Produktbeschreibung
The Jeep was a workhorse! It's roles were diverse; Command, recon, supply, MP, ambulance, light weapons carrier, escort, courier, mail, cooks, etc, etc. Contains: 3 Resin Jeeps plus crew and weapons.
The Jeep name has now become associated with the Chrysler motor company, but the word "Jeep" has its origins in the vocabulary of the US Army.
The first use of the word "Jeep" applied to a motor vehicle occurred during WWI. "Jeep" is an old Army mechanic term that was used in referring to any new motor vehicle received for a test.
Jeep was still used in Army motor pools well into the 1930's as general purpose or "GP" for short. Though in a 1941 Army manual it refers "GP" as Government 80inch wheel base car (Jeep). In 1936, the term "Jeep" was introduced to the world by the Popeye comic strip character, "Eugene the Jeep". The only words Eugene could say were "Jeep, Jeep", and "GP" then became "Jeep".
On September 23, 1940 in response to an Army Invitation For Bids, the American Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pa. delivered a prototype vehicle to Camp Holabird for testing. The test vehicle was immediately recognized by the Army as an important and innovative vehicle. Delivered and tested as Bantam Reconnaissance Car #1001, it was soon thereafter that it's testers dubbed it the "Jeep".
Though the design and development of the first prototype jeep was primarily the work of Bantam Car Co., both Willys and Ford later supplied prototypes to the Army also. The Army tested all three designs. As the test went on the three companies gradually borrowed ideas from one another until they were all very similar. The Contract was awarded to Willys, and when the war broke out for America in 1941 Ford was brought on board to manufacture the Willy's design under licence.
Willys and Ford went on to produce approximately 650,000 standardized jeeps between November 1941 and August 1945. Ford stopped producing jeeps with the end of WWII, but Willys adopted the jeep name and developed many successful civilian versions of the trusty wartime jeep.
Its simple, robust design gave the WWII jeep a legendary reliability in the field. The jeep served well beyond it's intended purpose acting as not only a Reconnaissance Car, but as weapons platform, ambulance, troop transport, equipment hauler, gun tractor, and in many other roles. It was beloved by the troops and remains one of the most recognizable vehicles in the world.
In Flames Of War -
The Jeep can be found in many different platoons in just about all parts of the US Army. Jeeps are fast agile vehicles that move 16"/40cm on road, 12"/30cm cross-country and 4"/10cm though difficult going. They carry one passenger. |
