I was surprised to see that this June 24, 1943, article from the Colfax County Call out of Schulter, Nebraska, preceded Dick Ryan’s traveling jeep rodeo where jeeping jumping was also performed. This article appeared in multiple Nebraska newspapers in June of 1943.

Shown in this photo is Robert H. Storz, who is in the jeep, while watching is Lt. Col. Scruby. I can’t tell if Storz is a passenger or the photo is reversed. It looks to me that Storz may be a passenger, based solely on the placement of the tie-rods. But then, who is the driver?

Who was the driver if not Storz? I’m not quite sure, other than according to the article the driver was a former member of Jimmy Lynch’s Death Dodge drivers. Jimmy Lynch’s Death Dodge drivers performed car stunts at fairs and other events prior to WWII.

According to Youtube, “Lynch’s shows for Dodge served to advertise the many advanced design features that made the 1939 Plymouth his choice to survive the severe abuse inflicted on the cars in those performances, including the famous “Roll of Death” in which the car did a full roll over the roof. Lynch would remain loyal to the Chrysler Corporation throughout his career as a daredevil as can be seen in this very entertaining film.”

You can see Jimmy himself in this short video (to see the car stunts go straight to the 7:15 mark).

There are more video examples of Jimmy and hit Dodge exploits on youtube.