Among the countless tools of war created to take life, there are a precious few brought
about to save them. Among this life saving equipment is the Dodge M-43 Ambulance. Following
the second World War, the United States government felt the need to continue the development
of modular equipment. This is a principle discussed in a prior Artifact Friday but to summarize
it, modular equipment is designed with attachments in mind so that one vehicle can be kitted out
to fill multiple roles. In this case, the Dodge automotive manufacturer developed and produced
the M-37 Cargo Truck and numerous variants including the M-43 Ambulance that we now
possess in our museum.
A successor to the Dodge WC series utilized in World War Two, the M-37 improved on
many of the short coming prevalent in the older model utility trucks. One of these changes was
the implementation of a traditional pickup truck style bed. This simplified the manufacturing
process. Aside from the general structure of the vehicle, the M-37 boasted a virtually identical
drivetrain and power supply to its WC predecessor. Beginning full production in 1951,
approximately 115,000 Dodge M-37’s were produced. An unknown number of which were
converted into the M-43 Ambulance. The final design of these trucks weighed just under 6000
lbs. and used a 6-cylinder engine capable of producing 78 BPH horsepower with a top speed of
55 mph and a range of 255 miles. For comparison, the most commonly owned car in 2023 was
the Ford F-150 and is capable of 290 horsepower and a top speed of just over 100 mph
depending on the submodel. However, the M-43 was plenty powerful for the 1950’s.
The M-43 would see action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Unfortunately, the difficult
terrain and dense foliage of these countries made helicopters the preferred mode of emergency
medical evacuations. The asymmetrical nature of the warfare at this time also made the air the
only possible evacuation route for wounded soldiers anyway. This left the M-43 in the rear
fulfilling their roles on bases and over short ranges. After being phased out of the US military in
1968, the M-43 Ambulance was sold to other countries like Greece and Israel and used in the
civil wars of Laos, Cambodia, Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The M-43 Ambulance was
used all the way up to the 1990’s in these various South American and Asian countries. Many of
these M-37 and M-43’s were given a second life in the civilian sector as well, being auctioned
off and sold. The trucks were especially desired in rural areas for their battle tested reliability.
Comentários