The American Automobile Industry in World War Two
An American Auto Industry Heritage Tribute by David D Jackson

Overview      Lansing Michigan in World War Two   The U.S. Auto Industry at the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944    The U.S. Auto Industry and the B-29 Bomber   U.S. Auto Industry Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   The Complete listing of All Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   Sherman Tanks of the American Auto Industry   Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry    M26 Pershing Tanks of the American Auto Industry   M36 Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry   Serial Numbers for WWII Tanks built by the American Auto Industry   Surviving LCVP Landing Craft    WWII Landing Craft Hull Numbers   Airborne Extra-Light Jeep Photos  The American Auto Industry vs. the German V-1 in WWII   American Auto Industry-Built Anti-Aircraft Guns in WWII   VT Proximity Manufacturers of WWII   World War One Era Motor Vehicles   National Museum of Military Vehicles  
Revisions   Links

 Automobile and Body Manufacturers:  American Bantam Car Company   Briggs Manufacturing Company   Checker Car Company   Chrysler Corporation   Crosley Corporation   Ford Motor Car Company   General Motors Corporation   Graham-Paige Motors Corporation   Hudson
Motor Car Company   Murray Corporation of America   Nash-Kelvinator   Packard Motor Car Company      Studebaker    Willys-Overland Motors

General Motors Divisions:  AC Spark Plug   Aeroproducts   Allison   Brown-Lipe-Chapin   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Cleveland Diesel   Delco Appliance   Delco Products   Delco Radio   Delco-Remy   Detroit Diesel   Detroit Transmission   Electro-Motive   Fisher Body   Frigidaire   GM Proving Grounds   GM of Canada   GMC   GMI   Guide Lamp   Harrison Radiator   Hyatt Bearings   Inland   Moraine Products   New Departure   Oldsmobile   Packard Electric   Pontiac   Saginaw Malleable Iron   Saginaw Steering Gear   Southern California Division   Rochester Products   Ternstedt Manufacturing Division   United Motors Service   Vauxhall Motors

 Indiana Companies:  Bailey Products Corporation   Chrysler Kokomo Plant   Continental Steel Corporation  Converto Manufacturing    Cummins Engine Company   Diamond Chain and Manufacturing Company   Delta Electric Company   Durham Manufacturing Company   Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox  
Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company   Republic Aviation Corporation - Indiana Division   Ross Gear and Tool Company   S.F. Bowser & Co.   Sherrill Research Corporation   Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company   Warner Gear   Wayne Pump Company   Wayne Works

Commercial Truck and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers:  American LaFrance   Autocar  
Biederman Motors Corporation   Brockway Motor Company   Detroit General   Diamond T   Duplex Truck Company   Federal Motor Truck   Four Wheel Drive Auto Company(FWD)   International Harvester   John Bean   Mack Truck   Marmon-Herrington Company   Michigan Power Shovel Company   Oshkosh Motor Truck Corporation   Pacific Car and Foundry   "Quick-Way" Truck Shovel Company   Reo Motor Car Company  Seagrave Fire Apparatus   Sterling Motor Truck Company    Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation   White Motor Company

Aviation Companies:  Abrams Instrument Corporation   Hughes Aircraft Company   Kellett Aviation Corporation   Laister-Kauffman Aircraft Corporation   Naval Aircraft Factory   P-V Engineering Forum, Inc.    Rudolf Wurlitzer Company-DeKalb Division  Schweizer Aircraft Corporation   Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation   St. Louis Aircraft Corporation   Timm Aircraft Corporation

Other World War Two Manufacturers: 
Air King Products   Allis-Chalmers   American Car and Foundry   American Locomotive   American Stove Company   Annapolis Yacht Yard  
Andover Motors Company   B.F. Goodrich   Baker War Industries   Baldwin Locomotive Works   Blood Brothers Machine Company   Boyertown Auto Body Works   Briggs & Stratton   Caterpillar   Cheney Bigelow Wire Works   Centrifugal Fusing   Chris-Craft   Clark Equipment Company   Cleaver-Brooks Company   Cleveland Tractor Company   Continental Motors   Cushman Motor Works   Crocker-Wheeler   Dail Steel Products   Detroit Wax Paper Company   Detrola   Engineering & Research Corporation   Farrand Optical Company   Federal Telephone and Radio Corp.   Firestone Tire and Rubber Company   Fruehauf Trailer Company   Fuller Manufacturing   Galvin Manufacturing   Gemmer Manufacturing Company   General Railway Signal Company   Gibson Guitar   Gibson Refrigerator Company   Goodyear   Hall-Scott   Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company   Harley-Davidson   Harris-Seybold-Potter   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company   Higgins Industries    Highway Trailer   Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   John Deere   Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company   Kimberly-Clark   Kohler Company   Kold-Hold Company   Landers, Frary & Clark  Lima Locomotive Works   Lundberg Screw Products   MacKenzie Muffler Company   Massey-Harris   Matthews Company   McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company   Metal Mouldings Corporation   Miller Printing Machinery Company   Morse Instrument Company   Motor Products Corporation   Motor Wheel Corporation   National Cash Resgister Company   Novo Engine Company   O'Keefe & Merritt Company   Olofsson Tool and Die Company   Oneida Ltd   Otis Elevator   Owens Yacht   Pressed Steel Car Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   R.L. Drake Company   St. Clair Rubber Company   Samson United Corporation   Shakespeare Company   Sight Feed Generator Company   Simplex Manufacturing Company   Steel Products Engineering Company   St. Louis Car Company   Twin Disc Company   Victor Adding Machine Company   Vilter Manufacturing Company   Wells-Gardner   W.L. Maxson Corporation   W.W. Boes Company   Westfield Manufacturing Company   York-Hoover Body Company   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

Cushman Motor Works in World War Two
Lincoln, NE
1902-Present (Currently as part of Textron)


This page updated 9-8-2022.


The classic 1948 Cushman Road King motor scooter.  I remember getting a ride around the block on the back of one of these as a youngster.  A teenager in the neighborhood had one and was giving rides one evening.  Very cool!  Authors photo added 9-8-2022 from the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

Cushman Motor Works World War Two Production Statistics:  4,731 Model 53 two-wheel Airborne Motor Scooters, 506 three-wheel Package Delivery Motor Scooters, 495 three-wheel Motor Scooter with Sidecars, bomb casings, bomb fuses, aircraft propeller weights, and nose fuses

Table 1 - Cushman Motor Work's Major World War Two Contracts
The information below comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945."  This was published by the Civilian Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division.  Table added 9-8-2022.
Product - Customer Contract Amount Contract Awarded Completion Date
Fuze Parts - Army $582,000 3-1941 3-1941
Bomb Parts - Army $219,000 9-1941 7-1942
Fuzes - Army $571,000 4-1942 3-1943
Scooters - Army $983,000 5-1942 12-1942
Fuzes - Army $1,094,000 6-1942 9-1943
Scooters Motor - Navy $67,000 9-1942 1-1943
Fuzes Bomb - Army $4,041,000 3-1942 9-1944
Motor Scooters - Navy $221,000 7-1943 1-1944
Motor Scooters - Army $100,000 9-1943 12-1943
Motor Scooters - Army $152,000 9-1943 12-1944
Scooter Parts - Army $147,000 11-1943 7-1944
Motor Scooters - Navy $251,000 1-1944 10-1944
Bomb Nose Fuzes - Army $1,171,000 1-1944 10-1944
Bomb Nose Fuzes - Army $1,231,000 4-1944 12-1944
Motor Vehicle Parts - Navy $236,000 5-1944 12-1944
Motor Scooters - Army $1,234,000 6-1944 7-1945
Bomb Nose Fuzes M110 - Army $1698,000 8-1944 7-1945
Motor Scooters - Navy $555,000 9-1944 6-1945
Bomb Nose Fuzes M126A1 - Army $321,000 1-1945 3-1945
Bomb Nose Fuzes  - Army $453,000 1-1945 8-1945
Motor Vehicle Parts - Navy $83,000 5-1945 12-1945
Total $15,380,000    

Table 2 - Cushman Motor Works World War Two Scooter Production

  1943 1944 1945 Totals
Two-wheel Model 53 Airborne Motor Scooter   4,233 501 4,734
Three-wheel Model 39 Package Delivery Motor Scooter 306 300   606
Three-wheel Motor Scooter with Sidecar 316 179   495
Totals 622 4,712 501 5,835


Cushman Motor Works won the Army-Navy "E" Award four times during World War Two.
While the two-wheel Model 53 is the most remembered product of Cushman during World War Two, most likely the "E" awards were for the non-scooter production which were more important than the scooter in winning the war.

Two-wheel Model 53 Airborne Motor Scooter:


In what may have been a one time event, nine Cushman Model 53 two-wheel Airborne Motor Scooters were lined up at the 2018 MVPA convention in Louisville, KY.  Normally these scooters are seen one at a time in military museums around the the USA.  All are owned by one collector who brought them in for display and judging.  Author's photo.


The photos were taken in the early afternoon on Friday of the convention.  Very few visitors were present at the time.  Author's photo.


While the Model 53 Scooters are the signature product for Cushman 75 years after the end of World War Two, I have only been able to find three period photos of the scooter being used in combat.  With production not starting until 1944, there were probably not that many units for the June invasion of Europe.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.

Cushman Motor Works Model 53 Airborne Scooter Serial Numbers and Dates of Acceptance in the above photo
Model 53 Scooter - From left to right Serial Number Date of Acceptance
Number 1 33398 10-26-1944
Number 2 33541 10-27-1944
Number 3 36560 1-27-1945
Number 4 34430 11-22-1944
Number 5 34695 12-7-1944
Number 6 33058 10-17-1944
Number 7 34834 11-18-1944
Number 8 32716 10-3-1944
Number 9 35144 12-14-1944


Author's photo.


This is Number One scooter.  Author's photo.


The data plate for Number One Scooter.  Author's photo.


The engine data plate for the Husky Engine, which was the original product of the company.  Two wheel scooters were introduced in 1936 by Cushman Motor Works to provide more applications and increase sales for the engines during the Great Depression.  Author's photo.


Scooter two shows how the parachute would be attached for parachuting from a C-47 during an airborne assault.  Author's photo.


This Cushman Scooter and trailer is on display in front of the C-47 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Riverside, OH.  Author's photo added 9-24-2018.


Author's photo added 9-24-2018.


Author's photo added 9-24-2018.


Author's photo added 9-24-2018.

Below are the three photos showing the Cushman Airborne Scooter in a combat environment during World War Two.


This photo was taken at Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.  U.S.A. number 6130603 belonged to the 101st Airborne Division.  Note that the paratroopers are all wearing gloves.

Cushman Post-World War Two Military Products:

Cushman Three-Wheel Model 3W Package Delivery Motor Scooter:  This is on display at the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, AL.


Authors photo added 9-8-2022.


The data plate show that this unit was delivered in August 1956.  It is serial number 113021 and U.S. Army registration number 109951.  Authors photo added 9-8-2022.


Authors photo added 9-8-2022.


Authors photo added 9-8-2022.

Cushman Three-Wheel Model 39 Package Delivery Motor Scooter:  This scooter is a new addition to the displays at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  I visit there quite often, and the first time I saw it was in late December 2020.  This is one of 306 built in 1943 and is Cushman number 104456.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.


Author's photo added 1-13-2021.

 

 

 

 

Email us at:  Webmaster