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The story of the Jeep
WWII Jeep Facts Every Jeep Owner Should Know
World
War II saw the creation of one of America’s most beloved vehicles, the Jeep.
Now
primarily produced for consumer use, the Jeep was once a military workhorse
designed to move troops, help the wounded and more.
The
story of the Jeep begins in the late 1930s, when the United States military was
searching for a vehicle that was light, rugged and could travel over rough
terrain.
By
the early 1940s, the Jeep’s design was complete, and the rest is history.
Here
are 20 facts about World War II Jeeps.
1. The first version
of the Jeep was produced by the American Bantam Car Company, who won a bid
between three companies.
They were not the lowest bidder, but they believed they could produce a
test model within the military’s tight time span of just 75 days.
The vehicle was completed in time,
and carried the name “Blitz Buggy.”
2. The United States
military encouraged both Willy’s-Overland Motors and Ford Motor Company to
build test models, as American Bantam Car Company lacked the production ability
that both Willy’s and Ford offered.
Representatives from both companies
watched and studied the vehicle as it was being tested by the
military in October of 1941.
The
military claimed to own the designs and turned them over to both companies.
In
just a few weeks, both companies had test vehicles available. The vehicles had
the names Willy’s Quad and Ford Pygmy.
3. In the end, all
three companies were awarded the contracts.
Each vehicle received a new name; American Bantam’s was named the “BRC
40,” Willy’s was named the “Willy’s MA” (Model A) and Ford’s was named the Ford
GP.
4. The United States decided to
choose one manufacturer, Willy’s-Overland Motors, to build the Jeep.
Willy’s won the contract due to its engine being the more powerful of the
three and, as such, an order for 16,000 vehicles was placed. These models were
designated Willy’s MB (or, Model B).
5. There were over
360,000 of the Willy’s MB produced, making it the most popular Jeep made
during the time.
Ford produced over 270,000 of their Jeep variant in the same timespan.
In total, there were over 640,000 Jeeps built during World War II.
6. There were, in total,
eleven different variations of Jeeps produced during World War II by three
companies.
7. The Ford GPW and Willy’s MB
designs are very similar. The only way to tell the difference is to locate the
name plates on the vehicles.
8. The Jeeps were
simple in design. The 1941 Willy’s MB had a push button start, literally.
To start the Jeep, you had to push a button on the floor. There were no
keys.
9. These Jeeps had no
doors and came equipped with a cloth roof.
The windshield that is pictured above was an afterthought by Willy’s, who
added it after seeing Ford’s design during the bidding stage.
The windshield was versatile, as it could be put down if necessary.
10. World War II Jeeps had a
three-speed transmission. There were three gears, as well as reverse. This
worked well with the 4 cylinder engine.
This Engine was capable of producing 60 horsepower at 4000 RPM, which was
good by the standards of the time.
The Willy’s Jeep was capable of doing 45 miles per hour and included
a four-wheel drive.
11. Originally 1,300
pounds, the vehicles proved to be too light. The weight was later revised to
2,160 pounds.
Today, a Jeep Wrangler can weight anywhere from 3,900 to 4,900
pounds.
12. The Jeeps had a minimum ground
clearance of 6.25 inches and a wheelbase of 80 inches. This meant that the
vehicle from bumper to bumper was over 10 feet long.
13. Payload wasn’t really an issue,
but it could haul between six hundred to a thousand pounds if
necessary.
14. Jeeps came with a spare wheel,
usually located on the back, as well as a gas tank which could be attached to
the side.
15. Ford designed the
now famous stamped grill during World War II. This is the same grill design
that you see on Jeep Wranglers today.
The original grill was composed of 9 slots.
Willy’s-Overland Motor would later change their Jeeps to a 7 slot grill,
which is what the Jeep brand has stuck with since.
The move was made because Ford Motor Company had copyrighted the 9 slot
grill.
16. Jeeps served in all theaters for
the United States and were also used in lend-lease programs by allied countries
17. Jeeps were used to
carry the wounded, as there was a back seat which could be converted to a
stretcher.
Other uses included laying communication lines and transporting
high-ranking officials around.
18. While the Jeeps primary use was
for the ground, it could be converted to rail use if necessary. Once converted
to a train, Jeeps had the ability to pull up to ten tons by rail.
19. Ford was commissioned to build an amphibious Jeep,
to be named “Ford GPA.”
Once built, the
vehicle proved to be unsuccessful as it was slow, heavy and performed poorly in
the water.
There were nearly
13,000 of these produced. Many of these went on to be used by the Soviet Union,
who used them for crossing rivers.
They would later
create their own design of this amphibious vehicle.
20. The exact reason
Jeep got the name Jeep is unknown.
However, it is
believed that it could be from Ford’s use of the abbreviation GP on the Ford GP
and Ford GPW, with the “G” meaning “Government” and the “P” designating the
vehicle as having a wheelbase of 80 inches.
Other popular
theories include an idea that it is based on the cartoon character, “Eugene the
Jeep.”
Wherever the name
came from, it saw widespread use during World War II, to describe the legendary
line of vehicles.
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