Developed by the Quartermaster Corps, the jeep and other motor transport vehicles were transferred to the Ordnance Department in August 1942. Despite its lightweight, the jeep could perform a variety of functions, including towing a 37mm antitank gun over a 7% grade. Unencumbered, the jeep could climb a 60% grade, and was capable of attaining speeds in excess of 60-mph on a level highway. It could ford a stream 18-inches deep, even when fully equipped and loaded. It had a cruising range of approximately 300 miles on 15 gallons of gasoline. Operated by a crew of two, the jeep had a space in the rear for equipment or additional personnel.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Willys Jeep that was used by General George S. Patton Jr, commander of the US 3rd Army. Pre-order! Ship Date: August 2024.

Dimensions:
Length: 2-1/2-inches
Width: 1-1/4-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Ole Blood 'n Guts" - By February, the Germans were in full retreat. On February 23rd, 1945, the U.S. 94th Infantry Division crossed the Saar River and established a vital bridgehead at Serrig, through which Patton pushed units into the Saarland. Patton had insisted upon an immediate crossing of the Saar River against the advice of his officers. Historians such as Charles Whiting have criticized this strategy as unnecessarily aggressive.

Once again, Patton found other commands given priority on gasoline and supplies. To obtain these, Third Army ordnance units passed themselves off as First Army personnel and in one incident they secured thousands of gallons of gasoline from a First Army dump. Between January 29th and March 22nd, the Third Army took Trier, Koblenz, Bingen, Worms, Mainz, Kaiserslautern, and Ludwigshafen, killing or wounding 99,000 and capturing 140,112 German soldiers, which represented virtually all of the remnants of the German First and Seventh Armies. An example of Patton's sarcastic wit was broadcast when he received orders to bypass Trier, as it had been decided that four divisions would be needed to capture it. When the message arrived, Trier had already fallen. Patton rather caustically replied: "Have taken Trier with two divisions. Do you want me to give it back?"

The Third Army began crossing the Rhine River after constructing a pontoon bridge on March 22nd, two weeks after the First Army crossed it at Remagen, and Patton slipped a division across the river that evening. Patton later boasted he had urinated into the river as he crossed.