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History · Military · 1940 → today

Military Jeeps

The Jeep in military service: the 1940 quarter-ton requirement, the Bantam, Willys and Ford prototypes, the standardised Willys MB and Ford GPW of 1941–45 (about 640,000, nearly 30 per cent of them to Britain and the Soviet Union), the M38 and M38A1 of Korea and NATO, the M715 truck, the FC-based M676 series, the licence-built Jeeps of France, India, Japan, Spain, Brazil and Korea, and the J8 of today.

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In June 1940 the US Army asked 135 manufacturers for a quarter-ton four-wheel-drive reconnaissance car with a 49-day deadline; Bantam and Willys-Overland answered, Karl Probst drew the Bantam prototype in two days and it reached Camp Holabird on 23 September 1940. The Army ordered 1,500 each of the Bantam BRC-40, Willys MA and Ford GP for trials (Bantam built about 2,700 in all), standardised on the Willys MB in late 1941 and had Ford build it to the same drawings as the GPW. About 640,000 MBs and GPWs were built by 1945 — roughly 18 per cent of all American wheeled military vehicles of the war — and nearly 30 per cent went to Britain and the Red Army under Lend-Lease; the Ford GPA was the amphibious version.

The M38 of 1950 militarised the CJ-3A with a 24-volt waterproofed system for Korea and the M38A1 of 1952 introduced the rounded body the CJ-5 kept for thirty years; the M170 was the stretched ambulance. The M151 of 1959 replaced them in American service but was Ford’s design, not a Jeep. Kaiser Jeep’s M715 of 1967 put the Gladiator into the 1¼-ton class and the FC-170 became the Navy’s M676 family. Allied armies built their own: Hotchkiss in France (27,628 M201s, 1955–66), Mahindra in India, Mitsubishi in Japan (1953–98), VIASA and Ebro in Spain (1960s–90s), Ford do Brasil (1957–85) and Kia in Korea; Nekaf assembled the M38A1 for the Netherlands and Ford of Canada for Canada. Chrysler’s J8 of 2008, built in Cairo, is the military Wrangler.

6 chapters, 1948 → today

1Requirement and prototypes (1940–1941)1940 – 19412MB and GPW (1941–1945)1941 – 19453M38 and M38A1 (1950–1971)1950 – 19714M715 and the Forward Control (1964–1969)1964 – 19695Licence-built Jeeps abroad (1953–1990s)1953 – 1990s6The J8 (2008–today)2008 – today
194819601975199020052025
11940 – 1941

Requirement and prototypes (1940–1941)

1 VEHICLE IN THIS CHAPTER

The Army’s June 1940 specification, the Bantam pilot of September 1940, and the 1,500-vehicle trial batches of the Bantam BRC-40, Willys MA and Ford GP in 1941; Willys’s 60 hp Go Devil engine and Ford’s production capacity decided the standardised MB of November 1941.

Registry records · chapter 1

Willys MB / Ford GPW1941–45
21941 – 1945

MB and GPW (1941–1945)

3 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

Willys built about 363,000 MBs at Toledo and Ford about 277,000 GPWs at Dearborn, Louisville, Dallas, Richmond and Chester. The Jeep was scout car, ambulance, radio car, gun tractor and, with a .30 or .50 Browning on a pedestal, the SAS and Long Range Desert Group’s raiding vehicle; nearly 30 per cent went to Britain and the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. Ford’s GPA “Seep” (12,778) was the amphibious version, most of them sent to the Soviet Union.

Registry records · chapter 2

Willys MB / Ford GPW1941–45Ford GPW1942–45Ford GPA amphibious Jeep1942–43
31950 – 1971

M38 and M38A1 (1950–1971)

6 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

The M38 (about 62,000, 1950–52) was the CJ-3A with 24-volt waterproof electrics and a stronger frame; the M38A1 (about 100,000 in the United States, 1952–71) had the F-head Hurricane and the rounded body. Both served in Korea and with NATO; Ford of Canada built the M38A1 CDN, Nekaf about 8,000 for the Netherlands; the M170 was the 101-inch ambulance.

Registry records · chapter 3

M38 / M38A11950–71M38A1 CDN1952–71Nekaf M38A11955–62M170 frontline ambulance1953–67Jeep CJ-3A1949–53Jeep CJ-51954–83
41964 – 1969

M715 and the Forward Control (1964–1969)

4 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

Kaiser Jeep’s M715 (about 33,000, 1967–69), a Gladiator with the 230 Tornado six and a 1¼-ton rating, with the M725 ambulance and M726 maintenance truck, served in Vietnam and with the National Guard; Kia built a diesel version into the 2000s. The FC-170 became the Navy and Marine Corps’ M676 pick-up, M677 crew cab, M678 carryall and M679 ambulance of 1964–65, about 400 in all.

Registry records · chapter 4

Gladiator / J-series truck1963–88M715 1¼-ton truck1967–69Jeep FC-150 / FC-1701957–65M676–M679 military Forward Control1964–65
51953 – 1990s

Licence-built Jeeps abroad (1953–1990s)

4 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

Hotchkiss rebuilt Lend-Lease Jeeps from 1947 and built 27,628 M201s for the French Army in 1955–66; Mitsubishi built the CJ-3A and CJ-3B from 1953 and its J-series for the Self-Defense Forces to 1998; Mahindra’s CJ-3B derivatives served the Indian Army; VIASA and Ebro built CJ-3Bs and CJ-6s for the Spanish forces from 1960; Ford do Brasil built Jeeps for Brazil in 1957–85; Kia’s KM410 and KM420 and the KM450 (M715) equip the Korean Army.

Registry records · chapter 5

Hotchkiss M2011955–66Mitsubishi Jeep J31953–98Mahindra CJ-3B1954–2010Jeep CJ-3B1953–68
62008 – today

The J8 (2008–today)

2 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

Chrysler’s J8, a Wrangler JK with a 2.8-litre diesel, Dana 60 rear axle and 1,000 kg payload, assembled by Arab American Vehicles in Cairo for the Egyptian Army, the Israeli Defense Forces (as the Storm 3) and forces in Africa and the Gulf that could not buy the Humvee.

Registry records · chapter 6

Jeep J82008–18Wrangler JK2006–18

Sources

  1. Jeep — Wikipedia
  2. Willys MB — Wikipedia
  3. Willys M38 — Wikipedia
  4. Willys M38A1 — Wikipedia
  5. Kaiser Jeep M715 — Wikipedia
  6. Jeep Forward Control — Wikipedia
  7. Hotchkiss M201 — Wikipedia
  8. Jeep J8 — Wikipedia

Military vehicles in the registry

19 records, oldest first.
Willys MB / Ford GPW1941–45 · United StatesFord GPA amphibious Jeep1942–43 · United StatesFord GPW1942–45 · United StatesJeep CJ-3A1949–53 · United StatesM38 / M38A11950–71 · United StatesM38A1 CDN1952–71 · CanadaJeep CJ-3B1953–68 · United StatesM170 frontline ambulance1953–67 · United StatesMitsubishi Jeep J31953–98 · JapanJeep CJ-51954–83 · United StatesMahindra CJ-3B1954–2010 · IndiaHotchkiss M2011955–66 · FranceNekaf M38A11955–62 · NetherlandsJeep FC-150 / FC-1701957–65 · United StatesGladiator / J-series truck1963–88 · United StatesM676–M679 military Forward Control1964–65 · United StatesM715 1¼-ton truck1967–69 · United StatesWrangler JK2006–18 · United StatesJeep J82008–18 · Egypt
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