My dad served as an Army Sargeant in WWII. After the war he bought a war surplus Willys. He went into the auto repair business and used that Willys for road service. When he sold his business in the 80's, the Willys went with it. I remember when I was a kid my dad many times used it to pull out tree stumps at home. It was a 4 cylinder, but with the trans in lo range, that thing was strong.
And my grandpa got drunk and drove one off a bridge overseas in WW2 and came home in a body cast, true story! He was in the Army motor pool , he was a great mechanic when he was sober lol retired from AA after 30 years, miss you Grandpa Arthur “ Mickey “ Rosenthal RIP #godblessamerica and all the people who served! I also have an awesome picture of my late father in a beautiful military Jeep in 1962 in Panama during the missile crisis, he had no clue how to drive a manual but he said he drove those Jeeps no problem! RIP Dad , he was a true American patriot
My dad bought a civilian version in '62 that was suppose to have been built in'48. Had a wood body that was rotting, so my dad replaced it with a sheet metal body of his own design, and replaced the old rotten bumper with a heavy piece of u-channel iron or steel. With no insulation, just bare metal , this small beast was very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. My mom finally learned to drive in this thing and soon earned a reputation...Jane and HER jeep. Driving around in the winter in and near the small town of Gifford Illinois and over to Ratoul to go shopping and watch movies (don't remember if we ever made it to Champaign or not). One incident I remember, my mom, two younger sisters and I had gone town to do some basic shopping, beard, milk, eggs, and where going toward Main Street , when 'out of nowhere', a large sedan drove onto the side street clipping the bumper, leaving a deep gash in the left side of their car . The driver and occupants of the offending vehicle were all 'troubled rich teenagers'. The bumper was bent at about a 45 degree angle, my youngest sister June fell out the back when the tailgate popped open, but being well bundled for winter she and everyone else were fine. This eased the concern of the witnesses and other citizens. A tornado destroyed much of the town and city records in later years, so I may never learn of any consequences visited on those 'troubled rich teenagers'. I have very fond memories of my childhood, of that JEEP, and the small town of Gifford Illinois.
Back in about 1960-62 my family lived on American Samoa. I remember my dad buying a WW2 Navy surplus Jeep that had been left on the island after the war. Once when he needed a part he salvaged what he needed from another WW2 Jeep he found in the jungle. I have fond memories riding in the back of that Jeep as a small kid. As an adult I purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee and drove it for about 5 years until we were broad sided one day and the Jeep was totaled.
Excellent Documentary! I personally love the Willy’s MB , I had honor of being in the passenger seat of a 1944 Willy’s MB that was used in WW2 , we did some serious off-roading with that clapped out MB and she came back for more! Great #memories , that was at Rausch Creek PA with my friend John Rambo , I haven’t seen him in a while but he used to drive it all over Long Island etc , best vehicle ever made! Hate to say it but I would love to buy a ROXOR and put a MB grill on it , Easy modern MB , it would be Sweet!
One of the Best Machine that were produced, the JEEP was an astounding vehicle which could be used in any weather and Terrain. It was Rough, Tough and a Marvel of Engineering. I drove it when I was in the Indian Army. The three Engineering Marvels ever produced in the 40s 1. The Jeep 2. The Dakot 3. The Le Enfield Rifle. These three Marvels lasted right upto the 70s and beyond.
When I went into the Army in 1981, the Jeep was still in service, not being replaced by the HMMWV until 1983 and even then it was a fairly lengthy transition period. We were still driving jeeps in early 1985. It was totally no frills but at the same time was a tough and versatile vehicle that could do just about anything you asked it to do. Though it rocked a good bit, you could mount an M2 on the pintle. Needless to say it was very uncomfortable to have that beast of a machine gun firing over your head. With the snorkel kit installed you could cross streams that were waist deep. The HMMWV was a monumental leap in many ways but those of us who depended on them will always have a soft spot in our hearts for them. People talk of what their dream car would be, for me I would love to have a Jeep with the canvas cover.
I recall a old guy I spoke to was in the British Army in WW2 and after. he said in the desert post WW2, they used old, to be scrapped, Jeeps stacked 4 high as a compound perimeter wall. Hundreds of them.
Am helping in a restoration of a 42 Willys MB Its been to, as Audie Murphy would say, Hell and Back The T84 transmission and the Dana 20 transfer case, the go devil 134 (we're on engine #3) are all amazing even by todays standards I was taught so much about sheet metal work and how ingenious simplicity is There is a reason the jeep is so iconic
Dear Randy Purtteman, you are so right, I'm born 1941, living in area Mannheim-Heidelberg -(US-Army-HQ's-7th-Army-Europe) here has been +- 70-Thousands GI's - w/families -Housing; This corner w/US-Kaiserslautern, are full Depots of Vehicles, tanks ,trucks, Jeeps I was Jeep Enthusiast. 1972 - bought through US-Army-friend (surplus-car a M38A1 and M170-Ambulance, and M37, = best and popular car the M38A1 all over western countries. Than came to US-Army the M151A1, many many times i heard about accidents with the *Mutt-M151A1, then on the road - did see - own eyes, many many terrible accidents, most in curves, *Boys (Army-Jargon) younger as I am (was). As I heard again and again bad ass M151A1- no way for drive stopp. In memory this sad tragedies, I agree - what you say. Later came chevy M1009, and the * popular -(??) Humvee M998. Now as I read is = * Tacom - as think tank, with the Ideas a *Renaissance = for smaller -vehicles, like *Wrangler-size(s, ) away also from MRAPS etc. too big and heavy for normal ways, and hills Thank You Very much, for your Publikation, Gentleman, may I wish .You health and luck, would be glad, see more Videos, Informations from You, God Bless Amerika, Greetings from Germany,
My grate grandpa drove a Willies Jeep in Naples Italy during WWII and he sed it was the funniest car he ever drove and I'm driving one today to remember him :)
My Dad built one right after war in France. He went to the junk yard and pulled parts out of the junkyards with the battle damaged beyond economical repair Jeeps. He had no way to keep people from stealing it. He got a chain from his tank and chained it to làmp post in Paris when he went out on the town.
Great video. My dad was a T/Sgt. in WWII and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He was responsible for maintaining Jeeps and other vehicles. As a family we've all owned at least one Jeep and in some cases several.
Great video, it is hilarious the clip used at 17:45 is when the narrator says “exceptional performance” as the driver is getting thrown around in the vehicle.
Right out of H.S. in '74 I bought a 1948 Willys with a cheap plow to make some money over the winter. Had the most fun for the short 6 months I owned it before the original motor blew up. Bought for $500, made $1300 snowplowing and sold the remains for $250. My love affair continued later with an '81 Scrambler and a '93 YJ Wrangler. Still love to have a CJ5 before I leave this earth.
My buddy bought one in bad shape and we've been restoring it The drive train is going back to factory, but the decision is to only bring the body back to how it would have looked after VE day in 45 (beat, used and dented) so that we can still take it to thw bogs and not feel bad about making it do jeep things
My grandson ask me what my favorite automobile of all time is, I am 84, I told him the WWll Willys jeep. He looked at me like, Huh. I brought out my several models of this vehicle I have. I told him it is the personification of genius.
While Ford did put Fs all over the GP, it was his way of rebelling AFTER he got scolded for making changes to the original design. Making them incompatible with the other two. He thought his way was better when he didn't even bother to create something to begin with. The ONLY reason Ford even got the plans in the first place was their manufacturing capabilities.
My dad said after the war you couldn't buy a car so he bought a surplus Jeep new in a create and had to put it together . He said the worst thing was cleaning all the preservative they had sprayed all over it. Dad had been in the Army and mom was a WAC .
I currently own a 1949 Willys Cj-3a and a 1970 Kaiser Cj-5.... Grew up huntin out of Jeeps, and watchin my Dad drag race the 70 Kaiser at Pismo Beach in the early 80's....I'll never be without a Jeep sittin in my driveway, or without my 74 Ford Bronco....best 4 wheel drives ever created....
My Dad bought a 47 CJ2A new in Peoria Ill. I was born in 49, learned to drive in it at age 10, and still drive it today so I guess its been mine for at least 60 years and will go to my daughter. 37,000 miles and not babied just taken care of. Always been a Jeep guy. Now building a 75 cj5 Renagade and wife drives a lifted Liberty and loves it.
Thank you for this excellent film. Jeep, equally popular with all Allied service men. My Dad, [British, 21 Army Group] 'acquired' a Jeep. He said the Americans have lots, they won't miss one. He put his to good use while undertaking vital work. He claims the world record for turning a Jeep around, made on the day he and his sergeant drove into a Belgium village to a hero's welcome as the first Allied troops. He said, "on the other side of the place [square] were Germans sitting outside a cafe drinking coffee. Not his job." Hence his claim on a world record. He loved driving, loved his Jeep.
To this day, the local buses in the Philippines are extended frame Jeeps, some of them still ww2 vintage army surplus vehicles. They are called appropriately 'Jeepneys'.
My uncle had a willy's jeep and my family had Eisenhower Jeep. I learned how to drive with our valve-in-head when I was 16 years old. I was driving it haul passengers from the hinterlands of Sierra Madre and got me through college at the University of the Philippines.
hey, guys, jeeps always fascinate me. i just finished a 1964 Scout 80 from rust pot to nice and workable Scout that will tow my travelodge (teardrop). you can see this rust pot transformation video ( 1964 Scout 80 transformation) on youtube and the DIY camping trailer travelodge (teardrop) from the beginning. i had driven one when i was stationed in Bien Hoa AFB 1967-68 when a hometown boy dropped by to see me. he was stationed in Long Binh, bordered our base perimeter. thanks for your video. love all military stuff. retired UA jet engine overhaul technician.
Back in '68 I rented a WWII surplus Jeep for the summer from a friend. In the evenings after work I'd go find a girl and take her driving up and down the mountains of dirt piled up alongside the Dallas North Toll Road construction project. Girls were powerless to resist allure of that Jeep!
@Donna Jones Not sure what your issue is, but I was talking about having fun, not getting laid. As for my life's sexual activities, you needn't worry -- I've done OK. How about you, Donna?
I was born too late for WWII and by the time my war came along (Vietnam) the Army had replaced the Jeep with a vehicle so dangerous that the government made us cut them in two before we got rid of them. The Ford built M-151 MUTT and it really was a dog. Why some idiot replaced the Jeep with them I'll never know. Then, just before I retired they started issuing us the HUMVEE. Bigger than a house and so anaemic with that 6.2 liter diesel from GMC. I dont know which was worse. At least the HUMVEE didn't try and kill you every time you took a corner too fast. Now the replacement for the HUMVEE is coming out as big as a small tank. Someone sure lost the concept along the way.
War Effort IS What Got US Through The War!!!......When People Pull Together, Amazing Things Happen!!! The Jeep IS Part of American History!!!.......It was The Start of The SUV One Sees On The Roads Today!!!!
I had been a fan of automotive history for 40+ years before I found out “Willys” is pronounced “Willis”. I felt like I had been lied to all these years.
Very few people know the windshield folded down to meet a height requirement. This was so that they could be stacked on ships. However, the windshield wipers were very temperamental...
So glad I finally got my own Jeep. Not sure I like where the brand is going with the JL, but I do love my JKU. Would loooooove a CJ or ROXOR tho to go with it.
Desert Magazine, August 1941, Letters to the Editor: "Perfect Desert Car . . . Fort Ord, California Dear Mr. Henderson: Have noticed several comments in recent copies of Desert on the need of a more satisfactory car for desert jaunts. The most recent one suggested shorter wheel-base and wider tires. I would like to suggest that the new "Jeep" or "Jitterbug" the army has adopted is the most practicable I have yet seen or heard of in either new or antique vehicles. It has a very short wheel-base, balloon tires, four-wheel drive when needed, a very powerful motor for its size and weight, and is very low slung. Needless to say they are very homely, but what true Desert Rat cares for looks in a manmade article? These "Jeeps" are powerful enough to carry four people and pull a loaded trailer over very rough ground. The fourwheel drive, used only when the ground is slippery, muddy, sandy, etc., gives them plenty of traction to go innumerable places a standard car of any vintage will not go. This is a suggestion-not a sales talk. PVT. DAVID E. SMITH
The Army jeeps we used in 1979 were fords. A little smaller than the Willeys, shaped the same with a horizontal grill rather than the lateral Willeys grills. Very similar.
Actually, the Wehrmacht towed most of its artillery for the first years of WW2 with horses. And in Russia, horse pulled equipment was the ONLY way to move through the mud of the Russian spring.
Spent two tours in the back seat of a Hummvee inBaghdad. The A/C didn’t work in any of the ones I ever rode in. Not the most comfortable place in the summer.
Funny that this video was on the sidebar...I had just seen an article on the increasing demand of Jeep vehicles as a result of the corona virus impact on forcing people to stay indoors...and it was not an advertisement...I had a 75' CJ back in the early 80's...I had a great time in it offroad...but even as an in-shape 20 year old, it was not kind to my back...
Always wanted a flat fender model. Have had several CJ5s. They are close to the same feel. I now have a 55 Willy's CJ5 , I think that a flat fender C3 was an option in 55 , so that's probably as close as I will get. Also have an 1980.AMC CJ5 with power steering and 3 speed and 4th overdrive with an Iron Duke 4 banger sitting behind the radiator. It's very pleasurable to drive all day , except having to get in and out a bunch of times when you're as tall and long legged as me . I would love to have a new 4 door Jeep truck that they have recently came out with. I've looked them over and they are built really strong like older trucks use to be built. But they are not Jeeps at all. Nor is any of these new Jeeps. They are really big , heavy SUVs that kinda have a similar siloette of an old Jeep. But I'd still take one if they gave them away with a Mexican meal.
It's too bad they don't build Jeeps like the old WW2 Jeeps anymore. Can you imagine the repair nightmares with all the computer crap of today's vehicles if the old Jeeps were as complicated? I use to have a 1970 F100 that I was restoring. I got it so I could drive it and was using it as a work truck. Then, like a fool, I sold it. Many a time I wish I still had it. 😩
Speaking of accumulating the best parts, on the back, there is a Jerry can, the standard German fuel canister, because it was actually better than the American version.
3:20 In Finland, horses was very practical in war transportations. Terrain was too soft and woody for trucks. Horses can swim and in summertime food is everywhere. Friendly and liable horse is good for moral.
I see a daily use mid 1960's Gladiator, and a Willys Jeep single cab pickup. Both RHD, and this is in Brisbane, Australia. Can't be many of them around. Not sure if they ever sold here, or RHD converted imports.
I worked at Willys after I graduated from high school in 1951 for several months before I went to college I worked on the assembly line putting head lights in the front end body assembly. I later drove a jeep when I was stationed at Fort Brag, NCI had several relatives including my dad who worked there before and during WW2.
I once read that General Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (among his many commands) attributed much of the success of the Allied Forces in WWII to 3 pieces of equipment, namely, the Jeep, the DC-3 aircraft and the amphibious transport, the DUKW.
I also had a 79 CJ-5. Bought it fresh out of high school. It was the first of many Jeeps, and I haven't been without at least one ever since. My current Jeep is a 2004 TJ Rubicon. I remember my wife cringing when I started chopping off the fenders about two weeks after I bought it. To this day, it's the only vehicle that gets kept in the garage
Many jeeps were used as tractors right after WW2 as I think some were fitted with PTO's and as surplus they were dirt cheap. 4x4 with a low gear it worked fine as a sort of interim tractor until peacetime production caught up with demand. Someone told me the Oliver tractor company was started with spare jeep parts they built a tractor out of.
some of the willy jeep design was transferred to the Scout 1960 to 1969. you can see my 1964 Scout i show on youtube. this is as near a jeep and it does drive like a jeep. if you like, go to my youtube video 1964 SCOUT 80 transformation and another video is DIY CAMPING TRAILER.
@@mistamycall Because it is the original Jeep and it had many features I like. Of course some aspects of it could be upgraded such as installing a 2 liter V6 engine instead of the Go Devil inline 4 and a 4 speed transmission instead of the 3 speed, but the size and appearance of the vehicle would remain the same. The modern rendition of the Jeep is approaching twice the size of the original and is no longer a vehicle that has character. I don't think the modern Jeep is as fun to drive.
in the Philippines, they have idolized the jeep. by making JEEPNEY out of old wwII jeeps. today they use truck chassis and form a body jeep type around it. everywhere in the philippines you will find jeepneys
There is a company there in the Philippines that produces reproduction jeep bodies to help keep the jeepneys in shape. A person can get one of them for a few thousand dollars, plus shipping. Add a chassis and running gear and you've got your own jeep.
I've considered it sacreligious to refer to a Jeep (WWII Jeep, CJ or Wrangler) as an SUV ever since I heard that the Army solicited bids for a Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV). The only "real Jeep" with my name on the paperwork was a '99 TJ. We drove it from '99 to '08 when our daughter wrecked it. I often thought about designing a tire cover to read "It's an LRV, not an SUV" but I never did.
I miss my Jeep Cherokee. Had it over 10 years, drove it across the US 7 times, racked up close to 300K miles......but had to get rid of it because bits and pieces were going wrong/ breaking on a routine basis. Good vehicle though.
@@bustersmith5569 Yes I did. So I didn't mind the occasional repair costs and rising gas prices. But, as it got older and racked up more miles, it just got more broke....kinda like me
Morgan Smiley lol I hear yeah !! But I love my jeeps,, always had At least 3,, sounds like you got a lot of miles out of the old girl !! But they really seem to hold there value still to this day keep prices are crazy !! 🤔
i read moshe dayans autobiography where as a young officer in their (israel) war of independence, leading his convoy of machine gun mounted jeeps all around trans-jordan (now jordan) basically as mechanized cavalry. His technique was basically "drive by shooting". He knew he had 20 machine guns on his twenty jeeps but also knew that they were all unarmored. So they rode as a convoy until they came upon a jordanian base/outpost/unit then let loose with all his machine guns simultaneously and without stopping. And without stopping AT ALL, move on to the next target and repeat the process.. In this way he "liberated" vast areas of jordan..
I love my Jeeps but they weren't the 1st 4x4. They were put out (like Model T) into the hands of soldiers ironically by Ford. That mass exposure of its capabilities is what made them popular.
There's a video on YT showing how they waterproofed the Jeeps back in the day. Which was a barehanded man, applying a clay/play dough like substance, made from asbestos, to all vulnerable parts. I was watching like 😱🤦♂️, knowing what we now know about asbestos.
It's Okay, that was BEFORE Asbestos was bad for you but worked better on drum brakes, and lead paint stuck better and lasted longer than low V.O.C. latex; but I'm just an old man who can't figure out how my car red paint's lasted 8 years without lead, what do I know?
could someone offer their opinion. In the 1960's, in Arizona, a high school buddy's father collected cars. Among others in the garage he had a 1960's Corvair with the turbocharged Spyder engine, a brand new '63 Split window Corvette, a beat up Dodge Power-Wagon being restored and a beat up WWII era Jeep. This is 60 years ago, recalling details is a little sketchy and although everyone wanted me to be impressed with the PowerWagon my attention was focused on the Corvette. I simply walked past the Jeep and noticed a large bullet hole in the body near the door opening. The body at that location was not sheet metal, the “bullet” hole edge had extruded out like a typical tank armor hit. The hole might have been bigger than my thumb, but I was pretty skinny back then. I inspected the bullet hole and I guessed the body appeared to be about 1/2 or 3/4" thick. Hard to tell. The father told us that the metal was aluminum and I thought at the time for reduced weight. But at the time I was puzzled “if they were trying to reduce weight why so thick?” Now I am thinking that it might have been Dural that was also used in aircraft armor. Possibly the armor was on the bottom and wrapped around the bottom of the side panels? Like I said, the aqua blue colored Corvette had my attention and I did not do much investigating. Did Willys or Ford produce an armored version? Was it common? Rare? Was an armored version intended for special people? i.e. did Patton have one? I doubt that this jeep saw combat. The Jeeps were probably left to rot in Europe and few if any made it back state side. I don’t know. Maybe it was a factory one-of experimental mockup with a test shot? Any thoughts on this?
From its birthplace in Ohio and Michican unto the mud and snow of Europe through the sand of North Africa unto the jungles of Burma and Kohima springing unto the far Pacific of the Quada Canal It came it saw it conquered and in 2021 one could still see them on streets running with feats their performance unquestionable in this world of stiff technical competition and the Jeep is a work horse in War and Peace a reminiscence of its saddest part due to. War and happiest due to peace both glorious
Still driving my 1981 CJ5 with over 350,000 miles on it. It's got a 383 V8 (6.4 liter) in it now and it's a blast to drive! It just keeps getting more valuable now.
48:28 Trademark, not patent. BTW, in order to distinguish between the multi-manufacturer JEEP and the Willys JEEP, the Willy grille has only seven vertical slits.
Troy Hendrickson That’s one of the worst years for jeeps ever. From 2007 until maybe 2013 jeeps were extremely unreliable, and I definitely recommend never buying one from that time period.
My dad served as an Army Sargeant in WWII. After the war he bought a war surplus Willys. He went into the auto repair business and used that Willys for road service. When he sold his business in the 80's, the Willys went with it. I remember when I was a kid my dad many times used it to pull out tree stumps at home. It was a 4 cylinder, but with the trans in lo range, that thing was strong.
And my grandpa got drunk and drove one off a bridge overseas in WW2 and came home in a body cast, true story! He was in the Army motor pool , he was a great mechanic when he was sober lol retired from AA after 30 years, miss you Grandpa Arthur “ Mickey “ Rosenthal RIP #godblessamerica and all the people who served! I also have an awesome picture of my late father in a beautiful military Jeep in 1962 in Panama during the missile crisis, he had no clue how to drive a manual but he said he drove those Jeeps no problem! RIP Dad , he was a true American patriot
AA…
I drove a jeep for Co C 1-508 Abn. Inf. at Fort Bragg from 1977 to 1981 , thanks for history lesson bringing back the good memories.
My dad bought a civilian version in '62 that was suppose to have been built in'48. Had a wood body that was rotting, so my dad replaced it with a sheet metal body of his own design, and replaced the old rotten bumper with a heavy piece of u-channel iron or steel. With no insulation, just bare metal , this small beast was very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer.
My mom finally learned to drive in this thing and soon earned a reputation...Jane and HER jeep. Driving around in the winter in and near the small town of Gifford Illinois and over to Ratoul to go shopping and watch movies (don't remember if we ever made it to Champaign or not).
One incident I remember, my mom, two younger sisters and I had gone town to do some basic shopping, beard, milk, eggs, and where going toward Main Street , when 'out of nowhere', a large sedan drove onto the side street clipping the bumper, leaving a deep gash in the left side of their car . The driver and occupants of the offending vehicle were all 'troubled rich teenagers'.
The bumper was bent at about a 45 degree angle, my youngest sister June fell out the back when the tailgate popped open, but being well bundled for winter she and everyone else were fine. This eased the concern of the witnesses and other citizens.
A tornado destroyed much of the town and city records in later years, so I may never learn of any consequences visited on those 'troubled rich teenagers'.
I have very fond memories of my childhood, of that JEEP, and the small town of Gifford Illinois.
Back in about 1960-62 my family lived on American Samoa. I remember my dad buying a WW2 Navy surplus Jeep that had been left on the island after the war. Once when he needed a part he salvaged what he needed from another WW2 Jeep he found in the jungle. I have fond memories riding in the back of that Jeep as a small kid. As an adult I purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee and drove it for about 5 years until we were broad sided one day and the Jeep was totaled.
Excellent Documentary! I personally love the Willy’s MB , I had honor of being in the passenger seat of a 1944 Willy’s MB that was used in WW2 , we did some serious off-roading with that clapped out MB and she came back for more! Great #memories , that was at Rausch Creek PA with my friend John Rambo , I haven’t seen him in a while but he used to drive it all over Long Island etc , best vehicle ever made! Hate to say it but I would love to buy a ROXOR and put a MB grill on it , Easy modern MB , it would be Sweet!
One of the Best Machine that were produced, the JEEP was an astounding vehicle which could be used in any weather and Terrain. It was Rough, Tough and a Marvel of Engineering. I drove it when I was in the Indian Army.
The three Engineering Marvels ever produced in the 40s
1. The Jeep
2. The Dakot
3. The Le Enfield Rifle.
These three Marvels lasted right upto the 70s and beyond.
When I went into the Army in 1981, the Jeep was still in service, not being replaced by the HMMWV until 1983 and even then it was a fairly lengthy transition period. We were still driving jeeps in early 1985. It was totally no frills but at the same time was a tough and versatile vehicle that could do just about anything you asked it to do. Though it rocked a good bit, you could mount an M2 on the pintle. Needless to say it was very uncomfortable to have that beast of a machine gun firing over your head. With the snorkel kit installed you could cross streams that were waist deep. The HMMWV was a monumental leap in many ways but those of us who depended on them will always have a soft spot in our hearts for them. People talk of what their dream car would be, for me I would love to have a Jeep with the canvas cover.
I recall a old guy I spoke to was in the British Army in WW2 and after. he said in the desert post WW2, they used old, to be scrapped, Jeeps stacked 4 high as a compound perimeter wall. Hundreds of them.
43:00 "It is America on wheels." Perfect.
Am helping in a restoration of a 42 Willys MB
Its been to, as Audie Murphy would say, Hell and Back
The T84 transmission and the Dana 20 transfer case, the go devil 134 (we're on engine #3) are all amazing even by todays standards
I was taught so much about sheet metal work and how ingenious simplicity is
There is a reason the jeep is so iconic
Still loving my CJ2-A, original green w/yellow wheels and manual passenger side wiper.
My late Dad favourite vehicle of all time. He got the manual book, sadly he never got to own one.
He passed away before I could treat him.
Dear Randy Purtteman, you are so right, I'm born 1941, living in area
Mannheim-Heidelberg -(US-Army-HQ's-7th-Army-Europe) here has been
+- 70-Thousands GI's - w/families -Housing; This corner w/US-Kaiserslautern, are full Depots of Vehicles, tanks ,trucks, Jeeps
I was Jeep Enthusiast. 1972 - bought through US-Army-friend (surplus-car a M38A1
and M170-Ambulance, and M37, = best and popular car the M38A1 all over
western countries. Than came to US-Army the M151A1, many many times i heard about accidents with the *Mutt-M151A1, then on the road -
did see - own eyes, many many terrible accidents, most in curves, *Boys (Army-Jargon) younger as I am (was). As I heard again and again
bad ass M151A1- no way for drive stopp. In memory this sad tragedies,
I agree - what you say. Later came chevy M1009, and the * popular -(??) Humvee M998. Now as I read is = * Tacom - as think tank, with the Ideas
a *Renaissance = for smaller -vehicles, like *Wrangler-size(s, ) away
also from MRAPS etc. too big and heavy for normal ways, and hills
Thank You Very much, for your Publikation,
Gentleman, may I wish .You health and luck, would be glad, see more
Videos, Informations from You, God Bless Amerika,
Greetings from Germany,
OOOOOh. Old skool doc! Authentic period vids/still pics, top notch narration, qualified experts. This is the shizzle, my nizzle.
My grate grandpa drove a Willies Jeep in Naples Italy during WWII and he sed it was the funniest car he ever drove and I'm driving one today to remember him :)
+Tartendymion 54 Very cool!
@phuck....Shut the hell up word police. stay in your own lane. You aint all that.
My Dad built one right after war in France. He went to the junk yard and pulled parts out of the junkyards with the battle damaged beyond economical repair Jeeps. He had no way to keep people from stealing it. He got a chain from his tank and chained it to làmp post in Paris when he went out on the town.
USS Iowa did he kill some fucking croutes ?
Steve St. martin
Id imagine.
Mine still runs well. I'm happy.
Great video. My dad was a T/Sgt. in WWII and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He was responsible for maintaining Jeeps and other vehicles. As a family we've all owned at least one Jeep and in some cases several.
Great video, it is hilarious the clip used at 17:45 is when the narrator says “exceptional performance” as the driver is getting thrown around in the vehicle.
That was very funny well noted
The driver looks like a cowboy on a bronc😂
I remember speeding on the back roads of Ft Hood and seeing the MPs sitting in their jeeps, they never bothered to come after us.
Right out of H.S. in '74 I bought a 1948 Willys with a cheap plow to make some money over the winter. Had the most fun for the short 6 months I owned it before the original motor blew up. Bought for $500, made $1300 snowplowing and sold the remains for $250. My love affair continued later with an '81 Scrambler and a '93 YJ Wrangler. Still love to have a CJ5 before I leave this earth.
Proud to have One of this Piece of History in Museumquality in my Garage
My buddy bought one in bad shape and we've been restoring it
The drive train is going back to factory, but the decision is to only bring the body back to how it would have looked after VE day in 45 (beat, used and dented) so that we can still take it to thw bogs and not feel bad about making it do jeep things
Do you drive it?
@@mistamycall yes, summer and winter
My grandson ask me what my favorite automobile of all time is, I am 84, I told him the WWll Willys jeep. He looked at me like, Huh. I brought out my several models of this vehicle I have. I told him it is the personification of genius.
A fine documentary - thanks for posting
While Ford did put Fs all over the GP, it was his way of rebelling AFTER he got scolded for making changes to the original design. Making them incompatible with the other two. He thought his way was better when he didn't even bother to create something to begin with. The ONLY reason Ford even got the plans in the first place was their manufacturing capabilities.
Ford really tries his hardest to make me not like him or his products lol. Mopar/Jeep forever!
@@AdolfTrumpler even by the Standards of the day, Henry was an SOB.
@@SGTJDerek Yes. Just ask his own son Edsel about the hole left in the ground next to company headquarters. Or the Rouge Plant. Or Fordlandia.
My dad said after the war you couldn't buy a car so he bought a surplus Jeep new in a create and had to put it together . He said the worst thing was cleaning all the preservative they had sprayed all over it. Dad had been in the Army and mom was a WAC .
I currently own a 1949 Willys Cj-3a and a 1970 Kaiser Cj-5.... Grew up huntin out of Jeeps, and watchin my Dad drag race the 70 Kaiser at Pismo Beach in the early 80's....I'll never be without a Jeep sittin in my driveway, or without my 74 Ford Bronco....best 4 wheel drives ever created....
I had a 66 Gladiator, had my first date in it. Best friend in high school, his dad had a Wilys we used to go four wheeling.
My Dad bought a 47 CJ2A new in Peoria Ill. I was born in 49, learned to drive in it at age 10, and still drive it today so I guess its been mine for at least 60 years and will go to my daughter. 37,000 miles and not babied just taken care of. Always been a Jeep guy. Now building a 75 cj5 Renagade and wife drives a lifted Liberty and loves it.
No fullsize jeeps ? You should buy one of mine..ive got too many
Cj5 is not a full sized jeep! Sold it but still have the CJ2A.@@lowbuckfabrication
Thank you for this excellent film.
Jeep, equally popular with all Allied service men.
My Dad, [British, 21 Army Group] 'acquired' a Jeep.
He said the Americans have lots, they won't miss one.
He put his to good use while undertaking vital work.
He claims the world record for turning a Jeep around, made on the day he and his sergeant drove into a Belgium village to a hero's welcome as the first Allied troops.
He said, "on the other side of the place [square] were Germans sitting outside a cafe drinking coffee.
Not his job."
Hence his claim on a world record.
He loved driving, loved his Jeep.
To this day, the local buses in the Philippines are extended frame Jeeps, some of them still ww2 vintage army surplus vehicles. They are called appropriately 'Jeepneys'.
My uncle had a willy's jeep and my family had Eisenhower Jeep. I learned how to drive with our valve-in-head when I was 16 years old. I was driving it haul passengers from the hinterlands of Sierra Madre and got me through college at the University of the Philippines.
43:31, This is a very true statement and it's exactly how I feel.
Simply put! I love them👍 my dad owned many of them he used around his farm after returning from ww2,. Great little buggy 👍✌️👌🌵
No buggy no no no no make it ww2 dont disrespect the soliger who drove it and the other jeep willys 🇺🇸 😒😢😡😠😤
Being that it's based on the Bantam Blitz Buggy and the historical use of the word buggy, I'd say it fits.
👍😉
Fascinating insight I love the history of the legendary Jeep
Nice vidéo, Jeep Willys forever, I have mine since 1976 !
hand operated windshield wiper?
gas gauge is a stick you put down the tank?
Yes hand operated windshield wiper and floating system for the gauge tank.
hey, guys, jeeps always fascinate me. i just finished a 1964 Scout 80 from rust pot to nice and workable Scout that will tow my travelodge (teardrop). you can see this rust pot transformation video ( 1964 Scout 80 transformation) on youtube and the DIY camping trailer travelodge (teardrop) from the beginning. i had driven one when i was stationed in Bien Hoa AFB 1967-68 when a hometown boy dropped by to see me. he was stationed in Long Binh, bordered our base perimeter. thanks for your video. love all military stuff. retired UA jet engine overhaul technician.
Back in '68 I rented a WWII surplus Jeep for the summer from a friend. In the evenings after work I'd go find a girl and take her driving up and down the mountains of dirt piled up alongside the Dallas North Toll Road construction project. Girls were powerless to resist allure of that Jeep!
@Donna Jones Not sure what your issue is, but I was talking about having fun, not getting laid. As for my life's sexual activities, you needn't worry -- I've done OK. How about you, Donna?
I was born too late for WWII and by the time my war came along (Vietnam) the Army had replaced the Jeep with a vehicle so dangerous that the government made us cut them in two before we got rid of them. The Ford built M-151 MUTT and it really was a dog. Why some idiot replaced the Jeep with them I'll never know. Then, just before I retired they started issuing us the HUMVEE. Bigger than a house and so anaemic with that 6.2 liter diesel from GMC. I dont know which was worse. At least the HUMVEE didn't try and kill you every time you took a corner too fast. Now the replacement for the HUMVEE is coming out as big as a small tank. Someone sure lost the concept along the way.
M151's are great rigs if you respect them
MrJeep75
In what context?
Cause someone who apparently used it during a war, in Vietnam, said it was shit.
@@yopappy6599 no there not I own one, everyone also said m715 are shit I own one if those too love them both
You poor man it must be so true that war is hell.
@@gkess7106 you guys are dumbasses
War Effort IS What Got US Through The War!!!......When People Pull Together, Amazing Things Happen!!!
The Jeep IS Part of American History!!!.......It was The Start of The SUV One Sees On The Roads Today!!!!
Great video.
I loved driving the old Jeep wished I had one of my own now .they was the perfect off road car.
Üüüüüüüüü PP üüüüüüü
I had been a fan of automotive history for 40+ years before I found out “Willys” is pronounced “Willis”. I felt like I had been lied to all these years.
Spent some of my best times in a CJ5
Very few people know the windshield folded down to meet a height requirement. This was so that they could be stacked on ships. However, the windshield wipers were very temperamental...
So glad I finally got my own Jeep. Not sure I like where the brand is going with the JL, but I do love my JKU. Would loooooove a CJ or ROXOR tho to go with it.
Jeeps are getting away from their rugged ultilirism they're becoming rich peoples toys.
Desert Magazine, August 1941, Letters to the Editor: "Perfect Desert Car . . .
Fort Ord, California
Dear Mr. Henderson:
Have noticed several comments in recent
copies of Desert on the need of a more satisfactory
car for desert jaunts. The most recent
one suggested shorter wheel-base and wider
tires.
I would like to suggest that the new "Jeep"
or "Jitterbug" the army has adopted is the most
practicable I have yet seen or heard of in either
new or antique vehicles. It has a very short
wheel-base, balloon tires, four-wheel drive
when needed, a very powerful motor for its
size and weight, and is very low slung.
Needless to say they are very homely, but
what true Desert Rat cares for looks in a manmade
article? These "Jeeps" are powerful
enough to carry four people and pull a loaded
trailer over very rough ground. The fourwheel
drive, used only when the ground is slippery,
muddy, sandy, etc., gives them plenty of
traction to go innumerable places a standard
car of any vintage will not go.
This is a suggestion-not a sales talk.
PVT. DAVID E. SMITH
This doc is really informative
Thanks for posting, really enjoyed this documentary on the origins of the jeep
We appreciate the comment, Thanks for watching!
The Army jeeps we used in 1979 were fords. A little smaller than the Willeys, shaped the same with a horizontal grill rather than the lateral Willeys grills. Very similar.
Great documentary!
+TrailRecon Thanks! Feel free to share with your friends and fans.
Love the Willys Jeep. Always have.
Actually, the Wehrmacht towed most of its artillery for the first years of WW2 with horses. And in Russia, horse pulled equipment was the ONLY way to move through the mud of the Russian spring.
Spent two tours in the back seat of a Hummvee inBaghdad. The A/C didn’t work in any of the ones I ever rode in. Not the most comfortable place in the summer.
Funny that this video was on the sidebar...I had just seen an article on the increasing demand of Jeep vehicles as a result of the corona virus impact on forcing people to stay indoors...and it was not an advertisement...I had a 75' CJ back in the early 80's...I had a great time in it offroad...but even as an in-shape 20 year old, it was not kind to my back...
Always wanted a flat fender model. Have had several CJ5s. They are close to the same feel. I now have a 55 Willy's CJ5 , I think that a flat fender C3 was an option in 55 , so that's probably as close as I will get. Also have an 1980.AMC CJ5 with power steering and 3 speed and 4th overdrive with an Iron Duke 4 banger sitting behind the radiator. It's very pleasurable to drive all day , except having to get in and out a bunch of times when you're as tall and long legged as me .
I would love to have a new 4 door Jeep truck that they have recently came out with. I've looked them over and they are built really strong like older trucks use to be built. But they are not Jeeps at all. Nor is any of these new Jeeps. They are really big , heavy SUVs that kinda have a similar siloette of an old Jeep. But I'd still take one if they gave them away with a Mexican meal.
I'll always keep a Jeep love my 2017 JK Rubicon
Jeep JK
just kidding
It's too bad they don't build Jeeps like the old WW2 Jeeps anymore. Can you imagine the repair nightmares with all the computer crap of today's vehicles if the old Jeeps were as complicated? I use to have a 1970 F100 that I was restoring. I got it so I could drive it and was using it as a work truck. Then, like a fool, I sold it. Many a time I wish I still had it. 😩
Speaking of accumulating the best parts, on the back, there is a Jerry can, the standard German fuel canister, because it was actually better than the American version.
3:20 In Finland, horses was very practical in war transportations. Terrain was too soft and woody for trucks. Horses can swim and in summertime food is everywhere. Friendly and liable horse is good for moral.
"Just Essential Equipment and Parts" JEEP
"Just Empty Every Pocket"
JEEP
Andrea, that applies to old Jeeps.
Yo Pappy, that applies to new Jeeps.
I see a daily use mid 1960's Gladiator, and a Willys Jeep single cab pickup. Both RHD, and this is in Brisbane, Australia. Can't be many of them around. Not sure if they ever sold here, or RHD converted imports.
Very cool doco
Very interesting
I worked at Willys after I graduated from high school in 1951 for several months before I went to college I worked on the assembly line putting head lights in the front end body assembly. I later drove a jeep when I was stationed at Fort Brag, NCI had several relatives including my dad who worked there before and during WW2.
I once read that General Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (among his many commands) attributed much of the success of the Allied Forces in WWII to 3 pieces of equipment, namely, the Jeep, the DC-3 aircraft and the amphibious transport, the DUKW.
Just Enough Essential Parts,
47:10, Amen Ernie, rest in peace.
There was a General Purpose Carrier for aerial support of convoys, the GP or jeep carrier.
2:05 Looks like and old F-150 that I had. The fog-O-matic.
I had a 79 CJ-5...Funnest vehicle I've owned. Went anywhere.
I also had a 79 CJ-5. Bought it fresh out of high school. It was the first of many Jeeps, and I haven't been without at least one ever since. My current Jeep is a 2004 TJ Rubicon. I remember my wife cringing when I started chopping off the fenders about two weeks after I bought it. To this day, it's the only vehicle that gets kept in the garage
Many jeeps were used as tractors right after WW2 as I think some were fitted with PTO's and as surplus they were dirt cheap. 4x4 with a low gear it worked fine as a sort of interim tractor until peacetime production caught up with demand. Someone told me the Oliver tractor company was started with spare jeep parts they built a tractor out of.
some of the willy jeep design was transferred to the Scout 1960 to 1969. you can see my 1964 Scout i show on youtube. this is as near a jeep and it does drive like a jeep. if you like, go to my youtube video 1964 SCOUT 80 transformation and another video is DIY CAMPING TRAILER.
Some one pulling your leg about Oliver as they were around before Jeep.
Just Enough Economical Parts = JEEP!
Jump Elatelly Every Path
Just empty every pocket
Greg Schneider, Not with the 4.0 and 4.2 straight 6...
I would like to see the MB model produced again.
Why?
@@mistamycall Because it is the original Jeep and it had many features I like. Of course some aspects of it could be upgraded such as installing a 2 liter V6 engine instead of the Go Devil inline 4 and a 4 speed transmission instead of the 3 speed, but the size and appearance of the vehicle would remain the same. The modern rendition of the Jeep is approaching twice the size of the original and is no longer a vehicle that has character. I don't think the modern Jeep is as fun to drive.
in the Philippines, they have idolized the jeep. by making JEEPNEY out of old wwII jeeps. today they use truck chassis and form a body jeep type around it. everywhere in the philippines you will find jeepneys
There is a company there in the Philippines that produces reproduction jeep bodies to help keep the jeepneys in shape. A person can get one of them for a few thousand dollars, plus shipping. Add a chassis and running gear and you've got your own jeep.
this makes me want to get a Jeep just because of the history alone
I've considered it sacreligious to refer to a Jeep (WWII Jeep, CJ or Wrangler) as an SUV ever since I heard that the Army solicited bids for a Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV). The only "real Jeep" with my name on the paperwork was a '99 TJ. We drove it from '99 to '08 when our daughter wrecked it. I often thought about designing a tire cover to read "It's an LRV, not an SUV" but I never did.
I miss my Jeep Cherokee. Had it over 10 years, drove it across the US 7 times, racked up close to 300K miles......but had to get rid of it because bits and pieces were going wrong/ breaking on a routine basis. Good vehicle though.
Morgan Smiley did you ever pay it off ?? LoL,,,,
@@bustersmith5569 Yes I did. So I didn't mind the occasional repair costs and rising gas prices. But, as it got older and racked up more miles, it just got more broke....kinda like me
Morgan Smiley lol I hear yeah !! But I love my jeeps,, always had At least 3,, sounds like you got a lot of miles out of the old girl !! But they really seem to hold there value still to this day keep prices are crazy !! 🤔
Number one on the road
35:10 Thunderbirds are GO!
i read moshe dayans autobiography where as a young officer in their (israel) war of independence, leading his convoy of machine gun mounted jeeps all around trans-jordan (now jordan) basically as mechanized cavalry.
His technique was basically "drive by shooting". He knew he had 20 machine guns on his twenty jeeps but also knew that they were all unarmored.
So they rode as a convoy until they came upon a jordanian base/outpost/unit then let loose with all his machine guns simultaneously and without stopping. And without stopping AT ALL, move on to the next target and repeat the process.. In this way he "liberated" vast areas of jordan..
When it comes to "Off Road" . . . there's the JEEP, . . . an "Everybody else" !. WE ( the "Jeep" ) "Wrote the book", on off road 4 wheel drive !
I love my Jeeps but they weren't the 1st 4x4. They were put out (like Model T) into the hands of soldiers ironically by Ford. That mass exposure of its capabilities is what made them popular.
@@xmo552 NO, Ford produced them , under "Contract", FROM Willies . . . just "Check the Record" !.
@@montanabulldog9687
No what? What are you disagreeing to?
@@montanabulldog9687
I know Ford, Willy's, and a few Bantams were produced.
@@xmo552 The EXCEPTED design, belonged to WILLIES . . .
I made it 24 seconds before the intro music ran me off. What is this a lifetime movie?
There's a video on YT showing how they waterproofed the Jeeps back in the day.
Which was a barehanded man, applying a clay/play dough like substance, made from asbestos, to all vulnerable parts.
I was watching like 😱🤦♂️, knowing what we now know about asbestos.
It's Okay, that was BEFORE Asbestos was bad for you but worked better on drum brakes, and lead paint stuck better and lasted longer than low V.O.C. latex; but I'm just an old man who can't figure out how my car red paint's lasted 8 years without lead, what do I know?
could someone offer their opinion. In the 1960's, in Arizona, a high school buddy's father collected cars. Among others in the garage he had a 1960's Corvair with the turbocharged Spyder engine, a brand new '63 Split window Corvette, a beat up Dodge Power-Wagon being restored and a beat up WWII era Jeep. This is 60 years ago, recalling details is a little sketchy and although everyone wanted me to be impressed with the PowerWagon my attention was focused on the Corvette. I simply walked past the Jeep and noticed a large bullet hole in the body near the door opening. The body at that location was not sheet metal, the “bullet” hole edge had extruded out like a typical tank armor hit. The hole might have been bigger than my thumb, but I was pretty skinny back then. I inspected the bullet hole and I guessed the body appeared to be about 1/2 or 3/4" thick. Hard to tell. The father told us that the metal was aluminum and I thought at the time for reduced weight. But at the time I was puzzled “if they were trying to reduce weight why so thick?” Now I am thinking that it might have been Dural that was also used in aircraft armor. Possibly the armor was on the bottom and wrapped around the bottom of the side panels? Like I said, the aqua blue colored Corvette had my attention and I did not do much investigating. Did Willys or Ford produce an armored version? Was it common? Rare? Was an armored version intended for special people? i.e. did Patton have one? I doubt that this jeep saw combat. The Jeeps were probably left to rot in Europe and few if any made it back state side. I don’t know. Maybe it was a factory one-of experimental mockup with a test shot? Any thoughts on this?
What is the car @52:30 called. It reminds me of a 109 Landrover crew cab but it cannot be!
M715 Kaiser Jeep
That my friend is a Jeepster Commando. They made them in the late 60's early 70's
Have the DVD.
From its birthplace in Ohio and Michican unto the mud and snow of Europe through the sand of North Africa unto the jungles of Burma and Kohima springing unto the far Pacific of the Quada Canal It came it saw it conquered and in 2021 one could still see them on streets running with feats their performance unquestionable in this world of stiff technical competition and the Jeep is a work horse in War and Peace a reminiscence of its saddest part due to. War and happiest due to peace both glorious
30:52 what is the guy saying when he gave the nicknames of the three test vehicles.
Still driving my 1981 CJ5 with over 350,000 miles on it. It's got a 383 V8 (6.4 liter) in it now and it's a blast to drive! It just keeps getting more valuable now.
That's nice, but this video was about the WWII Willy's GP
I remember jeep
old school
I like all jeeps but i like my m151a2 the best of all , MUTT ,
The Jeep Renegade is made in Italy. It's a re-badged Fiat Panda and has a weak CVT automatic transmission made by Nissan.
Just Empty Every Pocket, lol.
It is still famous in Philippines.
It was very touch/strong because it was a 4X4 and it could climb the steep mountainsides with heavy loads.
I love this History and love driving my Jeep , I'm concerned at the 81 Thumbs down on this documentary....WTF..lol
39:50 Jesus! It's Dracula
nw8000 nosforatu lol
*The 'Father' of the 'Jeep' is reduced to working at a 'Texaco' gas-station?!?!*
48:28 Trademark, not patent. BTW, in order to distinguish between the multi-manufacturer JEEP and the Willys JEEP, the Willy grille has only seven vertical slits.
No, the Willys produced Jeeps had a 9 slot grill. The Ford produced Jeeps had a 7 slot grill.
I miss my Jeep why did I sell it :...
Darkpassenger 1 I sold mine at a garage sale
I'm taking good care of it.
Had 42 GPW
Troy Hendrickson
That’s one of the worst years for jeeps ever. From 2007 until maybe 2013 jeeps were extremely unreliable, and I definitely recommend never buying one from that time period.
They are now being used a passenger Vehicles in the Philippines