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   General Electric Kokomo Plant   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   International Machine Tool Company   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox   Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company-Kokomo Plant   Reliance Manufacturing Company-Washington Plant   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    Frankfort Sailplane Company   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   Burke Electric Company   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   Gerstenslager 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 Traile    Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company   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   Pressed Steel Tank Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   Richardson Boat Company   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   York-Shipley, Inc.   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

Mack Truck in World War Two
Allentown, PA
1900-Present

This page updated 12-24-2021.


Size does matter!  The Mack NM-8D 6-ton 6x6 compared to Ward-LaFrance 10-ton wrecker and two GMC CCKW 2-1/2-ton trucks. The Mack NM-8D was built on June 12,1945 and is Serial Number 7594.  It is owned by the Mack Truck Museum in nearby Allentown, PA.  Author's photo added 7-11-2019.


This was photographed at the 2019 World War Two Weekend at Reading, PA.  This was the truck's first appearance at World War Two Weekend.  This may be the only World War Two era Mack truck in the United States.  From the data shown in production tables below, most of the trucks that Mack built during the war were sent to the United Kingdom.  The major exception to this was the NO Series 7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Movers that were used by the U.S. Army to pull 155mm "Long Tom" artillery pieces.  Author's photo added 7-11-2019. 


Author's photo added 7-11-2019.


Author's photo added 7-11-2019.

Mack World War Two Production Statistics:  32,069 military trucks from Tables 1 and 2, 8,131 commercial vehicles to include buses, trucks, fire truck and trailers, and 2,600 M3 tank power trains.

Table 1 - Mack Truck World War Two Trucks 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.  Supplementary and additional information in reference to Mack Model numbers obtained from "A Record of Military Macks in the Services and Beyond" by Bart Vanderveen, published 1998.
Type Mack Model 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Total
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Cargo EF 12           12
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Dump EE(S) 101           101
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Stake and Platform EG 3           3
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Tank, Fuel, 1000 Gallons EG 4           4
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Tank, Sprinkler EG   3         3
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Tank, Water, 1000 Gallons EG   5         5
2-1/2-ton 4x2 Van, COE ? 2           2
5-ton, 4x2 Cargo (Lend-Lease to Britain) EH     510       510
5-ton, 4x2 Cargo, COE (Lend-Lease to Britain) EHU     70       70
5-ton, 4x2 Tractor (Lend-Lease to Britain) EHT     140       140
5-ton, 4x2 Tractor, COE (Lend-Lease to Britain) EHUT     180       180
4-ton 4x2, Chassis ? 1           1
5-ton 4x2 Dump ? 40           40
5-ton 4x2 Tractor, 132 inch WB ?     53       53
5-ton 4x2 Tractor, 141 inch WB ?   50         50
5-6-ton 4x4 Tractor, COE NJU-1,2   694 6       700
5-6-ton 4x2 Cargo EH       2,350 100   2,450
5-6-ton 4x2 Chassis, 230 inch WB, for 37 passenger bus ?         (100)   (100)
5-6-ton 4x2 Tractor ?       50     50
6-ton 6x4 Wrecker LMSW-23, 39   193 181       374
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-1 87           87
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-2 107           107
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-3   104         104
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NN-2     2       2
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-5     484 576     1,060
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-6       2,668 572   3,240
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-7         1,174 770 1,944
6-ton 6x6 Cargo NM-8           649 649
7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Mover w/w NO-2       403     403
7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Mover w/w NO-3       97     97
7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Mover w/w NO-6       513 584   1,097
7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Mover w/w NO-7         188 362 550
10-ton 6x4 Transporter NR-1 to NR-15   199 1,351 3,692 6,555 3,731 15,528
10-ton 4x2, Hoist Dump (Lend-Lease to Britain) FG     25       25
Total   357 1,248 3,002 10,349 9,073 5,512 29,541

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 WWII.  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.  See table 2 for further information.

Table 2 - Other Mack Trucks not comprehended in Table 1.
Obtained from from "A Record of Military Macks in the Services and Beyond" by Bart Vanderveen, published 1998.  Note that there is a differential of 300 units between what US Army Ordnance gives and what "A Record of Military Macks in the Services and Beyond" gives.

Type Mack Model Number Number Built Year Comments
5-ton 4x2 Cargo EHT 50 1943 To Royal Australian Navy.
5-ton 4x2 Fire Truck 75 37 1942 To U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Chassid only for Class 750 fire truck.
4x2 Fire Truck Various 97 1940-1944 These were most likely for the U.S. Army Air Corps.
4x2 Fire Truck Various 757 1940-1944 These were for other U.S. government agencies including the U.S. Navy.
10-ton 4x2 Dump Truck FT 25 1943 Lend-Lease to Britain. 
12-ton 4x2 Tractor LFT 5 1942 U.S. Army
12-ton 4x2 Tractor LFT Unknown 1942 The U.S. Navy utilized the LFT tractors for pulling helium trailers for use in its airships.
4x2 COE Tank, Fuel LJU 6 1942 The U.S. Navy purchased this type truck.  There were at least six built for the Navy. 
6x4 COE Tractor CJ 1 1940 The U.S. Navy purchased at least one CJ which was used at the Portsmouth, NH Navy yard to moved 40-ton sections of submarines to the final assembly point.
2-1/2-ton COE four-door truck NB-1 368 1940 This was for use as either a search light or general cargo truck.
6-ton 4x4 Wrecker LMSW-53 139 1942 For Canada.  Chrysler in Windsor, ONT installed Garwood equipment.
6-ton 4x4 Wrecker LMSW-57 160 1943-44 Open cab model for Canada.
18-ton 6x4 Tank Transporter EXBX 210 1940 4,800 tanker trucks converted to tank transporters.  Ordered by France but shipped to Britain.
18-ton 6x4 Tank Transporter EXBX-2 60    
Brockway Class 150 Fire Truck   100 1944  
7-1/2-ton 6x6 Prime Mover NO-3 513 1943  
Total   2,528    

 

Table 3 - Expanded NR Series Production Numbers. 
Obtained from from "A Record of Military Macks in the Services and Beyond" by Bart Vanderveen, published 1998.  Note that there is a differential of 300 units between what US Army Ordnance gives and what "A Record of Military Macks in the Services and Beyond" gives.
NR Model Number Number Built Year Comments
NR-1 Unknown 1940 Directly ordered by British Purchasing Commission. Knocked down
NR-2 330 1941 Directly ordered by British Purchasing
NR-3 61 1941 Lend-Lease Purchase
NR-4 200 1941 Lend-Lease Purchase, this was to carry a M3 Stuart tank
NR-5 189 1941-1942 Lend-Lease Purchase
NR-6 500 1942 Lend-Lease Purchase
NR-7 500 450 in 1942, 50 in1943  
NR-8 700    
NR-9 900    
NR-10 1,257    
NR-11 239    
NR-12 1,320    
NR-13 1,280    
NR-14 7,080    
NR-15 847 1945  
NR-16 455 1945  
Total 15,828   Army Ordnance contracts end
NR-17 None    
NR-18 150 1945 Ordered by US Treasury for reconstruction in Belgium
NR-19 150 1945 Ordered by US Treasury for reconstruction in The Netherlands
NR-20 300 1945 Ordered by US Treasury for reconstruction in France
Total 600    
Grand Total 16,428    

 

Table 4 - Mack Truck World War Two Trailers 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 Mack Model 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Total
Semi-Trailer, 8-ton 2-wheel for 5-ton EHT and EHUT Tractors ST20     320       320

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 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. 

700 5-ton NJU series 4x4 trucks.  Eight NJU-2 were used for towing topographical mapping trailers.  The remaining NJU-1s were used for towing pontoon trailers.  The NM 6x6 series was a 6-ton truck, of which 87 were NM-1, 107 were NM-2, 104 were NM-3, 1,060 were NM-5, 3,240 were NM-6, and 3,888 were NM-7.  There was an unknown amount of NM-8s built.  2,053 NO 6x6 7-1/2-ton trucks were produced among the N series.

Mack had a plant in New Brunswick, NJ which was purchased from the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company in 1919.  During World War One, the plant had produced 5,816 Hispano-Suizas aircraft engines under license and 51 aircraft.  After the WWI, Mack bought the plant and the equipment in it.  This plant produced transmissions and drive train components.  Mack also had a plant in Plainfield, NJ that produced its truck engines.

Mack Truck ranked 63rd in dollar value of World War Two production contracts.


Mack Truck in Allentown was awarded the Army-Navy "E" Award four times.  The first award was presented on November 21, 1942 as shown below.
The Mack plant in New Brunswick, NJ was awarded the Army-Navy "E" Award three times.
The Mack plant in Plainfield, NJ was awarded the Army-Navy "E" Award three times.


Photo added 6-13-2016 courtesy of Rudy Lev.


This is considered to be the oldest Mack vehicle still in existence.  While the lettering indicates it was built in 1900, the registration on the firewall shows it as a 1901.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


This 1925 Model AC "Bulldog" truck is similar to what the company provided to the British and US Armies during World War One.  British troops nick named them "Bulldogs" because of their toughness.  Note that the radiator is located just forward of the firewall and the cooling fan was driven by the flywheel.  Originally the Model AC was introduced in 1916 with hard rubber tires.  Author's photo from the National Automotive and Truck Museum in Auburn, IN.


This photo from the Mack Truck Historical Museum shows a World War One Model AC.  The radiator was not placed in the front grill to keep it from being damaged by stones on the road or irate teamsters who still used horses and threw rocks at the trucks.


This Mack NO 7-1/2-ton truck is pulling a 155mm gun through Brest, France in August of 1944, the task for which it was designed.  Photo courtesy of the Mack Truck Historical Museum.


This photo has another Mack NO pulling a 155mm gun through a bombed out town in Europe.  Photo courtesy of the R.E. Old Transportation Museum added 12-224-2021. 

More photos of Mack NM-8D 7594:  Below are photos of the 1945 Mack NM8D 7594 featured in the first four photos at the top of this page.  It was delivered to the US Army on June 12, 1945.  This series of photos shows it in 2016 when it was undergoing complete restoration at the Mack Truck Museum in Allentown, PA.  This 6-ton 6x6 prime mover had been used as a target at Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania.  Photos courtesy of Rudy Lev and added 6-14-2016.


Due to the low production volume, very few are in museums or owned by private collectors.  This pristine example of a Mack NO is in the Overloon Military Museum in the Netherlands.  Photo courtesy of Zandcee.


This early World War Two photo shows the Mack Model NR 6-ton truck.  Photo courtesy of the Mack Truck Historical Museum.


This Mack NO-3 is owned by WW2 Armor in Florida.  Photo courtesy of WW2 Armor added 7-7-2020.
The 2,600 tank transmissions went into the M3 Lee/Grant tank.  The historical record is unclear whether Mack built the transmission, or final drive, or both. 


The Mack-built transmissions were at the front of the M3 tank.  Author's photo added 2-16-2016.


Looking inside a cut-away tank at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, ONT, one can view the M4A2 Sherman transmission inside the tank.  This was located to the right of the driver's position in the background.  The M3 and M4 series medium tanks used the same transmission and final drive.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


The next two photos show the internal gears and brakes that Mack manufactured before assembling them into the final drive unit.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.

Post-World War Two Mack Military Trucks:


This 1956 Mack-built M54A2 was on display at the 2019 MVPA Convention in Allentown, PA.  There was an interesting story to the vehicle.  The owner entered it as an AM General because that was the company that did the overhaul on the vehicle.  When the judges checked the serial number on the frame, it was found to be a Mack.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


The Mack E-9 military "Hypercharge" V-8 diesel engine was produced from 1985 to 1998.  The 998 cu. in. engine was equipped with four turbo chargers for two stage turbo charging and also had two air-water heat exchangers.  This engine was on display at the Mack Museum.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


The four turbo chargers can be seen in this photo.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


This is one of the first five Mack M917 Heavy Duty Dump trucks that was delivered to the U.S. Army on June 10, 2019.  I took this photo in front of the Mack Customer Center on June 7, 2019 after visiting the Mack Museum at this location.  Three days later this vehicle, and four others were delivered to U.S. Army officers in a ceremony inside the building.  The M197A3 is based on Mack's civilian "Granite" heavy duty dump truck.  Author's photo added 7-7-2020.


Author's photo added 7-7-2020.

"Geared for Victory"
Added 7-27-2020.

This undated Mack booklet details the company's contribution to the war effort.  It appears to be an early war document, from the photos and the type trucks shown on the pages below.  The page featuring trucks used to build the third lock of the Panama Canal indicates this is a late 1941 or early 1942 release.  The third lock project was cancelled in 1942. 


Work began on this project in 1941 but was cancelled in 1942.  The main reason for the third lock was to allow for the new class of super battleship that was being planned to pass through the canal.  After it became obvious in the early stages of World War Two that the new battleship was not needed, the project was cancelled.


The historical record does not indicate that any landing craft used by the U.S. Navy were powered by either Mack diesel or gasoline powered engines.  Mack may have provided marine diesels for test purposes, but they were not used on production landing craft.

 

 

 

 

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