Ward LaFrance had a long distinguished history of building vehicles for the US military. The various branches of the armed forces presented unique challenges for any builder. On many occasions they required fire apparatus way ahead of conventional thinking. Features such as rear mounted motors, COE with wide fully enclosed crew cabs, and winterized bodies, now considered common place, were built by Ward LaFrance for the military years before being thought of or accepted for civilian fire service applications.
Ward LaFrance also manufactured purely military vehicles like the Ward La France M-1A-1 Heavy Duty Tank Wreckers which were made famous for their rugged dependability during WWII. Other vehicles included the specialized sic ton 6X6 Bridge erection vehicles and the massive HET M746 8X8 Heavy equipment transporter built for the Royal Kingdom of Morocco.
The following vehicles are available in the Archive Photo Series format.
Military Archival Series Examples:
M-1-A-1 Heavy Duty Wrecker
Manufactured for the U.S. Army Ordinance. 1941-43, 1552 units produced. 1953-54, 1072 units produced.
6 Ton 6X6 Drive Bridge Erection Vehicle
Produced 1951-52.
CW750 Structural Fire Truck
1953-56, 662 units produced. COE enclosed crew cab and enclosed winterized body.
MB-5 Crash, Fire & Rescue Truck
1957, 139 units produced for the U.S. Navy. Rear mounted engine and enclosed crew cab and body.