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  
   

Indian Motorcycle Company in World War Two
Springfield, MA
1901-1953
In 2011 Polaris purchased the Indian name and now produces Indian Motorcycles.

This page updated 8-21-2022.


The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Birmingham, AL has a large collection of pre-World War Two era vintage motorcycles on display.  This may be the only museum that has such a display showing these historical motorcycles.  Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


The Indian Motorcycle Company won the Army-Navy "E' Award three times during World War Two. 
The first award was won in September 1943.

Indian Motorcycle World War Two Production Statistics:  The table below shows that Indian built a minimum of 38,827 motorcycles during World War Two.  While the table below shows no motorcycle production for 1945, one source indicates the plant was working 60 hours a week and had 400,000 square feet of manufacturing  floor space when the war ended.  Indian Motorcycle most likely had non-motorcycle related contracts for the plant to be working that many hours.  The unused manufacturing capacity would not have been wasted.  The numbers in the table below are in rough agreement with motorcycle output with other sources as noted below.  Many of the Indian motorcycles went to the countries of the United Kingdom, especially the Model 741 that was designed specifically for the British Purchasing Commission. 

Table 4 shows that between 1940 and 1945, Indian delivered $24,309,000 worth of motorcycles, spare parts, tools, and engineering assemblies for the war effort.  The U.S. Army was the largest purchaser of Indian products.  However, there were also four orders from foreign countries and one from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Table 1 - Indian World War Two Motorcycles Accepted by Detroit Ordnance, US Army
The information below comes from "Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Material, 1940-1945"
Published by Army Services Forces, Office, Chief of Ordnance-Detroit, Production Division, Requirements and Progress Branch
January 21, 1946.
Type Indian Model 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Total
45 Cu. In. Chain Drive 45-640B 507 2,022 2 0 0 0 2,531
45 Cu. In. Shaft Drive 841 0 0 667 333 0 0 1,000
30 Cu. In. Chain Drive 741 0 892 19,372 11,731 0 0 31,995
Motorcycle, Chain Drive, w/Sidecar   340-B 1,560 105 0 0 0 0 1,665
Motorcycle, Chain Drive, w/Sidecar 344         1,620   1,620
Motor Tricycles WTC-18 0 16 0 0 0 0 16
Total   2,067 3,035 20,041 12,064 1,620 0 38,827

Author's Note and Disclaimer:  The Detroit Office of Ordnance of the U.S. Army was the primary purchasing entity for vehicles for the U.S. Army during World War Two.  It also purchased vehicles for the USMC, US Navy, and for Lend-Lease.  However, there were other organizations that also purchased vehicles, including the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Air Force, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Navy Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, and foreign countries making direct purchases. 

Table 2 - Disposition of Indian Model 741 Motorcycles in World War Two
Country Quantity
USSR 5,100
Great Britain 7,600
Australia 4,158
New Zealand 3,616
South Africa 72
India 1,000
Free Polish Forces supported by Great Britain 683
Iran 25
Total 22,254

It is unknown how many, if any, Indian-built motorcycles were used by the U.S. military.  However, in the case of the Model 741, 31,995 were accepted by Army Ordnance, but only 22,254 can be accounted for as going to foreign governments.  It could be that the U.S. military used the difference of 9,741. 

The 5,100 741s were sent to the U.S.S.R. through Lend-Lease.  Great Britain received 7,600 units either through Lend-Lease or direct purchase.  The historical record is unclear on this.  It is also unclear whether the Indian 741s that the Commonwealth countries received were obtained through Lend-Lease or direct purchase.  In both cases, most likely they were Lend-Lease.

In 1940 Canada took possession of 150 Chiefs with sidecars that were originally destined for France before it fell.  In 1940 Great Britain received 2,800 740Bs that were originally ordered by France.

Canada also placed an order for an unknown number of Scouts and Chiefs. 

In 1941-42 Great Britain took possession of 236 340Bs with sidecars.  Most likely these were Lend-Lease from the 1,665 accepted by Army Ordnance in 1940-1941.

In 1944 Great Britain received 360 344Bs.  These were probably Lend-Lease from the 1,620 built by Indian in 1944.

Table 3 - Indian Serial Numbers for World War Two Motorcycles
Model Frame Serial Numbers Engine Serial Numbers USA Registration numbers
340-B 340-101 and up  CDO-101 and up 61734-61743, 61749-61975, 61999, 62002-62995, 63726-63729, 73938-64247, 64278-64287,69051-69055
344 344-101 and up CDD-101 and up These were ordered for Lend-Lease with Registration numbers:  699680-69999, 610000-6101299
640-B  640-101 and up FDO-101 and up 640940-65430, 66648-69047, 69056-69277, 642363
741 741-101 and up  Unknown  Unknown
 841 841-101 and up HDA101 and up Partial  615903-616092

 

Table 4 - Indian Motorcycle Company's Major World War Two Contracts
The information below comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945."  This was published by the Civilian Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division.  This does not include contracts less than $50,000.

Product - Customer Contract Amount Contract Awarded Date Completion Date
Motorcycles - Foreign $138,000 6-1940 9-1940
Motorcycles Sidecars - Foreign $296,000 7-1940 11-1940
Motorcycles - Army $183,000 9-1940 12-1940
Motorcycles Sidecars - Foreign $258,000 11-1940 2-1941
Motorcycles - Army $657,000 12-1940 8-1941
Motorcycles Sidecars - Foreign $92,000 2-1941 5-1941
Motorcycles - Army $86,000 3-1941 5-1941
Motorcycles - Army $854,000 3-1941 5-1942
Motorcycles - Army $2,062,000 6-1941 4-1942
Motorcycles - Army $69,000 8-1941 11-1941
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $536,000 11-1941 4-1942
Motorcycles - Army $5,228,000 1-1942 12-1942
Motorcycles - Army $5,329,000 1-1942 12-1942
Motorcycles - Army $1,476,000 1-1942 7-1942
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $297,000 8-1942 11-1942
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $327,000 12-1942 1-1943
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $83,000 12-1942 8-1943
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $287,000 12-1942 10-1943
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $126,000 12-1942 2-1943
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $1,242,000 12-1942 10-1943
Tools - Army $106,000 2-1943 5-1944
Motorcycles - Army $1,995,000 5-1943 8-1944
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $232,000 8-1943 4-1944
Motorcycles - Army $1,246,000 8-1943 2-1944
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $291,000 2-1944 2-1945
Motorcycles Eng Assys - Army $296,000 3-1944 9-1944
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $81,000 6-1944 12-1944
Motorcycles  Parts - Army $109,000 3-1945 12-1945
Termination Charges - Army $200,000 4-1945 9-1945
Motorcycles -Treasury $127,000 6-1945 11-1945
Total $24,309,000    

 

Model 640:  The photos below were taken at the 2018 WWII Weekend at Reading, PA


Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Author's photo.

Model 741:  The photos below were taken at the Museum of Military History in Kissimmee, FL
The Model 741 was designed at the request of the British Purchasing Commission to provide a motorcycle that was more fuel efficient than the existing Indian and Harley-Davidson 45 Cu. In. models.  The 741 was used in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

The Model 741 below is described at the museum as being built in 1941, making it one of 892 built that year.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.


Author's photo added 8-4-2018.

Model 841:  The photos below were taken at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Birmingham, AL


Table 1 shows that there were 1,000 of these accepted by Army Ordnance.  Many were sold as surplus after the war for $500 each.  Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


The Model 841 used a drive shaft rather than a chain to drive the rear wheel.  This was Indian's attempt to produce a motorcycle similar to the German motorcycles of World War Two.  Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.

Model 741:  The photos below were taken at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Birmingham, AL


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.


Author's photo added 8-21-2022.

Model 741:  The photos below were taken at the 2018 WWII Weekend at Reading, PA


Author's photo.


Author's photo.


This is serial number 32212, which is a higher number than the number of 741s accepted by Detroit Army Ordnance.  The highest serial number should be 32096(31995+101).  This indicates that there were purchases by other organizations or some serial numbers were skipped.  The date of 7-14-1943 is in the ball park for when this should have been built, based on the serial numbers.  Author's photo.


This 741 does not have a serial number on the data plate.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Author's photo.

Model 741:  The photos below were taken at the 2019 TBM Reunion at Peru, IL.


According to the piece of paper on the handlebars, this is a 1941 Indian 741.  Author's photo added 5-21-2019.


Author's photo added 5-21-2019.


Author's photo added 5-21-2019.

 

 

 

Email us at:  Webmaster