M35A2, M813, M151A2, M915, HMMWV – these are but a few of the scores of types of wheeled tactical vehicles that have been produced by AM General Corporation.
For decades the press – and vehicle enthusiasts – have broadly referred to the US auto industry as “Detroit.” Headlines often have cited “Detroit says….,” or “Word from Detroit…., ” or as an alternative, “The Big Three.”
But within the world of wheeled military vehicles, that market for the last half of the 20th century was dominated by a “Big Two” – Kaiser-Jeep and its successor, AM General, and rather than referencing Detroit, instead the hub of activity was Toledo, Ohio, and South Bend, Indiana.
Of course, there is a connection between these two firms, but that connection is often misunderstood, and urban myths replace the truth. To appreciate the history of AM General, and the vehicles that they produced, we first look at their ancestors.
In 1852, two Studebaker brothers, Henry and Clement, opened for business in South Bend, building wheelbarrows. In time, they were joined by three other brothers, and expanded into the wagon business. Interestingly, their great-grandfather had built wagons in the mid-1700s.
Fast-forward almost a century, and as the U.S. becomes involved in WWII Studebaker receives numerous war contracts. Among them are contracts for US6 2½-ton trucks and Weasels, both of which would be built in Studebaker’s sprawling downtown South Bend facility, and Wright Cyclone aircraft engines, which were to be produced in a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility on Chippewa in south South Bend.
When the war ended, or shortly thereafter, all of these contracts were terminated. In 1948, Studebaker bought
