History Of The Name "Jeep"
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~ 720th Military Police Battalion History Project ~ |
| History Of The Name "Jeep" |
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.....and was the 3/4 ton truck the father? |
There are two popular versions of the history of the name Jeep, which by the way was still a subject of copyright court fights well into the 1950's. The Chrysler Corporation now owns the name. Read both articles and you decide for yourself. Version-I Very detailed, and traces the Army history of the name Jeep from WW-I. Rather than go into endless detail I have presented an edited version. WW-I Any new motor vehicle received for a test (coined by Army mechanics), and/or a less than complimentary term for new recruits. |
In 1936 A comic strip character "Eugene the Jeep" (red arrow below) was introduced to the already beloved Popeye comic strip by E. C. Segar. He was described as being about the size of a dog, though he walked on his hind legs, and was a native of Africa. He subsisted on orchids and was said to be able to cross into the fourth dimension. He solved all sorts of complex problems for Popeye and Olive Oil, and always told the truth. The general public became so enamored of Eugene the Jeep that his name quickly entered the slang vocabulary of the day. An average comment on an extremely capable person or thing might be, "Hey, he's a real Jeep!" |
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Eugene's popularity was highlighted when the Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company used the name "Jeep" for a custom built exploration/survey vehicle; |
The prototype YB17 bomber was nicknamed "Jeep" because of its sterling performance. The YB 17 was the predecessor to the heralded Boeing B17 "Flying Fortress" bomber of World War II. This name eventually fell into disfavor because Eugene the Jeep was a little critter and the YB 17 was big by comparison; Gen. H. F. Gregory, the Army Air Corps' first helicopter pilot, said the Jeep name was used for another smaller aircraft, with the official authorization of Popeye's publisher. Had this experimental autogyro, a predecessor to the helicopter, gone into production, it would have officially worn the name "Jeep." While testing these amazing Kellett autogyros at Wright Patterson Airfield in Ohio in the late 1930s, Gregory and his fellow test pilots were called "The Jeep Salesmen." In 1938 Sergeant James T. O'Brien applied the name "Jeep" to the The Minneapolis Moline Model UTX tractor, designed for pulling heavy artillery pieces. A gathering of enlisted men suggested that a short descriptive name be found for these vehicles, such names as 'alligator' and 'swamp rabbit.' The name 'Jeep' was suggested as a result of reading Popeye in which Eugene the Jeep appears, and the fact that these vehicles would go where you would least expect them to go. The name was unanimously accepted and subsequently painted on the vehicles. From 1939-1940, Army units were issued a series of new vehicles that became popular with the troops. The T202 and T207 Dodge 1/2ton 4x4 trucks. They were called Jeeps for the same reason as the the UTX Tractor. From 1941-1942, with the 1/4 ton (4x4) Command Reconnaissance truck being delivered to the troops the nicknames were numerous and varied: Peep, Bug, Puddle Jumper, Midget, Pygmy, Leapin' Lena and Blitz Buggy, however because of the popularity of the T202 and T207 1/2 ton Dodge Trucks (which were later replaced with what later became known as the 3/4 ton truck), the most popular nickname was Jeep. The name was picked up by the press and the rest is history. Nicknamed after a very dependable cartoon character, the most dependable and versatile motor vehicle in the Army inventory during WW-II became known as the Jeep. Edited from an article, Will The Real Jeep Please Stand Up, By Jim Allen as appeared in Fourwheeler Magazine on March 1995. Version-II The nickname Jeep was coined from the process of soldiers being taught in class the initials Ford GP, the Ford version was the Model GPW. Based on the scuttlebutt on durability, you asked for the stronger "GP" by name when checking one out from the motor pool. Then as you drove it around, the "GP" on the data plate on the dashboard stared you in the face for every foot of the miles you drove the Ford GP. When there was a mechanical problem, you had to go into the glove box for the manuals, where you were again presented its model name "GP" in bold face type. When having to sign out the vehicles at the motor pool during WW-II, to quicken the process the initials GP were used and bastardized into slang of "Jeep." Edited from a Website article, How did it get to be called a 'jeep' anyway?, By Brian French. http://members.aol.com/brimiljeep/WebPages/wwwDriveToWWII.html#M1A1 |