The American Automobile Industry in World War Two
An American Auto Industry Heritage Tribute by David D Jackson

Overview      Lansing Michigan in World War Two   The U.S. Auto Industry at the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944    The U.S. Auto Industry and the B-29 Bomber   U.S. Auto Industry Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   The Complete listing of All Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   Sherman Tanks of the American Auto Industry   Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry    M26 Pershing Tanks of the American Auto Industry   M36 Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry   Serial Numbers for WWII Tanks built by the American Auto Industry   Surviving LCVP Landing Craft    WWII Landing Craft Hull Numbers   Airborne Extra-Light Jeep Photos  The American Auto Industry vs. the German V-1 in WWII   American Auto Industry-Built Anti-Aircraft Guns in WWII   VT Proximity Manufacturers of WWII   World War One Era Motor Vehicles   National Museum of Military Vehicles  
Revisions   Links

 Automobile and Body Manufacturers:  American Bantam Car Company   Briggs Manufacturing Company   Checker Car Company   Chrysler Corporation   Crosley Corporation   Ford Motor Car Company   General Motors Corporation   Graham-Paige Motors Corporation   Hudson
Motor Car Company   Murray Corporation of America   Nash-Kelvinator   Packard Motor Car Company      Studebaker    Willys-Overland Motors

General Motors Divisions:  AC Spark Plug   Aeroproducts   Allison   Brown-Lipe-Chapin   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Cleveland Diesel   Delco Appliance   Delco Products   Delco Radio   Delco-Remy   Detroit Diesel   Detroit Transmission   Electro-Motive   Fisher Body   Frigidaire   GM Proving Grounds   GM of Canada   GMC   GMI   Guide Lamp   Harrison Radiator   Hyatt Bearings   Inland   Moraine Products   New Departure   Oldsmobile   Packard Electric   Pontiac   Saginaw Malleable Iron   Saginaw Steering Gear   Southern California Division   Rochester Products   Ternstedt Manufacturing Division   United Motors Service   Vauxhall Motors

 Indiana Companies:  Bailey Products Corporation   Chrysler Kokomo Plant   Continental Steel Corporation  Converto Manufacturing    Cummins Engine Company   Diamond Chain and Manufacturing Company   Delta Electric Company   Durham Manufacturing Company   Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox  
Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company   Republic Aviation Corporation - Indiana Division   Ross Gear and Tool Company   S.F. Bowser & Co.   Sherrill Research Corporation   Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company   Warner Gear   Wayne Pump Company   Wayne Works

Commercial Truck and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers:  American LaFrance   Autocar  
Biederman Motors Corporation   Brockway Motor Company   Detroit General   Diamond T   Duplex Truck Company   Federal Motor Truck   Four Wheel Drive Auto Company(FWD)   International Harvester   John Bean   Mack Truck   Marmon-Herrington Company   Michigan Power Shovel Company   Oshkosh Motor Truck Corporation   Pacific Car and Foundry   "Quick-Way" Truck Shovel Company   Reo Motor Car Company  Seagrave Fire Apparatus   Sterling Motor Truck Company    Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation   White Motor Company

Aviation Companies:  Abrams Instrument Corporation   Hughes Aircraft Company   Kellett Aviation Corporation   Laister-Kauffman Aircraft Corporation   Naval Aircraft Factory   P-V Engineering Forum, Inc.    Rudolf Wurlitzer Company-DeKalb Division  Schweizer Aircraft Corporation   Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation   St. Louis Aircraft Corporation   Timm Aircraft Corporation

Other World War Two Manufacturers: 
Air King Products   Allis-Chalmers   American Car and Foundry   American Locomotive   American Stove Company   Annapolis Yacht Yard  
Andover Motors Company   B.F. Goodrich   Baker War Industries   Baldwin Locomotive Works   Blood Brothers Machine Company   Boyertown Auto Body Works   Briggs & Stratton   Caterpillar   Cheney Bigelow Wire Works   Centrifugal Fusing   Chris-Craft   Clark Equipment Company   Cleaver-Brooks Company   Cleveland Tractor Company   Continental Motors   Cushman Motor Works   Crocker-Wheeler   Dail Steel Products   Detroit Wax Paper Company   Detrola   Engineering & Research Corporation   Farrand Optical Company   Federal Telephone and Radio Corp.   Firestone Tire and Rubber Company   Fruehauf Trailer Company   Fuller Manufacturing   Galvin Manufacturing   Gemmer Manufacturing Company   General Railway Signal Company   Gibson Guitar   Gibson Refrigerator Company   Goodyear   Hall-Scott   Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company   Harley-Davidson   Harris-Seybold-Potter   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company   Higgins Industries    Highway Trailer   Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   John Deere   Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company   Kimberly-Clark   Kohler Company   Kold-Hold Company   Landers, Frary & Clark  Lima Locomotive Works   Lundberg Screw Products   MacKenzie Muffler Company   Massey-Harris   Matthews Company   McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company   Metal Mouldings Corporation   Miller Printing Machinery Company   Morse Instrument Company   Motor Products Corporation   Motor Wheel Corporation   National Cash Resgister Company   Novo Engine Company   O'Keefe & Merritt Company   Olofsson Tool and Die Company   Oneida Ltd   Otis Elevator   Owens Yacht   Pressed Steel Car Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   R.L. Drake Company   St. Clair Rubber Company   Samson United Corporation   Shakespeare Company   Sight Feed Generator Company   Simplex Manufacturing Company   Steel Products Engineering Company   St. Louis Car Company   Twin Disc Company   Victor Adding Machine Company   Vilter Manufacturing Company   Wells-Gardner   W.L. Maxson Corporation   W.W. Boes Company   Westfield Manufacturing Company   York-Hoover Body Company   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

M5/M5A1 Stuart Light Tank and M8 75mm Howitzer Gun Carriage World War Two Production Statistics

This page updated 10-17-2019.


This Cadillac built M5 came off the assembly line in September 1942.  It is serial number 644 with registration number 3044078.  Author's photo from the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL taken 12-2-2017.


M5s are on display around the world.  This M5A1 is at the Philippine Veterans Museum in Taguig City, The Philippines.  Photo courtesy of Tim Cislo added 5-26-2020.

 M5/M5A1 Production Information
Courtesy of Joe DeMarco


Production is listed by ascending serial numbers as distributed by Army Ordnance. 

Author's Note:  Some sources credit the M5 and M5A1 Stuart tanks built by the Southern California Division of General Motors at South Gate, CA to the Cadillac Division of GM.  This is incorrect, as the Southern California Division of GM was its own entity within the GM corporate family.  For more information on this, visit the Southern California Division in the General Motors section.  On that page the Southern California's War Division's "War Production History" shows that it was a contractor to Army Ordnance, and was not a part of or being managed by Cadillac Division.

Serial Numbers Manufacturer and Model Date M5 Monthly Production M5A1 Monthly Production USA Registration Numbers Purchase Order
1

 Cadillac M5

12-42 1   3046702  T-3013
             
2 - 4  Cadillac M5 4-1942 3   3043436 - 3043438 T-3159-1
5 - 20   5-1942 16   3043439 - 3043454  
21 - 80   6-1942 60   3043555 - 3043514  
81 - 203   7-1942 123   3043515 - 3043637  
204 - 443   8-1942 240   3043638 - 3043877  
444 - 825   9-1942 382   3043878 - 3044259  
826 - 1290   10-1942 465   3044260 - 3044724  
1291 - 1470   11-1942 180   3044725 - 3044904  
  Total Cadillac M5   1470      
             
1471 - 1706  Cadillac M5A1 11-1942   236 3044905 - 3045140 T-3159-1
1707 - 2000   12-1942   294 3045141 - 3045434  
2001   2-1943   1 3045435  
2002 - 2175   12-1942   174 3045436 - 3045609 T-3110
2176 - 2267   1-1943   92 3045610 - 3045701  
             
2268 - 2288 Southern California Division M5 8-1942 21   3045702 - 3045722  T-3159-2
2289 - 2339   9-1942 51   3045723 - 3045773  
2340 - 2417   10-1942 78   3045774 - 3045851  
2418 - 2522   11-1942 105   3045852 - 3045956  
2523 - 2621   12-1942 99   3045957 - 3046055  
   Total Southern California Division Total M5   354      
             
2622 - 2694 Southern California Division M5A1 12-1942   73 3046056 - 3046128  
2695 - 2819   1-1943   125 3046129 - 3046253  
2820 - 2969   2-1943   150 3046254 - 3046403  
2970 - 3119   3-1943   150 3046404 - 304655  
3120 - 3244   4-1943   125 3046534 - 3046678  
3245 - 3267   5-1943   23 3046679 - 3046701  
             
3268 - 3271 Massey-Harris M5 7-1942 4   3064984 - 3064987  T-3347
3272 - 3278   8-1942 7   3064988 - 3064994  
3279 - 3294   9-1942 16   3064995 - 3065010  
3295 - 3344   10-1942 50   3065011 - 3065060  
3345 - 3428   11-1942 84   3065061 - 3065144  
3429 - 3517   12-1942 89   3065145 - 3065233  
  Total Massey-Harris M5   250      
             
3518 - 3524 Massey-Harris M5A1 12-1942   7 3065234 - 3065240 T-3347
3525 - 3585   1-1943   61 3065241 - 3065301  
3586 - 3645   2-1943   60 3065302 - 3065361  
3646 - 3707   3-1943   62 3065362 - 3065423  
3708 - 3765   4-1943   58 3065424 - 3065481  
3766 - 3767   5-1943   2 3065482 - 3065483  
             
3768 - 3890 Cadillac M5A1 1-1943   123 3046880 - 3047002  T-3578
3891 - 4079   2-1943   189 3047003 - 3047191  
4080 - 4269   3-1943   190 3047192 - 3047381  
4270 - 4379   4-1943   110 3047382 - 3047491  
4380 - 4479   5-1943   100 3047492 - 3047591  
4480 - 4579   6-1943   100 3047592 - 3047691  
4580 - 4685   7-1943   106 3047692 - 3047797  
4686 - 4831   8-1943   146 3047798 - 3047943  
4832 - 4969   9-1943   138 3047944 - 3048081  
4970 - 5115   10-1943   146 3048082 - 3048227  
5116 - 5253   11-1943   138 3048228 - 3048365  
5254 - 5446   12-1943   193 3048366 - 3048558  
5447 - 5676   1-1944   230 3048559 - 3048788  
5677 - 5906   2-1944   230 3048789 - 3049018  
5907 - 6176   3-1944   270 3049019 - 3049288  
6177 - 6426   4-1944   250  3049289 - 3049538  T-7067 starts with SN 6324
6427 - 6500   5-1944   74 3049539 - 3049612  
  Total Cadillac M5A1     3,530    
             
8118 - 8194 Southern California Division Total M5A1 5-1943   77 3051229 - 3051305 T-3578-2
8195 - 8317   6-1943   123 3051306 - 3051428  
8318 - 8476   7-1943   159 3051429 - 3051587  
8477 - 8667   8-1943   191 3051588 - 3051778  
  Total Southern California Division Total M5A1     1,196    
             
9768 - 9825 Massey-Harris M5A1 5-1943   58 3059072 - 3059129 T-3886
9826 - 9885   6-1943   60 3059130 - 3059189  
9886 - 997   7-1943   86 3059190 - 3059275  
9972 - 10037   8-1943   66 3059276 - 3059341  
10038 - 10097   9-1943   60 3059342 - 3059401  
10098 - 10157   10-1943   60 3059402 - 3059461  
10158 - 10217   11-1943   60 3059462 - 3059521  
10218 - 10267   12-1943   50 3059522 - 3059571  
             
10268 - 10312 American Car and Foundry - Berwick 10-1943   45 3067486 - 3067530  T-4139
10313 - 10411   11-1943   99 3067531 - 3067629  
             
10412 - 10462   11-1943   51 3089217 - 3089267 T-4317
10463 - 10682   12-1943   220 3089268 - 3089487  
10683 - 10882   1-1944   200 3089488 - 3089687  
10883 - 11050   2-1944   168 3089688 - 3089855  
11051 - 11233   3-1944   183 3089856 - 3090038  
11234 - 11267   4-1944   34 3090039 - 3090072  
  Total American Car and Foundry M5A1     1000    
             
15501 - 15510 Massey Harris M5A1 12-1943   10 30102715 - 30102724 T-8089
15511 - 15570   1-1944   60 30102725 - 30102784  
15571 - 15630   2-1944   60 30102785 - 30102844  
15631 - 15690   3-1944   60 30102845 - 30102904  
15691 - 15750   4-1944   60 30102905 - 30102964  
15751 - 15810   5-1944   60 30102965 - 30103024  
15811 - 15834   6-1944   24 30103025 - 30103048  
  Total Massey Harris M5A1     1,084    
  Total M5 and M5A1   2,074 6,810    
           


This Cadillac-built M8 75mm Howitzer Gun Carriage is on display at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA.  There are only five left in the United States, and only three are at museums where they can be viewed.  Author's photo added 10-17-2019.
 

Cadillac Division of General Motors M8 75mm Motor Carriage Production Information

This section added 10-17-2019.

Date Monthly Production Serial numbers USA Registration Numbers
9-1942 1 1 4051234
10-1942 24 2-25           4051235-4051258           
11-1942 101 26-126 4051259-4051359
12-1942 247 127-373 4051360-4051606
1-1943 160 374-533 4051607-4051766
2-1943 160 534-693 4051767-4051927
3-1943 160 694-853 4051928-4052086
4-1943 160 854-1013 4052087-4052246
5-1943 160 1014-1173 4052247-4052406
6-1943 160 1174-1333 4052407-4052566
7-1943 62 1334-1395 4052567-4052628
8-1943 62 1396-1457 4052629-4052690
9-1943 62 1458-1519 4052691-4052752
10-1943 62 1520-1581 4052753-4052814
11-1943 62 1582-1643 4052815-4052876
12-1943 60 1644-1703 4052877-4052938
1-1944 75 1704-1778 4052939-4053011
Total 1,778    

 

 

 

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