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The Military Jeep in WWII

The name "jeep" also has an interesting history. The name is generally accepted to have come from the Ford name for its general purpose vehicle, of GP for short. When slurred together it sounds like "jeep." Other theories include the "invisible, fourth dimensional creature of Africa," Eugene the Jeep, of E.G. Segars "Popeye" cartoon. The word "jeep" was also widely used in the army before the vehicle came into existence. It had many meanings, from a lazy soldier to a useless piece of machinery.

The jeep was also called a puddle jumper, Bantam Bug, Midget, Quad, and the peep. Willys made the word `Jeep' its trademark after World War II, much to the dismay of Bantam. Bantam felt that since they invented the first jeep prototype that they should have the trademark. The name continued to be passed down when Willys was sold to the Kaiser corporation and then to American Motors in 1970 and in 1987 to the current owner Chrysler.

The Willys Military model MB, or as the army called it, "Truck, quarter ton, four by four, and command reconnaissance," was a mechanically simple machine. In had a four cylinder L-head style engine (where the valves are in the block), which could operate at 4000 revolutions per minute for 100 hours straight. The air cleaner was improved from earlier models, and the oil filter was placed high up for easy accessibility. It also had a fold up cloth roof, which was easily set up. The six volt battery powered the headlamps, which were mounted on swinging levers in order for them to be pointed toward the engine for nighttime repairs. The engine also powered radar, radio, welding, and landing craft equipment. Special care was taken to prevent engine noise from interfering with army radios. It had a three speed manual transmission and four wheel drive transfer case with high and low gears. Over 350,000 MB's were made to fight in World War II.

The first jeeps were used in the United Kingdom before the United States entered in World War II. They were issued to infantry personnel to help fight the Nazi attack on England. They weren't shipped to the Pacific theater until 1943 when the Army used it for more civil purposes. The jeep helped build bridges and roads behind the fighting lines by hauling materials and carrying personnel. But its first real test of durability was demonstrated when a fleet of jeeps headed for China were stranded in Burma. The Army turned the jeeps over to the British Army to be driven north in order to get them to their destination. The jeeps pulled other vehicles out of the mud, dodge snipers, carried ammunition and trudged through rice paddies.

Its performance in World War II was superb. The jeep could operate without strain from three to 60 miles per hour. It could handle a forty degree slope, turn in a thirty foot circle, and tilt left or right on a fifty degree angle without tipping over. It would "go places where tankers quit and birds would go back exhausted." The jeep went up rocky mountains in Switzerland and moved snow off roads in Belgium. Although the tank had an influence on the war too, it could not go as many places as the jeep. Army official Ernie Pyle stated,

Good Lord, I don't think we could continue the war without the jeep. It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it.

Jeeps were coming out of the Willys plant at one jeep per one and a half minutes, so there were plenty to go around. The extra jeeps were used to haul trailers, artillery, operated timber saws, and also pulled railroad cars. The latter was achieved by replacing the wheels with cylinders that were made to run on railroad tracks. In fact, one jeep was known to have pulled 25 tons at 20 miles per hour. The jeep's flat hoods served as altars for chaplains and as playing tables for infantry men's card games. The fold down windshield helped to make the jeep into an ambulance. Pipes were mounted on the bumpers in order to hold the stretchers.

Americans drove the jeeps so much that they were associated with them to the utmost degree as illustrated by many stories. In France, three American soldiers walked up to a guard post and told the sentry that they were lost. The Frenchman immediately told them to surrender and found that they were German soldiers in disguise. When he was asked how he knew, he replied that Americans always travel in jeeps. Another example happened in Belgium when a guard ordered three German soldiers to surrender after he saw that a colonel was riding in the back seat. He explained later that if they were American that the officer would be driving and the infantryman would be in the backseat . The axis powers had their versions of the jeep, the German Volkswagen and the Japanese Datsun, but both were miserable failures .

Jeep vs Kubelwagen

After the war there was a considerable demand for the jeep. Servicemen were so impressed that they all wanted jeeps of their own after returning home. The United States Department of Agriculture also thought of hundreds of uses for a peacetime jeep and even made a pamphlet for agriculture purposes. The jeep could also be found to aid the worker in forestry, ranching, mining, or industry. The addition of power take off increased the number of operations the jeep could perform by adding machinery that could be run off the jeep's engine. Minor alterations on the transmission, transfer case, axle ratio and the steering made it more desirable for the domestic market . The Willys post-war jeep was called the CJ-2A (CJ stands for civilian jeep.) The produced over 73,000 in 1946 and 60,000 in 1947. Other jeeps were made as technology increased.

The engineering that went into the jeep helped make it an extremely reliable vehicle. The jeep was the servicemen's best friend, always trying to do its best for its driver. It would go, or at least try, where ordinary vehicles or animals would not or could not go. "The jeep became a sign, the emblem, the alter ego of the American fighting machine." For this reason, the men grew attached to their jeeps. It was said that more jeeps were ruined by drivers pushing their jeeps too far than were in combat. Jeeps would carry generals and privates alike and helped in combat, rushed the wounded to medic units, and surprised the enemy in ambushes. The jeep seemed to do everything, form climbing mountains in Italy to crossing the scorching hot desert of Northern Africa to roaming beaches in the South Pacific. One army officer said "It can do everything except bake a cake. "

"Run it up th' mountain agin, Joe. It ain't hot enough."

The end of an era came in 1981. The armed forces ended their orders for jeeps and a new vehicle was ushered in. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hummer) replaced the quarter ton jeep in order to keep up with the new age of computers and technology. This machine took over for the half ton truck and the heavy duty one and one quarter ton truck. This vehicle was designed every bit as tough as the original jeep. It had to withstand tests of TNT explosions under the gas tank to driving under water. AM General won the contract for these new vehicles, and designed them with accessories from air conditioning to missile launchers. According to army officials, the Hummer performed excellently in Panama and the Persian Gulf.

The jeep, proven through the test of time, is an accomplished vehicle. The jeep's history certainly make it eligible for the most valuable player award, if the army had such an honor. Civilian jeeps also have their place in the glory, also, trekking through mud and climbing over rock. The jeep was a very important factor in the transportation of infantry, officers, and equipment by showing its extreme versatility. One author said, "the mechanical jeep, after all, could almost do anything!"

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

www.fas.org
www.olive-drab.com/
www.hotkey.net.au/
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/jeephist.html

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on October 17:
1711 Jupiter Hammon 1st American black to publish poetry (Complete Works)
1817 Samuel Ringgold Ward Maryland, minister/abolitionist/author
1835 Alexandrine-Pieternella-Fran‡oise Tinn‚ explored the White Nile
1848 William "Candy" Cummings created the curve ball
1859 William "Buck" Ewing hall of fame catcher (NY Giants, Cin Reds)
1864 Elinor Glyn British novelist (3 Weeks)
1886 Spring Byington Colo Springs, actress (Lily Ruskin-December Bride)
1903 Irene Ryan El Paso Texas, actress (Granny-Beverly Hillbillies)
1903 Jerry Colonna Boston Mass, comedian (Bob Hope USO shows. Jerry Colonna Show)
1903 Nathanael West American novelist (Day of the Locusts)
1905 Jean Arthur NYC, actress (Shane, Mr Smith Goes to Washington)
1912 John Paul I 263rd Roman Catholic pope (1978)
1915 Arthur Miller playwright (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible)
1917 Marsha Hunt Chicago Ill, actress (Jennifer-Peck's Bad Girl, Jigsaw)
1919 Rita Hayworth NY (Alzheimer victim), actress (Gilda, Pal Joey)
1920 Montgomery Clift actor (From Here to Eternity)
1921 Maria Gorokhovskaya USSR, gymnast (Olympic-gold-1952)
1921 Tom Poston Columbus Ohio, actor (Steve Allen Show, Newhart)
1926 Beverly Garland Santa Cruz Calif, actress (My 3 Sons)
1926 Julie Adams Waterloo Iowa, actress (Yancy Derringer, Code Red)
1926 Karl G Henize Cincinnati Ohio, astronaut (STS 51F)
1928 James "Junior" Gilliam Dodgers (NL rookie of year 1953)
1928 Julie Adams Iowa, actress (Away All Boats, Black Rose)
1930 Jimmy Breslin Queens NYC, columnist (NY Post, News, Newsday)
1932 Paul Anderson US, light super heavyweight lifter (Olympic-gold-1956)
1933 William A Anders Hong Kong, Maj Gen, USAF/astronaut (Apollo 8)
1938 Robert "Evel" Knievel motorcycle daredevil
1941 James Seals Sidney Tx, singer (Seals & Crofts-Summer Breeze)
1942 Gary Puckett vocalist (& the Union Gap-Woman Woman, Young Girl)
1943 Susan Davenny Wyner New Haven Ct, soprano (Walter Naumberg Prize)
1944 Carol Cole West Medford Mass, actress (Ellie-Grady)
1945 Dave Cutler CFL place kicker (Edmonton Eskimos)
1946 Bob Seagren Pomona Calif, actor (Soap)/pole vaulter (Olympic-gold-68)
1947 Charles A Ingene macromarketing researcher
1947 Michael McKean NYC, actor (Lenny-Laverne & Shirley, Grand)
1948 George Wendt Chicago Ill, actor (Norm-Cheers)
1948 Margot Kidder Yellowknife, actress (Lois Lane, Amityville Horror)
1949 Bill Hudson Portland Ore, comedians (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show)
1949 Timothy Bottoms Santa Barbara Calif, actor (Adam-East of Eden)
1952 Howard E Rollins Jr Balt Md, actor (Bannister-Wildside)
1955 Sam Bottoms actor (Prime Risk, Savages)
1956 Mae C Jemison Decatur Alabama, MD/astronaut (Sked:STS 47)
1957 Vincent Van Patten Belrose NY, actor (Apple's Way, 3 for the Road)
1958 Alan Jackson rocker (Don't Rock the Jukebox, Here in the Real World)
1959 Dolph Lundgren actor (Rocky 4, Masters of the Universe)
1965 Connie Ann Hearn Anchorage Alaska, actress (New Kind of Family)

Deaths which occurred on October 17:
532 Boniface II, 1st "German" Pope, dies
1806 Jean Jacques Dessalines Emperor of Haiti, dies
1887 Gustav Kirchoff discoverer of the laws of spectroscopy, dies
1910 Julia Ward Howe composer (Battle Hymn of the Republic), dies at 91
1990 Ralph Abernathy civil rights leader, dies

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 GAITHER RALPH E.---MIAMI FL.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 HALYBURTON PORTER A.---DAVIDSON NC.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 KNUTSON RODNEY A.---BILLINGS MT.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV INJURED, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 MAYER RODERICK L.---LEWISTON ID.
[PROB DEAD]
1965 OLMSTEAD STANLEY E.---MARSHALL OK.
[PROB DEAD IN A/C WRECKAGE]
1965 WHEAT DAVID R.---DULUTH MN.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 ANDREWS ANTHONY C.---CHICO CA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1967 CADWELL ANTHONY B.---MISSOULA MT.
1967 FITZGERALD PAUL L. JR.---FORT VALLEY GA.
1967 FORTNER FREDERICK J.---POMONA CA.
[REMAINS RETURNED 03/23/89]
1967 HARGROVE OLIN JR.---BIRMINGHAM AL.
1967 ODELL DONALD E.---MT. CLEMENS MI.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 SULLIVAN DWIGHT E. CORYDON IA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1968 MASON JAMES P.---DE KALB IL.
1972 WANGCHOM NOPHADON---THAILAND?
[RELEASED 09/01/74]
1972 GRAHAM ALAN U.---MOBILE AL.
09/30/77 REMAINS RETURNED BY SRV]
1972 HOCKRIDGE JAMES A.---ROCHESTER NY.
[09/30/77 REMAINS RETURNED BY SRV]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
532 Boniface II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0733 Battle at Poitiers: Charles Martel beats Abd al-Rachmans
1244 The Sixth Crusade ends when an Egyptian-Khwarismian force almost annihilates the Frankish army at Gaza
1492 Columbus sights isle of San Salvador (Watling Island, Bahamas)
1691 New royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine, Plymouth
1777 British General John Burgoyne surrenderes over 5,000 British and Hessian troops to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
1781 Cornwallis defeated at Yorktown
1787 Boston blacks, petition legislature for equal school facilities
1806 Napoleon Bonaparte arrives at the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where he has been banished by the Allies.
1808 Political rights of Jews suspended in Duchy of Warsaw
1829 Delaware River & Chesapeake Bay Canal formally opened
1835 The first resolution formally creating the Texas Rangers is approved
1850 Knickerbocker Engine Co Number 5 organized
1855 Bessemer steelmaking process patented
1860 1st pro golf tournament held (Scotland) (Willie Park wins)
1868 Constitution of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg comes into effect
1871 President Grant suspends writ of habeas corpus
1894 Ohio national guard kills 3 lynchers while rescuing a black man
1899 Sutro railroad sold to Robert F Morrow for $215,000
1904 Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors
1906 Wilhelm Voigt, a 57-year-old German shoemaker, impersonates an army officer and leads an entire squad of soldiers to help him steal 4,000 marks.
1918 Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic
1919 Radio Corporation of America (RCA) created
1920 Chicago Bears (as Decatur Staleys) play 1st NFL game, win 7-0
1931 Al Capone convicted of tax evasion, sentenced to 11 years in prison
1933 Albert Einstein arrives in the US, a refugee from Nazi Germany
1934 "The Aldrich Family" premieres on radio
1935 Pacific Assoc of AAU votes not to participate in Berlin Olympics
1941 1st US destroyer (Kearney) torpedoed in WW II, off Iceland
1945 Juan Per¢n becomes dictator of Argentina
1954 Phila Eagle Adrian Burk passes for 7 touchdowns vs Wash (49-21)
1955 Lee Merriwether joins the Today Show panel
1956 England's 1st large scale nuclear power station opens
1957 Britain's Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip visit White House
1957 French author Albert Camus awarded Nobel Prize in Literature
1959 Queen Elizabeth is fined $140 for withdrawing her race horse
1961 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 33,100 m
1961 Battle of Paris -- police kill 210 Algerians who were protesting against police oppression and the curfew imposed against their community in Paris.
1961 NY Museum of Modern Art hung Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau" upside-down, It wasn't corrected until December 3rd
1962 Yanks beat Giants for 20th world championship
1964 Yanks fire Manager Yogi Berra
1967 Barbra Streisand stars on "Belle of 14th Street" special on CBS
1967 Memorial service for Brian Epstein at New London Synagogue
1967 Pete Knight in X-15 reaches 85 km
1967 The play "Hair" is 1st performed
1969 NY Nets move from Comack to Island Garden, Hempstead NY
1969 Plastic Ono Band's "Cold Turkey" is released in UK
1969 Soyuz 7 returns to Earth
1971 Pitts Pirates beat Balt Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 68th World Series
1972 1st time Islanders shut-out-5-0 vs Penguins
1973 5-mo oil embargo by Arab states against US & Netherlands begins
1974 NBA New Orleans Jazz begin a 28 game road losing streak
1974 Washington Capitals 1st NHL home victory, beating Chicago 4-3
1974 Oakland A's beat LA Dodgers, 4 games to 1 in 71st World Series, makes A's the only team other than Yanks to win 3 straight series
1975 UN passes resolution saying "Zionism is a form of racism"
1975 1st Space Shuttle main engine test at Natl Space Tech Labs, Miss
1977 Canada begins regular live TV coverage of Parliament
1977 West German commandos storm hijacked Lufthansa in Mogadishu, Somalia freeing all 86 hostages & killing 3 of the 4 hijackers
1978 NY Islanders start a streak of 23 undefeated games at home (15-0-8)
1978 NY Yankees beat Dodgers, 4 games to 2 in 75th World Series
1978 Pres Carter signs bill restoring Jefferson Davis citizenship
1978 Yanks win 22nd World Championship capping their great comeback year
1979 D Bautista of Mexico completes 20,000 m walk in record 1:20:06.8
1979 Mother Teresa of India, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1979 Pitts Pirates beat Balt Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 76th World Series
1983 STS-9 vehicle moves to Vandenberg AFB due to SRB nozzle problem
1985 Lou Pinella named Yankee manager
1986 US Senate approved immigration bill prohibiting hiring of illegal aliens & offered amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982
1987 1st lady Nancy Reagan undergoes a modified radical mastectomy
1987 1st World Series game in a covered stadium (Minnesota Metrodome) (World Series #84)
1988 31 reported dead as Ugandan jetliner crashes in fog near Rome
1988 Dallas Green replaces Lou Pinella as manager of the NY Yankees
1988 Lyndon LaRouche pleads innocent to fraud, conspiracy indictment(It's all a plot)
1988 Phillip Morris announces $11 Billion tender offer for Kraft
1988 Rockin Robin beats "Sensational" Sherri Martel for WWF women's title
1988 Traveling Wilbury's 1st release "Handle With Care"
1989 Earthquake in SF (6.9) cancels 3rd game of 86th World Series - kills 67
1991 News anchor Bree Walker Lampley files an FCC complaint that LA radio KFI-AM personally attacked her by discuss her having a disformed baby

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Haiti : Dessalines Day (1806)
Malawi : Mother's Day
Alaska : Alaska Day (1867) (Monday)
Gourmet Coffee Week (Day 3)
National Pet Peeve Week (Day 6)
Co-op Awareness Month.
National Applejack Month!!
National Sarcastics' Awareness Month

Religious Observances
Anglican : St Ethelred's Day
RC : St Hedwig
Ang, RC, Luth : Memorial of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, martyr
Old Catholic : Feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (now 10/16)

Religious History
1483 Pope Sixtus IV launched the Spanish Inquisition, placing it under joint direction of the Church and state. Tomas de Torquemada, 63, was appointed Grand Inquisitor in charge of removing Jews and Muslims from Spain.
1582 Birth of German scholar Johann Gerhard, most influential of the 17th century Lutheran theologians. His writings attained a European circulation second only to the Bible and Thomas a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ."
1651 French scientist Blaise Pascal wrote in a letter: 'Jesus Christ suffered and died to sanctify death and suffering; he has been all that was great, and all that was abject, in order to sanctify in himself all things except sin, and to be the model of every condition.'
1792 Birth of John Bowring, English statesman, linguist, merchant, theologian and author of the hymn, "In the Cross of Christ I Glory."
1812 In Washington Co., PA, the first of seven eventual conferences convened, leading ultimately to the founding in 1836 of the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides."

You might be an accountant if...
you deduct Exlax as "Moving expenses"

Murphys Law of the day...(Pudder's Laws)
1 Anything that begins well ends badly.
2 Anything that begins badly ends worse.

Astounding fact #81,674...
The Bronx, New York got its name from explorer Henry Bronk.