Willys MA Prototype Jeep

The Willys Quad pilot model jeep of 1940 led to Army approval for a 1,500 unit prototype contract to Willys, subject to design changes to cure problems and deficiencies of the Quad. The result of the redesign was the Willys MA. Ultimately, Willys won the mass production jeep contract in 1941 with additional redesign resulting in the Willys MB, the standard World War II jeep that was produced in the hundreds of thousands by Willys and Ford from 1941 to 1945.

The full story of the development of the original Army Jeep of World War II is on the linked page. See the Willys MA page for more details and photos of this prototype jeep.

Willys-Overland factory photo showing Willys MA, 1941.

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.

Willys-Overland MA Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4x4 Prototype Jeep

Willys MAs on assembly line at Willys-Overland factory, 1941.

Willys MA with Santa at Camp Lee, Virginia, Quartermaster Replacement Center, Christmas 1941.

Willys MA jeep at the Desert Training Center, Indio, CA, June 1942.

Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4x4 Willys MA (left), Truck, Command Reconnaissance, 3/4 Ton, 4x4 Dodge WC-56, and Truck, Radio, 1/2 Ton, 4x4 Dodge, 15 May 1941.