Old Images Research Archives

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Ruthie and the Jeep

• CATEGORIES: CJ-2A, Features, Old Images, Women & Jeeps This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This unusual photo has likely been through photoshop at least once.  There’s a story attached as well.  Click here to read the entire story.

In 1959 my dad and Mr. Hatcher Williams founded a summer school for high school boys at a hunting lodge in Corolla, North Carolina. I spent nearly the whole summer at Camp Yonahnoka in the Carolina mountains while my sisters and parents practically lived at the beach. (continued)

 
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Pics from past Chicago Auto Shows

• CATEGORIES: DJ-3A, Features, Old Images • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The Chicago Auto Show website has an archive of images from past auto shows.  Some of the pics include a variety of different jeeps.  Some of these you have probably seen before and, hopefully, others you haven’t.

Last year Bruce shared documents which indicated Willys Motors planned to have a Hong Kong black and gold theme for 1960.  In the pics below, you can see the Hong Kong theme, but hard to tell what the colors are.

1951:

1954:

1959: (you can see a bigger version of the same photo at thefcconnection).  This must have been released as a PR photo.

1960: I thought the description on the bottom of this photo claiming the CJ-6 link was interesting.  I’m assuming the mistake was made by the person who assembled the auto show archives?

I found the advertisement below on Flickr. According to the information on Flickr,
this ad was for the 1960 Detroit Auto Show, but showed 1961 vehicles.

1961:  The Hong Kong Exhibit (though I haven’t quite reconciled the 1961 show date from  Bruce’s document).

1962:  Here’s something from International Harvester.

1964:

http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/show_history/default.aspx?d=1950&y=1950
 
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Various WWII Jeep Images

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Bob forwarded some links to jeeps from the WW2 In Color website and the Lone Sentry Site.

FROM WW2INCOLOR:

FROM LONESENTRY:

 
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2 Photos from W.E. Duggar

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Bob pointed me to these two images taken by SFC W.E. Duggar while stationed at Fort Sill, OK, in 1942 as part of the 1st Infantry Division – Dixie Division, 167th Infantry, 3rd. BN.  The first one is particularly wonderful.

 
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More Images from the McArthur Museum

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You can view the first group of images here and learn more about their history. he MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock, Ar, only exhibits one jeep (shown below), but they do have a variety of WWII Jeep photos in their archive, many of which include captions.  Here are 9 of them.  The photos are part of the Allison Collection of World War II Photographs, the captions of which come from the ACME wire service.

The caption for the image below is: Yanks Hunt Eggs (CQ) in France
France—Holding a lettered board written in French and meaning “have you any eggs?” two Yanks ride in a Jeep and hope for a positive answer from French girls in the city of Rumegies, France. Driver and sign holder is Pvt. Maury Sanders of Corinth, Miss. The other Yank, Pvt. Albert Frank, Burlington, VA., looks on.  Credit: Army radiotelephoto from ACME.

The Caption for the image below is: On one of the most dramatic journeys recorded in the annals of the war, so far, Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stillwell, at the head of a band of 114 Americans, Burmese nurses, Chinese, Indians, Britons and Anglo-Indians, covered 140 grueling miles on their retreat from Wuntho, Burma, which began on May 4th, 1942. For days the band struggled through the torturous heat of the dense malaria-infested swamps and jungles of Burma, to reach the banks of the Uyu River, where they were forced to abandon the few Jeeps and trucks they had, to proceed on home-made rafts, down the river to the Chindwin and Thenge to Imphal on the Indian frontier. They arrived at their destination, Dinjan, India with only a few cases of malaria and heat exhaustion. Considering what they had been through, their journey was remarkably successful. Here, in a series of 25 official U.S. Army photos, just arrived from India, the story of the retreat is graphically presented.  New York Bureau
This bridge was repaired by the Chinese on time, and Major General Franklin C. Sibert, starts ahead of the first Jeep in the column.
Credit: (U.S. Army Photo from ACME)

 
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Cavalry Man Jumping a Jeep

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A writer, and ‘recovering ranch girl’, named Tamara Linse wrote a nice bit of history about the 115th Cavalry Horse Mechanized, which was a National Guard unit from Wyoming that served in WWII.

She notes that early resources were scare.  She writes, “The 115th Cavalry was activated nine months before war was officially declared. The entire 115th Cavalry Regiment, all 1,086 men, was inducted into federal service on February 24, 1941, the day they boarded a train for Fort Lewis, Washington.

Like all wartime training facilities, Fort Lewis was unprepared for the influx of soldiers. The men trained with stove pipes for cannons, sticks and brooms for rifles, and jeeps marked “TANK” for enemy armored vehicles. Aircraft used sacks of flour for bombs.”

She also mentions that while some soliders were excited to see the new jeeps, motorcyles, and other mechanized vehicles, other soliders would only give up their horses when you pulled their reins from their (I hesitate to say cold, dead) hands.

In the article, she includes an image, courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives, which shows a horse jumping a jeep.  You can check out the entire article here. You might also like to read why/how Men are Like Plants.

 
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Russian’s and Americans in Korea, 1945

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Alex spotted this jeep-as-gathering-spot courtesy of photographer George Silk and Life Magazine. The image was taken in October 1945.  I wonder if the film shot by the cameraman on the left still exists.

 
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Eurpoean Junk Pile

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I spotted this image at several sites, but the largest version I found was at edinburghnapiernews.com.  I’m gonna guess, based only on the building in the right corner, that this pile of vehicles is somewhere in Europe.  Strangely, this image is used as a header image for an article on the importance of recycling and freecycling. And I think the image is supposed to reinforce the importance of recycling and the problems of waste.  I believe the irony of the use of this photo with the article is that these vehicles were in fact piled as a first step in their recycling process (for their reuse in steel).

 
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Unusual MB found on Flickr

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Here’s an unusual MB that I spotted on Flickr. I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else (but sometimes my memory isn’t all that good!).

 
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Photos from WWII at Ewa, Hi

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Here are some images taken by Alan’s grandfather during WWII.The first two appear to be a GPW.

Alan writes, “These WWII photos came from my grandfather while he was with VMSB 244 on EWA, HI. The guys would train at Ewa and then go on to Midway and many other Islands during their time in the Marine Corp.”

 
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Jeeps on their Sides — Australian War Memorial

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Warren alerted me to the Australian War Memorial Online and found these images of jeeps on their sides.

There are more tipped jeeps here and here.

 
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Mobile Cinema Units of the Australian Army

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Warren alerted me to a whole pile of war time Jeep images at the Australian War Memorial Online.  I thought the Mobile Cinema Unit was an unusual group, so here are some images.  Click on the images for additional information from Australia. (See some jeeps on their side, here)

“BRISBANE, QLD. 1943-09. JEEPS OF THE 84TH MOBILE CINEMA UNIT AND THE 85TH MOBILE CINEMA UNIT OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY AMENITIES SERVICE AT THE LAND HEADQUARTERS WHICH IS SITUATED IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISBANE AT ST. LUCIA. THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE PROJECTOR, PROJECTOR TABLE AND SOUND EQUIPMENT OF THE 84TH MOBILE CINEMA UNIT STACKED BESIDE THE UNIT JEEP WHILE THE JEEP OF THE 85TH MOBILE CINEMA UNIT IS SHOWN FULLY LOADED.”

 
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It takes a Jeep to talk to Parachuters

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Check out this photo from the Australian War Memorial!

“Richmond, NSW. 1945-07-28. Flight Officer Joyce Cain (right, at wheel of jeep) and Corporal Gloria Freeman (left, in jeep) on duty with the Landing Control Officer (right) at No. 1 Parachute Training Unit, RAAF Station Richmond. During their descent, parachutists receive instructions from the Landing Control Officer through a loud speakers system mounted on the jeep.”

 
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Bill Shares a Great Old Pic

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Bill bought this original photograph a decade or more ago.  It depicts what appears to be a Ford GP. I’m kind of wondering if this photo was of a civilian, as that looks like a license plate on the front?  Bill, can you make out that plate on the grille from the original photo?

Bill writes, “On the front (of the image) is a great pic of a soldier, obviously proud of a Jeep he is driving.   The best part is the note he wrote in pencil on the back of the photo to his family or friends back home….   it reads:   “This is what is called a jeep.   It will seat 4 men & go like hell

Thanks for sharing Bill!

 
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More SAS Photos

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I found these SAS photos while searching for something else today.  You can see several SAS related posts here.

On these first two pics, note the strange louvres on the grilles.  I don’t remember these from other pics.  You can see the first photo at this site.

Here is a german website showing SAS Jeeps in Europe.  There are a few more photos there, too.

From another page at the same site comes these two photos. More photos here also.

From the WW2 Airsoft Website come these two photos.  There are a few more there, too.

And this image from Belgium comes from this site which has duplicates of images above and more.

 
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Sometimes They Break …

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B, Features, Old Images, Racing This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Gerald found two more pics Ron May’s Jeep, which show what can happen when you drive off course.  You’ve seen this first one.

 
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A Crosley with a Mini Crane

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Randy spotted this unusually equipped CrosleyHe spotted it in this USGS document.

 
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Another Pic of the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours

• CATEGORIES: Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles, Old Images, Willys Wagons • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

From Craig’s (from thefcconnection) never ending collection of unusual Jeep images comes this rare shot of the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tour Wagon convertibles.  Jesse forwarded this image to me along with a snapshot of an uncompleted transformation of a Wagon the company had partly modified.  You can see the earlier San Juan post here.

Technically, it was Dave Beamis who was modifying the wagon.  He worked for San Juan Tours years ago.  Dave would go on to start Crystal River Tours and his son, Dave Beamis, started and runs Crystal River Lodge with his brother.

Jesse reports, “all of the Scenic and Crystal River Tours FCs and Wagon Jeeps were repowered while in service, because of the altitude and amount of weight of the passengers, they removed the flathead Hurricane 6 and replaced it with the Chevy 250 or 292 inline 6 engines, with an adapter.”

Here’s the picture from Craig:

From Jesse is the image of an in-progress convertible wagon.  Jesse notes, “this a picture of another wagon body that I bought. It was there, it was cut, but never hammer welded to be finished, Dennis said that when one was wrecked they would have extra bodies to replace on the running chassis. Notice this was on a 4×2 frame.”

 
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Jeep Transport from the 1940s

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Here’s a great old image of a transport truck Blaine spotted.  He saw it at Just-a-car-guys websiteI also found another image there as well.

 
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Jeepster in Tahiti

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Alex forwarded this picture of a Jeepster in Tahiti taken in 1951.  As far as I’m concerned, any excuse to show a picture of Tahiti is a good excuse in my book!

 
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Popular Science Post War Willys Article

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Ok, ignore the “no update” post below.  I do have one update.  I found this article from Popular Science, August 1945, as part of my search (mentioned below).

 
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Some Interesting Getty Images

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I happened upon some Getty Images, so thought I’d do a search on Getty’s website.  They have some cool images, though a variety I have seen in other places.  Note that some of the descriptions and/or dates aren’t quite right.  For example, the “date created” for the Willys MA image below is Jan 1, 1941.  However, the Willys MA wasn’t delivered until April of 1941.

Click here to see all the Getty Images with the Search Term of “Willys”

1.  This is a Willys MA

Getty Image #50470924 — Two soldiers sitting in Willys jeep parked on grass, fr. take on state the army just before US joined WWII, w. hangar-type bldgs. in bkgrd. (no caps). (Photo by Robert Yarnall Richie//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images).

2. Here’s another Willys MA

Getty Image #104406783 — FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 16: The jeep WILLYS can help the fisherman because it is semi-amphibious. Picture taken on September 16th, 1945. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

3. Here are snow skiers in  France

Getty Image #104422238 — UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Patrol Of Skiers With A Jeep Willys Circa 1940 (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

4. This is a color image from the D-day Preperations in England.

Getty Image #106893455 — High angle view of American troops and Ford GPWs (light utility vehicles very similar to Willys MB, both of which are commonly refered to as jeeps) aboard an unidentified landing craft, England, early June, 1944. The vessel is loaded as part of the preparations for invasion of France, the Normandy Landings, which began on June 6, 1944. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

5. A Rare Farm Jeep Photo (note the hood and windshield are inscribed with Jeep rather than Willys).  This original photo is of the CJ-2 X26, identified by Fred Coldwell on page 165 of his book PreProduction Civilian Jeeps. He notes that for advertising purposes, a 2nd version of this photo was created, with the grille of the CJ-2 airbrushed to look like a standard CJ-2A grille (the mb grille and brush guard are wiped away).

Getty Image #104422239 — UNSPECIFIED – DECEMBER 16: The Jeep Willys Has Been Constructed For Works In The Usa In 1945. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

 
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A Few Forest Ranger Images

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Brendan, from the This Old Jeep, found some great old images and history from the New York Conservation Department. Check out the ‘bumper card’ mod!  Anyone know anything about this particular mod?

 
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More From the Canadian National Archives

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A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the National Archives of Canada the other day, discovering a variety of WWII Jeep images related to Canadian forces.

1. Lance-Corporal Bill Weston (left in jeep) receives a message from despatch rider Sapper Arnot Walter, both men with the 6th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.), France, 2 July 1944.

2. Troopers of the Three Rivers Regiment in a jeep, England, 22 July 1942.

3. Personnel of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment filling a jeep with gasoline, San Lorenzo in Monte, Italy, ca. 22 September 1944.

4. Private Maurice Richard (right), Canadian Provost Corps, talking with students of the Khaki University of Canada, who ride in a jeep driven by Lance-Bombardier R.S. Hughes, Leavesden, England, 15 April 1946.

5. Personnel of the 17th Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars transferring from a “Seep” (waterized jeep) vehicle to the Chevrolet C15A truck which serves as the unit’s bus, Weener, Germany, 13 February 1946.

View more from the Canadian Archives here

 
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Men & Women on the Assembly Line

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Here are some more pics from the same source as yesterday’s pics (crated Jeeps and Seeps).  These all show the assembly of jeeps at different stages in the process. Note this first image is backwards (the transfercases are all extending to the left rather than the right, unlike the second image).