Tim, from willysjeep.com, shared this Valentine message. You can download the full-size image from his site. He’s hoping to collect more old willys cards for holiday enjoyment. Tim also let me know that he has an agreement that will allow him to share some more great content.
Features Research Archives
Images of Alaska
When Paul isn’t working on his Stainless M-38, he travels Alaska repairing airplanes. He often brings along his camera and he recently sent me some of his pics. Here’s 3 images by Paul that caught my eye. Paul didn’t send any names to accompany his images, so I’ve presumptively added by own names:
I call this one — Ran When Parked
I call this one — Ran When Beached
And finally — Too Damn Cold to Run
Airfield Security during WWII in Hawaii — LOC
I really like the composition of this image. One thing I had not seen before was a gun mounted to the windshield. I guess they didn’t drop the windshield?
“Four men in a jeep at the Dusty Hollow Training Center included the following members of an airfield security detachment in Hawaii. Front seat (left to right): Private Lester H. Howell, Statesville, North Carolina and Private First Class Thomas Irvin, North Ashville, Tennessee. And rear: Private Arthur W. Blakemore, Saint Louis, Missouri and Private First Class Donald Wilson, Sanford, Florida” — Library of Congress
Pics from Fort Riley, Kansas
These images of maneuvers out of Fort Riley, Kansas, are some of the most calvary-like jeep pics I think I’ve seen. I suppose the older army cavalry hats contribute to that, too. These are all shot by photographer Jack Delano and hosted at the Library of Congress.
I seem to have the wrong LOC links, so I’ll have to grab them tomorrow and add them.
Builds: Eric’s 1942 GPW
Born in Normandy (near Saint-Lo), France, Eric says he always wanted to have a Jeep. While serving in the French Marines, he got the opportunity to drive Jeeps — In Africa and other places — which only only served to worsen his desire for a Jeep (yes, became a victim of the ‘Willys Sickness’).
Finally, in 1997, he found a 1942 GPW in the town of Carentan that needed restoration. If Eric is like the rest of us, he probably felt it would only take a year or two to restore it (I don’t have any pre-restoration pics); instead, the restoration took 7 years. However, the results speak for themselves — it’s a beautiful Jeep he named the Belly Flopper and in which he travels the countryside whenever he gets the chance.
While Eric’s family still lives in the Normandy area, Eric has moved to the central area of France, which is a bit cooler, especially in the winter. The reason Eric and I exchanged emails initially was because he was searching for a heater. I gave him some links on some newer heater options, but had no luck with any early heaters. If you know of any for sale, he still might be interested in purchase them. Just add a comment below and I’ll contact you.
Thanks for sharing Eric!
Rubber Drive during WWII
According to the Library of Congress, there was a serious scarcity of crude rubber, so reclaimed rubber made from scrap was required to meet demands. All Americans were encouraged to donate used or worn out rubber articles to the nation’s scrap piles.
As part of that campaign, Judy Canova, star of stage and screen, opened her personal salvage drive for scrap rubber in September 1942 by donating her personal slingshot to the drive. Behind here is an image I’ve seen before, but I’ve never seen it used as part of the ‘Save Rubber’ campaign.
De-icer + Snow System = Power Boost?
While doing some other research, I found this interesting blog entry about the benefits of a Water Methanol Injection System. One of the more unique aspects of this is that the ‘fuel’ is simply de-icer purchased from Autozone. My question would be, why install a separate container; instead just tap into the existing de-icer container (of course, most jeeps don’t have these in the first place).
Mr. Greenwrench writes on his blog, “Before the Snow System I was always adding octane booster or buying 8 dollar a gallon unleaded Race fuel. Now with this system I add de-icer fluid(25%water75%methanol) I get from Auto Zone and I forget about the octane booster and race gas. The power increase you get, well that happens in a big way. How about 33 horsepower at the rear wheels with no additional tuning on the car.Just bolt the system on and go. The system goes on very easy and if you do have a problem their Tech department is superb!!”
You can read the entire article here or visit Snow Performance’s home page here. You can also read some other reviews about water/methanol injection here. Anyone ever tried this system or something similar?
Below is an injection system installed in a 1987 buick. It looks like a fun experiment to try.
Jeep Images From Cuba via Tim
Many thanks to Tim from the WillysJeep.com site for sharing these unusual images. He notes he has many more. I suspect over the next few months as the site grows it will become an important library of information. Thanks Tim!
The timing of these photos is fascinating, as early 1959 was the ending of the Cuban Revolution and the assumption of control of Cuba by Castro. Based on a few searches I just completed, it appears Fidel was a fan of jeeps and there are multiple references of him riding in a jeep.
And, in the last photo, that is Fidel himself.
Here’s a pic I’d like to get. After recieving the pics from Tim, I did a little research. Here is a video of an image of Fidel and Che Guerva posing in a Jeep in April of 1959. Unfortunately, I do not understand what the narrator is saying.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-rg8DEFuhE
Tim’s willysjeep.com opens Jan 28th
Tim wrote me the other day to tell me that he’ll be officially launching his willysjeep.com website on January 28th, 2010.
He writes, ” I Just wanted to let all 4 wheelers know that www.willysjeep.com will be coming on line in about a week. Its focus is on the advertising literature and manuals of the Willys Kaiser era, all in Hi-Res for downloading. It has many free resources geared to the Willys Jeep owner and the general forum is available to anyone who has an interest in 4 x 4’s. Free information, live chat, photo storage and blogging space are all there as well as many military manual downloads and Willys factory videos, etc. I have been involved with Jeeps for 47 years and it is now, in my retirement, that I can share my printed collection and passion with the world. Hope you have some members that can stop by.”
So join Tim (virtually) on the 28th for his official launch! Best of Luck!
Brendan’s This-old-jeep.com
In 2009 Brendan launched this-old-jeep.com. His goal is to capture old jeeps pics, stories or both so that they don’t get lost. He was spurred on by a post on G503. In the post someone mentioned what a shame it was that a lot of photo albums were being torn apart and the photos were then separated, identities lost and a piece of history was erased.
Brendan decided he wanted to change that. He decided to start placing photos he would purchase on ebay online. He feels it is a small drop in the ocean, but if he can gather enough, he’d like to think that he could put together some of th0se histories.
He’s still organizing and gathering information, so stop by and check out what he’s doing.
Jeep/Willys Brochures from Norway
Gerald sent me a link to Hans Tore Tangerud’s website. Living in Kristiansand, Norway, Hans is definitely a car lover, building a pretty sizeable site. He’s got a variety of old brochures and images, including a few Willys & Jeep Brochures.
July 1972 Jeep Ad from Popular Mechanics
Jeeps in Production
Here are 3 images taken by Alfred Palmer in December of 1941. These three photographs were taken at the Toledo Willys Plant. There are other images that show the machines used to manufacture parts, but I didn’t really find them very interesting.
Library of Congress Link for the below photo
Library of Congress link for the below photo
Library of Congress link for the below photo
Australian Troops in New Guinea
Here some pics of Australian Troops during WWII from the Library of Congress.
Taken in March, 1943, In New Guinea. This Willys serves as an ambulance for Australian troops in New Guinea. Library of Congress
Here’s some troops navigating through some muck. This convoy is carrying military chiefs and cabinet ministers on a visit to battle areas in New Guinea. Air Vice-Marshall G. Jones is shown in the leading vehicle during the tour of the convoy. Library of Congress
This image might not be Australian Troops, but it is supposed to be taken in October of 1942 in Australia. Library of Congress.
Soldiers, wounded in the fighting in New Guniea, are carried to a base. Library of Congress.
This was taken in March of 1943. Australian troops and supplies go to the front line at Buna. Library of Congress.
Reason #63 for a trip to Italy
Some of the folks over at the ww2talk.com website had a discussion regarding the Museo Storico Piana delle Orme – Latina (Italy). The museum describes itself as a “historical theme park designed to accommodate one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world: planes, tanks, locomotives, wagons, radio, weapons and hundreds of military vehicles, agricultural tractors, threshers, trams and coaches, tools and thousands of objects of all types and sizes. Dedicated to the twentieth century, the Museum is a journey through 50 years of Italian history. 14 themed to tell the traditions and culture of the peasant, the great works of improvement, the Second World War but also to show the vehicles and means at the dawn of industrialization and great toys with which children entertained themselves.”
For the purposes of ewillys, the highlight of the trip might just be the opportunity to check out these two modified flatties a little closer (ok, hopefully we could find many more highlights as well!)
In the foreground, we have a MB that has been converted into a tow truck. Behind, and to the left, is a jeep with a water tank(?) on the back of it. Maybe a water transporter? This photo was taken by “Captain Bill”.
Anyone know anything about these trucks?
Doing some research on Warn hubs this morning, I ran across this image on Warn’s corporate website. This may very well be the original Warn Motor’s Service station in Seattle, Washington, where Arthur Warn developed his early ‘Summer Hubs’ as Mike refers to them. Note the signs atop the roof, “Jeeps” and “Warn Motors”.
If there were just one of these trucks, i would call it a custom one-off project. However, two of these suggest to me this was a kit of some kind? It kind of looks like the prototype for the Willys we have named a Tender.
Robison’s Typewriter and Cash Register Repair
I wish I had found a complete picture of this truck from Camden, NJ, but it appears we’ll have to make due with a partial image. I think that’s supposed to be a wooden typewriter on top. Here’s the original link.
“Sitting on the wall are Mr. Robison’s nephews and niece, Tony, Annamarie and Joe Di Paola Jr. In the background, parked on the Haddon Avenue side of 964 Pine Street is the Willys truck belonging to Robison’s Typewriter and Cash Register Repair.”
Coast Guard Anti-Saboteur Patrol
I haven’t seen too many Coast Guard Willys Pics. According to the Library of Congress, here’s one from April 1943.
The Library of Congress’ caption to this photo is: Coast Guard anti-saboteur patrol. Vital cargoes of war supplies for America’s far-flung battle lines must also be protected on the docks and piers from enemy attempts at sabotage. The Coast Guard now uses jeeps with armed Coast Guardsmen maintaining vigilant waterfront patrols.
The MB Chapel
I’ve seen a few pics that show the jeep as a temporary place for worship. This is another image from Roy O. Bingham. The Library of Congress reports that in this pic, “Members of the Tenth Mountain Division, 605th Artillery Battalion, attend a Protestant Easter religious service at Rocca Pitigliano, Italy, conducted by Chaplain William H. Bell. In the foreground, four men bow their heads together. Corporal Ralph Squires sits at a portable organ and two soldiers face the Chaplain who stands in front of his jeep draped with a white cloth in use as an altar for a small crucifix.”
Seeps: These Sea Jeeps Get Ready to Serve
Paul (of stainless M-38 friend) told me a couple days ago that he has a friend (whom he calls Crazy Ralphie) who has been restoring a GPA. He’s promised to provide us with some pics once the Alaska winter subsides a bit. In the meantime, here are some SEEP images I found at the Library of Congress. I have seen a few of these in books, but none as crisp as below.
Ice is no barrier to this prototype Ford-built amphibian car. According to Mark Askew in his book Rare WW2 Photo Archive 1940 – 1945 which shows this image and other prototypes of the SEEP, this photo was taken in February 1941 near the Ford Plant in Dearborn, Mi. Library of Congress
After breaking through the shore ice, the Ford-built amphibian car makes its way through ice floes and water at a good speed. Library of Congress
The Ford-built amphibian car can handle itself on rough ground. This picture shows a test driver putting one of them through its paces. Mark also features this image in his book. Library of Congress
Here’s a photo of tests on the Rogue River near the Ford Plant. Library of Congress
Here’s another shot from the Rogue River. Library of Congress
Below is a production SEEP. Note the ribs on the side. I believe this photo is from maneuvers held in the Detroit area, when soldiers from Fort Wayne in full combat dress manned the machines Library of Congress
The picture below shows maneuvers held in the Detroit area, when soldiers from Fort Wayne in full combat dress manned the machines. Library of Congress
The two photos below were taken by Arthur Siegel. During WWII he worked for the Office of War Information (OWI). These two were taken in April of 1943. Library of Congress
Artist and Army Captain Ed Reep
Another artist featured in the PBS series They Drew Fire, Combat Artists of World War II, Ed Reep, captured this scene. While he tries to paint the image colorfully, there’s no doubt, based on his description, that his subject had an unimaginably colorful character. After ending the war as an Army Captain, Ed would go on to teach at the Art Center College at East Carolina University and the California Institute of the Arts.
Ed writes, “There was a fellow who hauled a bathtub out of Notuno, and filled it with water, and then he punched a hole in the gas tank and lit it. The painting was nutty. That’s all there was to it. How in the world could this man be smiling on a beach-head where shell fire would come all the time, constantly?” You can see this painting on PBS’s Website. This painting is currently located at the U.S. Army Center for Military History in Washington, D.C.
Newspaper Articles from 1945 introducing the Jeep
UPDATE: The links to the PDFs are fixed.
Among the digitized items Bruce has sent me comes these articles. In this one, from the Hammond Times, July 23, 1945, Willys Overland introduces the new Post-War Jeep. What’s interesting is that it’s neither an “ad” nor is it really an article. You can view the entire PDF here.
Even more interesting was the pricing decision. These new Willys would cost $1000, a price not set by Willys Overland, but instead by the Office of Price Administration (OPA). This information comes from a July 31, 1945 article, in the Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Indiana. Here’s the full PDF and an excerpt below.
Food, Jeeps, GIs and Photos
UPDATE: Here is an updated link to Denver’s collection of Bingham’s pics.
Photographer Roy O. Bingham followed the 10th Mountain Division through at least part of Italy during World War II. I searched for some information on Bingham and though I found photos, I haven’t found any biography information yet.
During World War II, the 10th Mountain Division trained in Colorado in anticipation of fighting in the Italian Alps.
The following photo was snapped by Bingham and the 2nd is of Bingham himself.
Roy O Bingham. Library of Congress
This photo was taken by Richard A. Rocker, who was also a photographer with the 10th Mountain Division. You can see a variety of his pics at the Denver Library’s online collection of Western History and Genealogy,
The soldiers in this photo were likely parked amongst the rubble of a shelled town called Pietra Colora. According to the photographer, they are listening to the sound of German artillery falling nearby and preparing to take cover if the rounds start falling closer.
Some Drawings by Howard Brodie
Thanks to Robert for providing me a good link into the Library of Congress for these and many other pics to be displayed later.
By all accounts a life long artist, Howard Brodie has captured sports figures, war events, legal battles and more with his drawing talents. He sketched his way through several wars, from World War II in Guadacanal, the Battle of the Bulge and more, to Korea, French Indochina, and Vietnam. As best I can tell, he is still alive and, hopefully, drawing at his home in San Miguel, California. He is currently being featured by PBS as part of a series called They Drew Fire, Combat Artists of World War II.
In this sketch, American soldiers in a jeep travel down the road to Kokumbona on Guadalcanal island, past abandoned Japanese field pieces during the World War II Battle of Guadalcanal. Library of Congress.
In this sketch, soldiers are taking a “K.I.A.” down a jeep trail from Mt. Aestin Guadalcanal. Library of Congress
Roberto Flores, Illustrator Extraordinaire
If you are a regular reader of the CJ-3B page, you have likely seen Roberto’s drawings and maybe saw his CJ-3B, too. At CJ-3A.com you’ll see his work at the top left. If you haven’t, I’ve add a few images of his drawings and his jeeps below for your enjoyment. You can find Roberto in a variety of places on the internet, including his own website, his blog, another blog and online store. He lives in Spain, but I think is recognized, at least by old school Willys lovers, world-wide. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!
Here’s some pics of Roberto’s CJ-3B and I believe that’s his CJ-3A (I didn’t get any info on that)?
Here are some of Roberto’s drawings.
The first is a comic for “4×4 Story Magazine Spécial Jeep” issue 26, Mai-Juin 2009. It is a French bimonthly magazine, based on the adventures of collectors and restorers of jeeps. Original size, 21 cms. x 14,8 cms.
This is a commissioned drawing ordered cartoon for a French customer, over cardboard. The characters which appear on this are the customer, driving his Willys jeep “Follow Me”, from WW2. He´s accompanied by his wife and son. Acrylics over carboard. Dimmenssions: 42 x 29.7 cms.
This is a logo drawn for a page on jeep Willys MB/Ford GPW of World War II. Pencil and computer on paper.
Here’s a full list of links:
- – http://www.robertoflores.com/
- – http://theoutliner.blogspot.com/
- – http://cj3b.info/Toys/Flores.html
- – http://www.jeepwillys.eu/roberto-flores-179-art.html
- – http://cj3b.info/Toys/Qualities.html
- – http://www.cj-3a.com/ The top blue Cj3A with the dog!
- – http://www.ddmvpa.org/aboutus.html The small Sherman M4 tank! And also more artwork which I draw from time to time to the Scuttlebutt, the bulletin of the DDMVG.