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.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the Willys MA prototype jeep at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

At the Ford River Rouge plant near Detroit, a Ford GP prototype jeep body is lowered onto the chassis, then is securely fastened to the chassis and the headlights adjusted, May 1941. About 4,500 Ford GPs were made before this model was combined with the Willys MA prototype to become the standard WW II jeep, the nearly identical Willys MB or Ford GPW. The original caption calls it a Blitz Buggy.

Willys MA jeep wrapped in canvas in training test of technique for floating the jeep across a body of water, 252nd Field Artillery Battalion, Headquarters Radio Unit, Camp McCoy, WI, circa 1943. Jeep on bank to the left appears to be a Ford GP.

At the Ford River Rouge plant near Detroit, after the motor has been placed in the chassis and its connections made, the body is lowered into place during the assembly of a Ford GP prototype jeep, May 1941. About 4,500 Ford GPs were made before this model was combined with the Willys MA prototype to become the standard WW II jeep, the nearly identical Willys MB or Ford GPW.

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. The Willys MA was the basis for the standard WW II jeep, produced by Willys (as the MB) and Ford (as the GPW).

Willys MA jeep, hood number W-2013740, with soldiers and M2 light tank, Louisiana Maneuvers, 1941.

Servicing a Willys MA prototype jeep at a grease rack, Fort Knox, KY, June 1942.

Today in WW II: 17 Sep 1939 Soviet troops invade Poland from the east. More ↓

17 Sep 1944 Thousands of Allied planes begin airborne assault on Holland, Operation Market Garden.
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 Photo Gallery

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.