> >"Peep" was the original nickname for a "Jeep"(At the time, a 3/4 ton
> weapons
> carrier was referred to as a "Jeep")<
>
>
> ISTR the term "Jeep" was a diminutive of GP which itself was short for
> General Purpose.
That is one of the stories- however none are proven to be "the" true
story... And, "GP" was a Ford designation. Due to the somewhat compromised
design competition, in which American Bantam(originators of the "jeep"
concept) was eliminated, both Ford and Willys came up with viable first
production models- the Ford GP, and Willys MA. These were then run off
against each other, with the Willys being the overall winner. They then
incorporated design bits from both models, and the first "Truck, 1/4 Ton,
4x4 Willys Model MB" was produced. However, due to the production
capabilities of Willys-Overland, the government decided to back up their bet
by contracting with Ford to mass produce the same model- hence the "GP-W"
(or GPW) i.e.: the "General Purpose-Willys" which was produced during the
war years by ford, to identical specifications. (There are some slight
variations between manufacturers, however, they are about 99.999%
interchangeable.) Interesting note- Ford stamped every piece(and I mean
every piece) with a small script "F" on their parts. I have even found them
on the plastic inserts permanently sealed into the lens covers for the front
blackout marker lamps!
Anyway- on to the Jeep-Peep concept. At that time(early 1940's) the term
"Jeep" was used for any insignificant item- The Dodge 1/2 ton, and 3/4 ton
WC series trucks were initially referred to as jeeps. There was also a small
observation aircraft referred to as a "Jeep" When the MB/GPW came on the
scene, they were, naturally, smaller than the 3/4 ton WC jobs- and were
given the moniker "Peep" However, after some time the term was replaced with
"Jeep" though nobody is sure why. But the 4th Armored Division's commander,
General John Wood(one of Patton's best, and favorite commanders) kept using
"Peep" as did most of the division until his relief "for medical reasons" by
Patton.
At the end of the war, Willys was first to register the "Jeep" trademark and
design- and so Ford lost out on this viable little product... But that is a
history lesson for another day...
Scott
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