The Willys Jeep was the original Army Jeep used in WWII. This is the classic jeep that you see in World War II movies, television shows, and commercials. Several companies bid on the small, ¼ ton, 4x4 vehicle that the United States Army wanted, but the Willys MA was the one that came out on top. It was the first mass produced 4x4 vehicle, and was the inspiration for modern day sport utility vehicles.
Who and What Was Willys?
John North Willys formed the carmaker, officially called Willys-Overland Motors, Inc, in 1908. Willys-Overland barely survived the despression, and then hit the jackpot when they landed the original jeep contract in World War II. In 1953, he company was sold to Kaiser and renamed Kaiser-Willys, then it was sold to American Motors Company (AMC) in 1970, and finally to Chrysler in 1987.
When Was the Willys Jeep Introduced?Willys came out with it’s prototype when it bid for the original Army contract in 1940. Two other companies, Ford and Bantam, also competed for the same contract, but through luck and good engineering, the jeep was born.  The Willys prototype was the Willys MA. In 1940, the Army ordered 1,500 prototype models from each of the three competitors, and although it weighed more than it’s competitors, the MA had more horsepower and higher torque at low speeds, which gave it higher marks for performance. After a series of field tests, it won the Army contract.
How was the Willys Jeep Used in WWII?
A more accurate question would be how wasn’t the Jeep used? It was used in everything from basic transportation, recon missions, front-line transport, ambulances, heavy machine gun mount, and every other operation that involved transportation. GIs would even use the engine to heat their dinner.
Most of the Jeeps in WWII were the MB, which was the production model that came after the MA prototypes. The MB was made from 1941 to 1945, and had several small changes over those years to improve it’s general design. During this time, over 250,000 Jeep MBs were built and put into service. |
