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Studebaker US6x6 U3, 2½-ton, 6x6, with BM-13-16 "Katiusha" Rocket Launcher From June of 1941 until August of 1945, the Studebaker Corp. at South Bend, Indiana, produced almost 200,000 of their legendary 2½-ton US6. The truck came in 13 variations, as 6x6 and 6x4, with short (148in.) and long (162in., shown here) wheelbase, with and w/o winch, as cargo and dump truck and as tractor. The Soviet Union received almost the complete 6x6 production of 105,000 as well as the majority of the 90,000 6x4 produced. The "Studer", as they called it, became the reliable workhorse of the Red Army and contributed much to the fast late-war advances. After testing no less than 9 Lend-Lease truck chassis, the "Katiusha" BM-13-16 rocket launcher was standardized on the US6 chassis in April 1943, from then on officially called »BM-13N«, with "N" for "normalized".
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Laucher canvas protected for transport
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With the windshield protection shut, the rear ground stabilizers installed and the sixteen 132mm rockets loaded,
... the BM-13N is ready to fire!
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