Ford GPA in Indiana Jones - Crystal Skull?
Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 9:30 pm
well if the german command car sells well, we could easily see the GAZ. The GPA wasn't much of a vehicle though, not performing well at all during the war...most were sent to russia where they were well received, however. The russians used them throughout the war as they were very useful for crossing the myriad of small rivers in eastern europe. The post war gaz was about 10 percent bigger, for better buoyancy but otherwise very similar the the GPA.
"In contrast to the DUKW the GPA (G=Government, P=80" wheelbase, A=Amphibious) did not perform well in the field. At some 1,600 kg the production craft had become much heavier than the original 1,200 kg specified in the design brief, but its volume hadn't been increased accordingly. As a consequence low freeboard in the water meant the Seep couldn't handle more than a light chop, and certainly couldn't take much cargo. The Seep's intended objective: to ferry soldiers to and from ships off-shore, to trundle up the beach and continue inland, was therefore not met. It is reported that many of the Jeeps that were used in battle sank if there were any significant waves at all.
On land the vehicle was too heavy and its body too unwieldy to be popular with the soldiers. Adding insult to injury, the GPA would frequently get stuck in shallow waters, where the regular Willys MB's water fording abilities allowed it to drive straight through (Pohl, 1998). Production was already halted in March 1943 after production of only 12,778 vehicles, due to financial quibbles between Ford and the US government, as well as bad reception of the vehicle in theatre. Although some sources (Pohl; Carlin, 1989) state that less than half of that number were ever completed, serial numbers of surviving specimens suggest that the 12,7XX figure is actually correct.[1]
In spite of participating successfully in the Sicily landings (September 1943), and performing reasonably well in inland river crossings, most GPA’s were routed to Russia under the Lend-Lease program.
Although the post war GAZ-46 MAV used the mechanics of existing Russian GAZ 4x4 "jeeps" as well as being created somewhat bigger for better buoyancy, its design is heavily inspired by that of the wartime Ford GPA. Just like the 'Seep', its hull is entirely out of steel, welded to a steel chassis. The layout is the same: engine compartment in the front, crew compartment in the center, and the spare wheel horizontally mounted on the rear deck. The driver and the commander of the vehicle have individual seats in the front with a three seat bench behind them. The windshield can be folded down, and if necessary, a cover can be installed to close the cockpit. The engine is coupled to a manual three-speed gearbox and a two-speed transfer-case. Also there is a screw-propellor for in the water propulsion, driven by a power take-off, and a proper rudder provides good maneuverability.
Front and rear suspension is in the form of leaf-sprung rigid live axles. Thanks to its steeply raked front and rear and four-wheel drive, the GAZ can manage reasonably steep river banks before swimming across."
Boy, with the truck, bikes, russian soldiers and now maybe a gpa/gaz it's nice to have some wwii stuff to get excited about for a change.
