What a waste

[Sal]

My son sent these pictures to me. He's a Jeep person, I guess he takes after his mothers side of the family LOL. I don't know where they were taken. I found them interesting and thought I would share them with you.

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Sal

[skinnedknuckles]

Now THATS Depressing

[M37UK]

A jeep in that condition would cost around $4k in the UK. WHAT A WASTE !!

[MikeOneSix]

. I've seen photos like that before. There was one taken in the 1950s or '60s that showed a pile of GPAs (amphibious jeeps) waiting to be scrapped. I think those photos were taken right after the war (WWII) in France. Although they'd be worth a small fortune today, remember there was so much of that stuff available back then in running/ brand new condition and even then no one really wanted it. The market was over run with MVs and other Mil-Surp stuff.
Matt

[T. Highway]

Actually I thought the big three auto makers didn't want all of these vehicles to come back stateside, they wanted all of the returning GIs to buy new cars not surplus vehicles.

[MikeOneSix]

Actually I thought the big three auto makers didn't want all of these vehicles to come back stateside, they wanted all of the returning GIs to buy new cars not surplus vehicles.

It would have cost more then they were worth to re-import them. Remember that there was brand new stuff still coming off the assembly line right up until the end of hostilities. The "big three" auto makes started back up civilian auto production even before the war ended and there was still a waiting list for returning GIs to buy a new auto after they arrived home. There were also housing shortages as well (hence the rise of the "trailer" & prefab houses).
Matt

[themoose74]

I see pictures like that and am totally amazed that there are any jeeps left from the war. Didn't they only make something like 600,000 or so of them? Although depressing, it is still neat to see. Thanks for posting.

[MikeOneSix]

I see pictures like that and am totally amazed that there are any jeeps left from the war. Didn't they only make something like 600,000 or so of them? Although depressing, it is still neat to see. Thanks for posting.

They built between 600,000 and 650,000 Jeeps from 1941 to 1945. The vehicle they built the most of was the CCKW 2.5 ton 6X6 truck. Roughly 800,000 units built during the same time period. It is interesting to note that during the same period, total German soft skinned vehicle production totaled around 250,000 vehicles. That's everything from motorcycles to large cargo trucks.
Matt

[Sal]

How about Trailers Matt ?

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Sal

[MikeOneSix]

Sal
I honestly don't know how many trailers we built during the war. I can only assume it was alot . I will add to my previous post's figures that we built around 110,000 Dodges (not sure of the break down by type & weight class). Remember that we were the "Arsenal of Democracy" and we not only supplied ourselves, but the rest of the Allies as well.

Anyone know how many M37s were built?
Matt

[themoose74]

I thought I had read something like 110,000 M37s built during the lifespan of production. I may read (or grossly misread!) on one of of the production charts listed on this website. If that number is true, then it was for the 18 or so years the trucks were made. That really puts the wartime production numbers in perspective!