Without exaggeration, it can be argued that the most legendary car of the Second World War was the American Willis off-road vehicle. This machine was used in all theaters of military operations without exception and has earned the boundless respect and love of the soldiers of all the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition.

It all began on June 19, 1940, when the American military department formulated the requirements for a light command and reconnaissance vehicle. Its design was undertaken by the designers of three companies at once: American Bantam, Ford Motor Co. and the small firm Willis Overland of Toledo, Ohio.

APPEARING TO THE LIGHT

According to the terms of the contract, the general layout of the new car with its main characteristics had to be provided in 5 days, and prototypes had to be made in 49 days.

Only the Bantam firm met the deadline. The first sample of the Willis Overland company entered testing only on November 11, 1940. This machine was named "Willis-Quad" (quad - four). Its appearance was influenced by the prototype of the Bantam company, which can rightfully be considered the first jeep that paved the way for this direction in the automotive industry. Despite the fact that both vehicles were heavier than planned, the military liked them. In November 1940, the Pygmy, the prototype of the Ford firm, arrived in time.

Preliminary tests of all three models, which took place in November - December 1940, showed clear advantages of the Willis in terms of dynamics, cross-country ability, reliability and strength. This was facilitated by the use of a well-developed and more powerful than the competitors' engine of the “441” model, the correct choice of units and elements of the transmission, running gear, dimensional parameters of the chassis and body.

At the beginning of 1941, the Willys firm significantly revised its version of the all-terrain vehicle. Army multi-purpose all-wheel drive vehicle "Willys" MA was already a basic production model, released in 1941 in a small batch of 1,500 copies. The car had a 4 × 4 wheel arrangement, an open all-metal body with a tarpaulin awning and sidewalls instead of doors, a four-cylinder engine with a working volume of 2,199 m3, a single-disk dry clutch, a three-speed gearbox, a two-stage demultiplier, a hypoid main gear, a suspension on longitudinal semi-elliptical springs and hydraulic shock absorbers hydraulic brakes. In addition to the multi-purpose version, it was supposed to be released in a sanitary version and as a T54 anti-aircraft gun with a coaxial 12.7-mm machine gun.

In the meantime, the situation in the world forced the US military department to urgently launch the mass production of new cars. The company "Willis", having released by that time a modernized version of "Willis" MB, which had slightly increased dimensions and weight, further strengthened its leadership. Outwardly, it differed from the MA model in the headlights transferred from the wings to the radiator lining, and in body parts. Since mid-1942, all MB jeeps have found their classic appearance with a stamped radiator grille. However, the production capacity of the company was not enough to meet the needs of the army, so Ford Motor was involved in the production of the car. The Ford GPW variant differed from the Willys MB in the shape and location of a number of minor body parts. In total, by July 1945, Ford produced 277,896 GPW vehicles, and Willis - 361,349 vehicles. Until the end of World War II, both firms produced 659,031 vehicles.

"VILLIS" IN STORY

Willis vehicles began to enter the Allied forces in 1942 and quickly gained incredible popularity. These vehicles could equally well serve as artillery tractors, mobile command posts, carry a radio station and communications officers, be an ambulance and a quite powerful combat vehicle armed with several machine guns. It passed where not a single car had passed before, and it was possible to pull the car out of almost any mud, using special handrails on the body, by the efforts of the crew. The Germans had nothing of the kind, which aroused the envy of the soldiers of the very well-motorized Wehrmacht. The Italian command, for example, promised 2,000 lire for the capture of the Willys, while for the tank it was half that.

The Wilis entered the Red Army in the summer of 1942. They immediately found widespread use, primarily as command vehicles and tractors for 45-mm anti-tank guns. In the USSR, Willys most often arrived half-disassembled in boxes. They were assembled mainly by one of the factories in Kolomna. In total, 50 501 vehicles were delivered to the Soviet Union by the end of the war. The advantages of the "Willis" car were high speed and good throttle response, small dimensions, which ensured easy camouflage, and good maneuverability due to a small turning radius and satisfactory cross-country ability. The use of the Willys vehicle in combat conditions showed that as a command and reconnaissance vehicle, it fully met its purpose, but was not suitable for work as an artillery tractor due to insufficient power.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAR "Willys" MV

Frame - stamped, closed, with five crossbars, 743 mm wide. At the rear is a standard military-type towing device. A special winch driven by a transfer case could be installed on the front bumper.

Body - all-metal, open, doorless, four-seater, with a light removable canvas top. Front glass - with a lifting frame. To reduce the height of the car, it could be folded onto the hood. The hood is of the "alligator" type.

Clutch - single-disc dry type "Atwood-Trilender" by "Borg & Back".

The gearbox is a Warner three-speed gearbox with synchronizers in 2nd and 3rd gears. The transfer case from Spicer, combined with a two-stage demultiplier, was attached directly to the gearbox without an intermediate shaft. The front axle drive could be turned off.

There are two cardan shafts. Both are open, with needle-bearing hinges and telescopic joints.

The rear axle is made by Spicer, with a hypoid final drive and a one-piece beam, with unloaded wheel axles, the hubs and gears of which were mounted on tapered bearings.

The front axle - driving and steerable, also by Spicer, was basically similar to the rear axle. In the steering knuckles (their pivots also had tapered bearings), hinges of equal angular speeds were installed. Both bridges were distinguished by their exceptional strength, performance and durability.

Suspension on four semi-elliptical springs. Shock absorbers - telescopic, double acting.

The steering is a Ross mechanism of the "cylindrical worm - two-finger crank" type. The tie rod is split with an intermediate two-armed lever.

Brakes - drum, all-wheel, Bendix company, with hydraulic drive. Hand brake - central, band, mechanically operated. Its brake drum was installed on the transfer case output shaft.

Tires with large grousers, Goodyear firm, tread pattern - "reversible all-terrain vehicle" adopted by the US Army.

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Toledo USA 1916-1963

The American company "Willys-Overland" (Willys-Overland) became famous as the manufacturer of the most famous light four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle "Willys-MV" (4x4) during the Second World War, which went down in history under the name "Jeep". Meanwhile, the company was engaged in the manufacture of civilian cars and small trucks for most of its life. It was founded in 1909 by John North Willys, acquiring a small company, Overland, which had been producing cars since 1905. Willis-Overland began producing its first army pickup trucks at the height of World War I. At that time, they were part of a small standardized family of light trucks of the US Army and were produced by three companies at once. All cars were equipped with a 38-horsepower engine and a 3-speed gearbox.

Willis Kwod, 4X4, 1940

Willis-MA, 4X4, 1941

Willis-MV "Jeep", 4X4, 1943

This was followed by a long hiatus in the military history of Willis Overland, which lasted until June 1940, when a proposal was made by the US Army Quartermaster Corps to develop a lightweight 3-seater four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle with a payload of 250 kg. A car with a simple open body without doors was supposed to carry a machine gun, have a wheelbase of 80 inches (2032 mm) and reach a speed of 50 mph (80 km / h). Its dry weight was originally estimated at 1200 lb (545 kg), then it was increased to 1275 lb (580 kg), and subsequently brought to 2160 lb (980 kg). The prototype was to be submitted for testing in 49 days, and over the next month, another 70 machines should be made. Such invitations were sent to 135 American firms, but only two, including Willis Overland, responded positively. By that time, the firm was in a state of severe crisis, and the prospect of receiving a large government order could have saved it from bankruptcy.

In due time, only a small company, American Bantam, which had long cooperated with the military department, presented its car. The first Jeep prototype, developed by chief engineer Delmar Barney Roos, entered trials only on November 11, 1940. The car was named Quad and outwardly resembled the car of the main competitor, Bantam. Its power unit was a reliable and time-tested 4-cylinder Willys-441 engine (2199 cm3, 54 hp), which worked with a 3-speed gearbox and a 2-speed transfer case. "Kuod" was equipped with a spar frame, spring suspensions of both continuous axles, hydraulic drum brakes, electrical equipment with a voltage of 6 V and wheels with tires 6.00 ~ 16 in size. The car was built in two copies, and one of them also received rear steered wheels.

The prototype "Pygmy" of the "Ford" company took part in the November tests of 1940, which was recognized as the winner of the competition, and the "Willis Kood" turned out to be the heaviest: it weighed 1100 kg - 120 kg above the norm ... As a result of this refinement and weight reduction, a second Willys-MA model appeared with a flat grille and a more angular hood, which weighed 980 kg and turned out to be the most suitable for mass production. To avoid unhealthy competition between the three firms, in early 1941, a commission chaired by President Roosevelt decided to issue each of them an order for a batch of 1,500 cars. The production of "Willy-sa-MA" began in June 1941. In addition to the multi-purpose version, it was offered as a sanitary version and as a T54 anti-aircraft gun with a coaxial 12.7-mm machine gun. Meanwhile, the raging World War II in Europe and the prospect of the United States joining it forced the US military to intervene in this work and instruct to urgently deploy the mass production of new cars. On July 1, 1941, contrary to the hopes of the "Ford" company, which built an improved version of the GP, the modernized "Willis-MV" was adopted as a basis. Serial production of the car at the Willis plant in Toledo, Ohio, began on November 18, and Ford began producing it under the GPW index only at the beginning of the next 1942.

Repair shop on the chassis "Willis-MV", 4X4, 1944

Armored car T25 on the chassis "Willis-MV", 4x4, 1943

Willis-MV "Jeep", 4X4, 1942

Willis-WAC, 4X4, 1943

Willis Super Jeep, 6X6, 1943

The Willys-MV was a versatile, robust and reliable vehicle that could be easily adapted for various military needs, transportation and installation of various military equipment and weapons. Externally, it differed from the MA model in the headlights transferred from the wings to the radiator lining, and in body parts. Technically, the 4-seater Willis-MV was almost identical to its predecessors, although it received a modernized 442 engine, which developed the previous 54 hp.

It had a wheelbase of 2032 mm, a track of 1230 mm, an overall length of 3378 mm, a width of 1574 mm and an awning height of 1778 mm. Its dry weight was 1108 kg, full -1657 kg. The maximum speed is 105 km / h, the average fuel consumption is 11-12 liters per 100 km. This car made a real revolution in military affairs and automotive technology, it is not for nothing that the popular Willis-MV received the title of "Automotive Hero of the XX century", but it is best known under the name "Jeep". The origin of this word is still not known exactly, but the main version is that it was a modified version of the pronunciation of the abbreviation GP (General Purpose) - "G-Pi", denoting a new class of "multi-purpose general purpose vehicles".

The legendary Willys-MV was mainly produced in a universal design with an open body and a tarpaulin awning. During the war, a huge number of different options were created on its basis: staff and ambulances, with various weapons, armored, airborne, 10-seater long-wheelbase, tracked, half-tracked or on a railroad track. The most famous combat vehicles on such a chassis were the T47 self-propelled guns with a 12.7-mm machine gun and the T21 with a 75-mm recoilless gun, the TZb 8-round multiple launch rocket system, SAS anti-aircraft systems and light armored vehicles of the T25 series. In the USSR, the lightest "Katyusha" was tested on them - the BM-8-8 rocket launcher with 8 80 mm missiles. In the United States, at the height of the war, prototypes of ultralight Jeeps "Willys-MBL" or "Pilot" with a 5-speed gearbox and wooden bodies, weighing about 700 kg, as well as "Willys-WAC" (Willys Air Cooled) or "Jeeplet" of a special design with a motorcycle 2-cylinder 24-horsepower motor, air-cooled center, independent suspension and aluminum body panels. The mini-jeep's weight was only 450 kg. In 1944, it became the base of the WAC-3 light open transport carriage, the predecessor of the equally famous "Mechanical Mule". At the same time, work was underway to create heavy machines MLW (4x4) with a carrying capacity of 750 kg and a 1-ton "Super Jeep" 6x6 with a 60-horsepower engine. On its basis, a batch of ambulances, half-track artillery tractors T29 / T29E1, 37-mm T14 anti-aircraft guns and T24 armored vehicles with an open top and a 12.7-mm machine gun weighing about 2.5 tons were manufactured.

The Willys-MV became the most massive vehicle of the Second World War, the world's first serial four-wheel drive vehicle and the most popular light military vehicle of all time.

In total, by August 1945, Willis and Ford produced 626,727 jeeps under government orders, of which 348,849 were Willys, and taking into account other supplies, 359,851 vehicles. With the advent of Willys-MV, almost the entire batch of MA series machines produced by that time was delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. During the war, they were joined by another 52 thousand Jeeps "Willis-MV" and "Ford GPW", some of which were assembled in Kolomna and Omsk, and the "Willis" also produced ammunition and components for aircraft.

Willis CJ2A, 4x4, 1948

Willis-MO (M38) with M27 recoilless gun, 1953

"Willis-MD" (М38А1С) with anti-tank missiles "Dart"

The end of the war was a harbinger of difficult times for Willis, firmly committed to the production of army jeeps. With the cessation of the flow of large military orders, she was never able to develop anything new and for a long time modernized her version of the MB, turning it into another military and civilian model, the fates of which were closely intertwined. Back in 1944, Willis developed the CJ (Civilian Jeep) or CJA off-road vehicle, produced since 1946 in an improved version of the CJ2A, which two years later entered the US Army. The needs of the armed forces for such vehicles and the habit of wartime jeeps turned out to be so strong that in the winter of 1950 the production of a new Jeep "Willis-MS", better known under the military designation M38, began on the civilian chassis G3A. It got a reinforced chassis, 7.00-16 tires, a one-piece windshield, turn signal guards, 24-volt electrical equipment, a front winch and weighed 1250 kg. Until 1953, about 60 thousand of these machines were produced, in the production of which the Canadian plant of the Ford company also participated. One of the few variants of the M38 series was the experienced Aero Jeep or Bobcat, which weighed 700 kg.

Almost simultaneously with the M38 jeep, the company developed a more solid version of the "Willis-MD" or M38A1. It featured an overhead valve Hurricane engine of the same displacement, producing 67 hp. and defined a higher bonnet location, a 1-inch longer wheelbase (2057 mm), wider 7.50-16 tires and larger dimensions. In 1952 "Willis" started its serial production and produced this jeep until the last days of its existence. The reinforced M38A1C chassis was used to mount recoilless guns, anti-aircraft guns and Dart anti-tank missiles. Since 1954, the program included a long-wheelbase 6-seater jeep "Willis-MDA" (base 2565 mm), the chassis of which was used mainly for ambulances M170. In total, cars of the M38A1 series were built about 100 thousand copies.

Since 1953, the M606 army jeep has been manufactured on a civilian CJ3B chassis with an overhead valve 62-horsepower engine, intended mainly for export and assembly under licenses in many countries of the world. In turn, the military series MD and MDA served as the basis for the civilian off-road vehicles CJ5 and CJ6, which remained in production until the mid-80s, and in the late 50s. the CJ5 model became the base of the updated M606A2 jeep. Since the late 40s. the US armed forces received the same modified versions of civilian all-wheel drive pickups and utility vehicles "Station Wagon" (Station Wagon).

Such a deep interchangeability and variety of models, which practically did not differ from each other, reflected the plight of the "Willis", which was not able to independently create fundamentally new four-wheel drive vehicles.

Willis M274A1 "Mechanical mule", 4X4, 1960

Willis XM676 (FC170), 4X4 1958

Willis XM443E1, 4X4, 1958

On April 28, 1953, it was bought out by the industrial corporation Kaiser Industries, turning it into its Kaiser-Willys Division, but retaining the old trademark. The influx of large financial resources allowed Willis to engage in the creation of fundamentally new military equipment. The development of experimental work at the end of the Second World War became a landing transport cart "Mechanical Mule" 4x4 with a carrying capacity of 500 kg with a wheelbase of 1448 mm, a tubular aluminum frame, two or four steerable wheels. The folding steering wheel could be installed both in the front and rear of the loading platform, or to the side of it, and under the machine, which allowed it to be controlled by following or crawling under the car, which was only 685 mm high. The prototype ХМ274 appeared in 1951, and the serial production of the "Mechanical mule" М274 began only in 1956. In the rear part under the platform there was a 4-cylinder boxer engine "Willis AO-53" (876 cm3, 15 hp) of air cooling and 3-speed gearbox.

The M274A1 variant received a 17-horsepower engine with enhanced cooling. The development of the "Mechanical mule" in 1958 was an experienced multi-purpose cabover utility vehicle XM443 with a payload of 750 kg, equipped with a 4-cylinder liquid-cooled boxer engine (2.7 l, 72 hp), located in the central part of the chassis, an independent spring suspension and open aluminum body. The XM443E1 variant was also offered as a multi-purpose trolley. A series of multipurpose military vehicles based on the standard 1-ton cabover FC series (4x4) did not actually leave the experimental stage. At the end of the 50s. on FC170 chassis with 4-cylinder diesel engine, 3-speed main and transfer case

Willis manufactured prototypes of the XM676 and XM677 pickups (with a double cab) and the XM678 / XM679 vans with all-metal bodies, which were tested in the US Navy.

With the advent in the early 60s. Better and cheaper SUV M151 of the "Ford" company, the financial position of "Willis" began to deteriorate sharply. This brand ceased to exist in 1963 when the Kaiser-Willis division was reorganized into the Kaiser Jeep company. Subsequently, it was taken over by the American Motors concern, and Jeep, a subsidiary of Daimler-Chrysler, is now Jeep's direct successor.

- American off-road vehicle, which was produced during the Second World War (1941-1945). This model of army vehicles rolled off the assembly lines of factories such as Willys-Overland Motors and Ford (with another name - Ford GPW).

A bit of history about the first army SUV

In the spring of 1940, the head of the American army issued an assignment for the urgent production of an army vehicle with its further use at the front. The difficulty lay in both very concise lines and the very technical characteristics of the future "horse". It was strictly stated that an SUV should have a maximum speed of at least 80 km / h, a ford depth of 29 cm, drive on all wheels, a curb weight of no more than 585 kg, a ground clearance of 16 cm, and a carrying capacity of at least 270 kg. By the way, in the process of writing the assignment, the customers did not make any concessions, although the mass was nevertheless revised, both up and down. About a hundred enterprises received proposals for the manufacture of future machines, and only three of them took the risk of helping their army out. They are American Bantam, Willys-Overland and the German company Ford Motor.

Four months later, the first copy from American Bantam was presented to the court - the Bantam BRC SUV, created on the basis of the Bantam 60. Although the engineers coped with the task in principle, the only drawback was the strong deviation of the car's weight from the norm. Despite this, they still managed to produce 2605 units, but every single one left for another continent. The test drive of the BRC modification was watched not only by the commission, but also by the specialists of the Ford and Willis company. At that time, the "Willis" cars were not yet fully prepared. They created a reliable body structure, installed a powerful engine, but they failed to create a suitable suspension. After the engineers saw the Bantam BRC with their own eyes, they decided to copy some elements and, after a couple of months, presented their own version of the SUV.

By the way, an interesting fact: a few years later, Willys was officially proven to have stolen the design and characteristics of a car from Bantam. But at that time, American Bantam no longer existed, so the conflict quickly subsided. But back to history ... The Willys Quad also turned out to be quite heavy (almost 1100 kg), so the model was upgraded to Willys MA with a weight of 980 kg. Around the same time, Ford presented the Pygmy SUV, which also satisfied the commission. Summing up the results of the work of all three companies, the commission gave "satisfactory marks" to all and allowed to produce a small trial batch of each of them. But there should be only one true "winner", so I had to choose ... Although the Bantam BRC itself showed the best results in terms of characteristics and controllability, accordingly its price turned out to be the highest. Ford's cars were a little cheaper and the Wilis turned out to be the cheapest - only $ 738 and 74 cents. All three variants of the cars were almost identical and only differed in small details, so the decisive role, surprisingly, was played by the price.

The contract was signed with Willys, and after it rolled off the last copy of the Willys MA, immediately launched mass production at the Willys Military series B plant in Toledo. By the way, at that time, Willys was not doing well, but more precisely, they were on the verge of bankruptcy. It was very risky to sign a contract for the manufacture of such a huge number of cars, especially for such an important purpose, so I turned to Ford for help and also signed a contract with them. Soon all the necessary documentation was sent to them, who began to produce a copy of the Jeep - the Ford GPW SUV.

These cars were used not only on domestic lands, but also massively supplied to the Allied countries. By the way, during the entire production period of the "Red Army" alone, about 52,000 copies were delivered, where they were used by commanders as reconnaissance vehicles or tractors for anti-tank guns. Taking into account the Ford copies, 659,031 cars rolled off the assembly line, many of which are still alive today.

Willys MB's life at the front

Great Britain and the USSR were the main "sales centers" of Willis MB. They were loved and respected, they moved forward with them to victory and were always confident in reliability and indestructibility. As a rule, the Red Army was supplied with semi-disassembled vehicles in special packages. This both simplified transportation and guaranteed their integrity. This is not to say that ordinary boxes "with iron" were sent, because each car was completely assembled before shipment and even went through a short run-in, and then it was dismantled again.

The Soviet Union began to receive cars in the summer of 1942, after which they were sent to the assembly at the Kolomna Plant No. 4 and the plant named after Gorky. A year later, the USSR finally decided to test Willys MB. The action took place near Kubinka near Moscow at a large training ground. The car showed its best side, and even comparing it with the domestic one, the soldiers noted better hydraulics, easier handling and comfort. But the fact remains - the Wilis often went out of order, even before reaching the mileage of 20 thousand km, and the reason for this was improper maintenance and poor quality of gasoline. American cars were simply distinguished by impeccable quality and durability, but in return they demanded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 66, as well as regular lubrication of parts. On the territory of the Soviet Union, these factors were often neglected, and the shortage of high-quality raw materials left its mark.

Studying the history of the Second World War and, in fact, the history of Willys MB, you can see this car in a variety of unofficial modifications, which were altered "in their own way" by Soviet engineers. For example, machine guns with a caliber of 12.7 or 7.62 mm, anti-tank guns or unique "reflectors" were often attached to the car to destroy the German trap wires.

In 1943, Popular Science magazine, with the support of Alabama congressman Carter Malasco, organized a competition for the best idea for using the army Willys in peacetime, in a variety of ways. A request for further cooperation was even sent to the vice-president of the Willis company, but the management did not see any prospects, and, in fact, wanted to move away from the production of SUVs of this type, concentrating on more popular types of cars. But in 1944, the situation changed sharply when one of the former executives took over the presidency of Willys-Overland. He began to actively popularize the topic of adapting an army SUV for agriculture and to promote his Station Wagon. Soon, the American army was enriched with these cars, and the civilian modification of the Willys MB was named CJ1A and had already begun mass production from the middle of 1944.

Willys MB technical and design features

Now it was necessary to drive the car not only with the help of one gearbox lever, but also with two more - transfer case levers, one of which served to connect the front axle, and the other - to disconnect and downshift. The car's braking system was hydraulic and extended to 4 wheels, which was a huge plus. Despite the fact that all the wheels were leading, the engineers for some reason did not provide for a differential between the axles, so the moment was not distributed between the front and rear axles. The thrust was distributed only between the wheels themselves, with conventional bevel differentials without locking units. Since the car was designed for the most difficult and extreme conditions, it more than once had to overcome deep fords, which in some cases reached almost one and a half meters. Therefore, the designers decided to make a drain hole in the bottom of the body, which was closed with a plug.

Technical characteristics of the car Willys MB

The main differences between Ford GPW and Willys MB cars

Outwardly, these cars were almost identical and in the Soviet Union both modifications were called Willys, but in fact they had a number of differences that are manifested not only in the technical, but also in the structural part. In fact, in order to identify this or that model, great efforts are required, since not everyone knows that both the line of Willis MB and the line of Ford GPV had three modifications: Early Willys (11.1941-03.1942), Standard Willys (03.1941 -12.1943) and Willis composite (12.1943-10.1945); Ford Standard (04.1942-12.1943), Ford Transitional (12.1943 - 01.1944) and Ford Composite (01.1944-06.1945). An additional complication is the lack of accurate data on the date of changes or the introduction of new parts. Over the course of four years, both Willys and Ford have been constantly modernized, so, unfortunately, it will not be possible to compare them as accurately as possible, but we managed to collect the main differences.

Let's start with the frame: Willis had a tubular front transverse beam, and the shock absorber brackets were rectangular box-shaped, while Ford had a rectangular beam (like an inverted U), and the brackets were in the form of an influx. The battery stand also had differences - the American had it in the form of a rectangular sheet of metal, and the German additionally had an oval hole in the center. Comparing both cars, you can see the differences in the image of the frame and engine license plates. By the way, it was by the engine number that it was possible to determine the car as accurately as possible: for Willys MB, the number consisted of the MB index and six digits, and for the Ford GPW, it consisted of the GPW index and the same six digits.

With the body, things are a little more complicated. So the Early Willis had a relief stamping of its name on the rear panel of the body, the radiator was of 10 spokes, and the glove compartment was absent. The stamping of the Standard Jeep was already located on the wheel arch to lock the tool well. He also got a glove compartment, a bottom of two reinforcing ribs, a leg support and a rectangular rear seat bracket. As for Ford, its "standard" modification had a front support bracket of the ACM II type, the body number was absent, the name stamping was in the wheel arch under the niche lock, and the logo was on the rear panel; the rear seat had a triangular bracket, and the taillights had vertically mounted brackets. In addition, compared to the Willys, early Ford models already had a glove compartment, a bottom with two reinforcing ribs, and a footrest for the rear passengers. Transitional Ford acquired a triangular amplifier for the rear body panel, a rectangular bracket is installed on the rear seat, but the car name stamping on the side parts of the wheel arch on both sides of the rear seat bracket disappeared. The exact modifications that came with the Composite Willis and Ford were minor, so they can be omitted.

• The Jeep "Go-Devil" engine has set a new world record for "long stroke", because its piston stroke is 111.1 mm, with a cylinder diameter of only 79.4 mm.
• During the tests of Willis in the vastness of the Soviet Union, Willis showed worse characteristics than those declared by the manufacturer. It was about torque and power itself, which barely reached 56.6 hp. The reason for all this was the regular use of very low quality fuels and lubricants.
• The front instrument panel had a special plate made of metal, which depicted the permitted speeds. For example, if you activate the "lowering" while driving forward, then it reduced the speed of the car by 2 times, and at the lowering stage in the RK in reverse mode, the travel speed should have been no more than 9 miles / hour. By the way, when driving on hard surfaces (asphalt), it was not recommended to connect the front axle.
• In subsequent years, all Willys SUVs acquired a new name - Jeep, which appeared as a result of listening (listening) to the combination of the words "General Purpose".
• Willys MB SUVs were supplied in large quantities to various allied countries. But these were not "gifts", not help or sale. The cars were rented, and after the war, the American government announced to return the Willys fully equipped and in good condition.
• Almost the whole world admired American Willys, and even now these cars can confidently overcome the most severe off-road conditions. As a result, after the war, some countries "asked for" the right to license copies under their own name (French Hotchkiss, Japanese Mitsubishi, Spanish Ebro, etc.).

The small firm "Bantam" was never able to organize the mass production of light all-wheel drive jeeps, the mass production of which was entrusted to the companies "Willis-Overland" and "Ford". Its share was only the manufacture of trailers for Jeeps "Willis-MV" and "Ford GPW". At the end of 1941, some of the Bantam BRC-40 jeeps (about 600 copies), which were noticeably inferior to the new cars, were sent in the first Lend-Lease shipments to the USSR, where they all got lost during the war.

Willis-MA / MV (1941-1945)

The first prototype of the future Jeep "Willis-MV" is an experimental "Willis Kuod" car with a 2.2-liter 54 hp engine. and the characteristic convex radiator grille. 1940 year

The American company "Willis-Overland" from Toledo, which existed since the beginning of the twentieth century, entered world automotive and military history only as the manufacturer of the most famous light all-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle "Willis-MV" (4x4) during the Second World War, known under the unofficial name "Jeep". Meanwhile, before the start of the war, the main field of activity of this company was purely civilian cars and small trucks. She began making her first simple 38-horsepower pickups for the American troops at the height of the First World War. At the time, they were part of a small standardized family of light trucks in the US Army and were produced by three companies at once.
The long hiatus in military supplies that followed ended in June 1940, when Willis Overland received a proposal from the US Army Quartermaster Corps to develop a light all-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle with a 250 kg payload. A car with a simple open 3-seater body without doors was supposed to carry a machine gun, have a wheelbase of 80 inches (2032 mm) and reach a speed of 50 mph (80 km / h). Its curb weight was originally estimated at 1200 lb (545 kg), but was then increased to 1275 lb (580 kg), and subsequently increased to 2160 lb (980 kg). The prototype was to be submitted for military tests in 49 days, and over the next month, another 70 machines should be made. By that time, Willis-Overland was in a state of severe crisis, so the prospect of receiving a large state order was logically considered one of the ways to save it from bankruptcy.
In due time, only a small company "American Bantam", which had long cooperated with the military department, presented its car. The first Willis Overland sample, designed by Chief Engineer Delmar Barney Roos, did not go into testing until November 11, 1940. The car was named "Quad" and outwardly resembled the car of the main competitor "Bantam". Its power unit was a reliable and time-tested gasoline 4-cylinder Willys-441 engine (2.2 l, 54 hp), which worked with a 3-speed gearbox and a two-stage transfer case. "Kuod" was equipped with a spar frame, leaf spring suspensions of both continuous axles, hydraulic drum brakes, 6 V electrical equipment and wheels with 6.00-16 tires. The car was built in two copies, and one of them also received rear steered wheels. The prototype "Pygmy" of the "Ford" company took part in the November tests of 1940, which, under strong pressure from the management of the concern, was declared the winner of the competition, and the "Willis Kood" turned out to be the heaviest: it weighed 1100 kg - 120 kg above the norm.
As a result of its subsequent refinement and weight reduction, a second lightweight Willys-MA model with a flat radiator grill and a more angular hood, weighing 980 kg, appeared and turned out to be the most acceptable for mass production. To avoid unhealthy competition between the three firms, in early 1941, a presidential commission decided to issue each of them an order for a batch of 1,500 cars. Production of the MA version began in June 1941. In addition to the multipurpose version, it was offered as a sanitary version and as a T54 anti-aircraft gun with a coaxial 12.7-mm machine gun. Meanwhile, the raging World War II in Europe and the prospect of the United States joining it forced the US military to intervene in this work and give an order to urgently launch the mass production of new cars. On July 1, 1941, contrary to the hopes of the Ford company, which in the meantime had built its improved version of the GP, the modernized Willis-MV was taken as a basis. Serial production of the car at the Willis plant in Toledo, Ohio, began on November 18, 1941, and Ford began producing it under the GPW index only at the beginning of the next, 1942.
Jeep "Willys-MV" was a versatile, practical, maneuverable and reliable car with an open 4-seater body, a tarpaulin awning and a front panel with a windshield rigidly attached to it. The car could be easily adapted for a variety of military needs, for the transportation and installation of various military equipment and weapons, or for towing light weapons. Outwardly, it differed from the MA model in the headlights transferred from the wings to the radiator lining, and in body parts. The cars of the first release were equipped with a separate welded radiator grille and original headlights that hinged up, making it easier to replace bulbs, as well as a diagonal arrangement of taillights from the MA model. Since the middle of 1942, all MV jeeps have acquired the well-known appearance with a stamped radiator grille. Technically, Willys-MV was almost identical to its predecessors Kuod and MA, although it received an upgraded 2.2-liter Willys-442 engine, which developed the previous 54 hp. (according to the SAE system - 60 hp). It had a wheelbase of 2032 mm, a track of 1230 mm, an overall length of 3378 mm, a width of 1574 mm and an awning height of 1778 mm. Its dry weight was 1108 kg, full - 1657 kg. Maximum speed - 105 km / h, average fuel consumption - 11-12 liters per 100 km.

The pre-production lightweight multi-purpose all-wheel drive vehicle "Willys-MA" was distinguished by a flat radiator grille, an angular hood and had a curb weight of 980 kg. 1941 year

This car made a real revolution in military affairs and in automotive engineering, it is not for nothing that the popular Willis-MV was subsequently awarded the title of "Automotive Hero of the 20th Century", but it is best known as "Jeep". The origin of this word is still not known exactly, but the main version is that it was a modified version of the pronunciation of the abbreviation GP (General Purpose) - "G-Pi", denoting a new class of "multi-purpose general purpose vehicles".
The legendary "Willys-MV" was produced mainly in a universal design with an open body, a tarpaulin awning and a stamped front lining with nine vertical air intake slots and openings for headlights and sidelights, now known all over the world. For delivery to the Naval Forces of the United States and allied countries, the traditional appearance of the Ground Forces jeep underwent minor external changes and was distinguished primarily by a front grill, welded from narrow steel strips, opened by a solid windshield in the front hinged panel and a pale blue color. During the war, on the basis of typical army jeeps, a huge number of different options were created: staff and ambulances with different open and closed bodies, airborne, long-wheelbase, three-axle, floating, tracked, half-track or rail-mounted, as well as various mobile combat systems.

President Franklin Roosevelt drives a serial production Willis-MV light utility vehicle with a 54-horsepower engine, an open 4-seater body and a stamped radiator grille. 1942 year

In simple army repair shops on the chassis of jeeps, numerous improvised open ambulances and evacuation vehicles were created, which in the army received the nickname "Microb" (Microb). They managed to transport up to seven wounded on stretchers at the same time. They were attached in various ways on special brackets in the front above the flat hood longitudinally or transversely, in the rear longitudinally inside the body or outside on both sides, and three more longitudinal stretchers were placed on a special tubular frame above the body. In 1941-1942, long-wheelbase MB-LWB jeeps with open bodies extended by 90 cm with two rear transverse or longitudinal seats for 6-8 soldiers were built for the signal troops. On the same chassis, the only model of the T63 airfield ammunition loader with a light manipulator crane was created.

A variant of the Willys-MV car for delivery to the US Navy was supplied with a welded radiator grill made of steel strips and a windshield that opened upwards. 1944 year

The largest number of different highly original versions of the jeep is associated with numerous attempts to adapt it for reconnaissance and combat operations in the immediate vicinity of the front zone. Since 1941, the specialization of the small Detroit firm Smart Engineering Co. has been the creation of light, partially armored vehicles on the basis of MA and MV jeeps with flat steel sheets suspended from the outside. The first version of the T25 was equipped with armor protection for the engine compartment, peripheral armor for the body and a frontal armor shield with viewing slots. The next versions of the T25E1 and T25E2 received additional protection for the driver's seat and rear of the body, and the latest version of the T25E3 turned into a light armored car with an open top and folding armored shields in the rear of the cabin. The jeeps converted in this way turned out to be too heavy and unwieldy, and after 1942, work on them was no longer carried out.

The Willys MB-LWB long-wheelbase jeep for communications units was equipped with an elongated body with rear transverse seats to transport eight people and special property. 1942 year

The most original combat vehicles based on Willys-MV jeeps were various light combat systems, assembled in trial series or in single copies. Since 1942, the most widespread was the T47 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a rack mounted in the center of the cabin with a 12.7 mm Browning machine gun. In April 1945, the T21 self-propelled system appeared, representing the first attempt to install one of the first American 75 mm recoilless guns on a light vehicle. In the active forces, various machine guns and anti-aircraft or anti-tank guns were mounted on jeeps. The first multiple launch rocket system was mounted on an American jeep in the Soviet Union in 1944. It was a light and miniature mountain combat vehicle BM-8-8 with eight 80 mm missiles, used in combat operations in the southern and western directions. In the same 1944, in the USA, on a MV jeep, they installed their own experimental 8-charge T36 system with elongated tubular guides.

The powerful mobile self-propelled artillery unit on the Willys-MV chassis was equipped with a 37-mm anti-tank gun and two Browning heavy machine guns. 1942 year

In 1943–1944, Willis also assembled prototypes of ultralight jeeps and the first open transport carts. At the same time, she was working on the creation of heavy versions of the serial MB jeep - a two-axle MLW (4x4) model with a carrying capacity of 750 kg and a one-ton Super Jeep with a 6x6 wheel arrangement and the former forced 60-horsepower engine. The military pinned especially high hopes on the last vehicle, hoping to turn it into a carrier of more powerful weapons. The three-axle "Super Jeep" outwardly resembled a "normal" MV Jeep, was supplied with a similar elongated cargo-passenger body, but was 250 mm wider and could accommodate up to 10 people. With a curb weight of about 1400 kg, it was lighter than Dodge cars of the 750 kg class and developed a speed of 88 km / h. On its basis, a batch of ambulances and semi-tracked artillery tractors T29 and T29E1 with removable rear tracks was manufactured. Smart Engineering developed its fully armored version of the T24, which was supposed to be equipped with a machine gun or light cannon. At the same time, the total weight of the 4.2-meter car increased to 2.5 tons, and the power of the standard engine of a conventional jeep was no longer enough to move it. In 1943, a second equally unsuccessful attempt was made to create a T14 self-propelled artillery mount on this chassis by installing a fixed 37-mm M3 anti-tank gun in its rear part.

Semi-armored monophonic weapon carrier "Willis Super Jeep" (6x6) with a 60-horsepower engine and an elongated 10-seater cargo-and-passenger body. 1943 year

In total, by August 1945, Willis-Overland and Ford produced 626,727 jeeps for government orders, of which 348,849 were Jeeps. Taking into account other types of supplies, including through non-state channels, 359,851 Willis vehicles were assembled. With the advent of the MV model, almost the entire batch of previously released MA series machines was sent under Lend-Lease to the USSR and to a number of third world countries. Together with the first releases of Bantam jeeps, their total number in the Red Army reached 1000 units. Under Lend-Lease agreements, almost all the produced volume of Willys-MV and Ford GPW jeeps was delivered to 45 countries of the world, which was an excellent PR-action of its time, which advertised the American jeep and made it the best light military vehicle of the Second World War. Deliveries of the MB model to the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and to the Soviet Union began in the spring of 1942, and in general, according to Soviet data, 39,800 jeeps of all types were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease, and 43,728 units for American ones. According to other foreign sources in the USSR, there were up to 49 thousand American jeeps. They came from the United States by all three sea routes through the northern, southern and Far Eastern ports. They were partially assembled from component parts in the Iranian port of Bushir, at the Stalin plant in Moscow and at military enterprises in Kolomna and Omsk. The most optimistic share of cars assembled in this way was no more than 7-8% of their total production in the United States, so the boastful statements of some historians that "the USSR can be considered the main manufacturer of jeeps" should, unfortunately, be considered overly patriotic. The largest consignments of jeeps from the United States also came to all European countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, to the countries of Southeast Asia and South America, to Australia and New Zealand. They were delivered to India 20.8 thousand copies, to China - 6944 cars.
During the war, Willis-Overland also produced ammunition and aircraft components. The end of the war was a harbinger of difficult times for a company firmly committed to the production of a single jeep model. With the cessation of the flow of large military orders, she was never able to develop anything new and for a long time modernized her version of the MV, turning it into regular military and civilian models, the fates of which were closely intertwined. The most famous army jeeps, which became the development of the MB model, were the M38 and M38A1 cars, built in an amount of 160 thousand copies. The uniformity of new products and the inability of Willis to independently create fundamentally new four-wheel drive vehicles reflected its plight, which in the spring of 1953 led it to join the industrial corporation Kaiser Industries in the form of the Kaiser-Willis division. Willys Division). The Willys brand disappeared in 1963 when the division was reorganized into the Kaiser Jeep Company.

Ford-GP / GPW (1941-1945)

A variant of the future Ford Jeep is a light multi-purpose GP car with a 45-horsepower engine and a characteristic welded protective grille for the radiator and both headlights. 1941 year

At the beginning of World War II in distant Europe, Henry Ford's company reacted very sluggishly. Even before it began, the head of the corporation himself, who was reputed to be a fan of the Nazis, handed over to Germany the documentation for his 3-ton trucks, causing hostility among American industrialists. His own so original approach to many problems again served Ford in disservice: having received a proposal from the US Army Quartermaster Corps in June 1940 to develop a light four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle, he simply did not react to it. As a result, the development of a fundamentally new machine was carried out by two small minor firms - Bantam and Willis Overland. It was only in November that Ford presented for testing its 4-seat prototype Pygmy or Blitz-Buggy, which was quickly assembled and equipped with a Ford NNA 4-cylinder gasoline engine (2 , 0 l, 42 hp) and drive axles from an agricultural tractor "Fordson" (Fordson), a 3-speed gearbox from the passenger model A and rather expensive ball joints of equal angular speeds "Rzeppa". According to the terms of reference, it had a wheelbase of 80 inches (2032 mm) and with a payload of 320 kg weighed 953 kg - much less than the main competitor "Willis Kuod". As a result, after comparative military tests on November 23, 1940, not without the assistance of Henry Ford, his "Pygmy" was declared the winner, provided that some of the comments were removed. At the beginning of 1941, a modernized version of the GP was presented with more reliable Spicer cardan joints and a characteristic common welded protective grille for the radiator and both headlights. Meanwhile, Willys-Overland, having significantly lightened its car, built the MA model, and then an improved version of the MB, which was recognized as the most acceptable for operation and recommended for mass production. The blow to Henry Ford's credibility was compounded by a lawsuit filed by Bantam, which accused him of illegally acquiring new joints from Spicer. The heated dispute was resolved by a presidential commission chaired by Harry Truman, who instructed all three firms to make a trial batch of 1,500 cars, and subsequently Ford produced 4,456 GP cars. With the advent of more advanced versions of Willis and Ford jeeps, almost all previously produced Ford-GP cars were sent under Lend-Lease to Great Britain, India, South Africa and China, and the largest batch of 700 cars entered the Netherlands Ost -India, where they were used in the cavalry as a replacement for motorcycles. There is information that in the early 1940s one of the Ford-GP cars received a powerful open armored hull and railway wheels. It was used in the Dutch armed forces on the island of Java in a coupled with an armored two-axle trailer, representing a kind of light armored train. In April 1942, when the GP jeep was no longer produced, an experimental three-axle all-wheel drive version with a payload of 750 kg was built on its units, on which it was planned to mount a 37-mm anti-tank gun.

The light reconnaissance vehicle Ford GPW, produced since 1942, was identical to the Willis-MV vehicle. Externally, it can be recognized by the stamped frame cross member under the radiator

The specialization of cars "Ford GPW" were powerful mobile anti-aircraft systems SAS with several single or twin large-caliber systems. 1943 year

The prospect of the United States entering the war required accelerating the organization of mass production of MV jeeps, which began in November 1941 at the Willys. However, the forces of a relatively small company turned out to be insufficient, and the military department decided to launch a parallel production of these machines at the Ford plant in the town of River Rouge. So, at the beginning of 1942, Willys-MV began to be produced under the Ford GPW brand (GP-Willys). It differed from the "Willis" only in small details: a stamped front U-shaped cross member of the frame under the radiator (on the "Willis" it was tubular), cast control pedals instead of stamped ones, a different fastening of the spare wheel. In early editions, the Ford badge could be seen on the rear wall and on the pedals. According to Ford, the famous name Jeep was derived from the marking of its cars and was a simplified pronunciation of the abbreviation GP (gi-pi), which stands for Government Passenger - "government passenger", that is, a car produced under government ( government) orders. Compared to the Willis, the Ford GPW jeep was manufactured in a limited number of variants, among which were mainly the T47 with a 12.7-mm machine gun and SAS anti-aircraft systems with several single or twin large-caliber systems. In 1943, Ford built prototypes of an ultralight jeep and its own three-axle version of the Super Jeep, which was a 6x4 chassis with two rear drive axles and a 37-mm anti-aircraft gun. Of the total number of 626,727 jeeps produced before August 1945, 277,878 vehicles fell to the share of the Ford company, and taking into account other types of supplies - 281,578 units. Its main merit in the military-automotive field is the release of the light amphibious GPA, made on the GPW chassis.

Light and Medium Vans

Starting with a fairly widespread use in its armed forces of conventional serial commercial pickups with all-metal cabins and open bodies with a carrying capacity of up to 1 ton, the US military department gradually came to the conclusion that it was necessary to create on their basis a special family of typically army all-wheel drive utility vehicles. Over time, they took an intermediate position between modified passenger cars and light trucks. The development and mass production of such multipurpose vehicles, which had no direct analogues in the armies of other countries, became one of the most important achievements of the American automobile industry in the pre-war and war times.
The first generations of light all-wheel drive vehicles of the late 1930s were converted to a greater or lesser extent serial single-color pickups, converted into army vehicles with a payload of 500 kg and designed to perform a wide variety of military tasks: delivering small loads, patrol units or the wounded, security various objects and borders, towing light trailers and guns, and simple command functions. With the outbreak of World War II and the expansion of realistic military requirements for light army vehicles, pick-ups and light trucks gradually turned into multifunctional all-wheel drive vehicles, the payload of which first reached 750 kg, then one ton, and in the midst of the war, special three-axle versions of the former pickups with all driving wheels made up a special class of medium-sized 1.5-ton vehicles of high cross-country ability for multi-purpose purposes. Such vehicles, which were practically absent in the military programs of European firms, simultaneously served as staff and ambulances, towed more powerful artillery pieces, and served for the installation of various weapons and armored hulls.
In the second half of the 1930s, in the search for optimal options for light all-wheel drive army vehicles, several American automobile companies took part in numerous competitions of the military department. Among them was the GMC Corporation, which presented in 1939 its open command vehicle based on the ASK-101 (4x4) pickup truck, which could not pass military acceptance tests and was not mass-produced. The company "Ford" annually offered the military its serial passenger models, which small firms converted into four-wheel drive staff and reconnaissance vehicles, which turned out to be in fact unacceptable for such tasks. Failed to establish serial production of staff vehicles and the company "International Harvester" (International Harvester), which then was quite satisfied with the production of limited series of its multi-purpose pickups. After lengthy comparative tests of different samples, in 1939, the American military department chose the Dodge company as the main supplier of a whole range of multipurpose all-wheel-drive two- and three-axle utility vehicles.

Ford

To accelerate the development of the market for light all-wheel drive multipurpose vehicles in 1936, Ford Corporation began active cooperation with a small company Marmon-Herrington, which specialized in the one-off production of army vehicles with all-wheel drive, driving axles with equal hinges. angular velocities of "Rceppa" and transmission elements. For the base of the future family of command and reconnaissance vehicles with a payload of 500 kg, she took serial Ford cars with V8 engines and a 3-speed gearbox, which she converted into all-wheel drive military versions at her plant in Indianapolis. The alteration consisted of both drive axles and a 2-speed Marmont-Herrington transfer case, a 4-speed Ford gearbox, new propeller shafts, additional frame cross members, reinforced semi-elliptical springs and widened all-terrain tires. For headquarters purposes, both vehicles with serial closed all-metal bodies were used, as well as typically military versions with special open 5-seater bodies with a folding awning, a rear trunk, side doorways or short doors, a non-folding front glass, as well as a protective grill in front of the radiator and headlights ... They all bore the brand name "Ford-Marmon-Herrington", as evidenced by the inscription on the nameplate: "Ford converted to all-wheel drive by Marmon-Herrington" (Ford Converted to All Wheel Drive by Marmon-Herrington Co.). In 1936, the first LD1-4 multi-purpose vehicle was developed and tested, which entered production in 1937 under the LD2-4 brand, equipped with an 85-horsepower engine and a mechanical brake drive. Later, in accordance with the annually updated range of Ford cars, Ford-Marmon-Herrington light all-terrain vehicles were produced in insignificantly modernized versions with a slightly lengthened wheelbase and a correspondingly modified front lining. The most famous were the models from LD2-4 to LD5-4 of the 1938-1941 model with 85-90 hp engines. and hydraulic brakes, and the LD2-4 machine is considered the prototype of the Soviet light all-terrain vehicle GAZ-61. Light multipurpose vehicles "Ford-Marmon-Herrington" for headquarters, which in fact turned out to be too heavy and expensive, did not become widespread in the United States and were mainly exported to less demanding countries. With the advent of the first "real" army jeeps, their production was curtailed. The LD6-4 version, produced since 1942, with a suspension on quarter-elliptical springs and a cladding from a 2G8T truck was a regular pickup and was almost never used in the army.

During the Great Patriotic War, the American automobile brand Willys became a household name in our country - this word was used to refer to cars of a type never seen before in the Soviet Union.

The history of the Willys brand began in 1908 in Indiana, when John Willis, deciding to make a business selling cars, invested in a small car factory Overland. A few years later, the Willys Overland brand announced itself the beginning of the conveyor production of inexpensive cars - in this D. Willis took an example from Henry Ford. In the 1920s and 1930s, Willys steadily produced passenger cars of various models, but its business was not always successful. The Willys were especially problematic as a result of the Great Depression crisis. The finest hour of this enterprise came with the outbreak of World War II, when its administration decided to participate in the competition announced by the command of the American army for the best small-sized off-road vehicle.

The military sent out a proposal for cooperation to more than a hundred American firms, but only three automakers - American Bantam, Ford Motor and Willys Overland - decided to develop cars that meet the technical specifications in order to put them up for competition. According to the requirements of the command, the new car had to develop a maximum speed of at least 80 km / h, overcome a ford of up to 29 cm, have an entry angle of 45 and an exit angle of 35 degrees, have a curb weight of only 585 kg, but at the same time carry at least 270 kg ... And most importantly, he was obliged to have a four-wheel drive that was new for the global automotive industry of those years. The wheelbase of 2032 mm, the track of 194 mm and the ground clearance of 60 mm were also regulated. It is interesting that the customer himself has repeatedly reviewed the weight of the car, both in a smaller and a larger direction.

Outstripping the competition, in September 1940, a prototype of the car was presented by the Bantam company. Willys Overland and Ford Motor completed their prototypes two months later. The first variants differed significantly from future production cars. The Willys model was called the Quad (Quarter), the Ford model was called the Pigmy (Pigmy). By the summer of 1941, all three vehicles were tested by the US Army, and were deemed fit for service.

By the way, a sample of Ford's "Pygmy" soon after its birth came to the USSR for testing, and the designer of GAZ Vitaly Grachev wrote a memo to the management about the advantages of the "Pygmy" car over a motorcycle with a sidecar, about the need to create a domestic model of this type. As a result, in the Soviet Union in the pre-war months of 1941, the same competition was held as in America - GAZ and NATI took part in it. The Gorky prototype GAZ-64 was created under the leadership of V.A. Grachev, and the Leading Designer of the Moscow version of NATI-AR was A.F. Andronov, future Chief Designer of the MZMA plant.

Meanwhile, in the first months of 1941, the Willys Overland company finalized its prototype, and the new version of the MA (in modern sources, this abbreviation is usually deciphered as "Military, Model A"), the US military recognized the best of the three samples. He also had the lowest price of $ 738 74 cents.

However, the army needed a large number of vehicles in the shortest possible time, so the order was placed on all three firms. American Bantam owned a small car factory, so it managed to produce very little - only 2,605 copies of the original Bantam BRC40 cars designed by Karl Probst. True, some of these machines were even supplied to the Red Army. Among the Soviet military vehicles "Bantam" received the nickname "Bantik". Assessing the limited capacity of its production capacity, Bantam decided to make a business of supplying the army with truck trailers for the cars of competitors Willys and Ford, and switched to their production.

At the same time, Willys mastered the final version of its car with the MB index ("Military, model B"). It differed from the MA in the headlights, which were not installed separately on the fenders, as was customary in those years, but transferred behind the lining, under the hood. The headlights were placed on swivel brackets. In the case of engine repairs at night, the headlight can now be turned around its axis and direct the light onto the engine. The length and width of the machine have also increased slightly. The model year change, traditional for the American car industry, once touched the Willys MV. The modernized version of 1942 differed from its predecessor in 1941 with a stamped cladding instead of a striped one and an additional headlight on the left wing.

At the same time, the Ford Motor company decided not to lose a profitable order for the mass production of cars needed during the war. But the military agreed to purchase exactly the same standard vehicles. So Ford had to buy a license from Willys to manufacture the MB model. From the assembly line in Detroit, an identical car went under the Ford GPW brand. The first two letters of this designation gave rise to the colloquial word "Jeep".

All cars were equipped with a 4-cylinder 441/442 engine developed by Willys throughout the war. It had solid power and impressive torque in the lower rev range. This significantly increased the dynamics and maneuverability of the vehicle, making it possible to use it as a tractor for heavy artillery guns of large caliber. The Americans called this motor Go-Devil - "go to the devil." But in the Red Army there were problems with the operation of such engines, since there was a catastrophic lack of gasoline with an octane rating of at least 66 and oil of a suitable quality. In the Soviet Union, Willys engines had to be sent for overhaul after 15 thousand kilometers. True, in combat conditions, not every car had time to "live" to such a run.

The parts of the Willys car were as simple as possible, suitable for repair in the field. At the heart of the car, of course, was the usual sturdy ladder frame. The power unit was completely within the wheelbase. This, forced to abandon any rear luggage compartment and place the rear seat between the wheel arches, but provided an advantageous weight distribution - weight distribution between the front and rear wheels.

The gearbox, of course, is a three-speed manual. However, unlike, for example, GAZ cars, it had a second and third gear synchronizer. The transfer case was docked directly with the gearbox. The driver controlled the transmission with three levers. One, as usual, shifted gears, the other two controlled the transfer case: connecting the front axle and changing from the main stage to the lower stage. There was no center differential, simple symmetrical bevel axle differentials were not blocked. Therefore, it was not recommended to connect the front axle on paved roads. In the 1930s and 1940s, hydraulic brakes were considered more advanced than mechanical ones. But in the war, brake fluid was not always available.

The crew could push out a light compact car stuck off-road on their own. For this, metal brackets were welded to the sides. Willys overcame a ford up to half a meter deep, and with special equipment - up to one and a half meters. In order not to scoop out the water that got into the box body, a drain plug was provided in the bottom. The appearance of the "Willys" is unthinkable without the standard equipment of a shovel and ax on the left side and a canister on the rear. Like other American military vehicles, light reflectors - reflectors - were installed on the body.

Under the Lend-Lease agreement, Willys vehicles began to be delivered to the Red Army in the summer of 1942. Usually the cars came in half-disassembled form in transport wooden boxes. However, it was not a semi-finished product. Before shipment, wheels and equipment were removed from the run-in cars - a compact package was obtained. The assembly in the USSR was carried out by the Kolomensky plant No. 4, the automobile plant in Gorky and other enterprises.

According to official figures, a total of 350 349 Willys MB and 277 896 Ford GPWs were produced. 104 430 units were delivered to England, 50 501 to the USSR, and 9736 to France. Willys also sold a license for the production of such machines to a French company. Hotchkiss.

After the war, the design solutions embodied in the Willys MB formed the basis of numerous models of military and civilian jeeps produced by automotive companies around the world.

Technical specifications