Baker War Industries in World War Two

Baker War Industries, Inc. in World War Two
Baker County, OR
1942-1945

This page added 12-4-2022.

Baker War Industries was actually a group of 26 small individual companies in Baker County, Oregon. It was one of ten pools of 150 small factories in the state that formed local war industries in order to attract war contracts and help win World War Two. Baker County is typical of these small war industries. As of the 2020 census, the county has a population of 16,668 and its major industry is tourism. Its largest town is Baker City with a current population of 10,099 located in the high desert of eastern Oregon. In 1942, the county most likely had no industrial concerns of any size. Most likely, Baker War Industries was a consortium of 26 companies consisting of small machine shops and woodworking facilities. Banding together, the 26 small entities were able to obtain a respectable eight major contracts during the war worth $3,891,000. Three of the contracts were for truck bodies or wooden cargo bodies worth $2,495,000 or 64% of its total business. It also had a contract for trailers worth $1,072,000 or 28% of its business.

Table 1 - Baker War Industries 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.
Product - Customer	Contract Number	Contract Amount	Contract Awarded Date	Completion Date
Bodies Truck - Army	883-ORD-2725	$336,000	7-1942	1-1943
Wood Cargo Bodies- Army	883-ORD-2854	$1,101,000	1-1943	12-1943
Standard Parts Bins - Army	883-ORD-3043	$65,000	6-1943	8-1943
Wood Cargo Bodies- Army	420-ORD-30	$1,058,000	9-1943	12-1944
Pallets - Army	420157-PO-5040	$86,000	1-1944	3-1944
Trailers - Army	4200-ORD-539	$1,072,000	8-1944	6-1946
Carpenter Chests - Army	35026-ENG-143	$73,000	9-1944	2-1945
Trailer Repairs - Army	4200-ORD-611	$100,000	9-1944	9-1945
	Total	$3,891,000

Table 2 - Baker War Industries 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	1945	Total
Trailer, 1-Ton, 2W, Cargo	2,271	2,271

Truck Cargo Bodies: Two of the three contracts for cargo bodies note that they were of wood manufacture. Originally, all of the truck bodies produced for the U.S. Army were furnished with steel cargo bodies. However, once war production began in earnest in 1942, there was a shortage of steel. Therefore, it was decided to manufacture many of the truck bodies of wood to save on steel usage.

There were only three truck manufacturers of note on the west coast, and none of them produced the types of trucks that would require wooden bodies. All of the truck manufacturers that would require them were in the Midwest. Most likely, Baker War Industries built up the wooden truck bodies and then disassembled them for shipment by rail to the truck companies in the Central United States.

This is an HAR-1 4-ton 4x4 World War Two era truck built by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company of Clintonville, WI. The truck is part of the collection of the Wheels of Freedom in Gettysburg, PA. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lakaszcyck.

The HAR-1 was originally painted in U.S. Army olive-drab paint. The Wheels of Liberation decided to repaint the vehicle with that color paint and removed the cab, engine hood, and cowlings to have the vehicle bead blasted. I visited the Wheels of Liberation not long after the HAR-1 returned from the bead blaster. Author's photo.

This allowed me to photograph many parts of the vehicle that are not seen when it is a complete truck. Without the paint, the wood of the body on the HAR-1 can readily be seen. Author's photo.

The wooden body is a combination of wood and steel bracing and reinforcements. Baker War Industries made wooden cargo bodies similar to the one shown here. It is unknown which truck model or models the company supplied the bodies to. Interestingly enough, the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company in Clintonville, WI is the closest truck company to Baker War Industries in Oregon. Author's photo.

One-Ton, 2 Wheel Cargo Trailers: Baker War Industries built 2,271 trailers under U.S. Army Ordnance contract 4200-ORD-539 for $1,072,000. The average cost of each trailer was $4,720. Table 1 shows that the contract for the trailers was supposed to end in June 1946 and more trailers were contracted to be built than the 2,271 accepted in 1945. However, with the end of the war in August 1945, all contracts were cancelled. Therefore, the $4,720 cost per trailer may be too high.

This Baker War Industries-built trailer is also part of the collection at the Wheels of Liberation. Author's photo.

This trailer is serial number 2259, making it one of the last one's built. Only twelve more were built after this one. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

The Wheels of Liberation was moving into a new facility when I visited them. Therefore, everything was still not in its final display location. Author's photo.

The Wheels of Liberation has many rare World War Two vehicles in its collection. This trailer may be one of the rarest, since the museum has one of only 2,271 trailers built by a particular company. Because of the Wheels of Liberation preserving his unique artifact, I was able to research and present information on the little known group of companies in Baker County, OR that came together to help win World War Two.