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Combat Armor Museum: A Jeep and a Mule (photo diary) [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-02
At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. Army asked for working prototypes of a four-wheel drive reconnaissance car. Freelance designer Karl Probst designed the vehicle for the American Bantam Car Company in just two days. Off-the-shelf automotive parts were used for most of the vehicle.
While the Bantam Reconnaissance Car met most the Army’s criteria, the company lacked the production capacity to produce the required number of vehicles. The Army supplied the Bantam design to Willys and Ford and encouraged them to enhance the design. Willys-Overland modified the design for their Go Devil engine which became the standard.
The nickname “jeep” was military slang long before it was applied to the reconnaissance car. Originally, jeep was slang for anything insignificant, awkward, or silly and originated from the 1930s Popeye comics.
Two primary companies produced Jeeps during World War II: Willys-Overland (designated as Model MB) built 363,000; and Ford (designated as Model GPW) built 280,000. American Bantam, which had created the original design, built 2,700 Jeeps.
The Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Washington has a World War II Jeep and a later Army Mule.
Ford GPW “Jeep”
According to the Museum:
“In combat and behind the front lines, Jeeps were used for a multitude of tasks including scout car, ambulance, staff vehicle, and communications car.”
It has a top speed of 65 mph and a range of 285 miles.
It has a 4-cylinder, 60 HP Willys L-134 Go Devil engine. It
M27 4A5 Mule
The Mule was a cargo carrier which could carry 1,000 pounds into places inaccessible to other vehicles. From 1956 to 1970, 11,200 Mules were produced.
One of the interesting features of the Mule is that the driver could control it from a seat, or, folding the seat out of the way, the driver could control the vehicle while walking or crouching next to it. The Mule could be carried in a helicopter or an airplane and be parachute-dropped to the troops.
It has a 13 HP, air-cooled, 2-cylinder gas engine. It has a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 90 to 150 miles.
The Mule in the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum has a recoilless rifle, the M274 which could be used as an antitank weapon.
Note: These photos were taken on July 11, 2024.
More military museum exhibits
Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum: World War II military motorcycles (photo diary)
Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum: A World War II Opel Super Six (photo diary)
Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum: A World War II Dodge ambulance (photo diary)
Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum: A German half-track (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: General Purpose Vehicles (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: Some armored vehicles (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: Half-Tracks (photo diary)
WAAAM: Military Vehicles (Photo Diary)
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