If the DUKW hadn’t already existed before D-Day, the Allies would have had to invent it for the operation. The versatile amphibious vehicle played a pivotal role in the success of the Allied invasion by maintaining a constant supply of food, fuel, arms, and ammunition to the beachhead. After picking up cargo from the larger vessels in the English Channel and carrying it ashore, the DUKW could drive right up on the beach like a truck and continue on straight to inland supply points.

Modeling a DUKW was a difficult project until Italeri released its 1/35 scale kit, which I reviewed in the January 2003 FSM. To commemorate the invasion’s 60th anniversary, I decided to build another Italeri DUKW, this time in a D-Day configuration.

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