, Fund 339, Inventory 5179, File 80.
5. TsAMO, Fund 3097, Inventory 1, Case 2.
6. Report on War Aid Furnished by the United States to the USSR, Foreign Economic Section, Office of Foreign Liquidation, Deptartmet of State, 28 Nov 1945.
7. Soviet-British relations during the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Documents and materials. In 2 volumes - Vol. 1. 1941–1943 / M-in foreign. affairs of the USSR. - M .: Politizdat, 1983.
8. Soviet-American relations during the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Documents and materials. In 2 volumes - T. 1. 1941-1943 / M-in foreign. affairs of the USSR. - M .: Politizdat, 1984.
9. Foreign trade of the USSR for the period from 22-VI - 1941 to 31-XII - 1945 / Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR, Accounting and Economic Department. Statistical handbook. - M., 1946.
10. Jones, R. Lend-Lease. Roads to Russia. US military supplies for the USSR in World War II / R. Jones. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2015.
11. http://tankfront.ru
12. https://eugend.livejournal.com
13. https://pamyat-naroda.ru
14. https://www.drive2.ru

May the reader forgive us for the fact that this material will not contain colored "funny pictures" from our days. Used only evidence of the war period, - technical documentation of the publishing house of the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense, and American documentation on the "screwdriver assembly" of army trucks from vehicle kits. But it seems that for history lovers such evidence is a hundred times more valuable and interesting than colorful splints.

The Studebaker trucks were supplied to the USSR during the Great Patriotic War as technical assistance to the fighting Red (from January 1943 - Soviet) army. In the 1950s and 1980s, this assistance from our overseas allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, if not hushed up at all, was significantly belittled. True, there was a reason: no supplies under the Lend-Lease could replace the promised second front in Europe, with the opening of which the Allies were in no hurry for almost two years. But today, there are frequent discussions of our fellow compatriots about that time, beginning with the words: "If it were not for foreign equipment ...". But history, as you know, has no subjunctive mood.

In 1941 - 1945, Studebakers were produced mainly for deliveries to our country, where most of them (about 100 thousand) came. For greater clarity of such a number, we point out that by the beginning of World War II, in the entire Red Army there were only ZIS-5 trucks alone, more than 102 thousand. And one more figure: 375.8 thousand - so many trucks received by the Soviet Union from abroad during the war years. And "Studers" accounted for more than a quarter of this income.

But no matter how good these machines were, they could not make a significant contribution to the motorization of our army. As of May 1945, in the vehicle fleet of the Soviet armed forces, all vehicles received under Lend-Lease accounted for only one third of the total, and the Studebakers, taking into account the inevitable combat losses, at any time (and, of course, not from the very beginning of the war) could hardly be more than a quarter of that third, i.e. no more than 7-8%. Another thing is that at the final stage of the war, they began to appear more often in photographs and newsreels. But this is not difficult to explain - such machines were needed, first of all, in the forward units of the advancing troops.

Photo 1. Studebaker US6. Flat fenders - convenience for repairs and maintenance of the motor.

Photo 2. The body is well protected from rain and wind.

The vehicles were delivered in two ways - fully assembled, under their own power through Iran and the Caucasus, as well as in the form of vehicle kits, through the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk ports (Photo 3).

Photo 3. DIY kits in American style.

These machines were supplied to us in four main versions: onboard all-wheel drive, with a 6x6 wheel arrangement (model YS6, photos 1 and 2), chassis for multiple launch rocket systems, (photo 4) onboard without a front drive axle with a 6x4 formula, (model YS6x4 ), and non-four-wheel drive truck tractors (photo 6) complete with semitrailers

Photo 4. Chassis for "Katyusha".

In addition, all-wheel drive vehicles were supplied with or without self-recovery winches. The photo from the technical documentation of the Lend-Lease era shows a car without a winch, as well as a chassis equipped with a winch (photo 5). And the photo shoot is of not very high quality (Fig. 6) shows the design features of machines with a 6x4 chassis. But it seems that this documentary evidence is still better than unsubstantiated information taken from nowhere.

All-wheel drive onboard vehicles had a permissible carrying capacity of 2.5 tons on all types of roads, 6x4 flatbed trucks on the highway could carry up to 5 tons, and truck tractors, also on the highway, could work with a single-axle semi-trailer with a total weight of 6.4 tons.

Studer engines

Because of the design of their powertrains, the Studebakers were considered "second class" machines in the United States. The fastidious Yankees were no longer satisfied with the low-valve engines of an outdated design of insufficient power. But for us, such vehicles were also for the good - and there were not enough ordinary trucks, and there were no four-wheel drive three-axles at all. In addition, the low-octane gasoline allowed for Studers meant that these vehicles could be easily refueled in Soviet military units along with domestic vehicles.

6-cylinder in-line carburetor engines were installed on the Studebakers "Hercules", JXD series... With a displacement of 5.24 liters and a compression ratio of 5.82, these power units developed a power of 95 hp. at 2600 rpm.

They were equipped with single-chamber carburetors Carter-429C, and typical for that time, inertial oil air filters. The motors had coarse and fine oil filters. The water pumps had a gear drive from the camshaft, and a break in the fan drive belt did not stop water circulation in the cooling system.

Cars with such power units developed speeds of up to 70 km / h, and on the highway they consumed up to 30 liters of gasoline of the Soviet brand A-56 per 100 km. At the same time, the fuel range (one tank with a capacity of 150 liters), taking into account the track sections with bad roads, was considered equal to 390 km.

In photo 7 of the engine, a case, perhaps unprecedented for that time, is recorded - the name of the car is cast on the intake manifold, although the engine, as we know, had its own name.

Transmissions "Studers"

Single-disc dry "flat" clutch (Fig. 8) of all car models, with a central pressure spring, had a lever mechanical drive.

Figure 8. Single plate clutch with “flat” basket and center pressure spring.

All varieties of "Studebakers" were equipped with the same 5-speed gearboxes, with a fifth overdrive.

Gear ratios:

1. - 6.06; 2. - 3.5; 3. - 1.8; 4.- 1.0; 5. - 0.79; Z.Kh. - 6.0.

Readers may know that in the gearboxes of domestic cars, when reverse gear is engaged, due to the additional gear that provides reverse rotation of the secondary shaft, the reverse gear is always more powerful than the first speed. But in this case, there is no typo in our text. But the transfer cases differed in the gears of the range, (reduction gear).

For all-wheel drive vehicles, the gear ratios were:

1. - 2.602; 2. - 1.55. For machines without a front driving axle, 1. - 1, 82; 2. - 1.55.

The transmission layout included five cardan shafts, and an independent arrangement of the gearbox and transfer case.

The drive axles of the "Studebakers" had single "straight lines" (the axis of the drive gear and the axle of the wheels were in the same plane) the main gears with a ratio of 6.6 units. The rear axle half-shafts are fully unloaded. The individual wheel hubs were mounted on two tapered roller bearings each. The drive to the front wheels was carried out by ball joints of equal angular velocities.

Studebaker undercarriage

The rear suspension of both driving axles is leaf spring, balanced, with four lower and two upper reaction arms.

Front suspension - on longitudinal springs with double-acting lever shock absorbers.

The Studebakers were 7.50 x 20 inches. They were equipped with tires with either a directional herringbone pattern (photos 1, 2, 5), or “reversing” tires with transverse lugs (photo 4). But rather narrow single front wheels sometimes “cut through” the surface of soft soils, which significantly reduced the cross-country ability. Soviet front-line chauffeurs found another, temporary use for spare wheels, installing them as double slopes on the front axles of cars, since the fasteners of the wheels - studs, fittings, nuts, made it possible to do this without problems. The front axle of the car, receiving a large support area, fell less into the liquid mud of the off-road, and the "row" is, of course, better.

In combat conditions, it was technically possible to install wheels from damaged vehicles of other brands on the Studer, for example, from the ZIS-5. This was probably used by the economic Slavs, who put twin wheels on the "front". So the cars were equipped with a single spare wheel, which was not a lot for ten variants of punctures. There are modern color foreign photos of the front twin wheels on these machines on the web. But they are not very relevant here as evidence.

Control mechanisms

Steering "Studebakers" had a mechanism of the "cylindrical worm - crank with two fingers" type. Only two cylindrical protrusions on the V-shaped crank worked along the surfaces of the worm ridges, which reduced the area of \u200b\u200bthe gearbox contacting surfaces and reduced the frictional forces in the mechanism (Figure 9).

In the absence of power steering, such a decision could be of significant help to the driver. As for the "reverse side of the coin" - reducing the resource of the unit to complete wear. then, according to American standards, the service life of the car in frontline conditions was only 90 days.

Well, the design of the steering linkage was nothing special. One longitudinal link from the steering bipod to the left steering knuckle, and one side link connecting both wheels.

The braking systems of the cars had hydraulic drum mechanisms, and it seems that what has just been said does not require any comments or explanations. However, it is interesting to note the peculiarity of the arrangement of hydraulic brakes to the rear wheels.

It is well known that on rear axles that do not have swivel wheels, a common brake line tee is installed, connected by a hose to a pipeline on the machine frame. And already from this tee pipelines diverge to the actuating wheel mechanisms. Brake pipelines were not installed on the Studebaker bridges. The brake mechanism of each wheel of the rear bogie had its own separate "vertical" hose, which was connected to the brake lines on the car frame.

It is necessary to dwell in more detail on vacuum brake boosters. In the modern concept, these devices are associated with the definition of "tandem", when the amplifier is assembled in one block with the brake master cylinder, and is installed under the hood. At the Studebakers, these structural elements were spaced along the mount in different places. The main cylinder is under the cab floor, and the vacuum booster cylinder is even further, under the body (Figure 10).

The amplifier, using a thrust and a rocker arm, acted on the master cylinder rod, parallel to the drive from the brake pedal. With the help of a large rocker arm, it transmitted the force to the rod up to 650-700 kgf, which is 2-3 times higher than the force in the drive from the pedal. The amplifier of a single car did not have any volume for a discharge reserve in case the engine stopped. But thanks to the valve system, there was a vacuum reserve in the pipeline for one more braking.

The brake system of the semitrailer for the "Studebaker" had only a vacuum drive of the brakes. If any of the readers is confused by this circumstance - what a vacuum can do - then we recall the obvious. The force does not provide a vacuum as such, but the difference between atmospheric pressure and vacuum.

Let us also recall a fact from Russian automotive history. The PAZ-652 and PAZ-572 buses had a vacuum drive for the interior doors. And such doors have been opened and closed for more than 30 years, and even with the motors not working, due to the vacuum reserve in the vacuum receivers.

The nuances of the design and operation of vacuum drives on a road train with a Studebaker tractor, let them be an optional activity for those who wish.

The parking handbrake of all American cars supplied to us under Lend-Lease was of the same type - an open drum band. Special tarpaulin - asbestos belts with a stranglehold covered the outside of the brake drums mounted on the driven shafts of the transfer cases (Fig. 12). Of course, with the front axles turned on, the "handbrakes" acted on all wheels of the cars.

Electrical equipment "Studebaker"

Many American cars of that era had electrical voltages of 6 volts. Only Lend-Lease cars, with the same modular base (!), Had 12-volt varieties of electrical circuits. And externally identical machines "Studebaker" could have different polarity of electrical equipment. Thus, general-purpose transport vehicles, according to the standard of that time, had a polarity "plus" to "mass". However, "minus" to "mass" were cars-radio stations, and cars with shielded electrical equipment, so as not to interfere with radio reception.

“The Studebakers were equipped with a" three-cell "accumulator battery of the" Vilard "company with a capacity of 153 a./h. This relatively large battery is clearly visible in the photo, (Fig. 5) Generating sets of machines manufactured by Auto-Light, model GEW-4805 with a capacity of 150 W, had a recoil current of up to 25 A. Hercules engines were equipped with inertial type starters, model MAV-407, with a capacity of 1.5 hp, the same company "Auto-Light". It seems that a small additional excursion into history is needed so that the reader understands more clearly what kind of starters we are talking about.

In modern starting electric motors, the engagement of their driving gears into engagement with the gear rim of the flywheels of power units is performed by electromagnetic traction relays. In the 50s of the last century, trucks often used starters with mechanical engagement of gears in engagement using a foot pedal, but in any case - with a lever drive for engaging the gear. And even earlier, it was inertial starters that reigned, where the gears of the starting electric motor were put into engagement and "thrown" back precisely by the forces of inertia, as evidenced by their name.

When the electric motor was turned on, its gear "flew" into engagement with the flywheel crown practically without rotating. It was fed to the connection by sliding along the lead screw - the starter shaft, but did not have time to unwind, due to the inertia of rest, which was reinforced by special counterweights. Resting on the stop at the end of the running thread of the starter shaft, the gear began to rotate with it as a whole, spinning the engine crankshaft. And when the flywheel of the starting engine, in its speed began to "overtake" the shaft of the starting electric motor, the drive gear of the starter, due to the newly acquired and large forces of inertia from the flywheel, was thrown back to its original position by the lead screw.

Beginning with American cars, and in particular with Studebakers, Soviet front-line drivers got acquainted with the “circle” marker lights familiar today, and with separate front marker lights in the sidelights. For comparison: there were no sidelights on domestic trucks, the so-called "low light" was provided by separate lamps in the headlights. And there were no rear right side lights or brake lights at all.

But the American army vehicles also had interesting details - blackout devices "clearance" with windows for determining the distance. So, if the driver behind a walking car clearly saw two pairs of red windows in each lamp of the front car, this meant the distance to the car in front was no more 20-30 meters. If the four red dots of each lantern merged into two, they were visible at a distance of up to 50-70 meters. At a greater distance, it was not necessary to see the front car, and even more so to the enemy.

Cab, body, frame Studebaker US6

For all the asceticism of its decoration, the enclosed all-metal cab of the Studebaker was equipped with a heater. The casing of this heat exchanger is clearly visible under the "torpedo". And in winter, Soviet soldiers and sergeants driving these cars could feel more or less at ease. But the officers of the Wehrmacht, in their service "Opel - Captains", could only warm themselves with schnapps. These cars, which were very common in the German troops, did not yet have standard heaters.

Photo 16. Interior of the cab "Studebaker".

The photo also clearly shows the inner mirror so that the driver can adjust the cap or helmet on his head. And what else could you see through this mirror with the awning body? And even without an awning, the tailgate provided two to three dozen meters of the "dead zone". But, as memories of peacetime, it was probably still nice ...

The photo clearly shows the "five-window" instrument cluster. A speedometer with a daily (!) Mileage counter, an ammeter, an electric fuel level indicator, a technical pressure gauge for direct measurement of pressure in the lubrication system, and a technical remote water temperature thermometer, not associated with electrical equipment. On our ZISs, only the oil pressure was monitored, and the Gorky trucks did not have devices for monitoring either the temperature or the pressure in the lubrication system ...

"Studers" had vacuum wiper mechanisms, the speed of which depended on the engine speed. But there was also the possibility of a duplicated manual drive.

The photo clearly shows the elements of the rocker mechanism for lifting the windshields. This option, which, in general, is not needed in peacetime, (except perhaps to "catch" in the heat with a breeze), could be very useful at the front. Raising the windows, you could better peer into the dim outlines of the night roads, not including the headlights and sidelights.

A typical army cargo-passenger platform of American vehicles of the war years later became a model for Soviet army trucks.

The car frames had front and rear bumpers (bumpers had not yet been invented), located at the same height. Thanks to this, it was possible to push a stuck car of the same type, or start a stalled one from the "pusher". But Soviet soldiers came up with another application for this. In difficult road conditions they put 2-3 Studers close to each other, tying them with chains or cables. And with such a "push-push" it was sometimes easier to overcome straight sections of muddy roads ...

In such materials, it is customary to talk about modifications of the models under consideration. In part, this - the mention of American options - has already been. In the USSR, such other modifications, of course, were not created. And yet…

Everyone knows that multiple launch rocket launchers, Katyusha, were mounted on the Studebaker chassis. However, in most cases, the knowledge of our contemporaries is limited only launchers BM-13In reality, the "Studers" had four types of such weapons. It all started with the well-known, 16-charging BM-13, for 132-mm M-13 missiles. These "rails" were inherited by the American car from Soviet installations on the ZIS-6 chassis, (6x4), created before the war.

During the war years, the same 12 charging units BM-31-12 for heavy 310 mm M-31 missiles.

Appeared 10-charging version of BM-13 CH, also for M-13 missiles. This installation had special spiral guides (hence the letter designation of the index - prefixes), truss structure. When fired, the "farms" imparted a rotational motion to the shells, which made their flight more stable and increased the firing range.

But all three mentioned installations were intended for "stationary processing" of the enemy's front edge in areas. The fourth type of rocket artillery on a car chassis was the BM-8-48, with a 48 charger for 82 mm M-8 projectiles.

This combat vehicle was the installation for escorting the advance units of the advancing troops. Together with tanks and self-propelled guns, it was intended to suppress specific stationary fortifications of the enemy, and to fight against his tank and mechanized columns.

Conclusion

According to the Lend-Lease Law, all foreign equipment that survived after the war had to be transferred back to the supplier countries. However, according to some information, soon after the Victory, I.V. Stalin forbade the further sending of cars overseas, speaking in the sense that the Soviet Union had already paid for all these deliveries. He paid with extra millions of lives for the fact that the Allies were in no hurry to open a second front in Europe. We cannot say whether such a prohibition and the statement of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief were in fact, but the fact remains. Foreign military equipment remained in service with our army until the early 50s, and ordinary transport vehicles were then transferred to the national economy.

Andrey Kuznetsov, mechanic of the museum of retro-technology SUE "Mosgortrans"