Ford Scout Cars Join the US Army | World War 2 Newsreel | 1941

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This 1941 short film – originally titled as "Ford Reconnaissance Cars Join the Army" – is a World War 2-era newsreel produced by the Ford Motor Company. The film features the Ford GP prototype jeep made under contract to the US Army. The manufacturing started in March 1941, and in the same year, Ford delivered 1500 models of their scout car to the US Army.

The footage shows Edsel Ford, President of the Ford Motor Company, delivering the first Ford army scout car to Brigadier General Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III at a Ford plant. The remainder of the film shows the cars at a proving ground, performing maneuvers on snow-covered terrain and in an artificial river.

„This film is respectfully dedicated to the officers and men of the United States Army in the name of American industry – the strong ’second line’ of National Defense.” It is narrated by Harry Wismer.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND / CONTEXT

By the eve of World War 2 the United States Department of War had determined it needed a light, cross-country reconnaissance vehicle. Recognizing the need to create standard specifications, the U.S. Army formalized its requirements on July 11, 1940, and submitted them to 135 U.S. automotive manufacturers.

Initially, only American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland Motors entered the competition; Ford Motor Company joined later. Though Willys-Overland was the low bidder, Bantam received the bid, being the only company committing to deliver a pilot model in 49 days and production examples in 75. Bantam built their first prototype, dubbed the "Blitz Buggy", and delivered it to the Army vehicle test center at Camp Holabird, Maryland on September 23, 1940.

Since Bantam did not have the production capacity or fiscal stability to deliver on the scale needed by the War Department, the other two bidders, Ford and Willys, were encouraged to complete their own pilot models for testing. In order to expedite production, the War Department forwarded the Bantam blueprints to Ford and Willys, claiming the government owned the design. By November 1940, Ford and Willys each submitted prototypes to compete with the Bantam in the Army's trials. The pilot models, the Willys Quad and the Ford Pygmy, turned out very similar to each other and were joined in testing by Bantam's entry, now evolved into a Mark II called the BRC 60. By then the U.S. and its armed forces were already under such pressure that all three cars were declared acceptable and orders for 1,500 units per company were given for field testing. At this time it was acknowledged the original weight limit (which Bantam had ignored) was unrealistic, and it was raised to 2,160 lb (980 kg).

Production began on March 31, 1941, with a total of 2,605 built up to December 6. After reducing the vehicle's weight by 240 pounds, Willys changed the designation to "MA" for "Military" model "A". The Fords went into production as "GP", with "G" for a "Government" type contract and "P" commonly used by Ford to designate any passenger car with a wheelbase of 80 in (2,032 mm).

By July 1941, the War Department desired to standardize and decided to select a single manufacturer to supply them with the next order for 16,000 vehicles. Willys won the contract mostly due to its more powerful engine (the "Go Devil"), which soldiers raved about, and its lower cost and silhouette. The design features in the Bantam and Ford entries which represented an improvement over Willys's design were then incorporated into the Willys car, moving it from an "A" designation to "B", thus the "MB" nomenclature. Most notable was a flat wide hood, adapted from Ford GP.

By October 1941, it became apparent Willys-Overland could not keep up with the production demand and Ford was contracted to produce them as well. The Ford car was then designated GPW, with the "W" referring to the "Willys" licensed design. During World War 2, Willys produced 363,000 Jeeps and Ford some 280,000.
Ford Scout Cars Join the US Army | World War 2 Newsreel | 1941

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NOTE: THE VIDEO DOCUMENTS HISTORICAL EVENTS. SINCE IT WAS PRODUCED DECADES AGO, IT HAS HISTORICAL VALUES AND CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A VALUABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENT. THE VIDEO HAS BEEN UPLOADED WITH EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. ITS TOPIC IS REPRESENTED WITHIN HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THE VIDEO DOES NOT CONTAIN SENSITIVE SCENES AT ALL!

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