The History of WW II Jeeps
When World War II broke out, a race began to find ways to improve efficiency. Improvements in weapons occurred rapidly, as did methods of troop movement. Among those advances were the jeeps.
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First Jeep
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The first jeep was designed by Bantam car company in partnership with the U.S. Army. Known as the Bantam reconnaissance car, the prototype was delivered to the army for testing on September 23, 1940. Other car companies at the tests were quick to create their own prototypes in time for the completion of Bantam's first batch of jeeps.
Willys Overland
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The Army also commissioned Willys Overland to design jeeps in an effort to have multiple suppliers. Using the blueprints for the Bantam car, which they received from the Army, Willys Overland recreated the car but were able to supply a much more powerful engine. The vehicle was, at first, too heavy. However, after a redesign the next generation of Army jeep was born and called the Willy MA.
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Ford
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As one of the largest motor companies in the U.S., Ford did not want to be beaten. The jeep they first offered up was decided to be too heavy and underpowered. They returned to development to fix these issues. The jeep they returned with was greatly improved, still a little underpowered, but it was accepted and the Ford GP went into production.
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References
- Photo Credit Voiture Jeep image by foxytoul from Fotolia.com
