Despite the fact that in the USSR, in the early years, they began to establish the production of cars, this did not mean the lack of deliveries of cars from abroad. This issue became especially acute during the Great Patriotic War. As part of Lend-Lease, a lot of equipment was sent to the Soviet Union, and among them was the Studebaker US6. And it turned out to be so satisfactory for Soviet soldiers that it became the most massive imported truck of the Red Army in those years, and after 1945 gained immense popularity among the civilian population THE USSR.
The history of this legendary truck began almost at the beginning of World War II. When it became clear that it was necessary to equip armies with vehicles with good technical characteristics, the leadership It became clear that for such purposes it would be necessary to create a specialized vehicle with increased patency. In early 1940, the engineers developed the 1.5-ton Studebaker K15F. Then it was improved, in particular, by increasing the carrying capacity to two and a half tons - this is how the Studebaker K25S model appeared.
Around this time, America was actively preparing to enter the war. In 1940, now from the US Department of Defense, a large-scale order was received for the supply of three-axle all-wheel drive trucks, and, according to the Novate.ru editorial office, initially it was given to the corporation GM. However, they alone could not cope with such a volume. Then the US Department of Defense decided to attract additional contractors, among which was the Studebaker firm.
True, the company's specialists did not copy the car of the main supplier, but redesigned their own Studebaker K25S in such a way that it would meet the requirements of the army. The result was an unusual, but quite workable car, which was named Studebaker US6. It's just that the American army command did not set it up for its own army, but outlined its functionality: they thought the truck would be perfect for use in countries where the road network is difficult to pass areas.
By design, the Studebaker US6 in the United States was an ordinary second-tier truck. However, this did not prevent it from being released in a number of modifications: the US6-U1 model was put into production for the first time in mid-1941. The same machine, equipped with a winch, was already called US6-U2 - by the way, this modification was delivered to the American army. Other models also included an onboard Studebaker US6-U3, U5 with a fuel tank, U6 short-wheelbase tractor, and others.
Pretty quickly, the Studebaker US6 ended up in the Soviet Union - the first delivery was made in the fall of 1941. After testing at the test site of the Main Automobile Directorate of the Red Army, domestic the experts gave the truck excellent recommendations, after which the active deliveries of Studebakers began in USSR. First of all, the Americans supplied the U3, U4, U7 and U8 modifications. Cars were often transported in two ways: through the Northern Sea Route to Murmansk or Arkhangelsk, as well as through Iraq and Iran. The vehicles were usually transported disassembled, and after that they were assembled and sent to the Red Army.
American trucks were used by the Red Army in a variety of ways. Often, onboard vehicles were used for standard transport work: transporting goods and soldiers. In addition, the US6 chassis made it possible to mount various superstructures: tank trucks, truck cranes, repair and radio vans, and even BM-8 and BM-13 jet mortars. They were so popular that over time they began to be called "Victory Trucks".
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In total, from 1942 to 1945, about 152 thousand Studebaker US6 trucks were delivered to the Soviet Union. However, even after the end of the war, they were not forgotten: under an agreement with the United States, a large part of the trucks were returned to their homeland, but some of them still remained in the USSR. And on domestic roads they were exploited until the seventies of the last century. In addition, in addition, the Studebaker US6, oddly enough, managed to become a source of inspiration for Soviet auto designers.
Continuing the topic: Where did the thousands of American trucks delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease disappear?
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/270421/58749/
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