Willys MB / Ford GPW
Manufacturer	Willys, Ford
Production	640,000 standardized; 8,690 other (1941–1945)
Successor	Willys m38
Body style(s)	can be piled for shipping, plastic steering wheel (!), steel seats, hinged passenger front seat. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles Willys was the brand name used by the United States Automobile company Willys-Overland Motors best known for its production of military and civilian Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only Gauges: speedo 0 - 60mph, Temp 0 - 220F, Amp +30/-30A, Oil pressure, map light. Failsafe main light switch pushbutton (can't accidentally pull mainlights on), slitted War-time front parking lights.
Engine(s)	4-cyl. side valves, 134cu. in / 2199cc, 60 hp. Other: Oil Filter; oil filled mesh; 1 throat carburettor, manual choke, exhaust/intake at drivers side, intake heated via exhaust/bimetal ctrl spring; hand crank. Excellent starting. 6Volt DC-current generator, Failsafe automatic fuse.
Transmission(s)	3-speed + reverse t-84 transmission 2-speed t-18 transfer case; Transfer case2 selections: 2wd Hi , 4WD Hi, 4WD Lo
Wheelbase	80 inch / 203 cm leaf springs, shock absorbers in all 4; full hydraulic brakes in all 4; handbrake assembly at clutch affecting rear axle
Length	131 inch / 333 cm
Width	62 inch / 157,5 cm
Height	72 inch (183 cm) with top up reducible to 52 inch (132 cm)
Curb weight	1040kg
Fuel capacity	40L (tank under driver seat);(plus strap-on extra fuel canisters)
Related	Ford GPA 'Seep' Volkswagen Kübelwagen

The Willys MB US Army Jeep, along with the nearly identical Ford GPW, was manufactured from 1941 to 1945. In both road and rail Vehicles the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels Curb weight is the total Weight of a Vehicle with standard equipment all necessary operating Consumables (e The Ford GPA 'Seep' (or Seagoing Jeep) was an amphibious version of the WWII Ford GPW Jeep. The Volkswagen Kübelwagen (short for Kübelsitzwagen meaning bucket-seat car was a military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during Jeep is an Automobile Marque (and registered trademark of Chrysler. They are the iconic World War II Jeep. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Introduction

On its illuminating page on the Jeep's evolution, the offroader. com website states:

From humble origins -- a handful of prototypes built by three different manufacturers -- the Jeep 1/4-ton utility vehicle has evolved over the years into one of the most popular and versatile vehicles ever made. Named the "Universal Jeep" by Willys-Overland shortly after World War II, it's been used in combat and for desert racing, for rock crawling or daily driving . . . in short, if there's a road or trail anywhere in the world, chances are that sometime, somehow, a Jeep has driven over it. [. . . ]
The hero of World War II [. . . ] served in every theater of war, in every conceivable role, and with every Allied army. They were also given modifications including longer wheelbases, skis, armor plating, railway wheels, and weapons mounts of various types. This vehicle changed the way [people,] Americans [and foreigners] looked at the automobile and added a new word to our vocabulary: Jeep.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower himself listed the jeep as one of the most important tools that won the war. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general

History

Even though the world had seen wide-spread mechanisation of the military during World War I, and the US Army had already used 4x4 trucks in it, supplied by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. (FWD), by the time World War II was dawning, the United States Department of War were still seeking a standardized light cross-country and reconnaissance vehicle. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to This article is about the vehicle manufacturer See Four by four/Four-wheel drive (disambiguation for other uses World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch As tensions were heightening around the world in the late Thirties, the US Army put the word out to American automobile manufacturers to come up with suggestions to replace its existing, aging light motor vehicles, mostly motorcycles and sidecars but also some Ford Model T's. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a Motorcycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and also the Flivver) was an Automobile produced by Henry Ford 's Ford ^[1][2] This resulted in several prototypes being presented to army officials, like five Marmon-Herrington 4x4 Fords in 1937, and three Austin roadsters by American Bantam in 1938 (Fowler, 1993). Marmon-Herrington was a builder of Trucks Buses and Trolleybuses, best known for its All-wheel-drive conversions to other truck maker's units The American Austin Car Company was a United States Automobile manufacturing Corporation tied to the British Austin Motor Company. However, the US Army's requirements were not formalised until July 11, 1940, when 135 U. S. automotive manufacturers were approached to submit a design conforming to their specifications, for a vehicle the World War II training manual TM 9-803 described as ". A Training Manual is a Book or Booklet of instructions designed to improve the quality of a performed task . . a general purpose, personnel, or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command, and designated as 1/4-ton 4x4 Truck. "

Marmon-Herrington converted Ford 1/2 ton truck, sometimes called the "Grandfather of the Jeep"

By now the war was underway in Europe so the rush was on and the Army's tender was quite demanding. Company's bids were to be received by July 22 (just eleven days later). They were given 49 days to submit their first prototype, and 75 days for completion of 70 required test vehicles. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category The Army's Ordnance Technical Committee specifications were equally demanding: the vehicle would be four-wheel drive, have a crew of three, on a wheelbase of no more than 75 (later 80) inches and tracks no more than 47 inches, a fold-down windshield, 660 lb payload and be powered by an engine capable of 85 ft·lbf (115 N·m) of torque. Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to The most daunting demand however was an empty weight of no more than 1300 lb (590 kg).

Only three companies entered: American Bantam Car Company, Ford Motor Company and Willys-Overland Motors. The American Austin Car Company was a United States Automobile manufacturing Corporation tied to the British Austin Motor Company. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Willys was the brand name used by the United States Automobile company Willys-Overland Motors best known for its production of military and civilian Though Willys-Overland were the low bidder, Bantam received the bid, being the only company committing to deliver a pilot model in 49 days and production examples in 75. Under the leadership of designer Karl Probst, Bantam built their first prototype, dubbed the Blitz Buggy (and in retrospect "Old Number One"), and delivered it to the Army vehicle test center at Camp Holabird, Maryland on September 23, 1940. Karl Probst (born 1*** was an American Freelance Engineer and an Automotive pioneer who is credited with the design of the Jeep in This presented Army officials with the first of what would eventually evolve into the World War II US Army Jeeps: the Willys MB and Ford GPW. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The Bantam no. 1 'Blitz Buggy'.

Since Bantam did not have the production capacity or fiscal stability to deliver on the scale needed by the War Department, the two losing bidders, Ford and Willys, were encouraged to complete their own pilot models for testing. The contract for the new reconnaissance car was to be determined by trials. As testing of the Bantam prototype took place from September 27 to October 16, Ford and Willys technical representatives present at Holabird were given ample opportunity to study the vehicle's performance. Moreover, in order to expedite production, the War Department forwarded the Bantam blueprints to Ford and Willys, claiming the government owned the design. Bantam did not dispute due to its precarious financial situation. By November 1940 Ford and Willys each submitted prototypes to compete with the Bantam in the Army's trials. The pilot models, the Willys Quad and the Ford Pygmy, turned out very similar to each other and were joined in testing by Bantam's entry, now evolved into a Mark II called the BRC 60. By then the US and its armed forces were already under such pressure, that all three cars were declared acceptable and orders for 1500 units per company were given, for field testing. At this time it was acknowledged the original weight limit (which Bantam had ignored) was unrealistic, and it was raised to 2160 lb (980 kg).

For these respective pre-production runs, each vehicle received revisions and a new name. Bantam's became the BRC 40, and the company ceased motor vehicle production after the last one was built in December of 1941. After losing 240 lb, Willys' changed the designation to "MA" for "Military" model "A". The Fords went into production as "GP", with "G" for a "Government" type contract and "P" commonly used by Ford to designate any passenger car with a wheelbase of 80 inches. In both road and rail Vehicles the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels ^[3]

Willys MA jeep at the Desert Training Center, Indio, CA, June 1942

By July 1941, the War Department desired to standardize and decided to select a single manufacturer to supply them with the next order for another 16,000 vehicles. Willys won the contract mostly due to its more powerful engine (the "Go Devil") which soldiers raved about, and its lower cost and silhouette. The Willys L134 (nicknamed Go Devil) was a Straight-4 automobile engine made famous in the Jeep produced in World War II. A silhouette is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior with the silhouette usually being black Whatever better design features the Bantam and Ford entries had were then incorporated into the Willys car, moving it from an "A" designation to "B", thus the "MB" nomenclature. For example, if the gasoline tank was directly beneath the driver's seat, combining the two main target areas into one, it would lessen the chance of a catastrophic hit.

By October 1941, it became apparent Willys-Overland could not keep up with production demand and Ford was contracted to produce them as well. The Ford car was then designated GPW, with the "W" referring to the "Willys" licensed design. During World War II, Willys produced 363,000 Jeeps and Ford some 280,000. Approximately 51,000 were exported to Russia under the Lend-Lease program. Lend-Lease (Public Law 77-11 was the name of the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union,

A further 13,000 (roughly) amphibian jeeps were built by Ford under the name GPA (nicknamed 'Seep' for Sea Jeep). The Ford GPA 'Seep' (or Seagoing Jeep) was an amphibious version of the WWII Ford GPW Jeep. Inspired by the larger DUKW, the vehicle was produced too quickly and proved to be too heavy, too unwieldy, and of insufficient freeboard. The DUKW (popularly pronounced "duck") is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by General Motors Corporation during World War II Freeboard or FREEBOARD may refer to Sporting Goods. The six-wheeled skateboard which acts like a snowboard (on pavement In spite of participating successfully in the Sicily landings (September 1943) most GPAs were routed to Russia under the Lend-Lease program. The Russians were sufficiently pleased with its ability to cross rivers to develop their own version of it after the war.

Origin of the term "jeep"

One account of the origin of the term "jeep" begins when the prototypes were being proven at military bases. The term "jeep" was used by soldiers for any untried or untested piece of personnel or equipment. In early 1941, Willys-Overland staged a press event in Washington, D. C. , having the car demonstrate its prowess by driving up the Capitol steps. Irving "Red" Hausmann, a test driver on the Willys development team, who had accompanied the car for its testing at Camp Holabird, had heard soldiers there referring to it as a jeep. He was enlisted to go to the event and give a demonstration ride to a group of dignitaries, including Katherine Hillyer, a reporter for the Washington Daily News. When asked by the reporter, Hausmann too called it a Jeep. Hillyer's article appeared in the newspaper on February 20, 1941, with a photo showing a jeep going up the Capitol steps and a caption including the term 'jeep'. This is believed to be the most likely cause of the term being fixed in public awareness. Even though Hausmann did not create or invent the word Jeep, he very well could be the one most responsible for its first news media usage.
For more theories about origins of the word "jeep", see the origin of the term "jeep". Jeep is an Automobile Marque (and registered trademark of Chrysler.

Photostat facsimile of the 1941 article

Photostat facsimile of Red Hausmann's jeep being demonstrated for the reporter

Willys MB (US Army)]]

Grille

Willys made its first 25,000 MB Jeeps with a welded flat iron "slat" radiator grille. It was Ford who first designed and implemented the now familiar and distinctive stamped, slotted steel grille into its cars, which was lighter, used fewer resources, and was less costly to produce. Along with many other design features innovated by Ford, this was adopted by Willys and implemented into the standard WW II Jeep by April 1942.

Even today, some 65 years later, Jeep's makers proudly retain the historical connection to the visage of their ancestors by using a trademarked grille featuring a standard number of vertical openings or 'slots'. Jeep is an Automobile Marque (and registered trademark of Chrysler. However, in order to be able to get theirs trademarked, Willys gave their post-war jeeps seven slots instead of Ford's nine-slot design. Through a long path of corporate take-overs and the like, AM General Corporation ended up with the rights to use the seven-slot grille as well, which they in turn extended to General Motors when they sold GM the rights to the Hummer name in 1999. AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend Indiana, best known for the civilian General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Hummer is a Brand of Off-road vehicles sold by General Motors, also known as GM

Post-war

Dutch Army M38A1

After the war, Ford had no further interest in producing jeeps, but Willys took its four-wheel drive marvel to the public with its CJ (Civilian Jeep) versions, making these some of the first mass-produced 4x4 civilian vehicles ever. Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to The Jeep CJ (or Civilian Jeep) was a commercial version of the famous Military Jeep from World War II.

The first CJs were essentially the same as the MB, except for such alterations as powered windshield wipers, a tailgate (and therefore a side-mounted spare tire), a rear view mirror, and civilian lighting. Tailgate is an American English word denoting the door or 'gate' at the back of a wagon, Pickup truck, SUV or other similar type of Vehicle Also the civilian jeeps had amenities like naugahyde seats, chrome trim, and a variety of colors. Naugahyde (sometimes abbreviated to Nauga) is a well known and established Brand of Artificial leather ("pleather" made from Vinyl polymer Mechanically, a heftier T-90 transmission replaced the Willys' MB's T84 in order to appeal to the originally considered rural buyers demographic.

Before Willys-Overland company was absorbed into other companies over the years (currently called Jeep and part of Chrysler LLC), it supplied the War Department as well as friendly nations with military jeeps for several more decades. Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925

M606 in Colombia

In 1950, the first post-war jeep, the M38 (or MC), was launched, based on the 1949 CJ-3A. In 1953 it was quickly followed by the M38A1 (or MD), featuring an all new "round-fendered" body in order to clear the also new, taller, Willys Hurricane engine. The Willys F4-134 Hurricane was an Inline-4 Piston engine and powered the famous Jeep CJ in the CJ-3B CJ-5 and CJ-6 models This jeep would later be developed into the CJ-5 launched in 1955. Similarly, its ambulance version, the M170 (or MDA), featuring a 20-inch wheelbase stretch, was later turned into the civilian CJ-6.

Before the CJ-5, Willys offered the public a cheaper alternative with the taller F-head engine in the form of the CJ-3B, a CJ-3A body with a taller hood. This was quickly turned into the M606 jeep (mostly used for export, through 1968) by equipping it with the available heavy-duty options such as larger tires and springs, and by adding black-out lighting, olive drab paint, and a trailer hitch. See also Green This article is about notable Tints and shades of the Color Green. After 1968, M606A2 and -A3 versions of the CJ-5 were created in a similar way for friendly foreign governments.

Licenses to produce CJ-3B's were issued to manufacturers in many different countries, and some (like Mahindra in India) continue to produce them in some form or another to this day. The French army for instance produced its willys MB by buying the Willys license to enable the manufacture of their Hotchkiss M201.
The WWII Jeep inspired many imitations. Creations from competing manufacturers such as Land Rover, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and a few others all owe their beginnings in the 4x4 world to the inspiration of the military Jeep. Land Rover is an all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV manufacturer based in Solihull, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles a full range of Motorcycles All-Terrain

The compact military jeep continued to be used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia In Korea, it was mostly deployed in the form of the M38, a direct descendant of the Willys MB. In Vietnam the most used jeep was the then newly designed Ford M151 MUTT, which featured such state-of-the-art technologies as a unibody construction and all around independent suspension with coil-springs. Apart from the mainstream of - by today's standards - relatively small jeeps, an even smaller vehicle was developed for the US Marines, suitable for airlifting and manhandling, the M422 'Mighty Mite'. The M422 'Mighty Mite' was designed by the Mid-American Research Corporation (MARCO as a light weight ¼-ton 4x4 tactical truck suitable for airlifting and manhandling

Eventually, the US military decided on a fundamentally different concept, choosing a much larger vehicle that would not only take over the role of the jeep, but would also replace all other light military wheeled vehicles, the HMMWV ("Humvee"). This article refers to the Military HMMWV not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled

In 1991, the Willys-Overland Jeep MB was designated an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Postwar Conversions

Starting in 1950, a Jeep-engined utility vehicle was produced by Autoar, and from 1951, a rather attractive new sedan appeared, using the same 2199cc Jeep engine and transmission. It was fitted with overdrive to compensate for the Jeep’s low axle ratio. In 1952, a new overhead valve 3-litre six-cylinder was announced, but was probably never built. At that time, Dusio returned to Italy. In the 1950s, production was sporadic, and models built included a station wagon with a Jeep-type 1901cc engine and licensed manufacture of the German NSU Prinz.

Production

Images

Bantam no. 1 Blitz Buggy	Bantam BRC 40	Ford GP	Willys MA
WWII-vintage slat grille	Ford's stamped steel grille design on a 1945 Willys	Willys MB Jeep 1945	WWII Jeep in the STEAM Museum, Swindon, GB
Willys jeep	Jeep with top up	The WWII jeep with M-100 trailer, Potsdam, Germany	Heavily armed US 3rd Infantry jeep, Newfoundland, 1942
Ford stamped logo on restored GPW 2007	Ford GPA Seep

Further reading

• The American Society of Mechanical Engineers: The JEEP MB, An International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, Jeep House, Toledo (Ohio) 1991, code H152 (No ISBN)
• Fowler, Will: Jeep Goes to War, Courage Books, Philadelphia (Pa) 1993, ISBN 1-56138-235-3

References

External links

• G503, WWII Jeeps, Willys MA, Willys MB, Ford GP, Ford GPW, Bantam BRC Message Forums
• The History of... Jeeps in Olive Drab - a History of the GI Jeep
• The Universal Jeep
• Willys Jeep Trucks
• Bantam jeep story
• Bantam jeep at 42fordgpw.com

See also

• Ford GPA Amphibious Jeep
• VW Type 82 Kübelwagen
• M151 MUTT 'Vietnam Jeep'
• M422 Mighty Mite