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World War II Wiki

The Willys MB Jeep is a 4-wheel drive military vehicle that was used by the United States during World War II.

Description[]

The MB is the successor of the original Willys MA and there was crew of 2. Among the changes made, there was a decreased weight. The Willys MB was powered by a 54 hp gasoline engine and it was also capable of carrying 56.7 liters of fuel.[1] The total weight of the MB is about 1,450 kg while its total length was around 3.3 meters.

The Jeep could also drive at speeds of around 104.6 km/h and the user of the jeep could even pull out a canvas top for protection against harsh weather conditions.[2] The Willys MB had a 6 speed forward, 2 speed reverse transmission. Typically, jeeps in the field were equipped with various weapon systems to accommodate for various roles. For example, many jeeps were mounted with the Browning M2HB or the smaller caliber Browning M1919.

Variants[]

The Ford GP was one of the models of jeep that was designed for the US army by Ford, Bantam, and Willys. It is very similar to the MB, however it doescontain differences. One of these differences is the slat grill of the Willys Mb and holed grill of the GPW.[3] Other than these small differences they are the same; only made by different manufacturers. However Willys later changed to the grill from Ford's design.

History[]

Production of the Ford GP and Willys MB began in early World War II and they both manufactured a significant number of jeeps by war's end. Both types were used extensively in the European Theater by the Allies, varying in service from highly mobile gun platforms to supply vehicles to reconnaissance vehicles. They were also in use in the Pacific Theater as well as in the Eastern Front due to the Lend-Lease program. Especially in the Eastern Front, the Willys MB was critical to maintaining a viable command structure between frontline troops and officers. Deritives of the type were created such as the GAZ-67 to replace the Soviet Union's reliance on lend-lease vehicles.

In the Pacific, the Willys jeep was likewise critical due to its small stature versus larger vehicles such as the M4 Sherman which had trouble traversing the jungle terrain. In total, a little over 600,000 Willys MB and Ford GPW Jeeps had been produced during WWII.

References[]


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