Willys Jeep, Lewiston, Maine - Military Ground Equipment Displays on Waymarking.com

Below is the text on the plaque:

"Willys "Jeep"

In 1939, the idea of a universal military vehicle was in the making. The army needed a replacement for the vehicles they had been using. They used motorcycles and side cars from World War I, and vehicles like the modified Ford Model T. The military wanted new standards for the vehicles they used. The military submitted the standards to American auto makers, load capacity of 600 pounds, wheelbase under 75 inces, height under 36 inches, engine run smoothly from 3 to 50 miles per hour, rectangular shaped body, two speed transfer case with four wheel drive, windshield that folds down, three bucket seats, blackout and driving lights, gross vehicle weight under 1200 pounds. 137 companies had been invited to submit designs but only three did. Willy-Overland was granted the production contract and began production in 1941. In all, more than 350,000 "Jeeps" were produced during the 1940s i support of the war effort. The military paid $738.74 per vehicle. During the War, Ford built the vehicles using Willys-Overland blueprins. The name "Jeep" also has an interesting history. The name generally accepted to have come from the Ford name for its general purpose vehicle, or GP for short. When slurred together it sounds like "Jeep". Willys made the word "Jeep" its trademark. After the Second World War, Willys soon realized that there would be a huge market for a civilian version of the jeep with returned servicemen. Willys had begun to promote the versaility of the Jeep vehicle as a work and recreational vehicle as early as 1942, but all Jeep production had been allocated to supplying the miliary. Jeeps have been used since World War II, and are still used by all military branches of Service at present. This particular jeep served in the Korean War.

Donated by Mr. & Mrs. Dolard & Priscilla Gendron

Dolard Gendron, US Navy, World War II
Arthur F Gendron, US Army, Korea
Bertrand A Gendron, US Army, Korea
Maurice P Gendron, US Air Force, Korea
Claude L Gendron, US Army, Korea

God Bless our Family and Country"

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