About Military Jeeps

The jeep began in the early years of World War II, before the entry of the United States. The fascinating story of the jeep's origin is told in these Olive-Drab.com pages supplemented by pages for each of the important prototype army jeep vehicles that were part of the 1940-1941 design competition that produced the standardized, mass production jeep.

USMC M-825 TOW missile variant of M-151A2 jeep rolls down the ramp of a utility landing craft during Marines' landing operations in Lebanon, September 1982.

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.

Guide to U.S. Military Jeeps

This group of Olive-Drab.com pages has a section for each type of military jeep along with background and general army jeep information pages. A complete list of military jeep photo pages is at the linked Olive-Drab.com page.

World War II Military Jeeps: The Original Army Jeep

Origin of the Military Jeep
Round One of Jeep Prototypes
Round Two of Jeep Prototypes
Willys MB / Ford GPW Military Jeep: The World War II Army Jeep
Additional Background Information
- Origin of the Name Jeep
- Jeep Publications

Military Jeeps After World War II

The World War II Willys MB and Ford GPW were only produced until mid-1945, but remained in the U.S. military inventory for several decades after that. They were replaced by a series of "improved" 1/4-ton 4x4 trucks that continued the basic design of the WW II models, but with upgrades to modernize them. The last of the breed was the M-151 series jeep which served in Vietnam but was replaced by the much larger and heavier HMMWV starting in the mid-1980s.

Military Jeep Information at Olive-Drab.com

In addition to the pages listed in the list above, Olive-Drab.com has extensive coverage of the military jeeps:

M-38A1 jeep armed with 106mm Recoiless Rifle. Click on photo for larger image.

The Guide to Buying & Owning Military Vehicles has many topic sections with jeep information. Don't miss:
The Olive-Drab.com Store offers a collection of hundreds of photos of World War II jeeps.
For photos of all models of military jeeps, visit the Olive-Drab.com Military Vehicle Chart for Jeeps, part of the Military Vehicle Charts section.
More jeep photos and hi-res downloads are found in the Military Jeeps, HMMWVs, Trucks, Vehicles category of the Historical Military Photo and Poster Gallery.
Military Jeep Websites

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of military jeeps at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

The Jeep J8 was announced by Chrysler LLC at the 2007 Defence Systems & Equipment International show, in London, UK, September 2007. The J8 is based on the four-door Wrangler Unlimited with design upgrades for military use.

Jeeps and other vehicles of the 307th Airborne Medical Company ready for the invasion of Normandy, June 1944.

Members of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force equipped with American jeeps and other gear, prepare to move up from 1,500 yards behind the fighting front in Italy, April 1945.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower in an Army Jeep with U.S. President Roosevelt at Eisenhower's Headquarters in Sicily, December 1943. U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall was indispensable in Washington, so the Allies agreed on General Eisenhower, another well-experienced officer and the commander of Allied forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean, to lead the invasion of France. Roosevelt informed Eisenhower of his appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in early December 1943 when he paid a visit to Ike

These men are members of the famous African-American 9th Cavalry Regiment, and are wearing 'crash helmets' as they ride in the Army's new speedy little 'blitz buggy' or Bantam reconnaissance car, eventually known as the jeep. These vehicles appear to be Ford GP prototypes, plus a motorcycle in the background. Ft. Riley, KS, 24 May 1941.

3rd Armored Cav Regiment. The photograph includes a Jeep with bumper number 35C. This indicates it belonged to the 35th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, an all-African American unit that was absorbed by 3rd Cavalry when it was redesignated as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1948. This photograph was taken at Fort A. P. Hill, VA. in February 1946.

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: jeep military or army. Then click the Search button.