Have you read the story of Uncovering the history of Army Jeep No. 1?

2015-12-12T08:16:09-05:00

http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/world-war-ii-the-final-chapter/uncovering-the-history-of-army-jeep-no-1-1.383337
Have you read the story of Uncovering the history of Army Jeep No. 1?

Seventy-five years after it wowed the U.S. Army, the oldest known Jeep is getting its due as a symbol of the Greatest Generation's fight and Detroit's role in what Franklin D. Roosevelt called "the Arsenal of Democracy" — the manufacturing might that helped the Allies win World War II.

"It's an icon of WWII and a symbol of wartime production by the auto industry," said Matt Anderson, transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. "It's also the grandfather of all SUVs. It's very rare to be able to trace a whole class of vehicles to a single one, but this is where it all began."

Seventy-five years after it wowed the U.S. Army, the oldest known Jeep is getting its due as a symbol of the Greatest Generation's fight and Detroit's role in what Franklin D. Roosevelt called "the Arsenal of Democracy" — the manufacturing might that helped the Allies win World War II.

"It's an icon of WWII and a symbol of wartime production by the auto industry," said Matt Anderson, transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. "It's also the grandfather of all SUVs. It's very rare to be able to trace a whole class of vehicles to a single one, but this is where it all began."

Ford GP-No. 1, a prototype for a light, rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle for reconnaissance and other military use, was delivered to the Army for tests Nov. 23, 1940.

"The Army still had horse cavalry then," said 97-year-old Ed Welburn Sr., who served in the U.S. Army in Papua New Guinea and Australia in WWII. "They brought horses to the island, but you can't use horses in the jungle. The Jeep was small and tough. It could travel most anywhere. The cavalry liked the Jeep much better than horses.

"It was very durable," said Welburn, who was a mechanic. "But if you had to work on one, you could get two to three men to flip it on its side, pull the transmission, then set the Jeep back down and drive it off."

News reports, photos and films quickly made the Jeep famous and nearly indistinguishable from the American GIs who relied on it.

"Good Lord, I don't think we could continue the war without the Jeep," wrote war correspondent Ernie Pyle, who won a Pulitzer Prize for describing what life was like for the average GI. "It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat." Pyle was killed by a sniper as he rode in a Jeep on a small Pacific island near Guam on April 18, 1945.

GP-No. 1 is on display in the Veteran's Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Ala. The museum and the Historic Vehicle Association just finished verifying its history and documenting that GP-No. 1 is one of five original test vehicles — two from Ford, two from Willys Overland and one from American Bantam.
Originally called the "Pygmy" and built and tested by Ford engineers in Dearborn and Detroit, GP-No. 1 is the only one of those prototypes known to still exist in North America.

The Pygmy had features that remain prominent on Jeeps today, including the upright grille with vertical slots that are literally the brand's trademark, Historic Vehicle Association president Mark Gessler said.

"The government didn't really know what it wanted," when Jeep development began, Fiat Chrysler historian Brandt Rosenbuch said. The Army began work on specifications for a light four-wheel-drive reconnaissance vehicle in 1937 with American Bantam of Butler, Penn.

"Bantam deserves the vast majority of the credit for developing the basic concept and capabilities that became the Jeep," Historic Vehicle Association president Mark Gessler said.

Henry Ford was a staunch pacifist with little interest in the war brewing overseas, but he thought a little four-wheel-drive vehicle could be useful for agriculture, one of his passions. His more globally minded son Edsel used that opening to spearhead the GP-No. 1 project, beginning a process that would see Ford become a vital supplier of wartime equipment.

The Army evaluated hundreds of vehicles from Bantam, Ford and Willys. It cherry-picked the best features of each to create the military-spec Jeep, a vehicle of unrivaled durability and capability.

"It was the finest engineering of the day," Rosenbuch said. "The Jeep brought together everything the best minds in Toledo and Detroit could create."

Willys built 362,894 wartime Jeeps, all at its headquarters plant in Toledo, Ohio. Ford built 285,660, initially at the Rouge plant in Detroit that today produces F-150 pickups. Ford later added Jeep production in several other plants around the country, including Louisville, Ky., where it still builds pickups and SUVs.

American Bantam got the short end of the stick, building just 2,676 Jeeps. The Army threw the little company a bone with a contract to build the trailers that hauled equipment behind Jeeps.

The Jeep remained in military service for decades, but it was popular with civilians before the guns of WWII even fell silent. Willys got special permission to begin building civilian Jeeps months before other automakers were allowed to switch from wartime production and resume their usual businesses.

"It was initially marketed as a farm vehicle," Rosenbuch said. "That's why the government allowed civilian production, to help get the economy up and running after the war."

Henry Ford donated GP-No. 1 to the museum that bears his name in Dearborn in 1948. It remained there, getting surprisingly little attention, until the museum sold it and some other "minor" items from its collection in 1982.

History buff Randy Withrow of Huntsville snapped it up.

"It gave me a chill," he said. "I couldn't believe they'd auction it off.

"It's a survivor. People come to the museum from all over the world specifically to see that Jeep. It's the one that started it all."

Uncovering the history of Army Jeep No. 1

Seventy-five years after it wowed the U.S. Army, the oldest known Jeep is getting its due as a symbol of the Greatest Generation's fight and Detroit's role in what Franklin D. Roosevelt called "the Arsenal of Democracy" — the manufacturing might that helped the Allies win World War II.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Dec 12 at 2015 8:19 AM

2015-12-12T08:19:12-05:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs until you posted it I had not read the story of Uncovering the history of Army Jeep No. 1. It reminds me of my old M151 jeep[ which was a grandson of this jeep.

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Dec 12 at 2015 8:43 AM

2015-12-12T08:43:46-05:00

Very nice I'm glad it turned up. It's a great part of history and new to be kept so it can be remembered

Response by PFC David Ryba made Dec 12 at 2015 8:59 AM

2015-12-12T08:59:19-05:00

I learned how to drive in one like it.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Dec 12 at 2015 9:03 AM

2015-12-12T09:03:23-05:00

Great story.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Dec 12 at 2015 9:17 AM

2015-12-12T09:17:52-05:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs the "Pygmy" jeep is long overdue for the recognition. Just look at the record over all the wars and contributions. Its history speaks for itself. Thanks for the Veterans making it the Greatest Generation fighting vehicle of its time.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Dec 12 at 2015 10:53 AM

2015-12-12T10:53:25-05:00

Love those tractor tires.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2015 3:29 PM

2015-12-12T15:29:29-05:00

I understand the military's need for 'newer, better, stronger, faster...etc.' but this bad boy I think SHOULD have stayed in and relevant...just my honest opinion here.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Dec 13 at 2015 12:37 AM

2015-12-13T00:37:21-05:00

Beautiful same as my Grandpa Louis used to take me fishing in. That is what a real jeep is supposed to look like.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Jun 17 at 2016 10:56 AM

2016-06-17T10:56:46-04:00

You have to love the history of this vehicle. Thanks for the post COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2016 6:47 PM

2016-06-22T18:47:34-04:00

A real relic! COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Response by Sgt William Straub Jr. made Apr 14 at 2017 11:15 AM

2017-04-14T11:15:08-04:00

Wonderful story. I remember driving a jeep in Thailand. A little top heavy as I remember. Prone to flipping.

Response by CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw made Apr 29 at 2017 3:21 PM

2017-04-29T15:21:38-04:00

Awesome Story and Tribute COL.!!! Thank You So Much For Sharing It!!!

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Jul 12 at 2017 8:36 PM

2017-07-12T20:36:16-04:00

May have been built at one of the Michigan plants, Warren Arsenal comes up, but I think they did tanks there.

Response by LTC Wayne Brandon made Jul 12 at 2017 8:56 PM

2017-07-12T20:56:32-04:00

A great bit of history I will check out on my next trip through Huntsville.
Brant Rosenbusch (Name misspelled in the article) is a terrific historian - a man I have met on a couple of occasions while he served as the director of the WPC Museum (Now closed) at Chrysler world headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI.
As a vintage vehicle as well as military historian, I would offer one point some might think is a bit too minuscule, however it is details such as these which keep history accurate.
I would argue that this particular jeep is neither "Army Jeep No 1" or "the one" that started it all - but that it is the first Ford offering of the 1500 that were ordered from each company to be tested along with the prototypes submitted by Bantam and Willy's. (Initially, Ford didn't participate in the project so the first ones clearly were from Bantam, followed by Willys) Willys was eventually awarded the contract for their design which included much of the original Bantam features and while the government selected the Willys design and awarded Willys-Overland the contract to build them, they 'homogenized' the grille using the Ford design so both the Willy's and the Ford shared the same face but the vehicle was clearly a Willys for the following reason:
Willy's was unable to meet all of the production requirements (ultimately some 625k - give or take units) required to fulfill the government contract so Willys granted the United States Government a non-exclusive license to allow other companies to manufacture the jeep using the Willys' design and specifications. Hence Willys kept the Jeep as it was now officially called.
With all due respect to this vehicle and those who own and show it, it is a bit disingenuous to declare this one offering "The One that started it all" for if the first Bantam prototype were to be discovered, then that would be "The One" that started it all. This is the one that started it all for Ford when they finally decided to participate.

Willys was a great company building cars and Jeeps into the 50's before being bought out by a larger company as many of the orphan brands were at that time.
The photo shows two of the three smoke stacks that remained outside of the Jeep plant in Toledo until approximately 2007. Only one remains today as the others were razed.

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Jul 13 at 2017 7:57 PM

2017-07-13T19:57:26-04:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs What a great historical story. Might make it to the blog at http://www.victoryforveterans.org. Check out our current post.

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Veteran resources, suicide prevention, homeless and jobless assistance and funding for non-profits who serve VeteransPTSD, MST, TBI

Response by SSG William Jones made Jul 13 at 2017 8:58 PM

2017-07-13T20:58:14-04:00

Outstanding, Colonel. Thanks for climbing into the archival maze and rousting out this great story about the Grandaddy of all SUV's.

Response by SPC Paul C. made Jul 14 at 2017 11:51 AM

2017-07-14T11:51:42-04:00

We still used the old jeep in Germany till 1988 until they were replaced with the Humvee

Response by PO2 Richard C. made Jul 14 at 2017 12:28 PM

2017-07-14T12:28:46-04:00

What a great story and piece of history. I can't imagine Ford letting it go for probably close to nothing. It's hard to understand their thinking when they had something they knew was a prototype. Boggles the mind! Thanks for the great share today, COL.

Response by Erin Nelson made Jul 14 at 2017 7:52 PM

2017-07-14T19:52:52-04:00

Thank you for sharing, I was unaware of any specific history, except for the big detail of it being created for the war wasn't that I didn't know anything about it very interesting read thank you for sharing

Response by MSgt William Winney made Jul 14 at 2017 8:08 PM

2017-07-14T20:08:48-04:00

First time I have heard the history of this vehicle. What an interesting and informative article. Thanks for posting it.

Response by SSG Mark Vance made Jul 14 at 2017 8:13 PM

2017-07-14T20:13:15-04:00

Would love to drive it ... just once.

Response by MSgt Thomas Mason made Jul 14 at 2017 8:15 PM

2017-07-14T20:15:55-04:00

Thanks for a wonderful story on the "little rascal". I've had several. They're a death trap on today's highway but tremendous fun off-the-road. I've heard it was also a favorite of the German Army when they could capture one in serviceable/repairable condition.

Response by SSG Diane R. made Jul 14 at 2017 8:21 PM

2017-07-14T20:21:49-04:00

My dad taught me to drive on an M38 Willy B. ♡

Response by SGT Peter Hayes made Jul 14 at 2017 9:18 PM

2017-07-14T21:18:51-04:00

What a great history lesson on a vehicle that all G.I. Loved
thank you

Response by SSgt Donald Libby made Jul 14 at 2017 9:32 PM

2017-07-14T21:32:56-04:00

Very interesting history.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2017 10:13 PM

2017-07-14T22:13:16-04:00

Great story, the first military vehicle I learned to drive was the M151. Was a blast you had to be really careful not to roll it. Those were real Jeeps.

Response by LTC Bill Koski made Jul 14 at 2017 10:38 PM

2017-07-14T22:38:28-04:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs Thanks for the memory. I remember them well from my enlisted days!

Response by MAJ Deanna Sinclair-Parker made Jul 14 at 2017 10:58 PM

2017-07-14T22:58:46-04:00

I remember seeing that Jeep during our 8th grade class History trip to Henry Ford Museum. My Dad, ended up being a chaperon,along with my mom, he told our whole group about the Jeep!! He was in the MIARNG at the time :) He was a Company Cdr of a Medical Unit at the 8 Mile Armory, in Detroit.
I remember him coming home in '67 with his sidearm (loaded) from Camp Grayling during his Annual Training, telling us he was reassigned to the AT&T building downtown Detroit, that was during the riots!! Scary times. We lived in Clarkston, a small village of 900 people about an hour NW of Detroit. He called us every night, FREE, back then long-distance phone calls were expensive. Since he was guarding the place, AT&T(Ma Bell), told the Guardsmen, call home 'on us'. !!

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Jul 14 at 2017 11:13 PM

2017-07-14T23:13:35-04:00

Shown here are two jeeps and a couple of weapons carriers at 12th Security Police Squadron, Cam Rahn Bay, Viet Nam in 1968. Notice to 50 calibers on the weapons carriers.

Response by SFC Larry Jones made Jul 15 at 2017 12:34 AM

2017-07-15T00:34:33-04:00

Loved my jeeps.

Response by SGT Kevin Leake made Jul 15 at 2017 1:58 AM

2017-07-15T01:58:47-04:00

M9-2320-m151a-20

Response by SGT Charles H. Hawes made Jul 15 at 2017 8:03 AM

2017-07-15T08:03:53-04:00

As a former owner of a 1952 willys cj2a that was from Ft.Riley Kansas with the military placards still on it and a big red 1 someone painted on the hood. I can totally respect number 1. Glad it survived.

Response by PO1 Chad Alcock made Jul 17 at 2017 11:15 AM

2017-07-17T11:15:21-04:00

Glad it didn't end up in the scrap heap, or worse, in the woods rotting away.

Response by Sgt David Sowder made Jul 18 at 2017 12:18 AM

2017-07-18T00:18:13-04:00

The woman soldier driving for like pulled to the side of the ride. Popped the hood looked around the engine. Ikr got out looked along side the driver asked if the driver needed a screwdriver. The driver side not right now sir I need to get this jeep running.

Response by Maj Kim Patterson made Jun 30 at 2023 1:42 AM

2023-06-30T01:42:09-04:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs found one of your early posts,