The U.S. Army's amphibious vehicles called the DUKWs (Ducks) were first produced by General Motors in 1942 and were issued to both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. 2,000 were shipped to British forces, over five hundred found their way to the Australian military and 535 were passed along to the Soviet Army. They have earned their sea legs a thousand times over and have even ventured across the English Channel.
This YANK MAGAZINE article was one of the first articles to have ever been written about them, and quite plays-down the revolutionary nature of the invention:
"The guy behind the wheel and levers of a DUCK is no more former yachtsman or speedboat racer. Most DUCK drivers formerly drove trucks, or big tractor-trailer jobs on inter-state commercial trucking lines."
"Japs realize the value of the DUCKs. They once issued a communique saying their bombers sank 'one 5,000-ton ship and one amphibious truck'".
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