FReeper Canteen~Military Vehicles:The Bantam Jeep~Jan. 12, 2006

Various Internet Sites | The Canteen Crew

[AZamericonnie]

MILITARY VEHICLES



The story of the
BANTAM JEEP

Karl Probst, an engineer working for American Bantam Car Company in Butler, PA, was the father of the jeep. Responding to a request for bids from the Army, he led the design and manufacture of the prototype jeep in just seven weeks and delivered to Camp Holabird, MD, on 21 September 1940..

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Bantam GPV prototype delivered on time in September 1940.

The origin of the name "jeep" is unclear. Popular notion has it that the vehicle bore the designation "GP" (for "General Purpose"), which was phonetically slurred into the word jeep. R. Lee Ermey, on his television series Mail Call, disputes this, saying that the vehicle was designed for specific duties, was never referred to as "General Purpose," and that the name may have been derived from Ford's nomenclature referring to the vehicle as GP (G for government-use, and P to designate its wheelbase size).

However, many (including Ermey) claim that the more likely origin is a reference to a character from the Thimble Theater (Popeye) comic strip known as Eugene the Jeep. Eugene the Jeep was a dog-like character who could walk through walls and ceilings, climb trees, fly, and just about go anywhere it wanted; it is thought that soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicle's versatility that they informally named it after the character.



The military priorities for the Jeep.
1.It must have a load capacity of 600 pounds
2.The wheelbase must be under 75 inches
3.The height must be under 36 inches
4.The engine must run smoothly from three to fifty miles per hour
5.It must have a rectangular shaped body
6.It must have a two speed transfer case with four wheel drive
7.It must have a windshield that folds down
8.It must include three bucket seats
9.It must have blackout and driving lights
10.Gross vehicle weight must be under 1200 pounds

The Bantam GPV (General Purpose Vehicle) was by far the best design submitted to the Army for trials and the only one that arrived on time. But the Army didn't want to bet on tiny American Bantam with the war looming and potential huge production requirements. After a series of changes, maneuvers and trials involving Bantam, Ford, and Willys Overland, the contract was awarded to Willys to build a vehicle remarkably like the original Bantam design. The rest is history. American Bantam was given a contract for trailers as a consolation prize..


1941 trials from left to right: Bantam, Willys MA and the Ford GP

The jeeps performance in World War II was superb. It could operate without strain from three to 60 miles per hour. It could handle a forty degree slope, turn in a thirty foot circle, and tilt left or right on a fifty degree angle without tipping over. It would "go places where tankers quit and birds would go back exhausted." The jeep went up rocky mountains in Switzerland and moved snow off roads in Belgium. Although the tank had an influence on the war too, it could not go as many places as the jeep. Army official Ernie Pyle stated,
"Good Lord, I don't think we could continue the war without the jeep. It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it."

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The jeep's flat hoods served as altars for chaplains and as playing tables for infantry men's card games. The fold down windshield helped to make the jeep into an ambulance. Pipes were mounted on the bumpers in order to hold the stretchers.

**Vintage Jeep Photo Gallery**

The "Jeep" trademark has gone through many owners, starting in 1941 with Willys, which produced the first Civilian Jeep (CJ). Willys was sold to Kaiser in 1953, which became Kaiser-Jeep in 1963. American Motors bought the company in 1970. The Chrysler Corporation bought out AMC in 1987, shortly after the Jeep CJ was replaced with the AMC-designed Jeep Wrangler or YJ. Finally, Chrysler merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler.


Willys MB and Wrangler2

The end of an era came in 1981. The armed forces ended their orders for jeeps and a new vehicle was ushered in. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hummer) replaced the quarter ton jeep in order to keep up with the new age of computers and technology.

**50 Years Of Jeep Heritage**

~Tribute To Our Troops~

[AZamericonnie]

Remember this one?

[GoldStarBrother]

Mine

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Troops!
Thank You, for your service
Thank You, for my freedom.

Canteen Mission Statement: Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, they're fighting for our Freedom.

Prayers going up.

[AZamericonnie]

Good heavens man! Did ya have your finger on the trigger? lol

WooHoo Goldstarbrother first!

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks, Connie, for today's thread.

[Soaring Feather]

..........hehehehehehe




Beat you. ;)

[AZamericonnie]

I don't think I've told you yet how much I like what you did with your post! Good evening Queenie! *Hugs*

[AZamericonnie]

Good evening Hope....thank you for the pledge as always! *Hugs*

[HopeandGlory]

So You Did You Stinker . . . LOL!!! . . . ;-)

[MajorityOfOne]

So when is my local military surplus store gonna start selling surplus Hummers for 10 cents on the dollar?

[HopeandGlory]

You're very welcome Miss Connie . . . nice thread . . . Hubby has a Jeep, but not an old one unfortunately . . . ;-)

[Soaring Feather]

Thank You, Connie. *HUGS*

[SandRat]

1Ki 20:25 And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, [and] surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

[Soaring Feather]

It's such a hard job being #1. :)

[AZamericonnie]

I dunno...but I found a Bantam Jeep kit for sale on e-bay!:) Welcome to the Canteen MajorityOfOne!

[AZamericonnie]

SR...you do such a phenomenal job of finding just the right verse for every thread! Good evening to you!

[tomkow6]

.............FIRST?????
....huh?.........PLEASE???

[BIGLOOK]

Ahh....yes! As a Cub Scout, we went down to Madison Square Garden to see....Roy Rodgers. Pat Brady and Nellybelle were there.



Howdy Connie!

[tomkow6]

.........yeah, right.......like you THINK your #1.....