Today in WW II: 18 May 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino, Italy, ends with German evacuation of the site and occupation by Allied troops.

Bantam Jeep #1 & the BRC-60 Jeep

The full story of the development of the original Army Jeep of World War II is on the linked page. See the Bantam Number 1 & the BRC-60 page for more details and photos of this prototype jeep.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the Bantam Jeep #1 and the BRC-60 jeep at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

Squad with Bantam BRC-60 prototype jeep vehicles during the test period in late 1940 into 1941.

Testing a Bantam BRC-60 at Camp Globe, WI, winter of 1941-42.

Oldest Bantam BRC-60 known to exist, serial number 7, the seventh built of 69, delivered to the Army on 29 November 1940. It was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1944, during World War II, and is on display at the Heinz Museum in Pittsburgh in 2011.

A Bantam BRC-60 prototype jeep towing a 37mm antitank gun pulls up next to an experimental heavy artillery prime mover towing a 155mm gun, during tests by the Field Artillery Board in 1941. The Bantam driver, Major Kurtz, calls over: How's the weather up there?

Bantam Jeep #1 & the BRC-60 Jeep in Photos

Bantam Number One, as delivered to Camp Holabird, MD on 23 September 1940. It was called the GPV (General Purpose Vehicle), the Pilot Model, or Number One.

Bantam Number One in testing at Holabird, September 1940.

Bantam BRC-60 jeeps and crews, 1940-41.