97 Although the military Jeep MB quickly earned a reputation for being able to go anywhere, less is said about how fast it was. Top speed was reported to be about 60 mph, which doesn’t sound very fast today, but it was considered outstanding back then, especially for a four-wheel-drive vehicle that was classified as a quarter-ton truck. Many civilian trucks had a much lower top speed, even 6-cylinder jobs with two-wheel drive. Earlier four-wheel-drive army trucks were lucky to do 40 mph. The Quad trucks of World War I topped out at about 20 mph. So it’s no wonder the military was impressed by the little Jeep.
98 As things turned out, the Jeep arrived just in the nick of time. Willys MB production began on November 18, 1941. A mere three weeks later, Japanese bombers launched a sneak attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, even as representatives of the government of Japan were in Washington, supposedly negotiating to prevent a war that they had already decided to start. The level of treachery and dishonesty that was displayed by the empire of Japan is unequaled in history.
99 Jeep vehicles were meant to haul military supplies to the front, so it’s not surprising that there was a lot of demand for Jeep trailers during World War II. Several companies were contracted to produce them. Nash Motors built many, as did Bantam Motors. Willys-Overland built 78,731 Jeep trailers between 1942 and 1944.
100 In many books about Jeep history you see photos of the American Motors Mighty Mite, but you don’t see it here. Why not? Because the Mighty Mite is completely unrelated to Jeep. It’s not a Jeep and has no business being in a Jeep book. You also do not see the M-151 Mutt in this book because it too has no relationship to Jeep. The M-151 was designed and built by Ford (though Willys did build about 18,000 of them after underbidding Ford for a small contract). In fact, it was the M-151 that replaced the Willys Jeep during the late 1950s.
101 A lot of people don’t know that optional equipment was offered even on the military MBs. The options included a 12-volt conversion kit for radio use, an arctic conditions kit, a hot weather kit, a front-mounted capstan drive winch, big 7.50-16 flotation tires, a deep-water fording kit, decontamination kit, and more. No, air-conditioning wasn’t available.
102 One little “fact” that you often hear is that World War II Jeeps came in only one color: US Army Olive Drab. But that’s not entirely true. The fact is, there were actually two more standard choices: US Marine Corps Green and US Navy Gray. In later years, the color palette for military Jeeps grew even larger.
103 Willys military Jeep production for World War II ended on August 25, 1945, with serial number 459841. Civilian production of CJ-2As began on June 16, 1945, which means that for two months Willys was producing both civilian and military vehicles. Neat.
104 One of the more interesting production years in military Jeep history is 1952. With the war in Korea, the military needed Jeeps fast. The new M-38A1 (MD) was coming into production alongside the outgoing M38 (MC). A production schedule found in Jeep’s corporate files says that in 1952, Willys produced 22,561 MC Jeeps and 25,555 MDs, for a total of 48,116 military Jeeps for the United States. The company also produced 2,090 MCs and 750 MDs for the Canadian military.
105 For 1957, Willys introduced a new military vehicle: the M-274 Mechanical Mule. Basically a stripped and simplified chassis and platform, the Mechanical Mule was sold to military customers only as a low-cost alternative to a Jeep or a truck. By this point, Willys’ military sales were very low and the company was trying to come up with new products to sell to the army.
106 The Willys XM-443 experimental platform vehicle is often confused by historians with the earlier M-274 Mechanical Mule, but they are completely different. The XM-443 was meant to be a direct replacement for the military Jeep M-38A1 and was created to compete with Ford Motor Company’s M-151 Mutt. Although Willys built many of the XM-443s for testing and merchandising efforts, apparently none were sold to the military. It’s not known if any have survived. When the army turned down the XM-443, Willys tried to interest several of its overseas customers, but to the best of my knowledge, none were ordered or built.
This experimental Jeep XM-443E was created as a supplement and/or eventual replacement for the Jeep MD. Willys Motors built a number of these vehicles, but the US Army declined to purchase them in volume.
107 Once the M-38A1 was replaced by Ford’s M-151 by the US Army, Kaiser Jeep Corporation continued to build small numbers of Jeep vehicles for military forces overseas. The company also began to offer production partnerships with various countries in which Kaiser Jeep and the client country arranged for local manufacturing of Jeep vehicles. Kaiser Jeep sold the clients all of the parts needed to build Jeeps and sent experts to help them set up local production.
Kaiser Jeep Corporation earned a royalty on each vehicle produced, as well as the profits on the parts kits. This business ended up being extremely profitable. In fact, it became more profitable than the civilian Jeep production for the United States.
108 Although many enthusiasts consider the M-422 Mighty Mite to be a Jeep, it’s not. The same rule applies to the M-151 Mutt, except to note that Willys actually did build them for a short time. The M-151 was designed and originally produced by Ford Motor Company. Willys managed to underbid them on one contract in the early 1960s. Later, AM General began producing M-151s instead of Ford.
109 It’s not known how many of the Forward Control–based M-series military trucks were produced, but one source claims about 3,000 in all, with 1,200 of them being powered by the Cerlist diesel engine and the rest using the Willys 226-ci 6-cylinder engine. According to legend, Kaiser Jeep had to go through its 226 engine to make it more reliable before the army would accept them in the M-series.
110 By 1964, Kaiser Jeep’s US military business was tiny, so it purchased the military business of Studebaker Corporation, which had recently ended US car production. In one of the greatest deals of the 20th century, Kaiser Jeep obtained a newer plant in South Bend, Indiana, along with a contract to produce 9,369 5-ton tactical trucks, which was soon followed by a large order for 2½-ton trucks. For the first time, Jeep was building military vehicles other than Jeeps and Mechanical Mules and found them surprisingly profitable. The new operation eventually evolved into AM General, the largest tactical truck producer in the world.
111 In 1966, Kaiser Jeep Corporation added to its military business by winning a big contract to produce the M-715 series, designed to replace the ancient but respected M37 Dodge Power Wagon. Based on the civilian Jeep Gladiator pickup, the Kaiser M-715 was offered in four basic variations: M-715 cargo/troop carrier, M-724 cab and chassis, M-725 ambulance, and M-726 utility body.
Once the market for Jeep M-38A1s had dried up, Willys Motors was able to continue as a major factor in military vehicles. In 1966, it showed off this M-715 military truck, which was based on the Jeep J-series Gladiator pickup. Produced in several versions, it was built from 1967 to 1969.
Rated at 1¼-ton capacity, it was nicknamed the “five quarter ton” truck by soldiers. It was powered by the Kaiser overhead cam (OHC) 6-cylinder engine, which gave decent performance, though the same engine did not do well in civilian vehicles, where it had a reputation for oil leaks and short life. According to popular stories, the military versions of the engines were built stronger and have improved sealing to eliminate oil leaks.
112 So how good was the wartime military business for Willys-Overland? Prior to the war, it struggled to survive. But from July 1941 to August 1945, Willys-Overland’s gross receipts for Jeeps and Jeep parts totaled $464,963,926. That’s an incredible amount for such a small company. It also sold the military some $60 million worth of 155-mm shells and $19 million worth of trailers. Willys also produced a great many other wartime products.
113 The Ford Mutt (aka the M-151) was a Jeep-like vehicle that the army began purchasing in the late 1950s. A unibody vehicle, it was lighter and more modern than the Willys, though it suffered from on-road handling problems. Ford thus stole the