Liberty Truck

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Liberty truck
Liberty Standard B truck (ca.1918)
Liberty Standard B truck (ca.1918)
Liberty Truck
Manufacturer: various
Production period: 1917-1919
Previous model: none
Successor: none
Technical specifications
Designs: Pickup truck
Engines: Four-cylinder engine
Payload: 0.75-5 t

Liberty truck is the name of a truck of the US armed forces in the First World War . It was also given to the allies in large numbers. Liberty truck is not a brand of car , but a model produced by several manufacturers.

Contemporary history background

During the First World War (and to a considerable extent also during the Second World War), horses were the main means of transport for the troops. In 1914 the US Army had only 35 trucks. However, the Army's first experiences with trucks as transport vehicles for military goods and as towing vehicles for the artillery in 1916 as part of the Mexican punitive expedition made clear the advantages over horses and mules, especially in terms of mobility, speed and endurance.

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on the German Reich . In addition to around 2 million soldiers, they brought a variety of motor vehicles, including 51,554 trucks including 9452 Liberty trucks, to Europe.

History of the vehicle

Immediately after the United States entered the war, a committee was created under the direction of the Quartermaster Corps of the US Army, which included the Society of Automotive Engineers and the automotive industry in addition to the military . The aim was to create a simply constructed, particularly robust commercial vehicle with easily interchangeable components. Since the variety of models leads to considerable disadvantages in every military operation, especially with regard to the stocking of spare parts, maintenance and repair, it was decided to produce a manufacturer-independent vehicle by standardizing all components. Accordingly, a large number of companies were involved in the preparation, sending volunteers for the development.

In addition to commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Diamond T , Selden , Pierce-Arrow , Sterling , Velie , Packard , Garford Company , Brockway Motor , Gramm-Bernstein , Republic and Bethlehem, there were a total of 62 automotive suppliers such as Waukesha Engines (motors), Westinghouse Electric (electrical components), Continental Motors Company (motors), Kelly-Springfield Tire Company (solid tires), Splitdorf Electrical Co. ( magneto ), Timken Company (axles) and Muncie Gear Works (gearboxes). Thanks to the special commitment of the volunteers, not least spurred on by the patriotism that is so strong in the USA , it was possible to start series production just a few months after the start of planning. The first Liberty truck left the production hall on October 9, 1917.

The vehicles were brought across the Atlantic to Saint-Nazaire , the USA's most important supply port in France. They were used by the American Expeditionary Forces and allies to deliver the enormous needs of ammunition, fuel, equipment and food to the front lines . Special water tank trains were also set up, with a Liberty truck being equipped with three water tanks for 250  gallons each. In addition, there were versions with communications equipment for the United States Army Signal Corps , mobile workshops, tow trucks and headlamp vehicles ; They were also used by officers as a means of transport ( men usually marched on foot). On the way back from the front, the vehicles transported seriously wounded soldiers; After the armistice in 1918 , they were also used to transfer the war dead, initially brought to temporary graves, to permanent military cemeteries.

Vehicle technology

The United States Department of War had specified a number of technical specifications when the contract was awarded: For example, high ground clearance and a limited-slip differential were required to increase the off-road capability . Since the vehicles predominantly as supply vehicles in slower file driving should be used, one was four-speed transmission with very low-translated creeper required as well as a large-sized cooler to prevent overheating of the engine. A large fuel tank was provided to increase the range .

Except for the first vehicles all had a Continental engine , with engine parts from a number of suppliers being used; for example, the cylinder heads were supplied by Waukesha Engines . It was also mandatory to mount the engine at three points. The engines with 27  bhp (around 27  PS ; 20  kW ) on the Liberty Model A truck and 52  bhp (around 53 PS; 39 kW) on the Liberty Model B truck drove the rear axle. The latter allowed a top speed of 15  mph , which was the standard for trucks at the time. The solid rubber tires at that time were still considered state of the art in commercial vehicles; some models were also equipped with wooden wheels that were fitted with a metal ring. The overall dimensions of the vehicle were specified as 6.52 × 2.1 × 1.87 m: the wheelbase was 4 m. The simply constructed vehicles did not have doors.

The US Army as the client paid a fixed price of 600 US dollars per vehicle. In order to avoid delays and other problems with possible license fees to holders of patents , an already existing truck design was used. A design by the Gramm-Bernstein Motor Truck Company in Lima (Ohio) was used . The Liberty truck , which was named USA on the radiator regardless of the manufacturer , is considered to be one of the first robust automobiles that could economically transport supplies under the special conditions of war.

Use after the war

After the end of the World War, most of the American military equipment was brought back to the USA. However, the repatriation of thousands of trucks and the marketing of vehicles that are also suitable for civil use would have made sales of new vehicles in the USA much more difficult in the medium term. Therefore, the US government, also at the insistence of representatives of the automotive industry, decided not to repatriate Liberty trucks . In communication, the main reasons for this decision were cost reasons.

Many of the vehicles left behind in France and Belgium were converted to civilian vans in Europe. The sale led to difficulties for French commercial vehicle manufacturers and contributed to the temporary bankruptcy of the large manufacturer Berliet . On the other hand, it enabled the establishment and rise of new companies that bought the vehicles cheaply and specialized in the conversion and marketing of Liberty trucks . These included the French company Etablissement Willème (from which one of the large commercial vehicle manufacturers in France developed) and the Belgian Compagnie belge des autos-camions Liberty (from which the Société Franco-belge des autos Liberty later emerged).

Models

  • Liberty Standard AA 3/4 tons; 4 × 2 ("Model AA")
  • Liberty Standard A 2 tons; 4 × 2 ("Model A")
  • Liberty Standard B 3 tons; 4 × 2, rear double tires ("Model B")
  • Liberty Standard C 5 tons; 6 × 2, rear axles double tires ("Model C")

Received vehicles

Liberty B truck in the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Thanks to the robust and - as was customary at the beginning of the 20th century - designed for an unlimited service life , some Liberty trucks are still in roadworthy condition today - after almost 100 years. In addition, well-preserved vehicles can be viewed in several museums, including the

See also

Web links

Commons : Liberty truck  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horses in action . ( Memento from February 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Internet site of the Federal Archives . Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ Bart H. Vanderveen: Observer's Fighting Vehicles Directory to 1940. Frederick Warne and Company, London 1974, ISBN 0-7232-1540-5 , pp. 295 ff.
  3. ^ A b Producing the Liberty Truck . ( Memento of March 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Internet site of the US Army Transportation Museum; Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  4. ^ Formal US declaration of war against Germany . ( Wikisource , English)
  5. ↑ Liberty trucks ( Memento from March 4, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) Selden truck sales. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  6. ^ First Liberty truck for Army finished. (PDF; 63.25 kB) The New York Times © October 9, 1917. Accessed February 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ WWI Liberty Truck & WWI Veteran Reunited . ( Memento of December 22, 2017 on the Internet Archive ) G503.com, January 16, 2006; accessed on March 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ coachbuilt.com: Sterling
  9. ^ Jean-Louis Loubet: L'industrie automobile 1905–1971. Archives économiques du Crédit Lyonnais . Librairie Droz , Geneva 1999, ISBN 2-600-00317-7 , p. 239.
  10. ↑ WWI Liberty Truck. Short film. Uploaded to YouTube on August 21, 2010.
  11. ↑ Liberty Truck WW1. Short film. Uploaded to YouTube on August 11, 2012.
  12. ^ US Army Transportation Museum ( Memento from June 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the museum. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  13. ^ National Infantry Museum. Museum website. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ^ Iowa National Guard . ( Memento of February 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the museum. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Allen County Museum ( memento March 28, 2010 on the Internet Archive ) Museum website. Retrieved February 22, 2014
  16. ↑ Standard B Liberty Truck Panorama view of the vehicle on the museum website. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  17. ^ Virginia Military Preservation Association. Website of the Virginia Military Preservation Association , there under Restoration projects . Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  18. ^ Hays Antique Truck Museum . ( Memento of July 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the museum; Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  19. ↑ Description of the Liberty Model B in the Hays Antique Truck Museum . trombinoscar.com; Retrieved July 16, 2014.