Tour D – Dodge Command Car WC 57

Dodge Command Car WC 57 “Patton’s Command Car”: This tour takes place in a 1943 Command Car identically equipped to that of the famous General Patton. You will associate a certain comfort with the joy of a 4 X 4… Become Patton!

George Patton was one of the most colourful and daring American generals of World War II. Commander of the 3rd American Army during the Normandy landings in June 1944, he was initially held in reserve behind the 1st Army. Then on July 25 he launched a lightning offensive on Brittany via the Avranches corridor with part of his army while the rest reached Le Mans and Alençon and took the German 7th Army from the rear. Continuing his daring movement, he occupied Orléans, crossed the Seine upstream from Paris, occupied Nancy, Épinal and Metz and stopped the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes at Bastogne in December 1944 … On March 23, 1945, he crossed the Rhine by surprise in Oppenheim, reached the Kassel region and fell back to Czechoslovakia!

COMMAND CAR :

The WC-57 “Command Car” Reconnaissance Vehicle was used for the liaison and transport of staff officers in nearly all US and Allied combat units to which this vehicle was delivered. The vehicle had a seating capacity of five and was fitted with rounded door cut-outs. A canvas roof canopy and removable side doors completed the metal bodywork and made it a fully convertible vehicle. Theoretically unarmed, some models were equipped with a 12.7 machine gun mounted on a kickstand located on the front passenger side. This model could be equipped with a winch and went under the designation WC-57 (The WC 56 being a winch-less model). Entering service in 1942, it served long after World War II with almost every army in the world. While its pleasant shape made it a popular vehicle for parades and marches, it was avoided by officers on the battlefield who preferred the Jeep, which was lighter and more manoeuvrable. General George S. Patton had an affinity for the Dodge Command Car, and by the time he took command of the Third Army in France in 1944, he had some ideas on how to make this vehicle even more operational. Before leaving England, Patton requested that a WC57 be modified by adding protective armour, storage space and, to counter air attacks, a .50 calibre machine gun. On Friday May 12, 1944, a Dodge WC57 equipped with these modifications was designed at the request of the General. It is aboard this exact model that OVERLORDTOUR offers you the chance to step back in time.

PRICES :

We offer a range of options for our special “Jeep Tour in Normandy” excursion:

1 hour: 120 € for 1 to 4 people maximum

4 passengers maximum.

Longer personalized tours available on request. Please contact us for details