Array of Willys MA jeeps, San Francisco Golden Gate

This photo shows an array of Willys MA jeeps in San Francisco, CA, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Original caption: Troops in vehicles lining Crissy Field, 1941. Crissy Field was originally an airfield, part of the Presidio of San Francisco U.S. Army Base.

There were 1,553 Willys MA jeeps built and delivered to the Army in early 1941, fifty with four-wheel steering. Most of the original production were subsequently sent to Russia or England under Lend-Lease. The Willys MA was the basis for the standard WW II jeep, produced by Willys (as the MB) and Ford (as the GPW).

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.