BACKGROUND & SPECIFICATIONS

It was almost 72 years ago when this beautiful machine was introduced to the world. It was built for only one purpose and that was to be the most powerful, useful, unbreakable and scary vehicle in war. A general purpose utility vehicle.

(Bantam GPV prototype delivered on time in September 1940 SOURCE/ http://www.m201.com/bantam.htm)

The JEEP as it was later named was produced in response to a 1940 tender request for an initial 70 vehicles by the US Army. The companies tendering were faced with a difficult task to produce a prototype four wheel drive quarter ton payload vehicle weighing less than 1300 pounds within an incredible 49 days. The original full specifications of the vehicle were as follows. PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF NEW MILITARY VEHICLE: 1. A driving front axle with 2-speed transfer case including provisions for disengaging the front axle drive. 2. A body of rectangular design with a folding windshield and 3 bucket seats. 3. Increased engine power (presumably in respect to the Belly-flopper prototype). 4. Means for towing. 5. 30-caliber machine gun mount. 6. Blackout lighting. 7. Oil-bath air cleaner. 8. Hydraulic brakes. 9. Full floating axles. 10. Wheelbase of 80". 11. Maximum height of 40". 12. Maximum weight of 1275 lbs. 13. Approach and departure angles of 45 and 40 degrees, respectively. 14. Must reach 50 mph on hard surface. 15. Special bracing for a pintle hook setup.

16. No aluminium to be used for cylinder head. 17. At least 4 cylinders. 18. 8 of the 70 vehicles to be made had to be four-wheel-steering. After the complicated task it was the American Bantam Car and Willys Overland Company that were the only two of the 135 invited companies to respond and 47 days after tendering, Bantam delivered their prototype to the army for testing as the Willys in the meantime had requested an extension to 120 days due to delivery issues with axle parts. The Bantam prototype tested reasonably well but there was an issue with the power as well as the ability for the company to provide the number of vehicles in such short time. Then in the late 1940s Willys tested their prototype and ten days later the prototype Ford Pygmy produced was also tested. The Willys was some 500lbs heavier than the Bantam but outperformed it thanks to the Quads powerful 'Go Devil' 60 horsepower engine. Performance on the Ford model was good as well so the army decided to order 500 of each model for field testing.

FIELDING TEST OF ALL THREE PROTOTYPE VEHICLES/ PICTURE: GOOGLE IMAGES.COM

After all three prototype vehicles were deemed satisfactory with many improvements, a final contract for 1,500 vehicles from each manufacturer was awarded. The standardized quarter ton 4x4 contract was awarded to Willys, partially due to the Go-Devil engine, which gave the Willys the best performance. With Bantam out of the picture, Ford was granted a contract to produce the Willys design, and together at a rate of one vehicle per one and a half minute they made more than half a million jeeps during WWII.

As to the question of why it was called the JEEP has no detailed reference in my research. The origins of the name JEEP has been argued about pretty much since the vehicle appeared and is happily still as obscure as ever. As to my understanding a contraction of the initials 'GP' from General Purpose although Ford says that 'G' stood for Government and 'P' for the wheelbase. The name could also have been derived from the ubiquitous character in the popular Popeye cartoons, Eugene the jeep was a happy little character from the cartoons of E C Segar.

PRODUCTION DETAILS
The Jeep was constantly modified as production continued with better improved features. Following is list of models and quantity of vehicles made during a period of five years. Model Bantam pilot Ford Pygmy Willys Quad Bantam BRC 40 Ford GP Willys MA Willys MB Ford GPW Ford GPA 'Seep' WW II Total Year(s) 1940 1940 1940 1941 1941 1941 Production 1 69 1 5 (1 w/ 4W steering) 2,605 4,456 1,553

Bantam Mk II / BRC 60 1940

19421945 361,339 (335,531 + 25,808 "slats") 19421945 277,896 19421943 12,778 19401945 660,703

(Sources: Wikipedia; Military Jeeps of WWII; Universal Jeep History; Colin Stevens' 'My MV'; How Stuff Works; Fourwheeler Magazine, March 1995; Ray Fernandez.)

Some of the essential improvements were: round recessed headlamps mounted on hinges, so the lamps could pivot back and light up the engine bay. This was very important as most of the repair works were done on the war ground and time of repair wouldnt become a factor.

- the gas tank for the Jeep was located under the drivers seat. It was assumed that all the important explosive parts should be consoled properly was it was highly unlikely for a trajectory bullet (or DEATH SHOT) to hit the tank at such location. An explosion of the fuel tank would kill all occupants of a jeep. To minimize the number of death shot trajectories available to the enemy, the tank was placed under the driver. To put it anywhere else was to double the number of places that the enemy could deliver a death shot to the entire crew. By putting the high risk areas together, the army minimized the space and therefore increased the chances of crew and vehicles survivability.

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE

The following is the presumed life cycle graph of the WW2 JEEP between the years 1940 to 1945.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

The Jeep era had changed the tactics of warfare forever. it had an endless purpose. There was now easier and faster way of reaching the battlefield. It could carry almost double the load it was designed to. The jeep was excellent

for all weather. The production cost was very low; this could also be because of the cheap labour and high production lines in factories in the 1940s.
(THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAST. SOURCE/WWW.JEEPS4EVER.COM)

Very easy to repair as most of the repairs were done in the war ground by the soldiers themselves. It came with various improvements that benefited t he army. Field modifications were endless; from VIP limousines to garbage trucks, from litter carriers to artillery platforms, from the messenger service to heavily armed rapid strike assault vehicles. They drove over good roads, through deep mud, forded streams, sped over sand, and some even went to sea. In Naval service, besides being used around shore bases in the same ways as at any other military base.

As it could also carry heavy artillery and fast to where required, this was very critical in war times. It had perfect fuel economy as one of the first models only needed 5 gallons of petrol for the day. The tired were ridged. The engine and transmission were a factor for the early 1940-1941 model but with modifications it was perfected. It had limited safety features but it was considered as a bonus considering the environment it was used in. And on of the most astonishing features were its looks. The Jeeps were loved for what they could do, but also for how they looked. The angled fenders, stamped steel grille, fold-down windshield, and lack of doors lent a refreshing, utilitarian air to the vehicle. No pretension in a Jeep, just raw functionality.The Jeeps looked amazing and it did give the enemy a sense of fear upon site. It didnt know when to stop. It could take up any challenge thrown onto its path weather it was the rain or mud or the ridged terrain of the battlefield. Before the task of redesigning a modified version was over screws, studs, bolts, and even cotter pins were shortened. The sizes of nuts, bolts and washers was reduced; brackets were made smaller; and body and fenders were reconstructed out of lighter gauge steel. The original frame, made of relatively heavy carbon steel, was replaced with a lighter, alloy version. Even calculations were done on the weight of the vehicle's paint and determined that two coats might increase the weigth of the vehicle over the limit. So it would just receive one thin layer of paint. Looking at the negative aspects of the jeep it could be said that the vehicle was limited to this. There were some problems with some models was the transmission could handle the use for the first 2 models but these were mixed. There was also the issue of spare parts, as the companies due to the massive demand had only parts for production and the spare parts were always delayed. But this was delivery problem and not practically the vehicle itself. There as was price to pay with the conditions it was used in and that was RUST, it had a very bad effect on the jeep in years to come. The oil from the engine and the transmission would start to leak in some models and water would be collected on the floor panels as a downside to the design.

Other than these there was no other negative factors associated with the jeep hence making it in the words of the soldiers from ww2 an, INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAST.

AFTER THE WAR

As the war ended the first commercial model was produced by Willys as the jeep was modified into agricultural vehicles was marketed as a replacement to the tractor. At the same time, Willys introduced the two-wheel-drive Jeep allsteel station wagon, trucks, and Jeepster models, and later offered four-wheeldrive wagons and trucks.

But these were minor aspects as after the 1950s the jeep was looked upon as the ultimate vehicle of its time. With bigger budgets and limited specifications it was turned into an everyday use vehicle with a twist; that was it could be used both on road and off road. This lead to a revolution of the jeep era.

The jeep is now modified to accommodate everyday people for everyday environment. Its either the most preferred vehicle for off road travels or a luxury toy for the rich. With better models being designed everyday using the same concept that was drafted 72 years ago. The outer structure nowadays is nothing like the war time. With more comfortable interior, better electronics and navigation, better lighting, more sufficient engine and transmission the new modelled jeeps have crossed over to a different breed of vehicle. And it is certain to say that there will be more better more sufficient vehicles to come In the future.

CONCLUSION
With this project and the research data I can conclude that the WORLD WAR 2 JEEP that was originally design was the best vehicle of its era. It far more exceeded its purpose in every way and its capabilities were endless. It was a very important equipment to have during a war thing and the benefits paid off. The original specifications and design were met with excellent results and it is until this day proving its purpose. There future of this vehicle is certain to succeed as it has already been commercialised as the best on-road off-road vehicle and with better technology and more comfort ability with its rigid past and structure, it will stand the test of time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/thehistoryof/80558/index.html#ixzz1qz http://www.m201.com/bantam.htm http://www.jeep4ever.ca/heroes_facts_trivia_quotes.html http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/thehistoryof/80558/index.html http://www.jpmagazine.com/featuredvehicles/154_0901_the_history_o f_military_jeeps/viewall.html http://www.willys-mb.co.uk/ WWII JEEP GUIDEBOOK By Ren Bernier

 Jeeps 1941-45 By Steven J. Zaloga, Published in 1981 by Osprey Publishing