The Automaker Behind One of World War II’s Most Important Battlefield Vehicles

When the United States entered World War II, American industry became one of the country’s greatest military advantages. Automakers, appliance companies, steel producers, aircraft manufacturers, and other businesses shifted from civilian production to wartime manufacturing, turning out everything from tanks and aircraft to weapons, engines, trucks, and other equipment needed on the front lines.

One of the most famous examples was a battlefield vehicle that became essential to Allied troops. Built with help from an automaker better known for civilian cars, it proved rugged, versatile, and reliable enough to handle rough roads, mud, combat zones, and constant military use. Its design helped soldiers move faster, carry supplies, tow equipment, and operate in places where ordinary vehicles could not.

History Computer looked back at the automaker connected to this World War II battlefield legend and how American manufacturing helped turn it into a military icon. The story shows how engineering, mass production, and wartime urgency came together to create a vehicle that outlasted the war and became part of automotive history.

• Weapon type: Light machine gun
• Caliber: .30-06

The Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, was the standard light machine gun of the U.S. military throughout WWII. Typically chambered for .30-06 ammunition and weighing between 13 and 24 pounds, BARs were powerful and capable of firing 650 rounds per minute, depending on the model. One surprising fact is that official policy in the European theater dictated at least one BAR per rifle squad.

• Weapon type: Machine gun
• Caliber: .50

The M2 Browning was one of the U.S. military's most versatile and widely used weapons during WWII. A heavy .50 caliber machine gun capable of firing 500 rounds a minute, the M2 was used as an anti-aircraft gun, a close-range naval gun, and a turret on bombers. It was also fixed to combat vehicles and fighter planes.

• Weapon type: Pistol
• Caliber: .45 ACP

One of the most iconic and popular handguns ever made is the 1911. Though the original M1911 is associated with Colt, many other manufacturers, including Ithaca, Remington, Savage, and the Springfield Armory, bought the development rights to assist with production. In the years leading up to and during WWII, more than 19 million M1911 are estimated to have been produced and were still used until 1986 by the military.

• Weapon type: Revolver
• Caliber: .38 Special

When the United States entered the Second World War, all service branches faced a handgun shortage – but with most M1911s going to the Army, the Navy was especially disadvantaged. As a result, the Navy contracted Smith & Wesson to produce a version of its 1917 revolver.

The new M1917s were chambered for .38 Special ammunition, had a 4-inch barrel, a non-reflective blue finish, and – known as the "Victory model" – a serial number that began with the letter "V." S&W produced some 900,000 of these revolvers for the U.S. government, many of which were carried by Naval and Marine aviators.

• Weapon type: Revolver
• Caliber: .38

The Colt Commando was a slightly modified version of the company's Police Official revolver (shown here) – several thousand of which were ordered by the U.S. government just days after the Pearl Harbor attack. Cheaper and faster to manufacture than the Police Official, the Commando was designed to cut costs.

The U.S. government purchased about 49,000 Colt Commandos during the war. About 16,000 went to the U.S. Army, 1,800 went to the U.S. Navy, and the remainder went to intelligence organizations, guards, and some non-military personnel.

• Weapon type: Rifle
• Caliber: .30-06

The M1 Garand was the standard U.S. Army infantry rifle during the Second World War, during which an estimated 5.4 million were manufactured. Gen. George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army, described it as “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” The M1 Garand gave the U.S. military a significant advantage over the Axis powers and may have helped it win the war.

While the German and Japanese military still used bolt-action rifles, the M1 Garand was semi-automatic with an eight-round capacity. Chambered for .30-06 ammunition, the rifle also packed a punch. Carried by every branch of the military, it could be accessorized with a bayonet or grenade launcher.

• Weapon type: Rifle
• Caliber: .30 carbine

During World War II, the M1 Carbine was used by American soldiers for whom a full-size rifle would be too cumbersome. Shorter and weighing about half as much as the 9.5-pound M1 Garand, it was used by paratroopers, support staff, radio operators, mortarmen, and soldiers navigating the jungle terrain of some Pacific islands.

The M1 Carbine was chambered for a light .30 caliber round. Though it was far less potent than the M1 Garand, it offered greater range, accuracy, and firepower than a handgun.

• Weapon type: Rifle
• Caliber: .30-06

In the early days of American involvement in World War II, the M1903 Springfield, a bolt-action rifle, was issued to some American troops as production of the preferred M1 Garand was ramping up. As a result, the M1903 was used by Marines in Wake Island and Guadalcanal and GIs in North Africa.

Variations of the M1903 were used throughout the war, most notably as sniper rifles. Highly accurate, the rifle was effective without a scope up to 656 yards and, in some extreme cases, as much as 2,500 yards.

• Weapon type: Rifle
• Caliber: .30-06

When Winchester shipped nearly 400 of its bolt-action Model 70 rifles to the U.S. Marine Corps only months after the U.S. entered the Second World War, the military brass deemed them unsuitable for the battlefield. The lack of sling swivels, limited part availability, and questions about the guns’ sturdiness were the reasons for the rejection.

Though some officers may not have liked the Winchester Model 70, many Marine marksmen disagreed. Compared to the standard-issue M1903 Springfield rifles, the Model 70 was lighter and more accurate, with an improved action and highly adjustable trigger. Ultimately, limited numbers of the Model 70 were used in the Pacific by Marine snipers throughout the war.

• Weapon type: Shotgun
• Chambered in: 12 gauge & 16 gauge

Widely used for clearing trenches in the First World War, the Winchester Model 1897, a pump action shotgun, was also used in WWII. The shotgun was used by both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps during the war, though its use dwindled in favor of the updated Model 1912.

• Weapon type: Shotgun
• Chambered in: 12 gauge, 16 gauge

The U.S. government bought an estimated 80,000 Winchester Model 1912 shotguns during WWII. The Model 1912, or simply Model 12, was a pump-action shotgun with a six-round tubular magazine typically chambered for 12 gauge shells. Every branch of the U.S. military used a deadly short-range weapon like the Model 1912, which Marines particularly favored in the Pacific theater.

• Weapon type: Shotgun
• Chambered in: 12 gauge, 16 gauge

The Remington Model 11 was a semi-automatic shotgun with a five-round capacity, though the Sportsman version had a three-round capacity to comply with hunting regulations. It was nearly identical to the Browning Auto-5 shown here. The government procured these guns in the early days of the war to address an arms shortage.

Model 11s were used on the battlefield in Europe and the Pacific, though many long-barrelled versions were used to train anti-aircraft personnel. Shorter barrelled versions, meanwhile, were often used for guard duty.

• Weapon type: Shotgun
• Chambered in: 12 gauge

The Stevens Model 520 and its slightly newer and more streamlined 620 variant were pump-action shotguns. The type used by the U.S. military in WWII was typically chambered for 12 gauge ammunition and often featured a heat shield over the barrel. They were designated for use as trench guns, riot guns, and training guns. Slightly over 45,000 of these guns were produced during the war.

• Weapon type: Shotgun
• Chambered in: 12 gauge

One month before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered 1,420 Ithaca 37 shotguns to shore up a diminishing supply of combat shotguns. The 37 was a pump-action shotgun with a six-round capacity, a ventilated heat shroud over the barrel, a bayonet mount, and swivel studs for a sling.

When Ithaca began filling the orders as the U.S. entered the war, 18-inch and 20-inch barrel versions of the 37 were in high demand in the dense jungles of the Pacific theater. The guns were also used by guards at U.S. bases in Europe.

• Weapon type: Submachine gun
• Caliber: .45 ACP

The M1 Thompson, also known as the Tommy Gun, was a fully automatic submachine gun that gained infamy during the Prohibition Era as a favorite among gangsters. However, over 1.5 million Tommy Guns were distributed to American and Allied troops during the war.

The type commonly used by the American military featured a 30-round box magazine and a firing rate of several hundred rounds per minute. Chambered for .45 ACP ammunition, the Thompson was practical and effective in close-quarters combat.

• Weapon type: Submachine gun
• Caliber: .45 ACP

The M50 Reising was perhaps the most hated firearm American troops used in the Second World War. Lighter, more accurate, and cheaper to produce than the M1 Thompson, the M50 Reising was a promising piece of hardware—at least on paper. However, several shortcomings far outweighed any positives. With a complicated design, the firearm was difficult to maintain and prone to jamming, particularly in sandy or muddy conditions.

Early in the war, the U.S. Marine Corps authorized 4,200 M50 Reising submachine guns for each division. As a result, the guns were widely used by Marine Raiders and paratroopers in Guadalcanal. According to some accounts, the 1st Marine Raider Battalion commander ordered his troops to toss their M50s in the rivers on Guadalcanal, recommending they use the bolt-action Springfield 1903 instead.

• Weapon type: Submachine gun
• Caliber: .45 ACP

The M3 submachine gun, or "Grease Gun," as it was commonly known, was developed by General Motors and introduced in 1944 as a replacement for the M1 Thompson. Despite initial resistance, partially due to the gun's rather austere appearance, grease Guns held several advantages over the Tommy Gun, both from a government and battlefield perspective.

For one, Grease Guns were cheap, costing less than half as much to produce as Thompsons. They could also be manufactured faster. Soldiers in the field benefited from the gun's shorter and lighter design and slowed fire rate, which allowed for greater accuracy and ammunition conservation. Grease Guns were also easier to reload, disassemble, and clean than Thompsons.