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Remembering Ford's Contributions on Veterans Day
Veterans of the world wars often drove, sailed, and flew Ford-built equipment into battle.
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New tanks awaiting shipment from Ford's Richmond, California plant in 1943.Ford Motor Co.
At a Glance
- Ford provided equipment for the Army during both world wars.
- Ford provided Model T ambulances for World War I and GPW "Jeeps" for WWII.
- The company built submarine-chaser ships and B-24 bomber aircraft.
Ford designed its River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan to build Models Ts, but the first products to roll out of the plant weren't the company's ubiquitous Tin Lizzy, but Eagle boat submarine chasers for the US Navy in World War I.
The Model T also saw wartime service as an ambulance to carry wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
In World War II, Ford produced about half of all the light 4x4 GPW vehicles, along with Sherman tanks and B-24 LIberator bombers.
Click through our photo gallery for a look at these vehicles.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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