Beyond the specialised M27 and M27B1 bomb service trucks discussed last month, the US Army Air Corps, renamed the US Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941 and finally the US Air Force on 18 September 1947, used various aviation-specific variants of GMC's CCKW. Among these were high-lift and airfield service trucks. Each of these was engineered to meet the specific needs of the using branch, and both types were developed and produced during WW2, although only the airfield service trucks saw widespread use before hostilities ceased. All variants, however, did see extensive use after WW2, including during the Korea War. The development or adoption of a new weapon or item of military hardware often brings with it the requirement for new support equipment. The Douglas DC-4E, developed in 1938 and adopted by the US Army Air Forces in February 1942 as the C-54 Skymaster, was one such case. The C-54 rested on tricycle landing gear, unlike the tail-dragging C-46 and C-47 that preceded it. While this configuration resulted in a level load bay which made the handling of freight much easier than it had been, it presented a new problem in that the cargo door was considerably higher above runway level.
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