Dwight Eisenhower called the military Jeep, “one of three decisive weapons the U.S. had during WWII.” Thousands of these “General Purpose” four-wheel drive vehicles were cranked off assembly lines for the military. Among the manufacturers were Willys Overland Motors, Ford, and American Bantam Car Company. But like the GIs who drove them, at the end of the war, what would become of them?
At least one, we’re not sure of the manufacturer, could have been Willys, retired to a life of recreation. Some clever soul took a Jeep and coupled it with a rolling home. Was it a “house car” or a motorhome? You make the call. We only we wish we had more images to share. Thanks to a sharp-eyed Greg Illes for sharing this photo with us.
Reader shares a classic “boo-boo” moment
Brenda O. relates the tale:
“I wish I HAD taken a photo, but I felt too sorry for the couple involved to embarrass them even further. If I could draw, a cartoon would work beautifully!
“We were retail hosts, at a campground that was temporarily without a camp host, so we kept an eye out as best we could. One evening when we returned to camp, we noticed a small crowd gathered and a rig that seemed ‘out of place.’ Seems the driver had spotted an empty full hook-up host site in our E/W campground and thought he could upgrade on his own. This was a USFS campground and had the requisite boulders placed on the side of the road to keep campers from cutting across the grassed area.
“It had rained heavily, the ground was muddy. While trying to make the turn to back-in to the site, the truck started to slide—sideways—right over one of the boulders! So no going forward or backward. The rock was perfectly placed under the center of the chassis!
“When the tow truck arrived, the wife was still in the trailer—so mad that she refused to come out. When the tow driver explained they could not begin with the trailer occupied, another camper invited her for coffee. The rest of us sat at the picnic tables and enjoyed the evening entertainment. We all had bets on how long or even IF there was a way out of that one.”
Thanks, Brenda, for sharing the experience.
If you’ve witnessed, or had your own “RV boo-boo” moment and have a photo to share with others, let us know. Fill out the form below, and put “boo-boo” on the subject line. Be sure to link your photo with the attachment tool on the form. You might even look for a boo-boo that gives us the Willys!
Other stories by Russ and Tiña De Maris
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Knowing the way CJ2 jeeps drove I’m sure that was a challenge.