The Dodge M880 was made under a government contract with Dodge to supply light vehicles for military support. They were not used in combat situations but behind the lines logistical support hauling supplies, sometimes troops, ambulances and communication vehicles. The M880 started out as a D250 series Dodge truck. When it was converted to 4-wheel drive it became a W200. D was two-wheel drive and W was four-wheel drive in Dodge nomenclature. There were 10 variations of the M880 ranging from the M880 to the M889. The D250 Dodge was a 3/4-ton truck. The military added overload springs as one of the modifications and it became, as they called it in the military a, 5/4-ton truck or in civilian terms a 1 1/4 truck.