View source for Willys MB

{{Short description|U.S. military vehicle of WWII ("Jeep")}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Willys MB <br /> Ford GPW <br /> Truck, 1⁄4{{nbh}}ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance
| image              = Covered Willy's jeep Wings Over Wine Country 2007.JPG
| image_size         = 300px
| origin             = United States
| type               = {{1/4}} ton<ref group=nb>Quarter-ton (about 225&nbsp;kg) was the nominal off-road payload rating; the payload supported was much higher.</ref> 4×4 utility truck
<!-- Type selection -->| is_vehicle         = yes
| is_UK              = <!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1941–present
| used_by            = United States and its [[allies of World War II]]
| wars               = [[World War II]]<br />[[Korean War]]<br />[[List of wars: 1945–1989|Various post 1945 conflicts]]
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = Multiple parties and persons: <br /> '''American Bantam Co.''' <br /> [[Harold Crist]] et al.<ref name=FTCsaysBantam43/><ref name=Penn382_2015/>{{refn|group=nb |Other core Bantam engineers were Ralph Turner, Frank McMillan, and Chet Hemphling.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/g-843-mighty-mite |title=MV Spotlight: G-843 'Mighty Mite' |date=2019-11-13 |access-date=2023-07-27 |magazine=Military Vehicles Magazine |last=Doyle |first=David |orig-date=19 October 2016 |quote=.. Harold Crist, Ralph Turner, Frank McMillan, and Chet Hemphling. These four men had been instrumental in the creation of the jeep for American Bantam prior to WWII. |via=Military Trader}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=White |first=Lloyd |date=Spring 2000 |url=http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=420&id=1482 |title=The Development of the M422 |magazine=Army Motors |issue=91 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205134254/http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=420&id=1482|archive-date=5 February 2012 |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> }} <br /> [[Karl Probst]] (subcontractor) <br /> '''Ford Motor Co.''' <br /> Dale Roeder (Pygmy design team leader / chief engineer)<ref name=CarrollLate/> <br /> '''Willys-Overland Motors''' <br /> [[Barney Roos|Delmar "Barney" Roos]] <br /> '''U.S. Army''' <br /> Many – firstly from [[Camp Holabird]]
| design_date        = 1940 through early 1942
| manufacturer       = {{unbulleted list | [[Willys|Willys-Overland]] (MB) | [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] (GPW) }}
| production_date    = 1941–1945
| number             = {{unbulleted list | '''WWII total:''' More than 647,925 *, | including early production units}} {{Unbulleted list|'''Willys MB:''' Over 359,489 * | '''Ford GPW:''' Over 277,896 * | * '''ACM''' ([[Auburn Automobile#Corporate history|Auburn/ American Central Manufacturing]]) fabricated 3/4 of all U.S. 1/4-ton jeep bodies<ref group=nb>Auburn Central Manufacturing, later ''American'' Central, made ''all of'' Willys' jeep body-tubs, starting with the first 1,555 MA pre-production models, and continuing throughout the war, and also for the first years of [[Jeep CJ|CJ Civilian Jeeps]] production. Ford initially built their own jeep bodies, but switched to using ACM tubs, about halfway their production total. It wasn't until after then, that the last small differences between the Ford and Willys body-tubs were ironed out, and all 1/4-tons finally got truly identical bodies.</ref>}}
| variants           = [[Ford GPA|Ford GPA "Seep"]]: 12,778
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label         = MB and GPW same<ref name=TM9_803>TM9-803 (1944) pp 10–14</ref>
| weight             = {{convert|2,453|lb|abbr=on}} curb weight (with engine fluids and full fuel)<br />{{convert|2,337|lb|abbr=on}} dry weight
| length             = {{convert|132|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
| width              = {{convert|62|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
| height             = overall, top up: {{convert|69+3/4|in|m|2|abbr=on}}<br />reducible to {{convert|52|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
| crew               = 3 to 4
<!-- Vehicle specifications -->| armour             = 
| primary_armament   = Designed to mount .30 or .50 caliber machine guns swiveling on a post between front seatbacks
| secondary_armament = 
| engine             = {{convert|134|cuin|L|1|abbr=on}} [[Inline-four engine|Inline 4]] [[Willys Go Devil engine|Willys L134 "Go Devil"]]
| engine_power       = {{convert|60|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} [[Horsepower#SAE gross power|gross]] / {{convert|54|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} [[Horsepower#SAE net power|net]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.autozine.org/Archive/Willys/classic/Jeep.html |title=Willys-Overland Jeep (1941) |website=autozine.org |first=Mark |last=Wan |date=2014 |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>{{sfnp|American Society of Mechanical Engineers|1991}}
| pw_ratio           = {{convert|49|hp/ST|kW/t|1|abbr=on}}
| transmission       = 3-speed × 2-range transfer case
| suspension         = [[Beam axle#Live axle vs Dead axle|Live axle]]s on leaf springs front and rear
| clearance          = {{convert|8+3/4|in|cm|0|abbr=on}}
| payload_capacity   = {{convert|1200|lb|abbr=on}} on-road; <br />{{convert|800|lb|abbr=on}} cross-country
| fuel_capacity      = {{convert|15|USgal|impgal L|0|abbr=on}}
| vehicle_range      = {{convert|300|mi|km|-1|abbr=on}}
| speed              = {{convert|65|mph|abbr=on}}{{refn |group=nb |Although the dashboard caution plate indicated only {{convert|60|mph|abbr=on}} in 3rd high.<ref name=TM9_803/> }}
}}

The '''Willys MB''' (pronounced / ˈ w ɪ l ɪ s /, "Willis") and the '''Ford GPW''', both formally called the '''U.S. Army truck, {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance''',<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/SnlG-503StandardNomenclatureListWillysMbFordGpw/MbGpw-Parts#page/n9/mode/2up |title=U.S. Ordnance Standard Nomenclature List – G-503 (Willys&nbsp;MB / Ford GPW)|publisher=War Department|pages=11–15|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="ARnD78.1-2"/> commonly known as the '''Willys Jeep''',{{refn|group=nb|The company owner and founder of [[Willys|Willys-Overland]], [[John Willys|John North Willys]], always pronounced Willys as {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɪ|l|ɪ|s}}, like in ''[[Bruce Willis]]'', as opposed to "Willy's" or "Willies".<ref name=ToledoBlade>{{cite web |title=J.N. Willys pronounced his name 'Willis,' local Jeep historian says |url=http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2002/02/03/J-N-Willys-pronounced-his-name-Willis-local-Jeep-historian-says.html |website=Toledo Blade |publisher=The Blade |access-date=10 July 2021 |date=2 February 2002 |quote="I talked to many people, now deceased, including his private secretary, and all said emphatically that he pronounced it 'Willis{{'"}}, said Ron Szymanski, local Jeep historian. "I can attest to the fact that Willys' relatives all say 'Willis.{{'"}} }}</ref> }} '''Jeep''', or '''jeep''',<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/TM9-2800 |title=TM 9-2800 – Standard Military Motor Vehicles|publisher=U.S. War Department|date=1 September 1943|pages=136–137}}</ref> and sometimes referred to by its [[List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation#G-500 to G-599|Standard Army vehicle supply number]] '''G-503''',<ref group=nb>According to its [[United States Army Ordnance Corps]] Supply Catalog designation, 'G-number', or SNL nr. – a group number for ordering vehicles, weapons, munitions, or parts, based on a [[List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation|Standard Nomenclature List (SNL)]].</ref> were highly successful American [[Off-road vehicle|off-road capable]], [[Military light utility vehicle|light military utility vehicles]]. Well over 600,000 were built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] in [[World War II]], from 1941 until 1945. This also made it (by its light weight) the world's first mass-produced [[four-wheel drive|four-wheel-drive]] car, built in six-figure numbers.<ref group="nb">After the first four-wheel-drive vehicles, built in 5-figure numbers: the American [[World War I|WWI]] trucks of 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton and 3{{nbh}}ton payload rating: the [[FWD Model B]] and [[Jeffery Quad|Jeffery/Nash Quad]] trucks. For WWII, [[Nazi Germany]] built several models of 4×4 cars in low five-figure numbers. The German 1930s ''[[Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht]]'' program produced a range of standardized 4×4 cars for the [[Wehrmacht]] (Nazi-Germany's military), in weight-classes up to that of the [[Dodge WC series]]; and during the war, VW made some 15,000 [[Amphibious vehicle|amphibious]] 4x4 [[Volkswagen Schwimmwagen|Schwimmwagens]] that were lighter than the U.S. WWII {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeep. Germany's most well-known counterpart to the jeep, the [[Volkswagen Kübelwagen|VW Kübelwagen]], was only rear-wheel drive, and less than 1/10th of the numbers of the jeep were made of them.</ref>

The {{1/4}}-ton jeep became the primary light, wheeled, multi-role vehicle of the [[United States military]] and its allies. With some 640,000 units built,<ref group=nb>Including almost 9,000 non-standard, pre-production jeeps made by Ford, Bantam and Willys in 1941, and almost 13,000 amphibious [[Ford GPA]]s</ref> the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps constituted a quarter of the total military support motor vehicles that the U.S. produced during the war,{{refn |group=nb|Counting 2,382,311 trucks across the four main payload classes,<ref name=Hyde2013/> plus 116,394 tractor trucks (34,295 military, and 82,099 commercially procured), and some of the 224,272 other vehicles, for a total of roughly 2.6 million units.{{sfnp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112055126327;view=1up;seq=320;size=125 296]}} }} and almost two-thirds of the 988,000 light 4WD vehicles produced, when counted together with the [[Dodge WC series]]. Large numbers of jeeps were provided to U.S. allies, including the [[Soviet Union]] at the time. Aside from large amounts of 1{{1/2}}- and 2{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton trucks, and 25,000 {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton Dodges, some 50,000 {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps were shipped to help Russia during WWII, against Nazi Germany's total production of just over 50,000 [[Volkswagen Kübelwagen|Kübelwagens]], the jeep's primary counterpart.<ref name=LLamounts3B/>

Historian Charles K. Hyde<!-- <ref>[https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n88288740/ Charles K. Hyde (1945 – ..) | WorldCat] is a retired professor of history at Wayne State University and author of multiple books, on automotive and business history, industrial archeology, transportation, infrastructure, mostly U.S., Great Lakes, Michigan, and Detroit.</ref>--> wrote: "In many respects, the jeep became ''the'' iconic vehicle of World War&nbsp;II, with an almost mythological reputation of toughness, durability, and versatility."<ref name=Hyde2013/> It became the workhorse of the American military, replacing horses, other [[Working animal|draft animals]], and motorcycles in every role, from messaging and cavalry units to supply trains. In addition, improvised field modifications made the jeep capable of just about any other function soldiers could think of.<ref name=MightyTools>{{cite web |last1=Elphick |first1=James |title=7 Tools that Helped America win WW II |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/7-tools-that-helped-america-win-wwii |website=wearethemighty.com |access-date=24 June 2018 |date=5 May 2017}}</ref> Military jeeps were adopted by countries all over the world, so much so that they became the most widely used and recognizable military vehicle in history.<ref name=TNIjeep/>

[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War II, wrote in his memoirs that most senior officers regarded it as one of the five pieces of equipment most vital to success in Africa and Europe.{{refn |group=nb |name=IkeQuote |The others being the [[bulldozer]], the [[DUKW]] amphibious truck, [[2 1/2-ton 6×6 truck|2{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton trucks]], and the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]] transport airplane.<ref name=IkeCrusade>{{cite book |first=Dwight D. |last=Eisenhower |year=1948 |title=Crusade in Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGQLGxE8LyAC&pg=PA164|publisher=Doubleday / Heinemann |pages=163–164 |isbn=9780801856686 |oclc=394251 |author-link=Dwight D. Eisenhower}}</ref> }} General [[George Marshall]], Chief of Staff of the US Army during the war, called the vehicle "America's greatest contribution to modern warfare."<ref name=Foster14>{{cite book |last=Foster |first=Patrick R. |year=2014 |title=Jeep: The History of America's Greatest Vehicle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwWpAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|publisher=Motorbooks International |pages=11–13 |isbn=9780760345856 |access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=NMUSAicon>{{cite web |url=https://armyhistory.org/the-jeep-an-american-icon/ |title=The Jeep: An American Icon |website=National Museum of the United States Army |date=16 July 2012 |access-date=27 January 2018 |archive-date=26 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126125611/https://armyhistory.org/the-jeep-an-american-icon/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=AEIjeep>{{cite web|url= https://www.aei.org/articles/the-elegant-jeep/ |title=The Elegant Jeep |first=Ralph Kinney |last=Bennett |date=9 April 2010 |publisher=American Enterprise Institute |access-date=10 January 2021}}</ref> In 1991, the MB Jeep was designated an "International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" by the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]].{{sfnp|American Society of Mechanical Engineers|1991}}

After WWII, the original jeep continued to serve, in the [[Korean War]] and other conflicts, until it was updated in the form of the M38 [[Willys M38|Willys MC]] and M38A1 [[Willys M38A1|Willys MD]] (in 1949 and 1952 respectively), and received a complete redesign by Ford in the form of the 1960-introduced [[M151 jeep]]. Its influence, however, was much greater than that—manufacturers around the world began building jeeps and similar designs, either under license or not—at first primarily for military purposes, but later also for the civilian market. [[Willys]] turned the MB into the civilian [[Jeep CJ|Jeep {{nobr|CJ-2A}}]] in 1945, making the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive. The "Jeep" name was trademarked, and grew into a successful, and highly valued brand.

The success of the jeep inspired both an entire category of recreational [[4WD]]s and [[SUV]]s, making "four-wheel drive" a household term, and numerous incarnations of [[military light utility vehicle]]s. In 2010, the [[American Enterprise Institute]] called the jeep "one of the most influential designs in automotive history." Its "sardine tin on wheels" silhouette and slotted grille made it instantly recognizable and it has evolved into the currently produced [[Jeep Wrangler]] still largely resembling the original jeep design.<ref name=AEIjeep/>

[[File:Bantam jeep flying 37mm sm (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A 1941 [[American Bantam|Bantam]] achieving total lift-off, loaded with 3-man crew, and towing a 37mm anti-tank gun. "Flying Jeep" photos like this one inspired posters and perhaps the 'Leaping Lena' nickname.]]

{{TOC limit|3}}

==History==

=== The design challenge and achievement ===
[[File:BantamPilotHaugh (4).jpg|thumb |upright=1.5|[[American Bantam|Bantam]]'s first prototype, shown in front of the ''already new'' for 1940, "light" half-ton, 4×4 [[Dodge WC series#1940 G505|Dodge VC-1 Command Car]], graphically shows the radically new {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton concept.{{sfnp |Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=laMaAAAAIAAJ&q=completely+new 297]}} ]]

By 1940, U.S. policies had caused a stark disadvantage compared to [[Nazi Germany]]'s aim, building a standard fleet of [[Wehrmacht]] (German armed forces) motor vehicles. From 1933, German industry could only produce Wehrmacht-approved trucks.<ref name=T&Mp269>{{harvp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230908215603/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=laMaAAAAIAAJ&hl=nl&pg=PA269&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U06eDtDJxTdUdKLenUS__u8rFvPGg&w=1920 269 (archived)] }}</ref> The U.S. Quartermaster's only significant success for standardization, through late September 1939 Army Regulations on tactical trucks,<ref group=nb>Regulation AR 850-15, 29 Sep '39, released after Germany had [[Invasion of Poland|invaded and conquered Poland]] in September 1939.</ref> was that the War Department limited procurement to just five payload chassis types (categories), from {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton to {{frac|7|1|2}}{{nbh}}ton<ref name=TandMp270>{{harvp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230908222500/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=laMaAAAAIAAJ&hl=nl&pg=PA270&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U1n44yegIV0PnuSalnnq4GM3JlikQ&w=1280 270 (archived)] }}</ref>—but ''only'' "models produced commercially by two or more competing companies..." The Army was still to use "commercially standard" trucks and parts, with only minor modifications, like brush-guards, tow-hooks, etc.<ref name=T&Mp269/> Specially designed vehicles or a standardized truck fleet were still ruled out.<ref name=TandMp270/> "This policy was intended to assure speedy production at the outbreak of war, regardless of the maintenance and spare parts problems that might develop later."<ref name=TandMp270/> The new rules more or less allowed the Army to order, in late 1939, the U.S. military's first ever ''light, quantity-produced'' 4×4 trucks: the half-ton [[Dodge WC series#1940VC VF|Dodge G-505 VC-series trucks]], delivered in the first half of 1940. Although so well received, that the preproduction order of under 5000 units was followed by nearly 80,000 additional units ordered for 1941, these rigs were still nowhere near small, light and nimble enough for the jobs that both the Infantry and Ordnance branches required it for.{{sfnp|Ackerson|2006|pp=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190512015352/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT17&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U03yyUfgAwOC9VkoBMfQfWznccZZg&w=1920 16–17]}}<ref name=foster223/><ref name=Risch53>{{cite book |last=Risch |first=Erna |title=The Quartermaster Corps: Organization, Supply, and Services |orig-year=1953 |year=1995 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History|Center of Military History, U.S. Army]] |location=Washington, D.C. |page=140 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-12/CMH_Pub_10-12-1.pdf |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230803170911/https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-12/CMH_Pub_10-12-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 August 2023 |access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref> By contrast, Germany had already completed a development program to produce [[Off-road vehicle|off-road capable]] "Standardized Military Vehicles" (the [[Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht]]), from 1933 to 1938, which had already yielded a fleet of tens of thousands of standardized vehicles for the German Army.<ref name=T&Mp269/> Moreover, lessons were learned, and a ''second'' program to develop a cheap, light, nimble multipurpose off-roader, the [[Volkswagen Kübelwagen]], had already started in 1938. America's military faced a severe catch-up situation, both in time and knowledge. In June 1940, the race was on to produce a lightweight, four-wheel-drive cross-country vehicle for the U.S. Army, capable of carrying equipment and personnel across rough terrain.<ref name=CarrollLate/>

The idea of the jeep originated with the infantry, which needed a low-profile, powerful vehicle with four-wheel drive and it was turned over to commercial companies (chiefly [[American Bantam|Bantam]], [[Willys]], and [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]) to deliver—the development repeatedly being described as a "[[design by committee]]."<ref name=Pulos/><ref name=AckerCJ4586>{{harvp |Ackerson |2006 |pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=56uvBIikfrQC&pg=PT7 7–8]}} "...several military officers who regarded the Jeep as "a universal idea, which no one person invented, created or discovered ... an evolution not an invention ... the fruit of specifications defined by the military over a long period."</ref>{{refn |name=PPattonCmt |{{cite web |url= http://philpatton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/04/design-by-committee-the-case-of-the-jeep.html |title=Design by Committee: the Case of the Jeep |last=Patton |first=Phil |date=23 April 2012 |website=Phil Patton blog |access-date=27 January 2018 }}<ref group=nb>Phil Patton was a design journalist, curator, and author. He wrote regularly about automobile design for the ''New York Times''.</ref>}} In fall 1941, Lt. E.P. Hogan of the [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps]] wrote: "Credit for the original design of the Army's truck {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, 4×4, may not be claimed by any single individual or manufacturer. This vehicle is the result of much research and many tests."{{sfnp|Hogan|1941|p={{page needed|date=October 2023}}}} Hogan credited both military and civilian engineers, especially those working at the [[Holabird Ordnance Depot|Holabird Quartermaster Depot]]. Nevertheless, Bantam is credited with inventing the original {{1/4}}{{nbh}} ton jeep in 1940.<ref group=nb>To be distinguished from the U.S. Army's first ever series-produced, light 4{{nbh}}wheel drive trucks, which were ''half-ton'' rated – developed by [[Dodge]], and supplied to the Army earlier that same year as the [[Dodge WC series#Half-ton VC series|Dodge VC series]] – and which were ''also'' called "jeeps" by soldiers.</ref><ref>[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2015&sind=0&body=H&type=R&bn=382 House Resolution 382; Regular Session 2015-2016] Retrieved 11 July 2022</ref><ref>[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2015&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=R&billNbr=0382&pn=1732/ HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 382 Session of 2015] Retrieved 11 July 2022</ref><ref>[https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2F1 Invention of the Jeep Historical Marker] Retrieved 16 July 2022</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105519305/questions-and-answers-who-invented/ Questions and Answers – Who Invented the Jeep?] Retrieved 13 July 2022</ref>

However, Willys' advertising and branding during and after the war aimed to make the world recognize Willys as the creator of the jeep.<ref name=FCAmuseum>{{cite web |author=Walter P. Chrysler Museum |title=The Jeep Story, 1940 – 1970 |url=https://fcagroup.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Jeep-Story-1940-1970.pdf |publisher=[[Fiat Chrysler Automobiles|FCA Group]] |access-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906112731/https://fcagroup.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Jeep-Story-1940-1970.pdf |archive-date=2023-09-06 |date=2009|url-status=live}}</ref> It was engineer Delmar G. Roos who submitted and was awarded design patent 136819, assigned to Willys-Overland which set up the familiar Jeep design having a very slightly tapered front clamshell hood, vertical grill slats and integrated headlights into the front fascia which distinguished it from the original Bantam design.<ref>USPTO D136819, submitted 12/26/1942</ref> When Willys first applied to trademark the "Jeep" name in February 1943,{{sfnp|Statham|1999|p=[https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=dR3wmKlfnrMC&hl=nl&pg=PA26&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U3j4_fg4IL6Axwge2jUaCXbK3TLDA&w=1280 26]}} Bantam, Ford and other companies objected, because of their contributions to the jeep and the war effort. Although many other companies advertised their patriotic efforts to producing the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps—including Ford, featuring their own GPW jeeps in their ads—nobody took their claims as far as Willys-Overland, and the U.S. [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) opened a case, charging Willys-Overland with misrepresentation in their advertising and news claims, on 6 May 1943.{{sfnp|Statham|1999|p=[https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=dR3wmKlfnrMC&hl=nl&pg=PA27&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U0mSjidDVTJi0Y2NYEEdeLKHOEC6w&w=1280 27]}} According to ''[[The New York Times]],'' the FTC ruled that Willys did ''not'' perform the "spectacular achievement"<ref group=nb>(Willys advertising wording)</ref> of creating, designing and perfecting the "jeep" together with U.S. Army Quartermaster officers, but that: "''The idea of creating a 'jeep' was said by the FTC ... to have been originated by the American Bantam [Co.] of Butler, PA '[with U.S. Army officers] and to have been [conceived and] developed by that company.''"<ref name=FTCsaysBantam43>{{cite news |title=FTC Says Bantam Company, Not Willys-Overland Conceived it |url= http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2022/01/1943-05-09-ny-times.jpg |newspaper=The New York Times |date=9 May 1943 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230331225814/http://www.ewillys.com/tag/jeep-name/ |archive-date=2023-03-31 |via=ewillys.com, 5 January 2022 |access-date=2023-03-31 |url-status=live}}</ref> Willys appealed this ruling, and after a five-year investigation, in 1948 the FTC again ruled that "Willys was unfairly taking credit for the creation and was thus using unfair methods of competition. The FTC ordered Willys to stop claiming they were the sole creator of the Jeep."<ref name=FCAmuseum/>

Some 70 years later, in a late 2012 article, the Defense Acquisition Research Journal{{refn |group=nb |A&nbsp;scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published by the [[Defense Acquisition University]] (DAU)<ref>[https://www.dau.edu/library/arj/ Defense Acquisition Research Journal], see dynamic banner</ref> }} still called the jeep design "...a product of a massive team effort, including all three manufacturers as well as Army engineers, both military and civilian."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duddy |first1=Brian J. |title=The Jeep at 70: A Defense Acquisition Success Story |journal=Defense Acquisition Research Journal |date=October 2012 |volume=19 |issue=4 |page=372 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA582717.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915222847/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA582717.pdf |archive-date=2023-09-15 |url-status=live |access-date=31 August 2023 |publisher=[[Defense Acquisition University]] }}</ref>{{refn |group=nb |Citing Vanderveen (1971)'' 'The Jeep','' Wells (1946)'' 'Hail to the Jeep: A factual and pictorial history of the WWII Jeep','' and Hogan (1941); pages not given.}}

[[File:Eisenhower in jeep in Normandy orchard.jpg|thumb|General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], here in his jeep in summer 1944, wrote that the jeep was "one of the six most vital" U.S. vehicles to win the war]]
Moreover, in 2015, the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] unanimously adopted a non-controversial House Resolution (382): "''...commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Bantam jeep, invented and originally manufactured in Butler, Pennsylvania,''"<ref>{{cite act |type=resolution |index=382 |date=9 June 2015 |access-date=30 July 2023 |legislature=Pennsylvania General Assembly |title=Resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Bantam jeep, invented and originally manufactured in Butler, Pennsylvania |pages=1–2 |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/BillInfo.cfm?syear=2015&sind=0&body=H&type=R&bn=382 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201002755/https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=R&bn=382 |archive-date=2022-12-01 }}</ref> therein explicitly resolving that [[American Bantam|Bantam]] of Butler, PA, invented the jeep, calling it "one of the most famous vehicles in the world," were the only party to deliver a working prototype of a light four-wheel drive reconnaissance car within the required seven weeks, which withstood 30 days of Army testing at Camp Holabird, then further developed that car, and manufactured 2,675 jeeps, before losing further production contracts to Willys and Ford Motor Company, for fear that Bantam would not be able to ramp up production to 75 jeeps a day, and after the Army handed Ford and Willys the blueprints of Bantam's detailed technical drawings—though Bantam proved highly capable and productive during the war, entrusted with manufacturing [[torpedo]]-motors and more.<ref name=Penn382_2015>[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2015&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=R&billNbr=0382&pn=1732 General Assembly of Pennsylvania House Resolution No. 382 of 2015] (full text; [https://web.archive.org/web/20230730011131/https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2015&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=R&billNbr=0382&pn=1732 archived on 30 July 2023]). Accessed 30 July 2023</ref>

However, on 7 April 1942, U.S. patent 2278450 for the WWII jeep, titled "Military vehicle body" had been awarded to ''the U.S. Army'', which had applied for it, listing Colonel [[Byron Q. Jones]] as the inventor on the patent, though he had performed no work on the design of the vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2016/04/07/original-jeep-patent/id=68132/ |title=75th Anniversary of the Original Jeep Patent|date=7 April 2016}}</ref> Filed on 8 October 1941, stating in the application that "The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon,"<ref name=patent>{{cite web |url= https://patents.google.com/patent/US2278450 |title=Patent 2,278,450: Military Vehicle Body |access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref> the patent relates to a "small car vehicle body having convertible features whereby it is rendered particularly desirable for military purposes" and describes the purpose as being "a convertible small car body so arranged that a single vehicle may be interchangeably used as a cargo truck, personnel carrier, emergency ambulance, field beds, radio car, trench mortar unit, mobile anti-aircraft machine gun unit, or for other purposes."<ref name=patent/>

===First motorizations and World War I===
For centuries, horses were used for reconnaissance, communications, and pulling loads, whenever wars were fought, but after the start of the 20th century, [[motorcycle]]s were the first [[motor vehicle]]s eagerly adopted by the military, either to replace mounted/ridden [[Horses in warfare|cavalry horses]], or to [[Motorized infantry|motorize infantry]].

The armies of World War I relied on marching men, horses, and railways for movement but [[World War I#Technology|its new technologies]] introduced motor vehicles: the [[History of the tank|first tanks]], armoured car, and artillery tractors. Motorcycles were the most prolific motor-tools in the [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] arsenal.<ref name=bikebandit/>

[[File:1917 - Indian Motorcycle and M1914 Colt Machine Gun.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. [[Indian motorcycle]] and sidecar, with M1914 Colt Machine Gun, 1917.]]
[[File:British military motorcycle dispatch rider WW1.jpg|thumb|British military motorcycle dispatch rider, 1914 World War I.]]
[[Cavalry]], [[mounted infantry]], [[Cavalry scout|scouts]], and [[despatch rider|messengers]] could now be mobilized in combat with much greater speed, agility, and near tireless machines,<ref>[[#Man&Jeep|P. Findlay (2006). Man and Jeep]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDfFFy8XNI&t=225 ''(documentary)''; time = 3:45–4:18]</ref> exactly what was wanted for relaying critical orders, getting munitions to machine guns, and scouting miles ahead of advancing units. The quick and nimble motorcycle, "ridden hard through shot and shell to secure victory," has made itself irreplaceable in specific roles on the battlefield to this day.<ref name=bikebandit/>

But motorcycles also had serious limitations. One could be fast on a decent road, but many roads were still so bad, that the U.S. already had a ''[[Good Roads Movement]]'' in the late 19th century, as increased usage of [[safety bicycle|bicycles]] required improving the surfaces of existing wagon and carriage trails. The motorcycles of the era were not ideal; only the best motorcyclists could endure a muddy battlefield trail, control the bike and keep it from stalling, damage, or flipping over; and driver training was both costly in terms of time and money.<ref>[[#Man&Jeep|P. Findlay (2006). Man and Jeep]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDfFFy8XNI&t=240 ''(documentary)''; time = 4:00–4:34]</ref><ref name=bikebandit>{{cite web |first=Aaron |last=Cortez |title=History of Military Motorcycles |url= https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/history-of-military-motorcycles |website=bikebandit.com |date=4 August 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210711181450/https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/history-of-military-motorcycles |archive-date=11 July 2021 |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> They had poor [[off-roading]] ability and lacked payload capacity. Adding a sidecar provided more stability, but payload and cargo space remained very limited, and having only one powered wheel out of three, still meant the combination got stuck a lot. [[Royal Page Davidson]] used patents of Charles Duryea to modify chassis, with machine-guns and armor shield, from 1898.<ref group=nb>Davidson was the leading pioneer of armored military vehicles in the U.S. of his time.</ref>

[[File:Davidson anti-aircraft military car 1909.jpg|thumb|Colonel Davidson anti-aircraft semi-armored Cadillac, 1909]]
[[File:US convoy in Mexico, 1916 army.mil-2008-03-28-083643 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A convoy of 4×4 U.S. [[Four Wheel Drive|FWD trucks]] in a mud and ruts road, [[Pancho Villa Expedition|1916 Mexican Expedition]] note FWD logo on grille]]
[[File:111-SC-4156 - Nash Motor Company, Kenosha, Wis. Ammunition truck, 2-ton. - NARA - 55169618 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Nash Quad 2{{nbh}}ton [[ammunition]]s truck, 1918]]

At the same time, the arrival and growing use of automobiles led to various individuals pioneering vehicle trips across the U.S., followed by the first transcontinental trips by [[convoy]]s of vehicles. After the U.S. Army purchased its first truck in 1907, of 5-ton payload capacity,<ref name=NYT1916>{{cite news |date=19 March 1916 |title=Truck Makers Supply Both Men and Cars for Army |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/03/19/99438897.pdf |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2021-07-01}}</ref> in the late summer of 1913, the Army Medical and Quartermaster Corps (QC) took a {{3/4}}-ton QC field-truck, on a {{convert|922|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} multi-leg experimental trek through Alaska for the state's Road Commission—both to try the truck's bad-road supply and maintenance abilities as well as test the state of several important overland connections in the rough territory.<ref name=NYT1914>{{cite news |date=18 January 1914 |title=Army Officers Try Alaska Auto Run |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/01/18/100297594.pdf |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2021-07-01}}</ref> 1915 followed the first successful [[Transcontinental Motor Convoy#1915 transcontinental film convoy|transcontinental motor convoy]], traveling the entire [[Lincoln Highway]], from New York City to the [[Panama–Pacific International Exposition|Panama–Pacific]] [[World's fair|World Exhibition]] in San Francisco, taking four months—for making a film about it. Starting in 1916, the Quartermaster Corps was servicing over 100 "motor trucks," of as many as 27 "varieties"; and in March that year, the U.S. Army decided to form its first two motor companies, to be used immediately in the [[Pancho Villa Expedition]] in Mexico,<ref name=NYT1916/> starting 14 March 1916. One company got 27 four-wheel drive, 2{{nbh}}ton, [[Thomas B. Jeffery Company|Jeffery]] [[off-road vehicle|off-road]] [[Jeffery Quad|Quad trucks]]. The other got 27 heavy-duty, 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, long wheelbase, rear-wheel drive [[White Motor Company|White trucks]].<ref name=NYT1916/> The [[U.S. War Department]] procured the vehicles as [[rolling chassis]], which the manufacturers had to expedite to [[El Paso, Texas]]. The wagon bodies for the chassis came from the Quartermaster Depot. The most suitable truck capacity found by the Quartermaster General for Army use to be 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, matching both the country roads nature, the strength of bridges, as well as the existing troop supply system, at the time also using standard 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, four-mule wagons.<ref name=NYT1916/>

Meanwhile, World War I had been raging in Europe since 1914. More than five years before, Henry Ford had launched his [[Ford Model T|Model T]]. "... Its speed, durability, stamina, and ease of maintenance (compared to a horse) had already won over many civilians,"<ref name=Haynes>[https://haynes.com/en-us/tips-tutorials/vehicles-wwi-helped-create-our-modern-world Six WWI Vehicles That Helped Create Our Modern Mechanical World – Haynes Manuals]</ref> and British and French forces also wanted them. Ford, an [[isolationist]], would not sign a contract with an overseas government, but local dealers sold over 50,000 Fords to European forces, who militarized them locally, most famously into ambulances.<ref name=Haynes/> When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Ford sold directly to his country, delivering another 15,000 cars before peace was signed.<ref name=Haynes/>

Britain, France, and Russia were already buying American-made [[four-wheel drive|four-wheel-drive]] trucks from the [[Four Wheel Drive|Four Wheel Drive Auto Company]], and [[Jeffery Quad|Jeffery/Nash Quads]], because on the muddy roads and European battlefields, they would not get stuck all the time.<ref>[[#PBStoledo|PBS, 2007: ''Jeep: Steel Soldier.'']] Time = 2:02–2:40</ref>

The United States procured thousands of motor vehicles for its military, including some 12,800 Dodges,<ref name=4WWC51BG>{{cite web |url= http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/1612-1943-dodge-wc-51-weapons-carrier-power-and-glory-backward-glances/ |title=1943 Dodge {{nobr|WC-51}} Weapons Carrier, Power & Glory: Backward Glances |last=Allen |first=Jim |date=7 December 2016 |website=FourWheeler.com |access-date=2018-02-24 |author-link=Jim Allen (4x4 writer)}}</ref> plus thousands of four-wheel-drive trucks: 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton Nash Quads, and 3- and 5-ton FWD trucks. General [[John J. Pershing]] viewed horses and mules as acceptable for the previous three U.S. wars, but in the new century, his cavalry forces had to move quicker, with more range and more personnel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Senefsky |first1=Bill |title=1916 To 1975 Dodge Diesel Engines – Dodge's First Diesels |url=http://www.trucktrend.com/news/0708dp-1916-to-1975-dodge-diesel-engines/ |website=Truck Trend |access-date=2 October 2018 |date=31 July 2007}}</ref> He was the first to deploy motorcycles, in the [[Mexican Border War]], predominantly a cavalry campaign over wide regions of the Southwest, where [[Harley-Davidson]] motorcycles provided to the Army gave the U.S. the advantage over the horse-mounted Mexicans.<ref name=bikebandit/> The U.S. Army was so pleased with further innovations, like a sidecar as a platform to mount machine-guns, that the U.S. procured many more motorcycles than 4WD trucks for World War I. "Entire infantry units were mobilized on motorcycles, and they also provided an ideal way to rapidly deploy machine gun crews into position. Medical units used them to evacuate wounded on stretcher-equipped sidecars, and to return medical supplies and ammunition."<ref name=bikebandit/>

"By the end of the war, the whole world saw the horse as hopelessly outclassed."<ref name=Haynes/> Nevertheless—crucially—using four-wheel drive still remained tied to heavier trucks, of {{nobr|1{{1/2}}-ton}} to {{nobr|5-ton}} capacity. All through World War I, there were not any ''light'' four-wheel-drive vehicles yet.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#PBStoledo|PBS, 2007: ''Jeep: Steel Soldier.'']] Time = 2:40–3:00</ref>

===Interbellum tests, and formulating the need for a standardized, 4×4, quarter-ton===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 250
| header            = Interwar experimental vehicles
| image1            = Ford-reconnaissance-car-haugh.jpg
| caption1          = 1923 Ford 4×2 Reconnaissance Car, much tested for cross-country mobility
| image2            = Chevrolet-4x2-scout-car-haugh.jpg
| caption2          = USMC converted 1929 half-ton, 4×2 Chevrolet, armed scout one-off<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.warwheels.net/ChevyScoutCarINDEX.html |title=U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles |last=Crismon |first=Fred |year=1983 |website=via WarWheels.net |publisher=Crestline |access-date=2020-10-02 }}</ref>
| image3            = Marmon-harrington-ford-4wd.jpg
| caption3          = Marmon-Herrington converted Ford half-ton truck, c. 1936 – sometimes called the "grandfather of the Jeep"<ref name=FisherVintage/>
| image4            = HowieMGcarrierHAUGH2.jpg
| caption4          = Howie-Wiley machine gun carrier, 1937, Fort Benning Infantry School
| image5            = Ford-4x4-reconnaissance-car-haugh.jpg
| caption5          = 1938 Marmon-Herrington 4×4 Ford reconnaissance car with two .30-caliber machine guns
}}

Immediately after World War I, the further and future use of motor vehicles was considered. In many roles, motorized vehicles had successfully replaced horses and other [[Working animal|draft animals]], but several roles remained that required better or more specialized vehicles. In 1919 already, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps recommended the acquisition of a new kind of military vehicle, "...{{nbsp}}of light weight and compact size, with a low silhouette and high ground clearance, and possess the ability to carry weapons and men over all sorts of rough terrain."{{Sfnp|Ackerson|2006|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190512004456/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT8&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U3q6ih4fe6dekWznHcbznnrBlfQZg&w=1920 8]}} The U.S. Army started looking for a small vehicle suited for reconnaissance and messaging, while at the same time searching for a light cross-country weapons carrier.<ref name=foster223>{{cite book |last=Foster |first=Patrick R. |date=15 July 2014 |title=Jeep: The History of America's Greatest Vehicle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iem-AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |publisher=Motorbooks |pages=22–23 |isbn=9780760345856 |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref>

However, after World War I, the United States had a big [[Government debt|public debt]], and the military had masses of left-over war vehicles, so vehicle budgets were drastically cut. During the first half of the [[interwar period]], the [[Roaring Twenties]], despite a booming economy, [[United States non-interventionism]] and [[neutral country|neutrality]] policies were supported by both elite and popular opinion, to the point of [[isolationism]], and no real budgets were allocated. Then, the [[Wall Street crash of 1929]], and the following [[Great Depression]] resulted in economic [[austerity]] policies lasting until the end of the 1930s, thus curtailing any development of new military vehicles, like a light 4WD car.<ref>[[#PBStoledo|PBS, 2007: ''Jeep: Steel Soldier.'']] Jim Allen (4x4 writer) from 3:18–3:35</ref>

At the same time, there was a drive for standardization. By the end of World War I, U.S. forces overseas had a total of 216 different makes and models of motor vehicles to operate, both foreign and domestic, and no good supply system to keep them running.{{sfnp|Hogan|1941|p={{page needed|date=October 2023}}}}

Various light motor vehicles were tested—at first motorcycles with and without sidecars, and some modified [[Ford Model T]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.links4jeeps.com/forum/index.php/topic,5258.0.html |title=The History of Jeep |date=24 February 2007 |website=links4jeeps |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150717193016/http://www.links4jeeps.com/forum/index.php/topic,5258.0.html |archive-date=17 July 2015 |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.difflock.com/diffmag/issue7/jeep60/index.shtml |website=difflock.com |title=Jeep 1941 – 2001 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120415090552/http://www.difflock.com/diffmag/issue7/jeep60/index.shtml |archive-date=15 April 2012 |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> But what was needed was a very light, small, battlefield utility vehicle to replace motorcycles (with or without sidecar)—more user-friendly to control,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> but just as easy to get in and out of. In the early 1930s, the U.S. Army experimented with a bantam weight "midget truck" for scouts and raiders. A {{convert|1050|lbs|kg|abbr=on}}, low-slung mini-car with a pick-up body, provided by [[American Austin Car Company]],<ref>[[#PBStoledo|PBS, 2007: ''Jeep: Steel Soldier.'']] Bantam Austin mini truck, like in Popular Mechanics, is shown at 4:00 min.</ref> was shown in a 1933 article in ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Baby" Truck Aids Army Scouts and Raiders |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=P-IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA664 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511234148/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=P-IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA664 |archive-date=2019-05-11 |url-status=live |magazine=Popular Mechanics |volume=60 |number=5 |page=664 |date=November 1933  |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> One of the pictures showed that the vehicle was light enough to be man-handled—four soldiers could lift it from the ground entirely. But it was still only rear-wheel drive.

After 1935, when the U.S. Congress declared World War I vehicles obsolete, procurement for "remotorization of the Army" gained more traction,<ref name=TandMp270/> but pre-war, peacetime budget restrictions still meant that the [[Comptroller General of the United States|U.S. Comptroller General]] imposed open bidding on every additional, or ''even incremental'' procurement. Each time, the Army was forced to award the contract to the lowest bid that met requirements and specifications,<ref name=Blackb96p98/> often different makers. However, saving a small percentage initially, on the procurement, overall proved [[:wikt:penny wise and pound foolish|"penny wise, pound foolish"]] because it led to problematic diversity of the fleet, requiring too much training of operators and mechanics for maintenance and repairs, and an unmanageably large supply of non-interchangeable spare parts: "The commanding officer at Holabird reported in 1935 that, the 360 different models of vehicles now in the Army ... involve nearly a ''million'' items of spare parts which neither the War Department nor any other authority can control."<ref name=T&Mp269/> This was bad for [[logistics]] in times of war, both in terms of [[supply chain]]s, as well as hindering troops' mobility by, blocking the ability to repair one vehicle by scavenging parts off another. And the Army could still only get multi-axle drive on "tactical" trucks, "requiring the greatest battlefield mobility."<ref name=Blackb96p98/>

[[File:Battle of Khalkhin Gol-Captured Type 95 scout car.jpg|thumb|left|Japan-fielded 1935 [[Kurogane Type 95]] 4×4 scout car (captured at the [[Battles of Khalkhin Gol|1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol]]) ]]
Meanwhile, in Asia and the Pacific, Japan had [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria|invaded Manchuria in 1931]] and was [[Second Sino-Japanese War|at war with China from 1937]]. Its Imperial Army used a small, {{cvt|2,425|lbs|kg|-1}}, three-man crew, four-wheel-drive car for reconnaissance and troop movements, the [[Kurogane Type 95]], produced in limited numbers from 1936.

In 1937 [[Marmon-Herrington]] presented five 4×4 Fords, and [[American Bantam]] (previously American Austin) once again contributed—delivering three [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] derived roadsters in 1938.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fowler |first=Will |title=Jeep Goes to War – a pictorial chronicle |publisher=Courage Books |year=1993 |isbn=9781561382354}}</ref><ref name=FisherVintage>{{cite news |first=Lindsey |last=Fisher |title=Vintage Monday: Marmon-Herrington Trucks; The Jeep's Grandfather |url= https://www.offroadxtreme.com/features/history/vintage-monday-marmon-herrington-trucks-jeeps-grandfather/ |website=Off Road Xtreme |access-date=2 October 2018 |date=11 August 2014}}</ref> The U.S. Army itself had also built an experimental light, low-profile scout and gun mover, the [[Howie machine gun carrier|Howie-Wiley machine gun carrier]], ordered by General [[Walter Short]], then Assistant Commander of the [[United States Army Infantry School|Army's Infantry School]] at Fort Benning, Georgia, and built by Captain Robert G. Howie and Master Sergeant Melvin C. Wiley. Completed in April 1937, with a driver and a gunner laying prone, operating a .30 caliber machine gun, the vehicle was nicknamed the "belly flopper."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Wendell G. |journal=Infantry Journal |title=The Howie Machine-Gun Carrier |url= http://willys-overland.com:80/documents/Original%20Documents/193711-12%20-%20The%20Howie%20Machine-Gun%20Carrier%20-%20Captain%20Wendell%20G.%20Johnson,%20Infantry%20-%20Infantry%20Journal.pdf |via=Willys-Overland.com |publisher=United States Army |issue=6: Nov–Dec |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100202084957/http://willys-overland.com:80/documents/Original%20Documents/193711-12%20-%20The%20Howie%20Machine-Gun%20Carrier%20-%20Captain%20Wendell%20G.%20Johnson,%20Infantry%20-%20Infantry%20Journal.pdf |archive-date=2010-02-02 |pages=529–531 |date=November 1937 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In France, the project has already been developed and put into production since 1937. The [[Laffly V15]] can be considered the French Jeep. 1,200 of these four-wheeled vehicles were produced before the debacle of 1940.

By 1939, the U.S. Army began standardizing its general-purpose truck chassis types by payload rating, initially in five classes from {{convert|1/2|to|7+1/2 |ST|t|abbr=on}}. The Quartermaster Corps saw that the Army needed truck chassis to be standardized in crucial basic functional 'types' (body models), and within "payload capacity" classes. Additionally, some crucial features could not be equipped by the QC to commercial trucks after procurement. Cross-country capabilities, like increased ground clearance and multi-axle drive, had to be designed and built into the trucks from the factory.<ref name=Blackb96p98/> The Quartermaster Corps Technical Committee concurred, and in June 1939 requested the Chief of Staff's approval, to start standardizing truck chassis and bodies procured for the Army into five payload classes: {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 2{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 4{{nbh}}ton, and 7{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton and all tactical trucks had to have (part-time) all-wheel drive capability.<ref name=Blackb96p98>{{cite book |last1=Blackburn |first1=Marc K. |series=Contributions in Military Studies Number 163 |title=The United States Army and the Motor Truck: 'A Case Study in Standardization' |date=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |location=Westport, CT |issn=0883-6884 |isbn=9780313298080 |pages=98–99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwt0SvCPyAoC&pg=PA98}}</ref> Furthermore, to achieve the needed level of standardization, the Quartermaster General urged trucks should be bought en masse from there on. Acting Chief of Staff, [[George C. Marshall]], approved the procurement policy in the summer of 1939. The Quartermaster Corps also wanted to require the truck industry to use dimensionally interchangeable components, but further standardization measures were not approved until 1940.<ref name=Blackb96p98/>

However, in 1940, the Army revised the categories. For the first time, a quarter-ton truck tactical (4×4) chassis class was introduced, at the bottom of the range, and the {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton chassis was supplanted by a {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton payload class.{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 147–148]}}

By the eve of entering World War II, the [[United States Department of War]] had determined it needed a {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, cross-country reconnaissance vehicle. Although {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton 4×4s had outperformed {{frac|1|1|2}}{{nbh}}ton 4×4 trucks during testing in 1938,<ref name=DoyleG506>{{cite book |last=Doyle |first=David |year=2019 |title=Chevrolet G-506 – 1 1/2{{nbh}}ton 4x4 Development, Production and Variants in WW2 |url=https://cdn3.volusion.com/hrqpw.cruld/v/vspfiles/photos/620-1000-5.jpg |archive-date=2019-04-08 |url-status=live |publisher=Portrayal Press |page=8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408104402/https://cdn3.volusion.com/hrqpw.cruld/v/vspfiles/photos/620-1000-5.jpg |location=Branchville, New Jersey |isbn=9780938242062}}</ref> the half-ton 4×4 trucks—both from Marmon-Herrington Ford, and the 1940 [[Dodge WC series#1940 — 1⁄2-ton VC and 11⁄2-ton VF models|Dodge VC series]]—still proved too large and heavy, and insufficiently agile off-road.{{sfnp|Ackerson|2006|pp=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190512015352/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT17&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U03yyUfgAwOC9VkoBMfQfWznccZZg&w=1920 16–17]}}<ref name=foster223/> Anxious to have a quarter-ton truck in time for America's entry into World War&nbsp;II, the U.S. Army solicited proposals from domestic automobile manufacturers. Recognizing the need to create standard specifications, the Army formalized its requirements on 11 July 1940, and submitted them to 135 U.S. automotive manufacturers.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

===Development start – Bantam Reconnaissance Car===

In the early 1930s, the Infantry Board at Fort Benning had become interested in the [[British Army]]'s use of the tiny [[Austin 7]] car in a reconnaissance role, and in 1933 received a car from the [[American Austin Car Company]] in Pennsylvania which built them under license. Ever since then, their devout on-the-road salesman and (Washington) lobbyist, ex-military Harry Payne kept approaching many U.S. Army and Defense branches and officers, hoping to sell the idea of a small, lightweight reconnaissance car to someone Army or Defense, getting some much-needed government contract business for his company. And Payne kept pushing while American Austin had gone bankrupt and its assets were reincorporated into [[American Bantam]].<ref name=CarrollLate>{{cite web |last1=Carroll |first1=John |title=Better Late Than Never |url=https://www.keymilitary.com/article/better-late-never |website=Key Military |publisher=[[Key Publishing]] |access-date=7 September 2023 |date=15 February 2018}}</ref> In 1938, American Bantam again loaned three much-improved cars to the Pennsylvania National Guard for trials during summer maneuvers, which were received as reliable, economical and practical.<ref name="ARnD78.1-2"/>{{sfnp|Allen |2004 |p=[https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=zTsAbTJB5RIC&hl=nl&pg=PA14&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U28oBma4j-1DoHCIO7KLJUb28kUtg&w=1280 14]}}

During the first days of September 1939, [[World War II]] had escalated in Europe, with [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler's]] [[invasion of Poland]], and the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] forces showed the world a new, highly mobile form of warfare, dubbed ‘[[Blitzkrieg]]ʼ, or lightning war, by a coordinated combination of fast moving tanks and [[motorized infantry]], (self-propelled) [[artillery]], and air support. In response, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|President Franklin Roosevelt]], made an emergency proclamation on 8 September 1939. It authorized the U.S. an increase in size of both the regular Army and the National Guard. The War Department was also authorized to spend an additional $12 million on motor transport.

[[File:Dodge T-202 VC-1, VC-2 Command Reconnaissance (USM-BT-15) from SNL G-657.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The 1940 Dodge G-505 VC-series (Command Car shown) were the first ''light'' U.S. military 4WD vehicles, bought in production quantity,<ref group=nb>Earlier three- and four-figure orders for {{frac|1|1|2}}{{nbh}}ton 4x4 Dodges were all marked as "experimental", but not the orders for the 1940 VC-series.</ref> ''during'' WWII, and for years nicknamed "jeeps" by the soldiers.]]
The Army then ordered the U.S. military's first ever production quantity of ''light'', {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 4×4 tactical trucks: going on 5,000 [[Dodge WC series#1940 G505|Dodge G-505 VC&nbsp;series]], which arrived by the Spring of 1940. Until that point, only a few third party after-market modified four-wheel drive {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton trucks, mainly Marmon-Herrington derived Fords, had been bought after 1935, for testing, but the prevailing belief amongst military higher-ups and Congress was, that all the extra four-wheel-drive hardware would make any truck lighter than a {{fraction|1|1|2}}{{nbh}}ton payload model, so much heavier that the weight-gain would cancel out any benefits gained from adding four-wheel drive. But after the {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton 4×4 Dodges arrived, two decisions were made: greatly more of these {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton Dodges were ordered (some 80,000 for the 1941 model year revisions), but also, in June 1940, the Army's tactical trucks payload categories were revised. For the first time, the Army introduced a quarter-ton 4×4 truck chassis class, and just above that, the {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton chassis were going to be supplanted by a {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton class.{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 147–148]}}

Bantam officials met with chiefs of Infantry and Cavalry and suggested a contract to further develop military versions of their light car. But in June 1940—as a collaboration with the Quartermaster Corps (QMC), still responsible for U.S. unarmored tactical military vehicles in 1940—the Ordnance Corps initiated a Technical (sub-)Committee, for the QMC to formulate comprehensive, exact specification for this new, very lightweight, cross-country tactical vehicle, capable of carrying personnel and equipment across rough terrain.<ref name=CarrollLate/> The committee included the now ''major'' Robert Howie, invited for his expertise, having actually built an ultra-light prototype infantry-support vehicle, officers representing the Quartermaster Corps, and the Army's using arms:{{sfnp|Thomson |Mayo |2003 |p=25}} Infantry, Cavalry, and the two Coastguard divisions, as well as civilian engineers, mainly from Camp Holabird and Bantam. To begin with, the committee sent an Army delegation including Howie, and Camp Holabird vehicle testing engineers, to [[Butler, Pennsylvania]], to visit American Bantam's factory, being invited to an extensive demonstration there, to evaluate their compact cars and production facilities.{{sfnp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230909132510/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=laMaAAAAIAAJ&hl=nl&pg=PA276&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U30kUM730lhIoA3BYhrTq7lXmBy-A&w=1280 276 (archived)]}} Once there, Howie stayed several days, and also Robert Brown, a Camp Holabird civilian engineer, who was instructed to disregard the presentation, but changed his mind after seeing it. Brown also stayed at the Bantam plant where both Howie and he worked out specifications with Crist for the proposed vehicle.<ref name=CarrollLate/>

[[File:Quarter-ton reconnaissance car Specifications—Ordnance Tech Committee (cropped).jpg|thumb|Initial {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton truck specifications (Ordnance Technical Committee; 1940)]]
By the end of June 1940, with American Bantam's consultation, the Quartermaster Corps issued their initial specifications.<ref name=AllenCollector>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Allen (4x4 writer) |title=Jeep Collector's Library |year=2004 |publisher=MotorBooks International |isbn=9781610590549 |pages=14–15 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zTsAbTJB5RIC&pg=PA14  |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> They specified a part-time four-wheel-drive vehicle, with a two-speed transfer case, three bucket seats, a fold-down windshield, and blackout and driving lights, of just {{cvt|1200|lbs|kg|-1}}, with a payload up to {{cvt|600|lbs|kg|-1}}, on a wheelbase no longer than {{cvt|75|in|m|2}} (the wheelbase of American Bantam's pickup truck), a maximum (collapsible) height of {{cvt|36|in|cm|0}} (three inches above the Howie-Wiley machine-gun carrier), and an engine and drivetrain, capable of smoothly pulling at speeds ranging from {{convert|3|-|50|mph}}.<ref name=CarrollLate/> Its body design was to be rectangular in shape,<ref name=CarrollLate/> including a sketch drawing, handed to the Ordnance Technical Committee.<ref name="ARnD78.1-2">{{cite magazine |magazine=Army Research and Development Magazine |volume=19 |issue=1 |title=20 Years to Develop–The Jeep |date=January–February 1978 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nmrfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA15 |publisher=Development & Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Materiel Development & Readiness Command (DARCOM) |editor=L. VanLoan Naisawald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227175830/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=nmrfAAAAMAAJ&hl=nl&pg=PA15&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U2hATQhVT8FnAZRxr1OQnwdpwI-7A&w=1220 |archive-date=2022-02-27 |access-date=2022-02-27 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Allen |2004 |p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20220228185958/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=zTsAbTJB5RIC&hl=nl&pg=PA15&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U3K-tuI6ehf9MhGdg6qoE6EP2ky2A&w=1280 15]}}

[[File:BantamPilotHaugh (2).jpg|thumb|American Bantam's first Reconnaissance Car (BRC) prototype, "Old Number One" – note fully rounded front fenders]]
By now the war was underway in Europe, so the Army's need was urgent, but also very demanding. No sooner than July 1940, some 135 manufacturers of automotive or similar equipment were approached by a government letter to submit bids, to be received by 22 July, a span of just eleven days. In the first stage, the winning manufacturer(s) were given just ''seven weeks'' (49 days), from the moment of awarding the contract, to submit their first ''fully functional'' [[prototype]] and 75 days for completing 70 test vehicles in total. The Army's Ordnance Technical Committee specifications were equally stringent: the vehicle would be [[four-wheel drive]], have a crew of three, on a wheelbase no longer than {{convert|75|in|m|2|abbr=on}}, later stretched to {{convert|80|in|m|2|abbr=on}}, and tracks no wider than {{convert|47|in|m|2|abbr=on}}. The height with the windshield folded down was also raised, to {{convert|40|in|m|2|abbr=on}}. The diminutive dimensions were similar in size and weight to American Bantam's compact truck and roadster models.<ref name="Redgap">{{cite web |first=Curtis |last=Redgap |title=Austin, Bantam, and Willys: Birth of the Jeep |url=https://www.allpar.com/threads/austin-bantam-and-willys-birth-of-the-jeep.227756/#post-1085221854 |website=Allpar Forums |access-date=10 January 2021}}</ref> It was now to carry a {{convert|660|lb|kg|-1 |abbr=on}} payload and be powered by an engine capable of {{convert|85|lb·ft|N·m|0|abbr=on}} of torque. The most daunting demand, however, was an empty weight of no more than {{convert|1275|–|1300|lb|kg|-1|abbr=on}}.{{sfnp|Allen |2004 |p=[https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=zTsAbTJB5RIC&hl=nl&pg=PA15&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U3K-tuI6ehf9MhGdg6qoE6EP2ky2A&w=1280 15]}}<ref group=nb>Sources differ on this.</ref>

Initially, only American Bantam Car Company and [[Willys|Willys-Overland]] entered the competition. And only Bantam provided a proper set of technical drawings. [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] joined later, after being approached directly.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eq9BAAAAIAAJ&q=bantam |title=Masters of Mass Production |last=Borth |first=Christy |year=1945 |page=220 |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> Although Willys was the low bidder, Willys was penalized for needing more days to make a prototype, and the dollars penalty per extra day put Willys' price above Bantam's – earning them the contract, as the only company committing to deliver a pilot model in 49 days and 70 more pre-production units {{nobr|in 75}} days.

[[File:Senator John Heinz History Center - IMG 7665.JPG|thumb|The further 70 Bantam Mk-II prototypes, often called 'BRC-60',{{refn |group=nb |name=YDR_40BRC }} kept a round hood and grille, but square front fenders with short side steps. Shown #7, nicknamed "Gramps," owned by the [[Smithsonian]] museum.<ref name=FW_JeepsinOD/>]]
American Bantam's chief engineer and plant manager, [[Harold Crist]],<ref group=nb>By Spring 1940, Bantam was virtually bankrupt, most workers had been laid off, and what remained was a respectably sized factory and a skeleton crew of about 15 men, including management. What little business was still going on, was mainly making spare parts and panels for repairs on Bantams still on the road. Thus many of the remaining workers had a wide range of tasks.</ref> was an experienced automobile engineer who had early-on worked on the first [[Duesenberg]] and been an engineer at [[Stutz Motor Company]] of Indianapolis for 18 years, worked a spell for [[Marmon Motor Car Company|Marmon]], and then for Bantam from 1937 to 1942,<ref name=CarrollLate/><ref name="Redgap"/><ref name=AEIjeep/> drafted freelance Detroit designer [[Karl Probst]] to collaborate. Probst initially turned Bantam down, but agreed to work without pay after an Army request and began work on 17 July 1940.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everymandriver.com/jeep-history-through-the-years-on-everyman-driver/ |title=Jeep History Through The Years |work=Everyman Driver |date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112164843/http://www.everymandriver.com/jeep-history-through-the-years-on-everyman-driver/ |archive-date=12 November 2019 |access-date=10 January 2021}}</ref> Probst laid out full design drawings for the American Bantam prototype, known as the Bantam Reconnaissance Car, or BRC Pilot, in just two days, and worked up a cost estimate the next day. Bantam's bid was submitted, complete with blueprints, on the 22 July deadline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cossor.com.au/jeep_1.html |title=The Military Jeep |website=Cossor.com.au |access-date=12 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529191027/http://www.cossor.com.au/jeep_1.html |archive-date=29 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

American Bantam had purchased the assets of [[American Austin Car Company]] from the bankruptcy court and had developed their own line of small cars and engine technology, free of licenses from the British [[Austin Motor Company]]. As the only small car manufacturer in the United States at the time, their design concept was initially to leverage their [[commercial off-the-shelf]] components as much as possible. Bantam adapted front sheetmetal body-stampings from its car line: the cowl, dashboard, and curvy front fenders.

[[File:Bantam-jeep-2.jpg|thumb|Conforming to specification, [[American Bantam]] delivered the last eight 1940 Mk. II prototypes with four-wheel steering.]]
However, once Brown returned to Camp Holabird, Crist reviewed their thinking, and realized that the new vehicle would have to be mostly new, rather than simply a modified version of an existing Bantam model. He and others at Bantam immediately set about sourcing the right components: transmission, transfer case, driveshafts and axles.<ref name=CarrollLate/> Bantam's own engines made just 22&nbsp;hp,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1938-1941-american-bantam.htm |title=1938–1941 American Bantam |author=content by ''Consumer Guide Automotive'' |editor=Damon Bell |date=17 July 2007 |website=HowStuffWorks.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924190656/https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1938-1941-american-bantam.htm |archive-date=24 September 2020 |access-date=10 January 2021}}</ref> so a {{convert|112|cuin|L|1|abbr=on}} [[Continental Motors Company|Continental]] four-cylinder, making 45 [[horsepower]] and {{convert|86|lb·ft|N·m|0|abbr=on}} of [[torque]] was selected,<ref name=FW7yrJP/> mated to a [[BorgWarner|Warner Gear]] transmission. Custom-built four-wheel drive-train components included the [[Dana Holding Corporation|Spicer]] [[transfer case]] to send power to the front and rear axles. They were both Spicer-made, originally [[Studebaker Champion]] rear axles, but modified for four-wheel drive use.<ref>{{cite web |author=((Auto editors ''Consumer Guide'')) |title=1906–1939 Jeep |url= https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1906-1939-jeep.htm#pt4 |website=auto.howstuffworks.com |date=13 December 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210112071209/https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1906-1939-jeep.htm |archive-date=12 January 2021 |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>

Using off-the-shelf automotive parts where possible had helped to design the car and draw up its blueprints quickly. By working backwards, Probst and American Bantam's draftsmen converted what Crist and a few other engineers and mechanics had rigged together in the factory, back into drawings.<ref name=AEIjeep/> The hand-built prototype was then completed in [[Butler, Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8NM |title=Invention of the Jeep – Pennsylvania Historical Markers |website=Waymarking.com |date=9 March 2006 |access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> and basically untested, ''driven'' by Crist and Probst, to the Army vehicle test center at [[Camp Holabird]], Maryland. It was delivered at 4.30 pm on 23 September 1940, just half an hour within the deadline.<ref name=CarrollLate/> The American Bantam Pilot, initially called the "Blitz Buggy."{{sfnp|American Society of Mechanical Engineers|1991}}

===Enter Willys and Ford – early production jeeps===

As the War Department deemed [[American Bantam]] to not have the production capacity or financial resources to deliver on the scale the Army would need, the other two bidders, Ford and Willys, were encouraged to complete their own pilot models for testing. The contract for the new reconnaissance car would be determined by trials. While Bantam's prototype underwent testing at [[Fort Holabird|Camp Holabird]] from 27 September to 16 October, Ford and Willys' technical representatives were invited and given ample opportunity to observe the vehicle and study its performance. To expedite Ford and Willys' prototypes, the War Department forwarded the Bantam's blueprints to them, claiming the government owned all designs in the proposals submitted to it in the bidding contest. American Bantam chose not to dispute this.

{{multiple image
| align             = left
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 220
| header            = Pilot models: Willys "Quad" and Ford "Pygmy"
| image1            = Willys Quad 4x4 pilot car, ¾ right front (1940).jpg
| caption1          = Willys "Quad" pilot car initially copied Bantam's rounded grille and hood.
| image2            = Ford Pygmy jeep pilot vehicle.JPG
| caption2          = Ford's first test model, [[Ford Pygmy|the "Pygmy"]] in the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum.
}}

Bantam continued building the further 70 prototypes, as per the initial contract.{{refn |group=nb |Sources differ whether Bantam built a further 69 or 70 units. Considering that no.&nbsp;1 Bantam didn't survive, some sources believe that it suffered so much damage during initial merciless testing, that it was returned to Bantam, and scavenged for parts, to complete the first 70 units. Alternatively, it served as a demo vehicle until it got wrecked in a traffic accident in early 1941, ''then'' sent back to Butler, was disassembled, with its mechanicals likely mounted into a 1941 production Bantam. Legend has it that the unusable body sections were buried along with a pile of scrap on the Bantam grounds. (U.S. Army)<ref>[https://cj3b.info/Poster/Bantam.html 1940 Bantam Pilot Model on CJ-3B.info]</ref> }} Bantam's original no.01 first remained at Holabird for incessant [[Shakedown (testing)|shake-down]] and [[Stress testing|breaking point]] testing, and ad-hoc fixes and improvements of weaknesses, while by November 1940, Ford and Willys also submitted their first prototypes to compete in the Army's trials. Exterior changes, mainly mounting flat and square front fenders, instead of the first car's bulbous round ones, identify the BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) Mark IIs, also called the {{nobr|"BRC 60"}}.{{refn |group=nb |name=YDR_40BRC |But new research into identifying the earliest jeeps indicates that Bantam actually called these the '40 BRC (for 1940).<ref name=YDRbantam>{{cite news|url=https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/yorkspast/2015/12/07/earliest-jeeps/76956416/ |title=Earliest Jeeps Built 75-Years Ago for WWII |work= York Daily Record |first=Stephen H. |last=Smith |date=7 December 2015 |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref>}}

Both the Willys "Quad" and the [[Ford Pygmy|Ford "Pygmy"]] prototypes were very similar to the Bantam Pilot and were joined in testing by Bantam's Mark II models. The Willys Quad immediately stood out because of its [[Willys Go Devil engine|strong engine]] of 60&nbsp;[[Horsepower|gross&nbsp;Hp]] ([[SAE International|SAE]]),<ref group=nb>The U.S. "Society of Automotive Engineers" at the time</ref> which the soldiers liked very much, in such a lightweight, open-top car. Chief engineer Delmar 'Barney' Roos had been working on Willys' four-cylinder car-engine for years, and with many detail changes had managed to get it to 60&nbsp;hp from an initial low forties output. The Ford Pygmy on the other hand was held back by its tractor engine, Ford's only four-cylinder engine still made in 1940 – despite serious efforts to make it stronger. Dale Roeder was Ford's team leader behind the Pygmy, and his team managed to tune the motor from 30bhp to the specified 40bhp, by using a different camshaft and a bigger carburettor.<ref name=CarrollLate/> More importantly, the Ford's front sheetmetal design was the cleverest, fusing all the front lighting behind a straight grille grate, side by side, into one cheap, integrated whole, under a wide, flat, and horizontal hood, useful as a makeshift table. And with its simple [[Hinge#Other types|piano hinge]], it allowed opening the hood all the way to the upright windshield, without even needing a prop-rod, and giving excellent access to the engine, also because of its wide opening.

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 220
| header            = Pre-production models: American Bantam Mk II, Ford GP, and Willys MA
| image1            = These soldiers go up in the air to prove that the Army's new quarter ton truck can take it. - NARA - 195336.jpg
| caption1          = Vigorous testing was required for Army proving—shown a Ford GP, 1941
| image2            = Willys-MA-3.jpg
| caption2          = Willys MA jeep at the Desert Training Center, Indio, California, June 1942
| image3            = The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H19947.jpg
| caption3          = Allies hastily received interim models—King [[George VI]] of the United Kingdom inspects a 1941 [[American Bantam|Bantam]] BRC with an airborne unit in May 1942. A [[Vickers machine gun]] has been fitted to the bonnet.
}}

By then, the U.S. armed forces were in such haste, and allies like Britain, France, and USSR wanted to acquire these new "Blitz-Buggies",<ref group="nb">Contemporaneous nickname in 1940/1941 British Empire and Canada.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}</ref> that after initially considering 1,500 pre-production units ''in total'', all three cars were declared 'acceptable', and orders for 1,500 units ''per company'' were given for field testing and export. At this time, it was acknowledged the original weight limit (which even Bantam's Mk.II could not meet) was unrealistic, and it was raised to {{convert|2160|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. On 22 January 1941, the Quartermaster Corps Technical Committee advised standardization of the jeeps across all manufacturers.{{sfnp |Hyde |2013 |p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 150]}}

For the ensuing pre-production runs, each maker's vehicles received further revisions, and new names once more. For 1941, Bantam's got called the {{nobr|"BRC 40"}}{{refn |group=nb |name=YDR_41BRC |But new research into identifying the earliest jeeps indicates that Bantam actually called them '41 BRC (for 1941).<ref name=YDRbantam/>}} Production began on 31 March 1941, with a total of 2,605 built up to 6 December – the number ordered was raised because Britain and the USSR already wanted more of them supplied under [[Lend-Lease]].<ref name=TNIjeep>{{cite web |author=Warfare History Network |title=Why America's Best World War&nbsp;II 'Weapon' Isn't What You Think It Is |date=2018-08-21 |website=The National Interest |url= https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-americas-best-world-war-ii-weapon-isnt-what-you-think-it-29362 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180821222917/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-americas-best-world-war-ii-weapon-isnt-what-you-think-it-29362 |archive-date=21 August 2018 |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PJftUspIv68C&pg=PA28 |page=28 |title=Jeep |first=Jim |last=Allen |publisher=Motorbooks International |year=2003 |isbn= 9780760314869 |access-date=26 May 2015 |author-link=Jim Allen (4x4 writer)}}</ref><ref name=FW_JeepsinOD/>

The Bantam BRC-40 was the lightest and most nimble of the three early production models, and the Army lauded its good suspension, brakes, and high fuel economy. However, as the company could not meet the Army's demand for 75 vehicles a day, production contracts were also awarded to Willys and Ford.<ref name=Pulos>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/americandesignad0000pulo |url-access= registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/americandesignad0000pulo/page/20 20] |title=The American Design Adventure, 1940–1975 |first=Arthur J. |last=Pulos |publisher=MIT Press |year=1988 |isbn=9780262161060 |access-date=26 May 2015 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

{{external media |float=left |width=230px 
|image1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20180623195719/https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/d6/a5/bad6a52d7042a3f06bad5dbb39835d31.jpg Four-wheel steering Willys Quad prototype (archived)] 
| image2=[https://web.archive.org/web/20180722095747/http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/8862610+q80+re0+cr1+ar0/p26480_image_large.jpg Four-wheel steering Ford GP testing unit (archived) ] 
| image3=[https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.php?t=202412 Collection of period LIFE photos of 1941 Bantams ''and'' a Ford GP, including 4-wheel steer]
| image4=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190910195352/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=VCcDAAAAMBAJ&hl=nl&pg=PA54&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U2gIKM-H05uma3EEuczcd1QscJgxg&w=1920 Mechanical features of the new ''"Bug"'' explained in ''Popular Science'', Oct 1941, page 54 ] }}

Ford's pre-production jeep was named the "GP", with "G" indicating a "Government" contract, and "P" chosen by Ford to designate a car with a [[wheelbase]] of {{convert|80|in|cm|0|abbr=on}}.<ref group="nb">Ford's GP designation did not represent "general purpose" – that was a government description, not applied for the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps until ca. 1943.</ref> The Ford GP was not only the most numerous (at about 4,458) early production jeeps<ref name="FW_JeepsinOD" />—it was also the first jeep fielded in some numbers to U.S. Army units. Ford's overall design and quality of construction had advantages over the Bantam and Willys models, but the GP's engine, an adaptation of their [[Ford N-series tractor#9N|Model N tractor engine]], was underpowered and not sufficiently reliable. Ford built fifty units with four-wheel steering, of which four have survived.<ref name="FW_JeepsinOD" />

[[Willys|Willys-Overland]] was the last of the three manufacturers to start early production, waiting until 5 June 1941 to kick-off production,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeepcollection.com/portfolio/1941-willys-ma/ |title=1941 Willys MA|date=2016 |website=jeepcollection.com |access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref> needing to reduce the Quad's weight by {{convert|240|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. After many painstaking detail changes, Willys renamed their vehicle "MA", for "Military" model "A". Only 1,555 MAs were built, most of which went to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. Only 27 units are still known to exist.<ref name=FW_JeepsinOD/> After enough comparative testing, Willys were also tasked with integrating whatever features were seen as better on the Ford and Bantam, into their design – for instance copying the Ford's front sheetmetal, to arrive at an optimal 'MB' model, for mass-production.

Eventually, virtually all of the [[Willys|Willys-Overland]] and most of the American Bantam and Ford GP early production jeeps were provided to Britain and USSR, leaving a few hundred [[Bantam BRC]]s and under 1,000 GPs for the home troops.<ref name=TNIjeep/>

{{clear left}}

===Full production – Willys MB and Ford GPW===
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 220
| header            = Standard 1944 cabin and engine
| image1            = 1944 Willys MB Jeep (18106088301).jpg
| caption1          = Three pedals and three sticks—for shifting gears, engaging front- or four-wheel drive, and high or low gearing
| image2            = Willys MB (Bild 6 2008-06-14) Motor.JPG
| caption2          = Willys "Go Devil" engine
}}

By July 1941, the War Department desired to standardize and decided to select a single manufacturer to supply them with the next order for 16,000 vehicles. Willys won the contract mostly due to its much more powerful 60&nbsp;hp engine (the [[Willys Go Devil engine|L134 "Go Devil"]]), which soldiers raved about, and its lower cost and silhouette. The design features in the Bantam and Ford entries which represented an improvement over Willys's design were incorporated into the Willys, moving it from an "MA" designation to "MB". Most obvious is the front design from the Ford GP, with a wide, flat hood, and the headlights moved inward from the fenders to under the hood, protected by a single wide, straight front grille and a brush guard. A design patent was submitted to the US patent office by D.G. Roos and assigned to Willys-Overland which codified the now familiar Jeep design.<ref>USPTO D136819</ref>

The jeep, once it entered mass production, introduced several new [[Automotive engineering|automotive technologies]]. Having [[four-wheel drive]] for the first time introduced the need for a [[transfer case]], and the use of [[constant-velocity joint]]s on the driven front wheels and axle, to a regular production car-sized vehicle.<ref name=PopSci1041/>

In early October 1941, it became clear that Willys-Overland could not keep up with procurement needs, and Ford received government contracts to build 30,000 units,{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 150–151]}} according to Willys' blueprints, drawings, specifications, and patents, including the more powerful Willys engine.{{sfnp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|pp=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112055126327;view=1up;seq=301;size=125 277–278]}} When Ford offered to increase the displacement and power of the tractor engine in their GP model, the government declined and insisted that Ford produce jeeps identical to the Willys, both for the much stronger engine,{{Clarify|date=September 2022}} and for complete commonality/interchangeability of the components. Willys received no license fees, and Ford complied. The Ford was designated "GPW", with the "W" indicating the "Willys" licensed design and engine. Ford retooled at a cost of $4 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4000000|start_year=1942}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) to build Willys engines and produced the first GPW as quickly as 2 January 1942. Just days before, in late December 1941, the Quartermaster Corps had ordered another 63,146 GPWs.{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 150–151]}}

One extra condition to Ford's jeep orders was to manufacture them in several different Ford assembly plants, in addition to [[Ford River Rouge Complex|Ford's primary "River Rouge" plant]] in Dearborn (Michigan). The QC expressly demanded Ford decentralize their jeep manufacturing to facilitate the Army's [[logistics]], shipping from all [[Third Coast|three coasts]]. Besides [[Ford World Headquarters|Dearborn]], Ford also assembled jeeps in their [[Louisville Assembly Plant|Louisville]], [[Chester Assembly|Chester (Pennsylvania)]], [[List of Ford factories|Dallas (Texas)]], and [[Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant|Richmond (California)]] plants. Ford's [[Ford Motor Company Edgewater Assembly Plant|Edgewater (New Jersey) plant]] also built jeeps in the first four months of 1943.{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 150–151]}}

During World War II, Willys produced 363,000 Jeeps and Ford some 280,000. Some 50,000 were exported to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.<ref name=LLamounts3B/> Ford's assembly across plants distributed as: River Rouge 21,559; Dallas and Louisville almost tied at 93,748 and 93,364 units respectively; Chester 18,533, and Edgewater just 1,333 units.{{sfnp|Hyde|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 150–151]}} Bantam stopped further jeep production and made two-wheel [[jeep trailer]]s. This was sufficient to keep the firm going until it was taken over in 1956.<ref name=Beaulieu>{{cite book |last=Georgano |first=Nick |author-link= G. N. Georgano|title=Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile |year=2000 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=1-57958-293-1}}</ref>

Ford built jeeps with functionally interchangeable parts and components, in part facilitated by using components from common sources: frames from [[Midland Steel Products|Midland Steel]], wheels from [[Kelsey-Hayes]], and axles and transfer cases from [[Dana Incorporated#History|Spicer]].{{sfnp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|pp=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112055126327;view=1up;seq=301;size=125 277–278]}} However, Ford had replaced the welded grate front grille by a single [[Stamping (metalworking)|pressed/stamped]] sheet steel part, with nine vertical open slots to ventilate the radiator, and circular openings in front of the lights, to simplify production, and save costs. Willys also adopted this in their production of the&nbsp;MB after unit 25,808. Predictably, there were still many minor differences; the Ford chassis had an inverted U-shaped front cross member instead of a tubular bar, and a Ford script letter "F" was stamped onto many small parts.

Many body detail differences remained for as long as January 1944, when a composite body, fabricated by [[American Central Manufacturing|American Central]], was finally agreed upon by both Ford and Willys. American Central had been making the jeep's bodies from the first 1500 units order for the Willys MA and had also built Ford's jeep bodies for two years already, but until January 1944, Ford and Willys contracts retained detail differences. However, from then on features of both designs were integrated.<ref name=FW_JeepsinOD>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/3383/|title=Jeeps in Olive Drab|date=1 October 1999|website=MotorTrend}}</ref> Through the chaotic circumstances of war, sometimes peculiar deviations from regular mass-production came off the assembly line, that are now prized by collectors. For instance, the earliest Ford GPWs had a Willys design frame, and in late 1943, some GPWs came with an unmodified Willys body; while in 1945, Willys produced some MBs with a deep mud exhaust system, vacuum windshield wipers, and a Jeep CJ{{nbh}}style parking brake.<ref>[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5aa9d8a7d12bef49c22e1473/5ac6c9492c10d16ced41e9a0_47_Jimmy_Ancestry.pdf The Jimmy's Ancestry; The CCKW in Detail and The Collector's Syndrome – Bryce Sunderlin in Army Motors #47, p.19] ([[Military Vehicle Preservation Association|MVPA]])</ref>

===The Ford GPA, the amphibious jeep===
{{main|Ford GPA}}
[[File:Ford GPA Amphibious Jeep pic2.JPG|thumb|[[Ford GPA]] [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious]] jeep]]
Approximately 13,000 additional [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious]] jeeps were built by Ford as the [[Ford GPA]] (nicknamed "Seep" for "Sea Jeep"). Its design directly inspired by the larger [[DUKW]], and by the same designer and company, Rod Stephens Jr. of [[Sparkman & Stephens]] yacht designers, the vehicle was produced too quickly,{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} or its operational capability and limitations misunderstood. Although the GPA came out barely heavier, wider or taller than standard jeeps, it was ''one third longer,'' and proved unwieldy on land. Adding insult to injury, the Seep would often get stuck in mud or when wading, where the MB jeeps would not.

In water, its disappointing performance was even more problematic, because contrary to the DUKW, it had insufficient [[Freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] for [[Amphibious warfare|coastal landings]] from open sea, leading to mixed success and tragic losses in the [[Allied invasion of Sicily|allied Sicily landings]] in July 1943. Many GPAs were passed on under the Lend-Lease program—some 3,500 (more than a quarter of total production) to the USSR alone.<ref name=WarJeeps/> The Soviets, however, were sufficiently pleased with its ability to cross the rivers and swamps in their territories, that they developed their own version of it after the war: the [[GAZ-46]].

By contrast, [[Ferdinand Porsche]]s engineering bureau designed an even lighter four-wheel drive amphibious vehicle, the [[Volkswagen Schwimmwagen|VW Type 166 "Schwimmwagen,"]] that quickly became popular in the German ranks, because of its excellent off-road performance, contrary to the limitations of their regular [[Volkswagen Kübelwagen|VW Kübelwagen]] without four-wheel drive – ''and'' they only used them on inland waters. The U.S. Ford GPA amphibious jeeps thus also became one of the rare allied vehicle types that was numerically outproduced by their direct German counterparts – the 15,000 plus VW Schwimmwagen.

===Accessories and equipment fittings===
[[File:WWII-jeep-with-M100-trailer-potsdam.gif|thumb|The World War II jeep with Bantam trailer, Potsdam, Germany]]

{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
Unlike the various [[Dodge WC series]] models of larger, light 4×4 trucks, the Willys and Ford jeeps were all the same from the factory, and specialization happened only through standardized accessories, field kits, and local / in field modifications. Frequently made additions to the standard jeeps were to fit weaponry, communications equipment, Litter carriers, wire cutters, or rudimentary armor.

====Jeep trailer====
Some 150,000 [[jeep trailer|{{1/4}}-ton trailers]] were made by over ten different companies, specifically built to be towed by the jeep – most of them by Bantam and Willys. These doubled the jeeps' nominal payload.

====Radio gear====
[[File:Jeep Willys Radio WWII interior (38977374854).jpg|thumb|Willys jeep interior with radio]]
The jeep's primary command and reconnaissance roles of course necessitated fitting many kinds of tactical communication equipment. The first standard production fitting was for the [[SCR-193]] radio, placed on either side in the rear of a jeep, on top of the rear wheel well. For proper reception, this included [[Electromagnetic interference#EMI in integrated circuits|radio interference suppression shielding]], so indicated by a suffix "S" on the jeep's hood registration number. In 1943/1944, the Army shifted to FM radios, and new fittings were developed for those. At least fourteen [[Signal Corps Radio]] set fittings were standardized, including for the SCR-187, [[SCR-284]], [[SCR-299#Specifications|SCR-499]], SCR-506, [[SCR-508]], SCR-510, SCR-522, [[SCR-508#Variants|SCR-528]], SCR-542, [[SCR-508#Variants|SCR-608]], SCR-610, SCR-619, [[SCR-508#Variants|SCR-628]], [[SCR-694]], SCR-808, SCR-828, and VRC-l.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=20–22}}

====Gun mounts====
[[File:Willys MB.jpeg|thumb|British [[Special Air Service|SAS]] jeep, armed with [[Vickers K machine gun]] for driver and twin Vickers K for the co-driver]]

Two of the original uses of the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton truck were reconnaissance and the support of infantry with machine guns. These roles led to the desire to mount automatic rifles, to be fired from the jeep. To mount either a .30-caliber [[M1919 Browning machine gun]] or .50-cal (12.7&nbsp;mm) [[M2 Browning]] heavy machine gun, the M31 pedestal, a tubular pedestal with bracing in three directions, was developed. This was the most common factory jeep machine-gun mount during the war, with 31,653 produced. It was followed by the improved M31C in March 1945, but this came too late for much combat in World War{{nbsp}}II. Besides these, units often created their own pedestal mounts in the field or adapted other pedestal mounts as available. Additionally, in 1943 the M48 bracket mount was standardized, to attach the .30-cal. machine gun or .30-cal. [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle]] in front of the passenger seat. Like with the pedestals, troops improvised many gun-holding brackets in the field.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=20–22}} Troops frequently preferred a .30 cal machine gun on a pivot, to fire from the front passenger seat.

Aside from actual fielding intentions, the jeep was widely used for various weapons mounts trials during World War{{nbsp}}II, simply because the jeep was a handy platform to test all kinds of ring mounts, multiple gun mounts, as well as different weapons. The widespread adoption of the jeep in other armies also meant many different armaments. The most rigorous efforts were by the British. Perhaps the most well-known are the jeeps modified by the SAS for the 1942 desert raids in Egypt. These had several armaments, commonly using twin 0.303-inch [[Vickers K machine gun]]s on the passenger side.

===Field kits===
[[File:Bevrijding van Maastricht, Vrijthof, 14 sept 1944 (6).jpg|thumb|Jeep with rear baggage rack (Netherlands, 1944); note that the spare wheel was relocated to the rear right side]]
[[File:WORLD WAR II; Casualty Evaucation by jeep Wellcome L0031963.jpg|thumb|Ambulance jeeps often had racks for two litter patients front and back]]

Many field kits originated as locally made modifications and additions, for which standard kits were later produced by both the U.S. and Britain. Frequently used examples were rear baggage racks, ambulance litters and frames to transport lying wounded on jeeps, and [[Wire catcher|wire cutters]]. Soldiers frequently ran into (literally) wires—either inadvertently, inconveniently strung communication wires, or deliberately placed by the enemy, to injure or kill motorcycle and vehicle personnel. The typical countermeasure was to mount a tall vertical steel bar to the front bumper, that would either cut offending strings or deflect them over the heads of the jeep crew. This was first used in Tunisia, 1943, but became frequent in Italy (1943–1945), and especially necessary in France (1944).{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=39–41}}

More specific kits were created to enhance off-roading and mechanical capabilities, dealing with extreme climates, and technical support applications, like laying communication cables, or a field arc welder kit.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.portrayalpress.com/product-p/harger.htm|title=Arc Welder Kit for G503. Installation manual for MB/GPW. 20 pages. |website=portrayalpress.com}}</ref>

[[File:WV-6 Trucks deep water fording kit on jeep – TM9-2853.jpg|thumb|WV-6 snorkel kit for deep water fording, from TM9-2853 (1945)]]

Many solutions made the jeep run on rails, popular in the [[Pacific War|Pacific theater]] with U.S., Britain, and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] troops, especially in [[China Burma India Theater#Burma|Burma]]. A-frames on the front bumper enabled two jeeps to tow heavy trailers (for 2{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton trucks) in tandem. For desert cooling, [[Surge tank#Automotive surge tanks|radiator surge tanks]] were used in North Africa in 1942. Equally, there were winterization kits, even snowplows, and the jeep's go-anywhere capability was further aided with [[Ford (crossing)|deep water fording]] kits, tire air compressors, and a winch option. For communications, jeeps were modified with rear ditch plows and cable laying reels, such as the RL-31 reel unit.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=39–41}}

====Off-road enhancements====
To disembark jeeps in [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious landings]], in 1943, a deep-water fording kit for the jeep was produced. This enabled jeeps to be driven off [[landing craft]] like the [[Landing Craft Mechanized]] (LCM), wading into relatively deep water, without flooding the engine or short-circuiting the electrical system. After several interim kits were issued, the U.S. Army standardized the universal WV-6 kit (later G9-5700769) which served all WWII {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton to 2{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton trucks. The kit contained flexible hoses for both the exhaust and the air intake, as well as proper waterproofing equipment. [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] developed a T1 air compressor, to be used in conjunction with special tires, to deflate the tires off-road, in soft mud or snow, and be able to pressurize them again after. It could be fitted under a maintenance work order, from October 1944. There was even a small capstan winch field kit made for the jeep, driven off the motor, for self-extracting, or pulling other jeeps trapped in mud or snow.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=39–41}} The winch was very small and made hand-cranking of the jeep impossible. The latter two features remained rare.

====Arctic weather measures====
Willys developed a winterization kit for very cold climates. This included a cold-starting stove, crankcase ventilator, primer, hood insulation blanket, radiator blanket, a body enclosure kit, defroster/de-icer, and snow chains. These kits were however frequently unavailable, so units took their own measures in the field, particularly improvising various body enclosures, to protect the crew from extreme weather. In addition, two companies fabricated snowplows for the jeep. Geldhill Road Machinery Company made the 7T1NE plow, an angled single blade, while the JV5.5E was a V-shape design. The [[Ely Wright House#Description and history|Wausau Iron Works]] built two similar designs, designated as the J and JB snowplows. Neither of these seem to have been commonly issued in combat. Photos of snowplows in use in the [[European theatre of World War II|European theater]] mostly show improvised plows, likely adaptations of snowplows locally found at hand.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=39–41}}

===Further development of the jeep===
Although no other light jeeps were taken into production, it was not for lack of trying. Both key military men, who had been championing the development of military vehicle concepts they had formulated for years—sometimes already since World War I—had led to conclusions about the logic of military mechanization, as well as automakers large and small, who now saw that in wartime, all of a sudden there were budgets available to work with. Of course, this was primarily true for the firms involved so far.

After losing out on mass-production of the four-wheel drive {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, Bantam built the Army one 4×2 quarter-ton chassis in 1942, but to no further consequence.{{sfnp|ref=SRATAM4045|Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel|1945|page=55}}

[[File:Holden-modified WW II jeep field-ambulance for the Pacific Theater—National Archives fig-1.jpg|thumb|left|Holden-modified WW II ambulance jeep for the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S.M.C.]] in the [[Pacific War]]. Note the medical supplies locker in place of right front seat. Source: National Archives]]
[[File:Holden-modified WW II jeep field-ambulance for the Pacific Theater–left–National Archives fig-11.jpg|thumb|[[Holden]]-modified MB/GPW jeep field-ambulance for U.S.M.C. in the Pacific War, series I. Series II and III were made some 6 inches (15 cm) taller.]]

An exception was an order for a series of some 200 to 500 standardized jeeps to be modified, by [[Holden]] (then G.M. of Australia), into field ambulances for the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] in the [[Pacific Theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]], because they found the standard {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton [[Dodge WC-54|Dodge WC-54 ambulances]] too unwieldy, and even their own {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 4×4 [[International M-1-4]] vehicles both too ponderous ''and'' too scarce.<ref name=DoyleAmbu>[https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/holden-ambulance 2020/2021 Military Trader article]</ref> In 1942, Lt. Cmdr. French Moore, MC, a battalion surgeon with the 2nd Marine Division (Camp Elliott, CA) started developing his design for an MB/GPW-based "light field-ambulance." He submitted blueprints, and records of performance of his prototype to Marine Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. [[Thomas Holcomb]]. It could carry up to "35 patients 1,000 yards and return, in an hour." Rebuilt to Moore's design, it was approved for fielding in time for the Solomon Island Campaign in 1943.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170219130511/https://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/6505 WWII Surgeon Develops Light Field Ambulance, André B. Sobocinski, BUMED Historian, 19 February 2017 in Navy Medicine Live (Archived)]</ref> Three series were built in modest numbers but totaling more than the USMC's own ambulance versions of their International M-1-4 and M-2-4s.<ref name=DoyleAmbu/>

====Lightweight jeeps====
[[File:Crosley CT-3 PUP (1943).jpg|thumb|One of thirty-six Crosley CT-3 'Pup' extra-light, 4WD mini-jeep prototypes]]

After the initial design specification of a maximum {{convert|1275|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} weight had been raised to almost double that in production, to achieve the necessary ruggedness on the main {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, the Army still wanted a truly lightweight model for airborne missions and use in the jungles of the Pacific theaters. In 1942 and 1943, at least five companies proposed designs: Crosley, Chevrolet, Ford, Willys, and Kaiser. The [[Crosley#War-time production|Crosley CT-3 "Pup"]] prototypes were superlight, one- or two-passenger, but still four-wheel-drive buggies, that were transportable and air-droppable from a [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]. Six of the 2-cylinder, 13&nbsp;hp, {{convert|1125|lb|kg|adj=on}} Pups were deployed overseas after undergoing tests at [[Fort Benning, Georgia]], but the project was discontinued due to several weak components. Seven of 36 Pups built are known to {{nobr|survive.<ref name=UAIWW2CA>{{cite web| author=Jackson, David D. |title=Crosley – American Automobile Industry in World War Two |url=http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/crosley.htm | access-date =2018-05-01}}</ref><ref name=eWillysPup>{{cite web| title =More on the Crosley "Pup" Jeep | publisher =eWillys| date =2014-01-01 | url=http://www.ewillys.com/2014/01/01/more-on-the-crosley-pup-jeep/ | access-date =2018-05-01}}</ref>}}

[[File:Jeep being loaded into waco glider.jpg|thumb|Preparing for the July 1943 [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily campaign]]: a jeep is loaded onto an American [[Waco CG-4]]A glider plane.]]

Most of the competitors' models were more similar to standard jeeps, just lighter and smaller. Willys managed to reduce the weight on their 'MB-L' (MB Lightweight) to some {{convert|1570|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} in 1943; and Army engineers were impressed by the Chevrolet and its advanced features: a [[backbone chassis|single center spar frame]], and an integrated gearbox and [[transfer case]].{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=17–20}} Kaiser created six {{convert|1300|-|1400|lb|kg|adj=on}} prototypes with a 42&nbsp;hp engine but including some unfavorable design trade-offs.

Willys eventually produced even more radical designs. The Willys WAC (Willys Air Cooled) had three seats, built around a centrally mounted 24&nbsp;hp [[Harley Davidson]] engine, weighed only {{convert|1050|lbs|kg|abbr=on}}, but was noisy and not user-friendly. Still, it showed promise, and was further developed, eventually resulting in the Willys JBC, or "Jungle Burden Carrier." By early 1945, this had turned into a mere {{convert|561|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} motorized wheeled load-carrying platform, with a single seat, that preceded the 1950s [[M274 1/2-ton 4×4 utility platform truck|Willys M274 "Mechanical Mule]]."{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=17–20}}

In Britain, [[Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero]] cut down a Willys&nbsp;MB in length and width, and stripped it for minimum weight, to serve airborne forces. The Airborne Forces Development Centre in Wiltshire oversaw an entire modification program for jeeps in airborne units, involving many modifications to reduce both weight and or size, including to wedge them into [[Horsa glider]]s, for [[operation Market Garden]].{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=17–20}}

[[File:1942Jeep.jpg|thumb|left|Jeep with a [[37 mm Gun M3|37mm cannon]] and a belt-fed, water-cooled, rapid-fire [[M1917 Browning machine gun#M1917A1|Browning M1917A1 machine gun]] in U.S. 3rd Infantry, Newfoundland, 1942]]

====Antitank jeeps====
[[File:Bantam BRC 40 T2E1 37mm antitank prototype (1941).webp|thumb|1941 exp. 37mm anti-tank GMC prototype on a Bantam BRC-40 T2E1, as the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton car itself was still in development.]]
Besides towing 37&nbsp;mm antitank guns, it was also tested mounted directly on the quarter{{nbh}}tons. In early 1941, the US Army's [[Tank destroyer battalion (United States)|Tank Destroyer Command]] was urgently looking to make their antitank guns more mobile, to better serve their tactical doctrine. One of the first prototypes, the T2 37&nbsp;mm gun motor carriage (GMC), mounted a standard 37&nbsp;mm gun and [[gun shield]] on a Bantam BRC-40, aiming forward over the hood. Seven of these were built and tested, starting in May 1941, but were found awkward. So instead, eleven T2E1 GMC units aimed the 37&nbsp;mm gun rearwards for trials. Shooting rearwards had advantages, but this configuration also proved difficult to man and operate the gun. The units were all dismantled to regular jeeps. In 1942, the larger {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton [[Dodge WC series|Dodge WC-52]] was converted and standardized as the [[M6 gun motor carriage]], with a rear-aiming [[37 mm gun M3|37mm M3 gun]], but these also worked poorly in the field, and most were rebuilt back to regular WC-52 trucks.
[[File:Exp.Rocket-Firing MB-GPW Inyokern Naval Air facility Jan'45 US Navy—mmu get jpeg.jpg|thumb|Experimental rocket-artillery jeep, Inyokern Naval Air Facility, Jan 1945]]
Late in the war, in 1945, the first large-caliber [[recoilless rifle]]s became available, and the first jeep-mounted tests were performed, but they only came to fruition after World War{{nbsp}}II. One rare exception was [[Operation Varsity]], for which two [[75-mm. recoilless rifle]]s were issued to the [[17th Airborne Division (United States)|17th U.S. Airborne Division]], that could be mounted on their jeeps, proving useful in anti-tank fights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/shop-talk-three-jeeps|title=SHOP TALK: Three Jeeps|website=The National WWII Museum &#124; New Orleans|date=15 June 2020 }}</ref>

====Rocket jeeps====
The jeep being too light to mount substantial guns, it was more suited later in the war, as a platform for rocket artillery, that didn't have the enormous recoil as conventional tube [[artillery]]. The [[California Institute of Technology]] developed two different 4.5-inch jeep-based rocket launcher systems for the U.S. Navy. Several other initiatives all used 4.5-inch rockets and tubes. Testing was also done by both U.S. Army and Marine Corps, but none of the jeep-mounted rocket launchers were built in any significant number because it was more efficient to use larger trucks that could carry more rockets. The Soviet Red Army deployed twelve units fitted with 12-rail [[Katyusha rocket launcher|M-8 82mm rocket]] launchers in the bed of a jeep, from December 1944 in the [[Carpathian Mountains]].{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=33–37}}

====Stretched and uprated jeeps====
[[File:Willys 6x6 'Super-Jeep' 37mm T14 Gun Motor Carriage no.2, front left.jpg|thumb|Willys T14, rearwards firing 37 mm gun motor carriage (GMC)—the first 6×6 "Super-Jeep"]]
[[File:Willys MT-TUG, ¾-ton Truck, 6x6, Tractor, from TM10-1513 supplement (cropped).jpg|thumb|Willys MT-TUG, {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton 6×6 Tractor/"Super-Jeep"; picture from TM10-1513 manual supplement]]
[[File:Willys MLW-2 rear – 1⁄2-ton, 4x4, pickup, Light 'Jungle Jeep' prototype.jpg|thumb|Willys MLW-2 pickup, {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton, 4×4, "Light Jungle" prototype initially rode on 36-inch (91 cm) wheels and tires, and had a whole new rear, with a "tailgate"]]
To extend the jeep's luggage space, the simplest, and most frequently used method was the addition of a [[#Field kits|rear baggage rack]]. In exceptional cases, units would actually stretch both body and frame of a jeep, to give it more passenger and luggage space, but for this usage, a Dodge WC model was available in many cases. Nevertheless, building stretched, 6×6 jeeps with {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton cross-country payload, was explored with much interest. As early as July 1941, after the unsuccessful testing with the T2 and T2E1 37&nbsp;mm antitank guns mounted on Bantam jeeps, the [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|U.S. Quartermaster Corps]] (QMC) thought to lengthen {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps into 6WD for specialized roles, including the 37&nbsp;mm gun. Willys was contracted that month for both a T13 and a T14 gun motor carriage, based on the Willys MA – one firing forward, and one rearward, like the earlier Bantams. In reality, two models of rearward firing T14 were built, based on Willys ''MBs'', one slat grille in late 1941, and one or more stamped grilles, by January 1942.<ref name=W&T40MT/>

Nevertheless, the QMC and Willys kept developing the {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton 6×6, in various versions, as the "Super-Jeep." By March 1942, the T14 GMC was revised as a cargo / prime mover, named Willys 'MT-TUG', that could compete in some roles with the {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton Dodges. The Army tested these in various configurations, up to a 1{{nbh}}ton rated version, as a light, multi-purpose tractor truck, cargo, or personnel carrier. For the [[United States Army Air Force]] (USAAF), several MT-Tug units were built with a [[fifth-wheel coupling]] on the cargo floor, for various [[Fruehauf]] trailers, and loaded with sandbags on the cargo bed, even as [[aircraft tug]]s.

The Willys MT models had the same {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton rating as the new for 1942 [[Dodge WC series]], but weighed only {{convert|3100|lbs|kg|abbr=on}}, with a {{convert|300|mi|km}} range, and a top speed of {{convert|55|mph|km/h}}. Willys pointed out that every 6×6 "Super Jeep" would save {{convert|2000|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} of steel for their construction, as well as 40% in fuel usage, compared to the Dodge trucks.<ref name=Jeepparts>{{Cite web|url=https://www.armyjeepparts.com/news.aspx?showarticle=16|title=Army Jeep Parts for Sale Online &#124; Vintage Jeep Parts}}{{failed verification|reason=no article at link|date=September 2021}}</ref> Moreover, it comprised 65% unaltered standard  jeep components, and many of the other parts were also just modified standard jeep parts.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} By January 1943, the Willys MT-TUG was further evaluated by the Army Transport Command at [[Camp Gordon Johnston]], FL. It was positively reviewed there for its effortless operation in deep sand. Although the Willys {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton's performance was even called 'exemplary' by some.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Unique Jeeps – The Good, The Bad & The Goofy |url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/1406-unique-jeeps-the-good-bad-and-goofy/|date=14 May 2014|website=MotorTrend}}</ref>

Fifteen 6×6 Willys MT(-Tug)s alone were built as "Truck, {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton, 6×6, Tractor", under Ordnance production contract W{{nbh}}303{{nbh}}ORD{{nbh}}4623, production order T6620,<ref name=W&T40MT>{{cite magazine |editor-first=Bart |editor-last=Vanderveen |year=1992 |title=Willys MT-TUG – 6×6 Super-Jeep |url=https://karopka.ru/bitrix/components/bitrix/forum.interface/show_file.php?fid=508854 |magazine=Wheels & Tracks |location=Old Harlow, Essex, UK |publisher=Battle of Britain Prints International |pages=25–33 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200917122402/https://karopka.ru/bitrix/components/bitrix/forum.interface/show_file.php?fid=508854 |archive-date=2020-09-17 |via=karopka.ru |access-date=30 July 2022 |url-status=live}} [https://karopka.ru/forum/forum193/topic12953/ Full article at 12.08.2012 02:34:41]</ref>{{sfnp|ref=SRATAM4045|Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel|1945|page=62}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/willys-overland.htm|title=Willys-Overland Motors in WWII |website=usautoindustryworldwartwo.com}}</ref> and even a maintenance supplement for the "6×6 Willys MB{{nbh}}Tug" was printed with the 1943 TM10{{nbh}}1513 technical manual. Including miscellaneous test units, a total of 24 units are believed to have been built, with six known survivors.<ref name=Jeepparts/>

An even smaller number of {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps with a slightly stretched wheelbase were built as the Willys MLW(−1) through MLW-4 "Jungle Jeep." LW stood for Long(er) Wheelbase, to accommodate significantly larger wheels and 7.50–20 tires with a tractor-like profile, with the objective to serve in the jungles of the Pacific theater, after a September 1943 request from the South West Pacific for a truck with payload and mobility over mud and swamps of jungle terrain, superior to that of the regular jeep.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.milweb.net/features/willys_jeep.php |title=Willys Jeep, Ford jeep |website=milweb.net}}</ref><ref group=nb>Although uprating from {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton to {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton seems like doubling, the {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton standard rating is nominal – the real standard jeep rating was {{convert|1200|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} on road, and {{convert|800|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} off-road.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}</ref>

[[File:T28 or T29 experimental half-track WW II jeep litter-carrier (cropped).jpg|thumb|T28 experimental Willys MT based, half-track litter-carrier.]]

====Tracked jeeps====
Several tracked jeep prototypes were built, because of such a need in Alaska and Canada. After America entered the war, a Japanese attack on the [[Aleutian Islands|Aleutians]] suddenly made the Alaskan military base a zone of great military importance. The snow-rich circumstances created a need for tracked, jeep-like, all-purpose vehicles, and the Canadian [[Bombardier Recreational Products|Bombardier]] company and Willys created the T29 jeep [[half-track]] out of one of the existing 6×6 Willys MT chassis. The T-29 "Snow Tractor" (Jan 1943) expanded the rear chassis to a total of six wheels: three on each side, with a broad rubber belt serving as a track, running around two Ford model A wheels, followed by a notably larger wheel at each back corner. Instead of front wheels, the rig got skis, and the front-wheel driveline was omitted, to save cost and weight. It was followed up with the T29E1, on which front wheels returned, but mounted on the front skis, and still non-driven, just so that the front could now both glide ''and'' roll.<ref name=StrijdBw>[https://www.strijdbewijs.nl/jeep/jeep1a.htm 'Jeep modifications (continued)' (in Dutch)]</ref>
[[File:Farbatron.jpg|thumb|America tested armoring jeeps for reconnaissance (reenactment car).]]
Due to Willys' workload, International Harvester helped assemble a further five T29E1 prototypes. Under the steering front wheels, skis could be mounted or removed. An Aberdeen test report critiqued that the T-29E1 was difficult to steer, as the tracks could not be controlled independently, and that prolonged use caused excessive track component wear. A completely rearranged rear was then proposed, and a T28 litter-carrier was completed for testing by August 1944.<ref name=StrijdBw/> The only known surviving half-track WWII jeep is a Willys{{nbsp}}T28 named "Penguin."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Askew |first1=Mark |title=The History of the Willys Half-Track Jeeps- the T-29 and T-29 E1 |url= http://www.milweb.net/features/jeep.php |website=milweb.net |access-date=24 July 2021 |date=2008}}</ref> Further (fully) tracked "jeeps" were also armored, and developed for, and by Canada (see [[#Armored jeeps|armored jeeps]]).

====Armored jeeps====
Many jeeps received added armor in the field, especially in Europe in 1944–1945. Frequently, a rear slanting armor plate was added in front of the grille, and replacing the windshield, as well as the sides, in place of where doors would be.

[[File:T24-scout-car-haugh.jpg|thumb|The [[T24 Scout Car]] was built on a 6×6 Willys MT "Super-Jeep" chassis.]]

Since reconnaissance was one of the jeep's primary purposes, there was a demand for some armor from the start of production. Starting April 1942, the second T14 GMC 6×6 Willys MT-Tug chassis was converted to the [[T24 Scout Car]]. Though performing well in trials, the T24 was abandoned in the autumn in favor of the [[M8 Greyhound|M8 & M20 Light Armored Car]]. Concurrently, the Ordnance Corps was pushed to work on a lightly armored reconnaissance design, based on the standard Willys 4×4 jeep. Different armor configurations were tested on the T25 through T25E3 prototypes respectively.

Canada created a light, tracked, armored, and armed vehicle using Jeep automotive components. In late 1942, the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Canadian Department of National Defence]] (DND)'s Directorate of Vehicles and Artillery (DVA) began work at No.1 Proving Ground in [[Ottawa]] on a small tracked vehicle successively named: 'Bantam Armoured Tracked Vehicle', the 'Light Recce Tank', and finally: the 'Tracked Jeep', TJ.
[[File:Tracked Jeep (24839526376).jpg|thumb|left|The Canadian "Tracked Jeep" Mk.1 in the [[Canadian War Museum]].<ref name=CanWarMus/> ]]
[[File:I0016089.jpg|thumb|Canadian WWII poster for [[Canada Savings Bond#History|savings certificates]]. The vehicle resembles a British [[Standard Beaverette]] armored car]]
The Canadian "Tracked Jeep" Mk.1 measured {{convert|2.83|m|in|0|abbr=on}} long, and {{convert|1.70|m|in|0|abbr=on}} wide, by {{convert|1.28|m|in|0|abbr=on}} high; it had a maximum armor of 12&nbsp;mm ({{1/2}}-inch), and aimed at top speeds of 56&nbsp;km/h (35&nbsp;mph) on land and 8&nbsp;km/h (5&nbsp;mph) in the water.<ref name=CanWarMus>{{cite web|url= https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/1053237/?q=jeep&page_num=1&item_num=3&media_irn=5384241 |title=Reconnaissance Carrier |website=Canadian War Museum |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210209135141/https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/1053237/?q=jeep&page_num=1&item_num=3&media_irn=5384241 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The vehicle was intended for taking messages over contested ground, [[armored reconnaissance]], and engaging unarmored enemy troops in airborne and combined operations.<ref name=MilArt>{{Cite web|url=https://milart.blog/2014/08/16/canadian-tracked-jeep-willys/|title=Canadian Tracked Jeep (Willys)|date=16 August 2014}}</ref> Willys and Marmon-Herrington were contracted for five more prototypes, Willys for power train components, and MH for the armored hulls and the Hotchkiss-type running gear. The Tracked Jeep showed excellent cross-country performance and uphill mobility was better than other light tracked utility vehicles, while its [[Amphibious vehicle|amphibious]] capability was adequate, despite its low freeboard.<ref name=MilArt/> There were however serious shortcomings with the running-gear and tracks. Work to fix this delayed testing until late 1944, and British insights demanded such fundamental changes, that a Mk.2 version was developed, of which another six units were fabricated, and not ready until after the war had ended. The problems with tracks and running gear were still not sorted out, and development halted.

====Flying jeep====
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Rotabuggy.jpg|thumb|left|Hafner Rotabuggy in flight]]
The most extreme concept tried was to turn the jeep into a [[rotor kite]] (or gyrokite), similar to an [[autogyro]]—the [[Hafner Rotabuggy]] (officially Malcolm Rotaplane). Designed by [[Raoul Hafner]] in 1942 and sponsored by the [[Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment]] (AFEE), after their [[Rotachute]] enjoyed some success, a passive rotor assembly was added over the jeep cabin, along with a lightweight tail, for stabilization. This jeep could be towed into the air by a transport or bomber tug. The Rotabuggy would then be towed to the drop zone as a rotary-wing glider. It took until autumn 1944 to achieve a decent test flight, and other [[military glider]]s, (particularly the [[Waco CG-4|Waco Hadrian]] and [[Airspeed Horsa]]) made the Rotabuggy superfluous. Incidentally, it was first named the "Blitz Buggy," but that was soon dropped for "Rotabuggy".

{{break}}

==Etymology==
{{See also|Jeep#Etymology}}
There is no consensus among historians as to how the U.S. Army's World War II quarter-ton reconnaissance car became known as the "jeep", let alone how the word originated in the first place. Explanations have proven difficult to verify. With certainty, the term "jeep" was already in use before the war, designating various things, while the "{{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton trucks" at first had many different designations and nicknames.

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 248
| header            = Other contemporaneous jeeps
| image1            = Dodge halve ton WC4 Weapons Carrier, W-28572.JPG
| caption1          = World War II soldiers and officials called the half-ton 1940 / 1941 Dodge [[Dodge WC series|Reconnaissance / Weapon Carriers]] "Jeeps" through 1942, before the term moved to the Willys&nbsp;MB.
| image2            = G-622 Ford GTB, Cargo, Low Silhouette, USMC 166487 pic2.JPG
| caption2          = The compact [[Ford GTB 'Burma jeep'|Ford GTB / G-622]] 1{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton 4x4 truck, introduced in late 1942, was still typically nicknamed [[Ford GTB|'Burma jeep']].<ref>{{cite web |last=Norris |first=John |title=WWII G-622 Ford GTB: A great "little workhorse" |url=https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/a-great-little-workhorse |date=14 June 2016 |website=Military Trader |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128212124/https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/a-great-little-workhorse |archive-date=2022-11-28 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

===Eugene the Jeep and prior usage of "jeep"===
According to several knowledgeable authors, the word "jeep" was used well before World War&nbsp;II; career soldiers used it since World War&nbsp;I – both as casual U.S. Army slang for new, uninitiated recruits or other personnel who still had to prove their mettle, as well as used by Army motor pool mechanics, about any new, unproven vehicles or prototypes.{{sfnp|Allen |2004 |p=[https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=zTsAbTJB5RIC&hl=nl&pg=PA16&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U018wxs1CwoanY0eo4_qJSo6RbtXg&w=1280 16]}}<ref name="ware39">{{cite book|first=Pat |last=Ware |title=Military Jeep Manual: An insight into the history, development, production and role of the US Army's light four-wheel-drive |publisher=Haynes |year=2010 |isbn=9781844259335 |page=39}}</ref> Zaloga also describes use as an adjective: "''jeepy''," similar to "cooky" or "goofy," to mean anything insignificant, silly, awkward or foolish.{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=11}}

Later, in mid-March 1936, a character called [[Eugene the Jeep]] was created in [[E. C. Segar]]'s ''[[Popeye]]'' cartoons.<ref name=CCJprofile>{{cite web |title=Vehicle Profiles: Jeep Willys |url=https://journal.classiccars.com/2008/07/01/the-jeep/ |website=The ClassicCars.com Journal |access-date=8 November 2018|date=2008-07-02 }}</ref> Eugene the Jeep was Popeye's "jungle pet" and was small, able to walk through walls and move between dimensions, and could go anywhere and solve seemingly impossible problems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/372/ |title=Jeep |website=Wordorigins.org |first=Dave |last=Wilton |date=12 July 2006 |access-date=27 January 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328072940/http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/372/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Borth |first=Christy |title=Masters of Mass Production |pages=208–236 |publisher=Bobbs-Merrill |location=Indianapolis, IN |year=1945}}</ref> The Eugene cartoon character brought new meaning to the Jeep name, diverging from the initial, somewhat pejorative meaning of the term, instead changing the slang to mean a capable person or thing.<ref name=RealJeep/> [[King Features Syndicate]], publisher of the "Thimble Theater" comics that featured Popeye and Eugene the Jeep, trademarked the name "Jeep" in August 1936.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Massey |first1=Ken |last2=Zatz |first2=David |title=How the Jeep got its name instead of Peep, Beep, or Seep |url=https://www.allpar.com/threads/how-the-jeep-got-its-name-instead-of-peep-beep-or-seep.229807/ |website=Allpar.com |access-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228111911/https://www.allpar.com/threads/how-the-jeep-got-its-name-instead-of-peep-beep-or-seep.229807/ |archive-date=2022-02-28 |date=16 November 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eugene the Jeep's go-anywhere ability resulted in various industrial and four-wheel-drive vehicles getting nicknamed "Jeep" in the late-1930s. Around 1940, converted 4WD [[Minneapolis-Moline]] tractors, supplied to the U.S. Army as prime movers, were called "jeeps,"<ref>[https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2010/06/The-Industrial-Jeep---1943-NTX/3396821.html The Industrial Jeep – 1943 NTX – Minneapolis-Moline's – Hemmings Motor News]</ref><ref name=JeepOffroad>{{cite book |last1=Morr |first1=Tom |first2=Ken |last2=Brubaker |title=Jeep Off-Road |year=2007 |publisher=MotorBooks International |isbn=9781610590563 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKrYGfVMUdMC&pg=PA11 |page=11 |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Coincidentally, Willys had ''owned'' Moline, but sold it long before the war.<ref name=AllparName/>}} and Halliburton used the name for an electric logging device,{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=}}<ref name=AllparName/> or for a custom built [[four wheel drive]] exploration/survey vehicle.<ref name=RealJeep>{{cite web|url= http://www.offroaders.com/tech/jeep/Real-Jeep.htm|title=Will The Real Jeep Please Stand Up |website=offroaders.com}}</ref> A small, anti-submarine, [[Escort carrier|escort aircraft carrier]] was called a "jeep carrier" in the U.S. Navy in WWII,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.dictionary.com/browse/jeep-carrier|title=Definition of jeep carrier |website=dictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bryan |first=B.J. |title=The Ship That Never Was |date=19 March 2011 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xocZ5jq8jkC&pg=PA131 |page=131 |isbn=9781456877682 |access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> and also several aircraft; prototypes for both Kellett [[autogyro]]s, and for the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]],<ref name=RealJeep/><ref name=JTUL>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Arch |title=Jeep: The Unstoppable Legend |publisher=Publications International |year=2001 |page=42 |isbn=978-0-7853-5562-5}}</ref> as well as the 1941 [[Curtiss-Wright AT-9]] were called "jeeps." Additionally, in 1936/1937, Canadian soldiers had received a {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton Marmon-Herrington half-track and called it a "Jeep" (with a capital{{nbsp}}"J").<ref>{{cite web|url= https://captainstevens.com/military/mv/jeeps/ |title=Jeeps & Canada – Canada was one of the first users of the "jeep |website=captainstevens.com |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>

[[File:All 3 WW II 'Jeeps' – ¼-ton Willys MA, ½-ton and ¾-ton Dodge WC series (1941) (cropped).jpg|thumb|All three light U.S. 4×4 trucks, nicknamed "jeeps" in World War II. From left to right: Willys MA {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton, Dodge WC {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton, Dodge WC {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton.]]
In 1940–1942, soldiers initially used "jeep" for half-ton or three-quarter-ton [[Dodge WC series|Dodge Command Reconnaissance cars]], with the three-quarter ton Command Cars later called "beeps" (for "big Jeeps"), while the quarter-ton cars were called "peeps," "son of jeep," "baby jeep," "puddle-jumper," "bug"; or "bantams" or "quads."{{sfnp|Zaloga|2011|p=}}<ref name=JeepOffroad/><ref name=AllparName>{{cite web|url=https://www.allpar.com/SUVs/wrangler/jeep-name.html |title=How the Jeep got its name |first1=Ken |last1=Massey |first2=David |last2=Zatz |website=allpar.com |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> A seven-page article in ''[[Popular Science]]'' (October 1941) headlined introducing the quarter-ton as "''Leaping Lena''"—also one of the nicknames of the ubiquitous, same length [[Ford Model T]]—and further called it a buggy, or just a bug.<ref name=PopSci1041>{{cite magazine |last=Stearns |first=David M. |magazine=Popular Science |volume=139 |issue=4 |title=Leaping Lena Joins the Army |date=October 1941 |pages=52–58 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VCcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52  |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> Originally, "peep" seemed a fitting name, because the quarter-ton was considered primarily a reconnaissance (peeping) car.<ref name=AllparName/>

The early 1940s terminology situation is summed up in the definition given in ''Words of the Fighting Forces'' by Clinton A. Sanders, a dictionary of military slang published in 1942, in the Pentagon library: "Jeep: A four-wheel drive car of one-half to one-and-one-half-ton capacity for reconnaissance or other army duty. A term applied to the bantam cars, and occasionally to other motor vehicles (U.S.A.) in the Air Corps, the Link Trainer; in the armored forces, the {{1/2}} ton command car. Also referred to as 'any small plane, helicopter, or gadget'." The term "Jeep" could still mean various things, including light-wheeled utility vehicles other than the jeep.

Moreover, in April 1942, the ''[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]'' reported that the Army was still "''hopelessly divided''" on how to define "jeep" or "peep". Despite opening with the definition, the of the lexicographer Dr. Charles E. Funk of the United Service Organizations (U.S.O.), identical to the above ("jeep: a four-wheel drive car of ''one-half to one-and-one-half-ton capacity'' for reconnaissance or other army duty"), a survey of Army camp editors in thirty states, conducted by [[National Catholic Community Service|the NCCS branch of the U.S.O.]] revealed that less than 25% agreed with that meaning for posterity. Twenty-six percent of camp editors still called the small combat rigs "Bantam cars," and 28% used names or definitions not even listed in the questionnaire. Ten percent considered that "jeeps are not peeps", whereas 6.6% contradicted that they are.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jeep or Peep? Army Editors Can't Decide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qpccAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4478,1319736&hl=nl |access-date=1 March 2022 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |agency=United Press International |date=16 April 1942 |page=11}} [http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2015/01/1942-04-16-sarasota-herald-tribune-jeep-or-peep.jpg See article]</ref> "In May of 1942, newspapers announced the armored division [still] officially named the quarter-ton command/reconnaissance car the 'Peep', while the half-ton armored [division] car was called the 'Jeep'."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Official name for the Jeep – Peep? Bantam Car? Other? |url=http://www.ewillys.com/2015/01/28/the-official-name-for-the-jeep-the-peep/ |website=eWillys |access-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118012655/http://www.ewillys.com/2015/01/28/the-official-name-for-the-jeep-the-peep/ |archive-date=2020-11-18 |date=28 January 2015}}</ref> The ''Milwaukee Journal'' published two photos to help readers distinguish between the two.<ref>{{cite news |title=When a 'Jeep' is a 'Peep' |url=http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2015/01/1942-04-22-milwaukee-journal-jeep-peep-624x1451.jpg |access-date=2 March 2022 |work=Milwaukee Journal |date=22 April 1942 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118012655im_/http://www.ewillys.com/wp-content/uploads2/2015/01/1942-04-22-milwaukee-journal-jeep-peep-624x1451.jpg |archive-date=2020-11-18}}</ref> In May 1942, an article in the ''Pittsburgh Press'' confirmed that the Army had legitimized the slang terms "jeep" and "peep" as words used by the Army, in official orders.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jeep—Peep |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tFcbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6333,1629694&hl=en |access-date=2 March 2022 |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=24 May 1942 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302002710/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tFcbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6333,1629694&hl=en |archive-date=2022-03-02 |page=18}}</ref>

===Relation with presence of light 4WDs in numbers===
In the first years of the war, this usage of the term 'jeep' logically meshes with the ratios of U.S. light-wheeled military truck production. In 1940, the U.S. government took delivery of 8,058 light trucks, 6,583 of which were {{1/2}}{{nbh}}tons, 4×4, [[Dodge WC series#1940VC VF|Dodge G-505 VC-]] [[Dodge WC series#1941 42WC|and WC-models]] (82%).{{sfnp|ref=SRATAM4045|Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel|1945|pages=XXV and 55–58}} The {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeep was yet to be designed. The half-tons provoked two insights: the military wanted many more, but also needed ''another'' vehicle – even smaller, lighter, and more agile. In 1941, Dodge ramped up the [[Dodge WC series#Half-ton WC series|{{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton WC-series]], delivering some 60,000 units, compared to some 15,000 quarter tons, almost all still early production units, built by three different manufacturers. Even in 1942, when production of the standardized {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeep really got up to speed, it didn't catch up to the WC-series' numbers—the 170,000 jeeps built still only amounted to half of the total 356,000 light trucks the Army had received by end of that year. It took until early 1943 for the Ford and Willys jeeps to outnumber the {{1/2}}{{nbh}}ton and {{3/4}}{{nbh}}ton Dodge WC models in service.{{sfnp|ref=SRATAM4045|Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel|1945|page=XXV and 54}}

[[File:The Autobiography of a 'Jeep'.webm|thumb|The 1943 short film ''[[The Autobiography of a 'Jeep']]'', by the U.S. [[Office of War Information]], narrated the jeep's story up til then from its own view.]]

===Whether "jeep" was derived from "GP"===
One of the most frequently given explanations is that the designation "GP" was slurred into the word "Jeep," in the same way that the contemporary [[HMMWV]] (for "High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle") has become known as the "Humvee"—either from the initial Ford model "GP", or from the military "G.P.", for "General Purpose" (vehicle). 

An explanation, based on the Ford "GP" model code, was given in an article in the San Francisco ''Call-Bulletin'' in late 1941.<ref name=WarSlang3rd>{{cite book |last=Dickson |first=Paul |date=1 August 2014 |title=War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil War, Third Edition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGNMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA178 |publisher=Courier Corporation |page=178 |isbn=9780486797168 |quote=...from an article by Marsh Maslin in the San Francisco ''Call-Bulletin'' of 22 November 1941: 'Do you know why those swift little army cars are called 'jeeps'? It's Model G-P produced by that automobile manufacturer – and G-P easily becomes 'jeep'.' }}</ref> It is possible "GP" evolved into "Geep" and then "jeep."<ref name=FW7yrJP>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/origins-of-the-jeep-birthing-a-75-year-legend/ |title=Origins of the Jeep: Birthing A 75-Year Legend |last=Allen |first=Jim |date=10 January 2016 |website=FourWheeler.com |access-date=2018-02-22 |author-link=Jim Allen (4x4 writer)}}</ref>

[[File:A jeep's-eye view of the seabees in action - NARA - 513727.jpg|thumb|Willys wartime ad promoting the Jeeps' contribution to the war effort – in particular used by the [[Seabee]]s{{refn |group=nb |"Larry" is Seaman 2/c Lawrence Meyer, the first Seabee to receive the Silver Star at the Battle of Guadalcanal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2015/03/04/fires-to-the-sky-the-legend-of-bucky-meyer/ |title=Fires to the Sky: The Legend of Bucky Meyer &#124; Seabee Online |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422085837/https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2015/03/04/fires-to-the-sky-the-legend-of-bucky-meyer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> }}]]
The latter "GP"-based explanation appears in the ''TM9-803 Manual'',<ref name=TM9_803/> and the car is designated a "GP" in the ''TM9-2800 Manual''—these were published in late 1943 and early 1944. In the 1943 short propaganda/documentary film ''[[The Autobiography of a 'Jeep']]'', by the U.S. [[Office of War Information]], the jeep itself propagates this origin story of its nickname.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Joseph Krumgold]], [[Irving Lerner]] (directors); Joseph Krumgold (writer) |year=1943 |title=The Autobiography of a 'Jeep' |medium=film |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5085fnwLyM%3Ft%3D204 |access-date=2020-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811001629/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5085fnwLyM%3Ft%3D204 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |url-status=bot: unknown |format=4:3 |time=3:15 min |publisher=Office of War Information |quote=".., because they [the U.S. Army] gave me a nickname. From the words'' 'General Purpose','' they took the 'G' and the 'P'. They called me "Jeep" !" }}</ref>

===Willys-Overland's positions and promotion===
Joe Frazer, president of [[Willys-Overland]] from 1939 until 1944, claimed to have coined the word ''jeep'' by [[Relaxed pronunciation|slurring]] the initials G.P.,<ref name=JTUL/> possibly related to Willys-Overland's 1943 trademark and 1946 copyright claims to the Jeep name. However, the company handling Willys' public relations in 1944 wrote that the jeep name probably came from the fact that the vehicle made quite an impression on soldiers at the time, so much so that they informally named it after the go-anywhere Eugene the Jeep.<ref name=WarSlang3rd/>

[[File:Willys-Overland MA Jeep - Publicity Shot.png|thumb|In 1941, Willys publicly showed off their MA's off-road capabilities, like by stair-climbing on [[Capitol Hill]]]]
In early 1941, when the test cars went by names like BRC / "Blitz-Buggy", Ford Pygmy and others, Willys-Overland staged a press event in Washington, D.C., a publicity stunt and Senate photo opportunity demonstrating the car's off-road capability by driving it up and down the [[U.S. 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 what it was, Hausmann said "it's a Jeep". Hausmann preferred "Jeep", to distinguish the Willys rig from the other funny-named quarter tons at Camp Holabird.<ref name=JeepOffroad/> Hillyer's syndicated article appeared in the newspaper on 20 February 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 origin of the term being fixed in public awareness. Even though Hausmann did not create or invent the word "Jeep", he likely contributed to its mainstream media usage indicating the quarter-ton vehicle.

===Convergence from mixed origins and media coverage===
It is plausible that the origin was mixed and converged on "jeep" from multiple directions. Ford Motor Company pushed its Ford GP hard, to get the military contract, putting the term "GP" into use. Military officers and G.I.s involved in the procurement and testing of the car may have called it jeep from the WWI slang. Civilian contractors, engineers, and testers may have related it to Popeye's "Eugene the Jeep" character. People may have heard the same name from different directions, and as one person heard it from another, put their own understanding and explanation on it.<ref name=ODjeepname>{{cite web|title=Origin of the Term Jeep |url=http://olive-drab.com/od_mvg_www_jeeps_origin_term.php |website=olive-drab.com |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709175709/https://olive-drab.com/od_mvg_www_jeeps_origin_term.php |archive-date=2021-07-09}}</ref> Overwhelming presence of the nickname 'jeep' in the public's opinion was probably the deciding factor.<ref name=RealJeep/>

From 1941 on, a "constant flow of press and film publicity",{{sfnp|Hogan|1941|p={{page needed|date=October 2023}}}} as well as Willys advertising as of 1942, proclaiming it had created and perfected the jeep, cemented the name "Jeep" in the civilian public's mind,<ref name=AllparName/>{{refn |name=PPattonCmt}} even when "peep" was still used at many army camps,{{sfnp|Hogan|1941|p={{page needed|date=October 2023}}}} and President Roosevelt spoke of the vital role the "peep" had to play in defending the shores of Fort Story, Virginia {{nat|(04-1942)}}.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] |date=April 1942 |title=The "peep" (not a jeep this time) has a vital role to play in defense of America's shores at Fort Story, Virginia. |type=photograph |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/196278 |access-date=2022-03-04 |format=U.S. National Archives record |time= |series=Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs, 1882 – 1962 |work=FDR Photographs, 1882-1962 |id=ARC Id 196278; NAIL nr. NLR-PHOCO-A-65602(15)}}</ref>

One other particularly influential article may have been the January 1942 full review of the military's new wonder buggy in ''[[Scientific American]]'', reprinted as "Meet the Jeep" in ''[[Reader's Digest]]'', the best-selling consumer magazine of the day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.autonews.com/article/20160718/RETAIL03/307189990/how-americans-got-to-meet-the-jeep-in-1942 |title=How Americans got to meet the Jeep in 1942 |date=15 July 2016 |work=Automotive News}}</ref> Author Jo Chamberlin was duly impressed by the "midget combat car" and wrote:

{{Blockquote|text=Our Army's youngest, smallest toughest baby has a dozen pet names such as jeep, peep, blitz-buggy, leaping Lena, panzer-killer. The names are all affectionate, for the jeep has made good. Only a year old, it stole the show in Louisiana. Now the Army plans to have 75,000 of them.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}}}

In a prescient footnote, Chamberlin wrote: "Some army men call the bantam a "peep", reserving "jeep" for the larger command car in which the brass hats ride. However, the term 'jeep' (born of GP, an auto manufacturing classification) is used by newspapers and most soldiers, and apparently will stick'".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.autonews.com/article/20160711/OEM/307119938/why-it-s-a-jeep-and-not-a-leaping-lena|title=Why it's a 'Jeep' and not a 'Leaping Lena'|date=8 July 2016|website=Automotive News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a1850016/jeep-75th-anniversary-whats-name/ |title=Why it's a 'Jeep' and not a 'Leaping Lena' |first1=Larry P. |last1=Vellequette |date=14 July 2016 |work=Autoweek |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>

==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, vertical-slot steel grille into its vehicles, which was lighter, used fewer resources, and was less costly to produce.<ref name=FordJalop>{{cite web|url=https://jalopnik.com/the-iconic-face-of-the-jeep-was-actually-designed-by-fo-1687059821|title=The Iconic Face of the Jeep Was Actually Designed By Ford |first=Jason |last=Torchinsky |website=Jalopnik |date=20 February 2015 |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> Along with many other design features innovated by Ford, this was incorporated into the design and implemented by April 1942.

In order to be able to get their grille design trademarked, Willys gave their post-war jeeps a seven-slot grille instead of the Ford nine-slot design.<ref name=FordJalop/> This applies both to Willys' "Civilian Jeeps", as well as the M38 and M38A1 military models. Through a series of corporate takeovers and mergers, [[AM General|AM General Corporation]] ended up with the rights to use the seven-slot grille.
<gallery mode="packed" class="center">
File:Wiki Jeep 3.jpg|Ford design, stamped steel, nine-slot grille on a 1945 Willys&nbsp;MB
File:'46 Jeep CJ (Auto classique Laval '10).jpg|Seven-slot grille on [[Jeep CJ#CJ-2A|the {{nobr|CJ-2A}}]], Willys' first civilian Jeep
File:JeepFrontM151.jpg|Due to Willys' trademark, Ford had to use a different design on their [[M151 ¼-ton 4×4 utility truck]], opting for horizontal slots.
File:A Humvee assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit leaves a camp on the beach at Cap Draa, Morocco, April 12, 2012, during African Lion 2012 120412-N-QM601-202 (cropped).jpg|Through corporate history, the [[Humvee]] manufacturer [[AM General]] also had rights to fit the seven-slot grille.
File:Suzuki Jimny55 sj10.JPG|Other manufacturers used slotted grilles on their vehicles, in this case a 1st generation [[Suzuki Jimny]].
</gallery>

==Service==
[[File:Bantam BRC-40 leading GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6x6 trucks, Philippines, 1941.jpg|thumb|Early production {{1/4}}{{nbh}}tons like this [[American Bantam]] BRC-40 in the Philippines, were the first to see action, with allied British or Soviet forces (1941).]]
[[File:Special Air Service in North Africa E 21337.jpg|thumb|The British [[Special Air Service]] used heavily armed jeeps in North Africa missions.]]
{{external media |width=230px |image1=[https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/willys-mb-jeep-novi-petrivtsi-ukraine-may-military-history-club-members-reenacting-usa-recon-patrol-ride-68896844.jpg Over flat terrain, the jeep would transport up to six soldiers} with backpacks, if necessary.]}}

The United States provided jeeps to almost all of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies in World War II]]. Britain, Canada,<ref group=nb>Canadian utility vehicle production during the war included some 800,000 (mainly) [[right-hand drive]] [[Canadian Military Pattern truck|Canadian Military Pattern light and medium trucks]] from 1/2 ton upwards – for British and Commonwealth as well as Soviet use – but {{1/4}}{{nbh}}ton jeeps.</ref> Australia, India, the Free French, USSR, and China all received jeeps, mostly under the American Lend-Lease program.<ref name=NMUSAicon/> Some 182,500 units were provided to Allies under Lend-Lease alone. Almost 105,000 to the British Empire,<ref group=nb>U.S. report terminology</ref> including Australia and India, plus over 8,000 to Canada, and some 50,000 to the Soviet Union.<ref name=LLamounts3B/> The Free French (almost 10,000) and China (almost 7,000) were medium takers, and many other countries received a small number.<ref name=LLamounts3B>{{cite report |author=U.S. Ordnance Corps |author-link=United States Army Ordnance Corps |date=31 December 1946 |title=Quantities of Lend-Lease Shipments |section= III-B "Ordnance – Motor Transport Vehicles", Part I |url=https://lend-lease.net/files/Part_3B_pages_1-27.pdf |publisher=U.S. War Department |page=1 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181231194330/http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/documents/files/Part_3B_pages_1-27.pdf |archive-date=2018-12-31 |url-status=live |access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref> America shipped a total of 77,972 various "jeeps" to the Soviet Union – consisting of 49,250 {{1/4}}{{nbh}}tons,<ref group=nb>Including early production models.</ref> 25,200 [[Dodge WC series|Dodge {{3/4}}{{nbh}}tons]],<ref group=nb>Almost all WC-51/WC-52 Troop & Weapons Carriers</ref> and 3,520 [[Ford GPA]].<ref name=WW2weapons>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ww2-weapons.com/lend-lease-tanks-and-aircrafts/|title=Lend-Lease tanks and {{sic|nolink=yes|aircrafts}}|date=23 February 2021 |website=ww2-weapons.com}}</ref><ref name=LLamounts3B/><ref name=WarJeeps>{{cite web|first=David |last=Eilers |url= https://warjeeps.com/articles/Seep/ford-gpa-adventures-article/ford-gpa-adventures.html|title= Exploring the World in a Ford GPA SEEP|website=warjeeps.com}}</ref>

[[File:The British Army in Normandy 1944; B 8347 (cropped, higher res).jpg|thumb| Two jeeps leading a British column of [[Universal Carrier]]s and a Sexton self-propelled gun. Caen, 1944]]

In the deserts of the [[North African campaign]], the jeep's abilities so far surpassed those of British vehicles that it wasn't unusual for jeeps to rescue a three-ton truck stuck in the sand. In combat, the British would use their jeeps in groups of up to fifty or sixty to raid [[Erwin Rommel|Rommel's]] supply lines by surprise, exploiting the jeep's low silhouette; able to remain unseen, hide behind dunes, and surprise the enemy.{{sfnp|Ackerson|2006|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190512150610/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT73&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U0P4GxaLbknCoqJcqir7Q3yEWy6XA&w=1280 73]}}

Within the U.S. military, jeeps were used by every branch. In the U.S. Army, an average of 145 units were assigned to each [[Infantry Branch (United States)|infantry regiment]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/jeep-in-a-crate.html|title=WWII Jeep in a Crate for $50 – fact or a tall story|first=Jack|last=Beckett|date=5 March 2018}}</ref> Around the world, jeeps served in every overseas [[Theater of war|theater of operation]], in every environment, under all weather and climatic conditions – in North Africa and the [[Pacific Theater (World War II)|Pacific Theater]], the Western Allied [[invasion of Europe]] in 1944, as well as the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. From deserts to mountains, from jungles to beachheads, jeeps could be pulled out of thick mud by their riders, and they were even flown into battle on light glider planes.<ref name=TNIjeep/> In the European theater, they were so ubiquitous that some German troops believed that each American soldier was issued their own jeep.<ref name=WW2DBjeep/>{{refn|group=nb|By war's end, in 1945, in the European theater U.S. forces had close to one motor truck (jeeps included) for every four men{{Sfnp|Thomson|Mayo|2003|p=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112055126327;view=1up;seq=289;size=125 265]}} – worldwide it had one vehicle per seven American GIs.<ref name=NatPostTTtBH>{{cite news |url= https://nationalpost.com/opinion/peter-shawn-taylor-the-trucks-that-beat-hitler |title=The Trucks that Beat Hitler |last=Taylor |first=Peter Shawn |date=20 April 2016 |newspaper=National Post |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>}}

Jeeps served as indefatigable pack horses for troop transport and towing supply trailers, carrying water, fuel, and ammunition, and pulling through the most difficult terrain. They performed nimble scout and reconnaissance duty, were frequent ambulances for the wounded, and did hearse service. They also doubled as mobile field command headquarters or weapons platforms – either with mounted machine guns or pulling small artillery pieces into "unreachable" areas over inhospitable terrain.<ref name=AEIjeep/> The Jeep's flat hood was used as a commander's map table, a chaplain's field altar, the G.I.s' poker table, or even for field surgery. In the cauldron of war, the jeeps served every purpose imaginable: as a power plant, light source, improvised stove for field rations, or a hot water source for shaving. Equipped with the proper tools, it would plow snow, or dig long furrows for laying heavy electrical cable along jungle airfields – laid by another jeep following it.<ref name=AEIjeep/>

Battle-hardened warriors learned to weld a rooftop-height vertical cutter-bar to the front of their jeeps, to cut any trip wires tied across roads or trails by the Germans, placed to snap the necks of unsuspecting jeepers.<ref name=Foster14/> Fitted with flanged steel wheels, they could pull railroad cars.<ref name=Foster14/><ref name=NMUSAicon/><ref name=AEIjeep/> In Europe, "The service of this vehicle was excellent, considering all the abuse it was obliged to take from bad roads, high speeds, overloading, and lack of maintenance. It performed tasks that it was never intended to perform, from carrying ammunition to locations where other wheeled vehicles could not travel, to serving as a cross-country ambulance traversing roads and country considered practically impassible."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldoftanks.com/en/news/chieftain/The_Chieftains_Hatch_AARs_2/|title=The Chieftain's Hatch: ETO Equipment Reviews, Pt 2|last=Moran|first=Nicholas|date=24 February 2018|website=The Chieftain's Hatch|publisher=Wargaming|access-date=26 November 2021}}</ref> [[Pulitzer Prize]]–winning war journalist [[Ernie Pyle]] wrote: "It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and still keeps on going."<ref name=Hyde2013>{{cite book |last=Hyde |first=Charles K. |title=Arsenal of Democracy; The American Automobile Industry in World War&nbsp;II |date=2013 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |location=Detroit |isbn=9780814339510 |edition=Ebook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-PCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA152 |page=152 |access-date=28 December 2018}}</ref>

Despite some shortcomings, the jeep was generally well-liked, seen as versatile, maneuverable, reliable, and almost indestructible.<ref name=NMUSAicon/> The seats were found uncomfortable, sometimes caused the so-called [[Pilonidal disease#Etymology|"Jeep riders' disease"]] and cramped in the rear, but many soldiers enjoyed driving the nimble jeep, appreciating its powerful engine; and with its light weight, low-cut body sides, bucket seats, and manual floor-shifter, it was as close to a sportscar as most GIs had ever driven.<ref name=Foster14/> [[Enzo Ferrari]] called the Jeep "America's only real sports car."<ref name=WW2DBjeep>{{Cite web|url=https://ww2db.com/vehicle_spec.php?q=243|title=Jeep|website=WW2DB |first=David |last=Stubblebine}}</ref> Nazi generals admired the jeep more than any other U.S. materiel, and it was the vehicle they most liked to capture for general use.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Michael D. |last=Hull |url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/10/19/the-magnificent-jeep/|title=The Magnificent Jeep|date=19 October 2016 |publisher=Warfare History Network}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" class="center" heights="140">
File:Pattons-jeep-bastogne-1945.jpg|General [[George S. Patton]]'s jeep – [[Bastogne]], Belgium (1945)
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM 'Militairen in een jeep voor een bioscoop in Batavia met affiche voor de film 'Mr. Lucky' uit 1943 met Cary Grant en Laraine Day' TMnr 10029130.jpg|World War II jeeps in [[Jakarta|Batavia]], [[Indonesia]] (1947).
File:PikiWiki Israel 8985 jeep willis from the independence war.jpg|Wire catcher on front of [[Improvised fighting vehicle|improvised attack jeep]], used by [[Samson's Foxes]] Israeli commando unit in the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
</gallery>

==Post-war==
[[File:Willys MB Jeep displayed at the Ramon Magsaysay Ancestral House.jpg|thumb|right|Willys MB used by former Philippine President [[Ramon Magsaysay]]]]
Willys-Overland filed to trademark the "Jeep" name in 1943.<ref>{{cite web|title=JEEP Trademark of WILLYS-OVERLAND MOTORS, INC. – Registration Number 0526175 – Serial Number 71458520 |url=https://trademarks.justia.com/714/58/jeep-71458520.html |website=Justia Trademarks |access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> From 1945 onwards, Willys marketed its four-wheel drive vehicle to the public with its [[Jeep CJ|CJ (''Civilian Jeep'')]] versions, making these the world's first mass-produced 4WD civilian cars. Even before actual civilian purpose jeeps had been created, 3 January 1944 issue of ''[[Life magazine|Life]]'' magazine featured a story titled: 'U.S. Civilians Buy Their First Jeeps'. A mayor from Kansas had bought a Ford GP in Chicago in 1943, and it performed invaluable work on his 2,000-acre farm.{{sfnp|Ackerson|2006
|p=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190512101019/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT52&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U0SIB6m6iVGRBD4_gNTUNH8WROqeQ&w=1280 52]}}

Already in 1942 industrial designer [[Brooks Stevens]] came up with an idea on how to make a civilian car called Victory Car on the jeep chassis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.modernmechanix.com/your-victory-car/|title=Your Victory Car|access-date=2021-01-31|website=Modern Mechanix|last=Stevens|first=Brooks|year=2011|orig-year=1942|pages=82–85; 162|author-link=Brooks Stevens|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225142106/http://blog.modernmechanix.com/your-victory-car/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It never went into production, but Willys liked the idea and gave Brook Stevens notable design jobs, including the 1946 [[Willys Jeep Station Wagon]], 1947 [[Willys Jeep Truck]], and 1948 [[Willys-Overland Jeepster]], as well as the 1963–1993 [[Jeep Wagoneer]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carlsson |first1=Mårten |title=Stevens segerbil |url=https://www.klassiker.nu/reportage/stevens-segerbil |website=Klassiker |date=15 October 2019 |access-date=15 October 2019}}</ref>

{{multiple image |direction=vertical |width=220
|image1=Willys CJ-2A 1946 (14168649288).jpg |caption1=1946 Willys [[Jeep CJ#CJ-2A|Jeep {{nobr|CJ-2A}}]]
|image2=Willys M606 Jeep.jpg |caption2=U.S. marked M606 jeep
|image3=Mitsubishi 1955 Jeep.JPG |caption3=The Mitsubishi Jeep started as a license-produced [[Jeep CJ#CJ-3B|{{nobr|CJ-3B}}]]
|image4=Willys jeep.jpg |caption4=The NEKAF M38A1 jeeps served the Dutch Army for more than 40 years
}}

In 1948, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission agreed with American Bantam that the idea of creating the Jeep was originated and developed by American Bantam in collaboration with the U.S. Army as well as Ford and Spicer.<ref name="Linkhorn">{{cite news|last=Linkhorn |first=Tyrel |title=Original Jeep designed by many minds |url= http://www.toledoblade.com/automotive/2016/08/07/Original-Jeep-designed-by-many-minds.html |newspaper=The Blade |location=Toledo, Ohio |date=7 August 2016 |access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> The commission forbade Willys from claiming, directly or by implication, that it had created or designed the jeep, and allowed it only to claim that it contributed to the development of the vehicle.<ref name="ware39"/><ref name=Pulos/> The trademark lawsuit initiated and won by Bantam was a hollow victory: American Bantam went bankrupt by 1950 and Willys was granted the "Jeep" [[trademark]] the same year.<ref name="Linkhorn"/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Zubritzky |first=Peter C. |title=Pittsburgh, the steel and (once) motor city |url=https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/download/7564/7337 |journal=Western Pennsylvania History |date=Winter 2003–2004 |access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref>

The first CJs were essentially the same as the&nbsp;MB, except for such alterations as vacuum-powered windshield wipers, a [[Trunk (automobile)#Tailgate|tailgate]] (and therefore a side-mounted spare tire), and civilian lighting. Also, the civilian jeeps had amenities like [[naugahyde]] seats, chrome trim, and were available in a variety of colors. Mechanically, a heftier T-90 [[transmission (mechanics)|transmission]] replaced the Willys&nbsp;MB's T84 in order to appeal to the originally considered rural buyer demographic.

In Britain, [[Rover Company|Rover]] were also inspired to build their own, very jeep-like vehicle. Their first testing prototype was actually built on the chassis of a war-surplus jeep, on the Welsh farm of then Rover chief engineer [[Maurice Wilks]] and by his older brother, managing director [[Spencer Wilks]]. Production of their [[Land Rover series|"Land Rover"]] started after its presentation model was well received at the first post-war [[AutoRAI|Amsterdam International Auto show]] or "AutoRAI" in 1948.<ref name=AEIjeep/>

Willys-Overland and its successors, [[Willys Motors]] and [[Kaiser Jeep]] continued to supply the U.S. military, as well as many allied nations with military jeeps through the late 1960s. In 1950, the first post-war military jeep, the [[Willys M38|M38]] (or MC), was launched, based on the 1949 CJ{{nbh}}3A. In 1953, it was quickly followed by the [[Willys M38A1|M38A1]] (or MD), featuring an all-new "round-fendered" body in order to clear the also new, taller, [[Willys Hurricane engine]]. This jeep was later developed into the civilian {{nobr|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 {{nobr|CJ-6}}.

Before the CJ-5, Willys offered the public a cheaper alternative with the taller F-head, overhead-valve engine, in the form of the 1953 [[Jeep CJ#CJ-3B|{{nobr|CJ-3B}}]], simply using a {{nobr|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. After 1968, M606A2, and -A3 versions of the {{nobr|CJ-5}} were created in a similar way for friendly foreign governments.<ref group=nb>In the early 1980s, the Canadian Army took delivery of 195 militarized units of the {{nobr|CJ-7}}. These were put into service as a stopgap measure between the retirement of the M38A1 and the introduction of the [[Volkswagen Iltis]]. They were codified by the Canadian Forces with the Equipment Configuration Code (ECC) Number 121526.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}</ref>

In 1976, after more than two decades, Jeep complemented the {{nobr|CJ-5}} with a new CJ model, the {{nobr|CJ-7}}. Though still a direct evolution of the round-fendered CJ{{nbh}}5, it had a {{convert|10|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} longer wheelbase. And, for the first time, a CJ had doors, as well as an available hardtop. Since then, new evolutions were derived from the {{nobr|CJ-7}} – from 1987 onwards as Jeep "Wranglers". Nevertheless, these are considered direct descendants of the WWII jeep.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1123517_heres-how-the-military-jeep-became-todays-jeep-wrangler |title=How the military jeep became today's Jeep Wrangler |date=2019-06-11 |access-date=2021-02-01 |website=Motor Authority |last=Bell |first=Kirk |quote=The Jeep Wrangler has [...] its ancestry back to its lowercase-"jeep" forefathers, [...] back to before America entered World War&nbsp;II, [...] that share its uncomplicated, irreplaceable DNA.}}</ref> The 2018 Wranglers still have a separate, open-topped body and ladder-frame, solid live axles front and rear, with part-time four-wheel drive, and high and low gearing. The compact body retains the Jeep grille and profile and can even still be driven with the doors off, and the windshield folded forward.

Licenses to produce jeeps, especially for {{nobr|CJ-3Bs,}} were issued to manufacturers in many different countries, starting almost straight after WWII, with the Willys&nbsp;MB pattern. Some firms, like [[Mahindra and Mahindra Limited]] in India, continue to produce them in [[Mahindra Thar|some form]] or another to this day. [[Chinkara Motors]] of India produces the [[Chinkara Motors#Jeepster|Jeepster]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GiNDnhs1gcQ/UOg_DJNbIAI/AAAAAAABieA/QpQSFyCAbaw/s800/Chinkara_Jeepster_01.jpg|title=Chinkara Jeepster photo}}</ref> with [[Fibre-reinforced plastic|FRP]] body. The Jeepster can be delivered a diesel engine or the 1.8L Isuzu petrol.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinkara.co.in/AutoOthers.html|title=Welcome to Chinkara Motors|access-date=3 April 2019|archive-date=8 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130108084530/http://www.chinkara.co.in/AutoOthers.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

In France, the army used [[Hotchkiss M201]] jeeps – essentially licensed Willys&nbsp;MBs, and in the former Yugoslavia, the arms manufacturer [[Zastava Automobiles|Zastava]] rebooted their car building branch, making 162 Willys jeeps. In Japan, [[Jeep CJ#Mitsubishi Jeep|Mitsubishi's first jeeps]] were versions of the {{nobr|CJ-3B}}, and in 1950 Toyota Motors was given an order by U.S. forces to build a vehicle to Jeep specifications, resulting in [[Toyota Land Cruiser#BJ and FJ (1951)|Toyota's BJ and FJ series]] of utility vehicles, slightly bigger and more powerful jeep-type vehicles.<ref name=AEIjeep/> After the {{nobr|CJ-3B}}, several countries also built the Willys MD / M38A1 under license. For instance, the Dutch built some 8,000 [[Willys M38A1#Dutch: NEKAF jeeps|"NEKAF" jeeps]], which remained in service for some 40 years. In Israel, [[Automotive Industries|AIL]] continues building military derivatives of Jeep Wrangler models for the [[Israeli Security Forces]], ongoing since 1991. Their current [[AIL Storm|AIL {{nobr|Storm III}}]] models are based on Africa Automotive Distribution Services (AADS) of Gibraltar's [[Jeep J8|Jeep J8 model]].

The compact military jeep continued to be used in the [[Korean War|Korean]] and [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] Wars. In Korea, it was mostly deployed in the form of the&nbsp;MB, as well as the [[Willys M38|M38]] and [[M38A1]] (introduced in 1952 and 1953), its direct descendants. In Vietnam, the most used jeep was the then newly designed [[M151|Ford M151]], which featured such state-of-the-art technologies as a [[Monocoque|unibody]] construction and all-around independent suspension with coil springs. The [[M151]] jeep remained in U.S. military service into the 1990s, and many other countries still use small, jeep-like vehicles in their militaries.

Apart from the mainstream of—by today's standards—relatively small jeeps, an even smaller vehicle was developed for the U.S. Marine Corps, suitable for helicopter airlifting and manhandling, the [[M422|M422 "Mighty Mite"]].

Eventually, the U.S. military decided on a fundamentally different concept, choosing a much larger vehicle that not only took over the role of the jeep, but also replaced all its other light-wheeled vehicles: the [[Humvee|HMMWV]] ("Humvee").<ref group=nb>The HMMWV was generally very successful, but a few U.S. military units kept a small number of M151s in reserve for applications where the Humvee was simply too large or too heavy</ref>

In 1991, the Willys-Overland Jeep&nbsp;MB was designated an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.{{sfnp|American Society of Mechanical Engineers|1991}}

==Postwar conversions==
===Filipino jeepney===
[[File:Jeepney-Kühlergrill - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Jeepney]]
{{main|Jeepney}}
When American troops began to leave the Philippines at the end of World War&nbsp;II, hundreds of surplus jeeps were sold or given to local Filipinos. The Filipinos stripped down the jeeps to accommodate several passengers, added metal roofs for shade, and decorated the vehicles with vibrant colors and bright [[Chrome plating|chrome]] [[hood ornament]]s.

The [[jeepney]] rapidly emerged as a popular and creative way to re-establish inexpensive public transportation, which had been virtually destroyed during World War II.

===Argentine Autoar===
Starting in 1950, a Jeep-engined utility vehicle was produced by Autoar in Argentina. Starting from 1951, a new sedan was introduced using the same 2199 cc Jeep engine and [[manual transmission]]. It was fitted with overdrive to compensate for the Jeep's low axle ratio. In 1952, a new overhead valve 3-litre [[Straight-six engine|six-cylinder]] was announced but was probably never built. At that time, [[Piero Dusio]] returned to Italy. In the 1950s, production was sporadic, and models built included a station wagon with a Jeep-type 1901 cc engine.

===Commemorative edition===
Inspired by the U.S. Army Willys MB, Jeep produced about 1000 [[Jeep Wrangler (TJ)#Trim levels|Willys editions]] of the 2004 Wrangler TJ and hoped to sell twice that number for the 2005 model year.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.trucktrend.com/roadtests/suv/163_0504_2005_jeep_tj_willys/index.html |title=First Look: 2005 Jeep TJ Willys – Truck Trend |last=Mead |first=Sue |newspaper=Motortrend |publisher=Motor Trend |date=14 June 2005 |access-date=13 July 2012}}</ref>

==Production numbers==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Willys MB (Bild 1 2008-06-14), Baujahr 1944 c.JPG|thumb|Once the jeep's design had converged, and was standardized, Ford and Willys built some 640,000 jeeps virtually identical to this 1944&nbsp;MB.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Model
! Year
! Number built
|-
| American Bantam Pilot
| 1940
| {{right|1}}
|-
| American Bantam Mk II / BRC-60
| 1940
| {{right|70}}
|-
| Ford Pygmy
| 1940
| {{right|1}}
|-
| Ford Budd
| 1940
| {{right|1}}
|-
| Willys-Overland Quad
| 1940
| {{right|2}}
|-
| American Bantam BRC-40
| 1941
| {{right|2,605}}
|-
| Ford GP
| 1941
| {{right|4,456}}
|-
| Willys-Overland MA
| 1941
| {{right|1,553}}
|-
| Willys-Overland MB
| 1941–1945
| {{right|361,339}}{{efn|group=built|335,531 + 25,808 "slats"}}
|-
| Ford GPW <ref>{{cite web|url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.a0011525615&seq=8 |title= Ford GPW |date=1943-01-01|publisher= 	Washington, D.C. : War Department |access-date=2025-05-03}}</ref>
| 1942–1945
| {{right|277,896}}
|-
| World War&nbsp;II Total
| 1940–1945
| {{right|647,925}}
|-
| '''Other'''
| 
| 
|-
| Ford GPA "Seep"
| 1942–1943
| {{right|12,778}}
|-
| '''Post-war'''
| 
| 
|-
| Willys M38 (MC)
| 1950–1952
| {{right|61,423}}
|-
| Willys M38A1 (MD)
| 1952–1957
| {{right|101,488}}
|-
| Willys M606 (CJ-3B)
| 1953–1968
| {{right|?}}{{efn|group=built|Part of 155,494 CJ-3Bs produced}}
|-
| [[Willys M170]]
| 1954–1964
| {{right|6,500}}
|-
|colspan=3 | {{notelist|group=built}}
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" class="center">
File:Pygmy01 (cropped).jpg|Ford pilot jeep "Pygmy" – note grille sides extend to support front fender edges
File:Bantam-jeep-1.jpg|[[American Bantam]] early production model (BRC&nbsp;40)
File:Ford gp jeep 1942 holabird sm.jpg|Ford GP early production model
File:Willys MB Light Truck.jpg|Willys MA early production model
File:Wiki Jeep 5.jpg|Early Willys MB ft. ''slat grille'' stationed in Alaska; period photo
File:Willys MB (Bild 8 2008-06-14), Baujahr 1944, Heck.JPG|Willys MB left rear quarter: split combat rims, spare gas can and spare wheel
File:Manhandling Willys MB or Ford GPW jeep by Golden Gate bridge.jpg|Soldiers manhandle jeep as intended, to fix it. [[Golden Gate Park]], [[San Francisco]].
File:Winston Churchill in a jeep outside the German Reichstag during a tour of the ruined city of Berlin, 16 July 1945. BU8950.jpg|[[Winston Churchill]] in a jeep at the [[Reichstag building]] touring the ruins of Berlin, 16 July 1945
File:JeepwwII01.jpg|U.S. Army Willys MB at [[Virginia War Museum]]
File:Jeep switch engine in Australia.jpg|[[Rail Jeep]] conversion to a switch engine in Australia, 1943
File:Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan with largest model Willys jeep 2009.jpg|Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan with largest model Willys Jeep (scale 4/1)
File:100th 442nd Veterans Association (14028090689).jpg|Japanese American WW II veterans in jeep in memorial parade
</gallery>

==Operators==
* {{AUS}}<ref name=NMUSAicon/>
* {{AUT}}<ref>{{cite web |title=US Vehicles in the Early Days of the Austrian Army |url=https://www.hkfw.at/en/news-en/34-us-fahrzeuge-im-fruehen-bundesheer |website=www.hkfw.at |access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Der Jeep im Österreichischen Bundesheer |url=https://ifem.at/2021/02/der-jeep-im-oesterreichischen-bundesheer/ |website=ifem.at |access-date=11 April 2025 |language=de}}</ref>
* {{CAM}}
* {{CHL}}
* {{flagcountry|Free French}}<ref name=NMUSAicon/>
* {{flagcountry|British India}}<ref name=NMUSAicon/>
* {{ISR}}
* {{LAO}}
* {{NLD}}
* {{NOR}}
* {{PHL}}
* {{POL}}
* {{POR}}: Designated as ''Transporte Geral ¼ ton. "Willis" MB 4×4 m/1944''.<ref>{{cite web |title=VIATURAS LIGEIRAS DE TRACÇÃO ÀS QUATRO RODAS EM SERVIÇO NO EXÉRCITO PORTUGUÊS 1940-1990 {{!}} Operacional |url=https://www.operacional.pt/viaturas-ligeiras-de-traccao-as-quatro-rodas-em-servico-no-exercito-portugues-1940-1990/ |access-date=21 October 2023 |language=pt-PT}}</ref>
* {{KOR}}
* {{USSR}}: Designated as ''Виллис Модель "МБ" 1/4 тонн 4Х4''.<ref name=NMUSAicon/>
* {{THA}}
* {{GBR}}<ref name=NMUSAicon/>
* {{USA}}

==See also==
*''[[The Autobiography of a 'Jeep']]''
*[[List of U.S. military jeeps]]
*[[List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation]]

===Similar vehicles===
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
*{{lwc|Agrale Marruá}}
*{{lwc|Austin Champ}}
*{{lwc|Chivunk}}
*{{lwc|CUCV}}
*{{lwc|DKW Munga}}
*{{lwc|Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht}}
*{{lwc|Fath Safir}}
*{{lwc|FMC XR311}}
*{{lwc|Ford GTB}} 'Burma jeep'
*{{lwc|VLEGA Gaucho|Gaucho}}
*[[GAZ-64]] and {{lwc|GAZ-67}}
*{{lwc|Hafner Rotabuggy}}
*{{lwc|Hotchkiss M201}}
*{{lwc|Humvee|HMMWV}}
*[[Kaiser Jeep]]
*{{lwc|Jeep CJ}}
*{{lwc|Jeep trailer}}
*{{lwc|Jeep train}}
*{{lwc|Kurogane Type 95}}
*{{lwc|Land Rover Defender}}
*{{lwc|Land Rover Perentie}}
*{{lwc|Land Rover Series|Land Rover (original series)}}
*{{lwc|Mercedes-Benz G-Class}}
*{{lwc|M151 Truck, Utility, l/4-Ton, 4×4}}
*{{lwc|Willys M38}}
*{{lwc|Willys M38A1}}
*{{lwc|M422 Mighty Mite}}
*{{lwc|Mowag Eagle}}
*{{lwc|Mitsubishi Type 73 light truck}}
*{{lwc|Ñandú (vehicle)}}
*{{lwc|Peugeot P4}}
*{{lwc|Suzuki Jimny}}
*{{lwc|UAZ-469}}
*{{lwc|Universal Carrier}}
*{{lwc|Volkswagen Iltis}}
*{{lwc|Volkswagen Kübelwagen}}
*{{lwc|Volkswagen Schwimmwagen}}
*{{lwc|Willys FAMAE Corvo}}
{{Div col end}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==General references==
*{{cite book |last=Ackerson |first=Robert C. |year=2006 |title=Jeep CJ 1945–1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=56uvBIikfrQC&pg=PT7 |publisher=Veloce Publishing |isbn=9781904788966 |archive-date=2019-05-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512010723/https://books.google.nl/books/content?id=56uvBIikfrQC&hl=nl&pg=PT7&img=1&zoom=3&sig=ACfU3U1JGEQPikqBAJ6nls933NJfSYwPfA&w=1920}}
* {{citation |author=American Society of Mechanical Engineers |date=23 July 1991 |title=The Jeep&nbsp;MB, An International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark |url=http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5578.pdf |location=Toledo, Ohio |publisher=Jeep House, code H152 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030061845/http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5578.pdf |archive-date=2007-10-30 |author-link=ASME }}
* {{cite book |ref=SRATAM4045 |editor=Chief of Ordnance Office |editor2=Military Vehicle Preservation Association |title=Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Materiel, 1940–1945 (Revision) |location=Detroit |publisher=U.S. Army Service Forces, Office: Chief of Ordnance-Detroit, Production Division, Requirements and Progress Branch |publication-date=December 1945 |date=2010}}
* {{cite AV media |ref=Man&Jeep |people=Findlay, P. (writer, director) |date=2006 |title=Man and Jeep (documentary) |medium= <!-- one-hour; runtime 44:31 min --> |others=Barna-Alper Productions |format= |time= |at=5:08 |location= |publisher=Discovery Times }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Hogan |first=E.P. |year=1941 |title=The Story of the Quarter-Ton, The Army's Smallest Car Known as a "Jeep |url=http://www.willys-overland.com/documents/Original%20Documents/194109-10%20-%20Quartermaster%20Review%20-%20The%20Story%20of%20the%20Quarter-Ton%20-%20By%20Lt.%20E.%20P.%20Hogan,%20Q.M.C..pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907172424/http://www.willys-overland.com/documents/Original%20Documents/194109-10%20-%20Quartermaster%20Review%20-%20The%20Story%20of%20the%20Quarter-Ton%20-%20By%20Lt.%20E.%20P.%20Hogan,%20Q.M.C..pdf |archive-date=2023-09-07 |url-status=live |magazine=The Quartermaster Review |volume=XXI |issue=2 |pages=53–54, 82–84 |location=Washington D.C. |publisher=The Quartermaster Association |access-date=2018-02-22}}
* {{cite AV media |date=27 September 2007 |title=Jeep: Steel Soldier |medium=documentary |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/toledo-stories-jeep-steel-soldier/ |access-date=2020-10-21 |time= |series="Toledo Stories" |publisher=PBS |ref=PBStoledo }}
*{{cite book|last=Statham|first=Steve|title=Jeep Color History |year=1999 |publisher=MBI Publishing |isbn=978-0-7603-0636-9|url= https://archive.org/details/jeepcolorhistory00stev |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book |last1=Thomson |first1=Harry C. |last2=Mayo |first2=Lida |year=2003 |series=United States Army in World War&nbsp;II; The Technical Services |title=The Ordnance Department: procurement and supply |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-10/CMH_Pub_10-10.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519110205/https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-10/CMH_Pub_10-10.pdf |archive-date=2017-05-19 |url-status=dead |publisher=Center of Military History, U.S. Army |origyear=1960 |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=74014697 |via=[[United States Army Center of Military History|U.S. Army Center of Military History]] }} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080506074847/http://www.history.army.mil/catalog/browse/pubnum.html Publications Catalog]
*{{Citation |url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-803.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925074746/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-803.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2023 |url-status=bot: unknown |title=TM 9–803 1/4{{nbh}}ton 4x4 truck (Willys-Overland model&nbsp;MB and Ford model GPW) |date=22 February 1944 |publisher=[[United States Department of War|War Department]] |access-date=17 September 2023 }}
*{{cite book |last=Zaloga |first=Steven J. |author-link=Steven Zaloga |year=2011 |title=Jeeps 1941–45 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6iHCwAAQBAJ&q=jeep+new-recruit&pg=PT17 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing (Osprey)|isbn=9781780961477 |origyear=2005|access-date=27 January 2018 |series=New Vanguard 117}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Doyle |first=David |title=Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles |edition=2nd |year=2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hNjDwAAQBAJ |location=Iola, Wisconsin |publisher=Krause Publications |isbn=9781440225727}}
*{{cite book |last=Oswald |first=Nik |year=2022 |title= The Jeep conquers the Swiss Army, Willys MB and Ford GPW as well as all other CJ-Models |publisher=Verein Schweizer Armeemuseum Switzerland |isbn=9783033092693}}
*{{cite book |last1=Spear |first1=William |title=Warbaby: The True Story of the Original Jeep |year=2016 |publisher=Wm Spear Design |isbn=978-0997463002 |url=https://warbaby.wmspear.com/}} 399 pages. – Documents the jeep from conception of the (Bantam) Reconnaissance Car, to the Quarter Master Corps' awarding of the jeep contract to Willys.

==External links==
{{Commons category multi|Bantam BRC 40|Ford GP|Willys MA|Willys MB / Ford GPW}}
*[https://www.britishjeep.com British Army Jeep Research] – Non-profit resource on the jeep in British service
*[https://auto.howstuffworks.com/history-of-jeep.htm History of the Jeep – How Stuff Works] – links to several further detailed chapters
*[http://www.memorialmuseum.org/displays/military-jeeps Military jeeps] – The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum 
*{{Cite web |url=http://ftp.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_www_jeeps_origin.php |title=Origin of the Military Jeep |website=Olive Drab |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501194425/http://ftp.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_www_jeeps_origin.php |archive-date=1 May 2021 }} – Historic timeline
*{{cite AV media |people=Bill Stephens (writer); Jim Barisano (producer) |year=2004 |title=Jeep: The Unstoppable Soldier |medium=One hour documentary |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHejfoKex9g | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/mHejfoKex9g| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|access-date=2020-10-07 |format=4:3 |publisher=WheelsTV}}{{cbignore}}
*{{cite AV media |date=7 April 2010 |title=History: Automobiles: Jeep |medium=45 min documentary |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QBzCV6I8Ps | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/1QBzCV6I8Ps| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|access-date=2020-10-08 |format=16:9 |publisher=A&E Television}}{{cbignore}}
*[https://archive.today/20130105070423/http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/The-Jeep---One-of-the-Most-Famous-Vehicles-in-the-World--is-Celebrated-at-its-Birthplace-126870693.html The Jeep – One of the Most Famous Vehicles in the World – is Celebrated at its Birthplace]. – Voice of America

{{WWII US Soft Vehicles}}
{{Jeep early timeline}}
{{Jeep}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willys Mb}}
[[Category:Jeep]]
[[Category:World War&nbsp;II vehicles of the United States]]
[[Category:Military trucks of the United States]]
[[Category:Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States]]
[[Category:Military light utility vehicles]]
[[Category:Ford vehicles|GPW]]
[[Category:Willys vehicles|MB]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]