Bill shared this article about SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny and his failed attempt to use captured jeeps against the allies (though the second part fo the article about the jeep name is less informed based on the research I’ve posted). There are also some neat stories in the comments, including this one:
“The Hollywood actor David Niven was assigned to Montgomery’s HQ as a frontline liaison officer. Thanks to Bradley basing his 12th Army Group HQ too far on the south end of his operational sector Ike decided to reassign Bradly’s two northernmost armies, the First and the Ninth, to Monty’s 21 AG. Monty sent Captain Niven on a fast jeep drive intended to meet with each divisional and regimental HQ of those two armies with, information, codewords, radio frequencies, etc — stuff they needed to quickly integrate with their new AG assignment. Not being a hardcore baseball fan he had trouble getting through one roadblock until he mentioned his date with Betty Grable. The GIs let him pass with advice to “bone up on baseball, Dave!” Niven’s driver was Sgt. Peter Ustinov.”
Here is David Niven in a jeep years after the war for the movie “Before Winter comes”:
