The Kaiser Jeep M715 first saw action in South East Asia and Roger Jerram has added one to his collection of Vietnam-era vehicles
‘The M715 was running, though was missing many of its military fittings’
The M715, in US Army nomenclature 1¼ Ton, 4x4, M-715, WO/WN also known as the ‘Five Quarter’, saw its first action in Vietnam and the Korean DMZ. It was the first US military vehicle to be developed directly from a civilian pick-up, with the aim of saving money on production costs. The M715’s production run lasted only two years with an approximate nine years in service and while KIA are still building an M715- type vehicle under licence from the US government for the South Korean military, the Kaiser M715 was a short-lived experiment.
The M715’s immediate predecessor was the Dodge M37, the three-quarter ton successor to the marque’s World War Two WC Series. Under the bonnet and through the drivetrain, the M37 shared much with the civilian Dodge Power Wagon and importantly, replaced the older rear platform with a conventional pick-up load bed which simplified production.
However, by the late 1960s, the M37, though solid and dependable was seriously out-dated and the US government looked elsewhere for in…
