I got it from my F.I.L. who got it from his uncle Freddie who purchased it from the USG while he was deployed in Japan post WWII as an engineer – and officer. Uncle Freddie brought it back with him when he returned to the mainland US.
On his return Freddie headed off to somewhere on the east coast to work with Sikorsky helicopters until his discharge at which time he returned to the greater Chicagoland area. This jeep was with him as his daily driver the whole time – so the story goes. F.I.L. claims Freddie drove it from the west coast to New York and then back to Chicago and kept in on the road until the “late 70’s or early 80’s”. Since then, it has been parked around from garage to garage to barn from family member to family member; untouched as best as I can tell (other than Uncle Freddies pragmatic and utilitarian upgrades).
I do not know where fiction and facts cross over with this MB though I have seen a picture of Uncle Freddie in uniform, I have the MB (with a title from the state of Illinois) and I have a license plate from 1952 Japan that I found in the MB while cleaning it out.
Right now, I consider this more a revival than restoration and am happy for the opportunity to share the story and vehicle with this group. I have a bunch of questions on this vehicle’s history and am very interested in your thoughts and answering any questions anyone may have.
T.
