Chrysler Military History
Established in 1926, Chrysler quickly gained momentum as a leading automobile producer and distributor, pioneering automobile technologies. In tandem, the company also etched an impressive historical niche for itself outside of the civilian sector. Chrysler has been a major contractor for military vehicle production and defense development since the late 1930s, and has contributed to every war effort since the company’s inception.
World War II gave the company its first opportunity to prove its manufacturing mettle (Dodge Brothers had supplied cars to the military, but did not build military vehicles as such). Demonstrating a patriotic dedication to the manufacture of defense materials during the 1940s and 50s, Chrysler made great strides in war goods production, increasing cost effectiveness and time efficiency. And while its massive war effort declined after the 1950s and the Korean conflict, Chrysler and its subsidiary companies continued to make notable contributions to defense development.
Even before the United States entered World War II, Chrysler had begun a high-energy push into defense work, manufacturing wartime goods for the European Allied nations. In the Spring of 1940, Chrysler began mass production of tanks for sale overseas. By the late summer of that same year, Chrysler received a contract with the Department of Defense for $54.5 million to construct and staff a tank-building plant. This contract, an incredible amount of money for the time, demonstrates the magnitude of governmental interest and trust in the reliability of Chrysler production, as at the time the second largest tank contract had been for $11 million dollars. The Chrysler-produced Sherman M4 tank would be the main combat vehicle of U.S. ground forces. The tank plant contracted in 1940 was operational and production tanks in quantity by 1941. One year later, DeSoto president Byron Foy resigned to take a commission in the Army Air Corps (he served for three years, returning to Chrysler as a vice president in 1945).
Having received multiple contracts from the government to produce numerous types of tanks, Chrysler was also contracted to outfit other military vehicles (such as ambulances and trucks), anti-aircraft guns, the Martin B-26 Bomber and B-29 “Superfortress,” bomb fuses, shells, and domestic items like field kitchens and refrigerators.
One of Chrysler’s greatest WWII achievements came with the Dodge productions of the Boeing B-29s. The assemblage rate of B-29 bomber engines at Dodge-Chicago exceeded the target amount by at least a hundred per month, while at the same time, cutting the cost of engine manufacturing by half. By the end of the War, Dodge had produced 18,413 B-29 engines and approximately 500,000 military trucks; the Chrysler corporation amassed over $3.4 billion in U.S. governmental contracts and had produced items of transportation and protection for both ground and air forces. The company consistently delivered higher quality products, earlier than expected, and at far lower cost.
After World War II specific information about Chrysler’s involvement in government projects becomes scarce. However, during the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, Chrysler participated in 31 government projects for an approximate total of $1.1 billion dollars.
In 1952, Chrysler manufactured Jupiter exploration missiles for the U.S. Army.
In the post-Korean war period, Chrysler continued to build tanks, amphibious vehicles, and military trucks. It continued its involvement with missiles and was a lead contractor on the Saturn V rockets. Chrysler had ads in 1958 that showed its involvement in launching America's first satellite, for the military, on a Jupiter rocket I believe. There were magazine ads in the late 1960s showing all the vehicles Chrysler built, from the little Simca to swamp vehicles to the Saturn V. It was involved in the turbine-powered M-1 tank (until the goverment forced them to sell some military assets during the loan guarantee phase). In the 1960s, Chrysler also worked with the military on a vehicle that used lift fans to hover over the ground (it was a sort of flying car). I'm sure there were other things, I hope someone that worked with Chrysler in that period will share something. It would be fascinating to hear. [This paragraph from J. Mutz, Leon County, Florida]
In 1962, the M-60A1 combat tanks started production as well, under a contract which stretched into 1964. Fire control equipment for the tanks was made by Airtemp. Other projects included:
- The 25-ton Mobile Floating Assault Bridge Ferry, which formed a bridge or ferry as needed
- Marsh Amphibian, a limited warfare vehicle designed for the Navy that could move over snow, swamps, or marshes, running on two pontoons with spiral blades
- XM-410E1, a prototype successor to the XM-410 truck
- Light Armored Car, a mobile 7.5 ton vehicle
- Various Dodge military trucks
Research (in 1962) by the Missile Division included programs for tactical and intercontinental missles, reentry vehicles for the Air Force, a Navy sea launch program, and electro-optical systems.
In 1976, Chrysler signed a contract of $4 billion with the Army to build XM-1 tanks and then again in 1994 (of currently posted governmental contracts on the website)(1) two subsidiary companies of Chrysler—Electrospace Systems, Inc. and Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems, Inc.—received contracts with the Army and Navy, totaling over $50 million between 1994 and 1996, after which both companies were sold to Raytheon.
Gaps in our information may be credited to any number of causes, three of which seem particularly credible; first, the government could be keeping more defense projects under wraps, including to whom contracts are being awarded; second, Chrysler controlled subsidiary companies which may have held government defense contracts but are difficult to identify as Chrysler assets; and third, many of the contracts between Chrysler and the Armed Forces may have remained active and therefore not registered as new contracts or new involvement.
With the unveiling of the Jeep concept vehicle Rescue and work on military-use hybrid-electric Rams, Chrysler may once again be jockeying for position as a leading military vehicle producer. Both the design and the name of the vehicle suggest that Chrysler is again revving up to give the Hummer H1 a run for its money.
Bibliography
“War Orders: Chrysler gets 2 Army orders for new trucks totaling $50 Million.” Wall Street Journal. Feb. 25, 1952.
“War Orders: Dodge division starts production on $92 million of military trucks; Food Machinery gets tank contract.” Wall Street Journal. Jan. 16, 1951
Briant, David George. “The B-29 Superfortress: Dodge plays a major role”, originally in the Chrysler Bulletin, reprinted at http://www. allpar.com/history/military/b-29.html. 1999.
Hofmann, Trevor. “2004 Jeep Rescue Concept.” http://www.auto123.com. Feb. 10, 2004
Mullin, Michael. “Preparing for War: Chrysler military production, 1940-1942.” http://www.allpar.com/history/military/preparing.html. 1985. Originally printed in the Plymouth Bulletin
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