Description
Authors: Jean-Gabriel Jeudy and Marc Tararine, Hardbound, 272 pages, ISBN: 9780854295845 **VERY RARE BOOK IN EXCELLENT UNREAD CONDITION - ARGUABLY THE BEST BOOK ON THE WW II JEEP**
There is something irresistible about an idea whose time has arrived. The idea for the Jeep is almost as old as the motor vehicle, but it was not until 1940 that everything came together and quite suddenly the nimble little car was launched on a career which had a not inconsiderable influence on the course of World War II.
The authors of this book give us a striking example of a precursor of the Jeep in France as early as 1906. During World War I the Model T Ford successfully performed the kind of task at which the Jeep excelled 30 years later. During the thirties another classic design, the Austin Seven, was used by both British and German armies and tested by the American forces for the duties the Jeep was later to perform.
There were some exotic excursions up blind alleys with devices like the Motor Cart and the Belly Flopper and in some quarters enthusiasm for the motor cycle and sidecar remained strong, but the idea for the Jeep was gathering momentum and the American Army laid down the basic specification. The achievement of Karl Probst and his little team at Bantam in designing and constructing the first prototype in two months in the summer of 1940is still awe inspiring.
But that was not all. By the 75th day from the start, 70 prototypes had been delivered. This was the Jeep. Modifications were made as a result of experience, but the basic concept remained unchanged. Yet sadly those who gave it form and substance were denied the due reward for their efforts.
The design was simple. Deceptively so, for when the war was over, a number of people thought they could improve upon it, and vast sums of money were dissipated in the attempt.
Vehicles like the Delahaye VLR and the Austin Champ incorporated the latest features of automobile design but they failed miserably and expensively. After years of frustration, the French Army put the Jeep into production once more. Many of the great names in the industry have been associated with unsuccessful efforts to replace the Jeep.
The Land Rover has been the most successful because Maurice Wilks did not try to prove that the original concept of the Jeep was wrong; he simply addressed himself to avoiding its main drawbacks, an excessive thirst and a tendency to rust.
Forty years on, the basic Jeep formula is still valid
