Perhaps it was because the brave performance of Jeep Willis stimulated all parties involved in the war. Therefore, after the end of World War II, whether it was Japan and Germany, which were re-armed after being defeated, or Britain and the Soviet Union, which were the victors, they all launched new models. Tactical 4×4. On the Japanese side, the Land Cruiser, Mitsubishi Jeep, and Nissan Patrol were the products of that period, and in the UK Land Rover was born. On the socialist Soviet side, the GAZ 69 is undoubtedly the most representative product.
In addition to equipping the Soviet Red Army in large quantities, GAZ 69 was also exported to the socialist countries at that time in large quantities, which of course included China. Before 212 officially became the standard equipment for county and regimental leaders, GAZ 69 can be said to be the standard configuration for county and regimental leaders. In the subsequent self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, both China and Vietnam also used the GAZ 69 as the main tactical four-wheel drive vehicle. Such a car with a history is certainly worthy of our chat today.
After the end of World War II, the Cold War broke out due to differences in ideology, which prompted an arms race between the Eastern and Western camps. The Jeep Willis obtained by the Soviet Union through the Lend-Lease Act during World War II has become unsustainable due to the outbreak of the Cold War. At the same time, the GAZ 67B tactical command vehicle that was put into production during World War II has also fallen behind by a large margin. During the Cold War, the Soviet Red Army maintained an offensive posture. In order to cooperate with the actions of large-scale tank assault groups, the Soviet Red Army urgently needed a highly mobile tactical command vehicle. Therefore, in 1946 after the end of World War II, the Soviet Union officially launched the research and development project of GAZ 69. In 1947, the first prototype of the GAZ 69 was officially unveiled. On August 25, 1953, the mass-produced version of GAZ 69 began to be mass-produced and equipped with troops of the Soviet Red Army and the socialist camp. And this high-volume production continued until 1972, with a total output of more than 600,000 vehicles. Under the socialist planned economy, starting in 1956, GAZ 69 was transferred from the GAZ factory to the UAZ factory for production. Then UAZ launched the UAZ-469 series on this basis. We have talked about this history before and will not show it for the time being.
From the modeling point of view, the shape of GAZ 69 is somewhat outdated compared with the models of the same period. Of course, this is also a true portrayal of the Soviet weapons at that time focusing on practicality. In terms of the front face, GAZ 69 retains the design of independent fenders, and the headlights are placed independently on the fenders. The height of the hood is impressive. So in this way, GAZ 69 is full of retro atmosphere. Not long ago, a Russian modified car launched a modern version based on the GAZ 69. The retro style looks really good.
The designer of GAZ 69 was Grigoriy Vasserman, the designer of GAZ 67B. At that time, car designers did not focus on aesthetic design like the current designers, but pure engineering design. In terms of power, the GAZ 69 that was initially put into production is equipped with a 2.1L inline four-cylinder engine derived from the GAZ 67B. The technology of this engine is derived from the classic power system of Dodge in 1935, with a maximum output of 41 kilowatts. It is matched with a three-speed manual gearbox and a full-time four-wheel drive system, with a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour. The three-speed automatic transmission is also equipped in the GAZ M20 Pobeda sedan. The later GAZ 69M was replaced with a 2.4L inline four-cylinder engine, the maximum output power was increased to 48 kW, and the top speed was also increased to 100 km/h. In terms of body structure, GAZ 69 is equipped with two fuel tanks, the main fuel tank has a volume of 47L and is located under the floor, and the auxiliary fuel tank has a volume of 28L and is located under the passenger seat. Such a layout can ensure that the GAZ 69 can have sufficient cruising range to accompany tank cluster assaults during wartime.
In terms of body form, the basic GAZ 69 adopts a two-door standard canvas roof design, with two independent seats in the front row and opposing folding seats in the rear row, which can accommodate three soldiers on each side ride. The spare wheel is hung on the side of the car. The GAZ 69A launched later adopts a four-door layout, equipped with a canvas roof and two rows of seats at the front and rear. The vehicle looks more dignified and more suitable for leaders to ride. Appearing in the series of official vehicles in socialist countries, it is this batch of four-door version of GAZ 69A that left a deep impression on the minds of the post-60s generation. In terms of physical passability, GAZ 69 also presents the level that models of this era should have, with a very high passability index. In addition, as a vehicle used in high latitude areas, the winter performance of GAZ 69 is also better than other products of the same period. In the later period of the Vietnam War, GAZ 69 also exposed the shortcomings of poor performance in the tropics.
In terms of derivative models, GAZ 69 has also launched half-track models suitable for use in Siberia. As a military platform, GAZ 69 has also produced tank assault vehicles and other models. In addition to mass production in the Soviet Union, GAZ 69 was also produced in Romania. It was initially named IMS-57, and then named IMS-59. The production time in Romania continued until 1975. With the launch of UAZ-469, GAZ 69 also officially withdrew from the army sequence of the socialist camp.
Disclaimer: Off-road e-family all rights reserved, please indicate the source for reprinting.
