One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

If you have an unrestored WWII jeep, we would like to see pictures, and hear your comments. NO EBAY or COMMERCIAL SALES.
gpwmke
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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by gpwmke » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:03 pm

Great piece of jeep history.


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JAB
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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by JAB » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:13 am

Just posting to add context to the thread.

Building crates in the background and placing a jeep on the crate floor and then loading the crated jeeps.
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-Jeff

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JAB
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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by JAB » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:24 am

Here's a few more that may be of interest.
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jeep_in_box161.jpg
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jeep_in_box03.jpg
jeep_in_box02.jpg
jeep_in_box04.jpg
-Jeff

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JAB
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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by JAB » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:39 am

I think I have a few more but haven't been able to find them yet.
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jeeps%20in%20crates.jpg
20180324_193617.png
-Jeff

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GPW1263
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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by GPW1263 » Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:03 am

I suspect most of us have no idea of the speed at which demobilization of the industrial war machine took place. The scale of this reset and the scale of how much surplus there was out there is rather hard to imagine. Our inability to grasp this is chiefly the reason why we have trouble with the idea of jeeps in crates being sold to citizens.

There are some very good videos on demobilization at the production level on youtube. Government contracts were cancelled and production of some goods stopping immediately....as in IMMEDIATELY. Plant floors would be cleared in days...not weeks and months, in preparation for whatever would be produced next. Specialized machinery so necessary to the war effort became valueless overnight. Large, or small, most production items cost more to dispose of than their actual value....even as scrap.

However, as most of you Jeep aficionados know, companies like Willys and Bantam and Ford were experts in using what they had already paid for in as many applications as possible. Willys, in particular, showed an uncanny ability to let the civilian purchasers pay for the R&D of their upcoming war machines during peacetime and then let the military pay for the R&D of their upcoming civilian machines during wartime. Pure genius. This alone meant that Willys had an interest in keeping the production lines intact (with some minor changes, of course) whereas manufacturers of wartime items with no potential civilian use were forced to clear the decks and retool for the next thing. One simply cannot sew clothing with carbines manufactured by Singer Corp.

Behind all this is the biggest machine of all....the economy. Winning a war, especially a world war, would be bittersweet indeed if a country could not switch over from wartime production to peacetime production, leaving the economy in a shambles. Folks need to work and put food on the table for their families and that means companies keeping their skilled labor on hand and busy producing goods and services. The quicker a manufacturing company could retool and refit their assembly lines, the better off everyone was. A work force suddenly without a paycheck isn't able to buy much. People who work are not just consumers, they are also taxpayers. So the danger of a stalled economy was, and is very real indeed.

World War II also produced something that few of us consider - New markets for goods across the planet. It also produced the means to get those goods there. The merchant marine didn't suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke at war's end. They switched to shipping things that everybody wanted, rather than shipping things nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of. All this change comes down to governments needing money to jumpstart their emerging economies and also help that economy be competitive in the world market.

What better way to do that than give a freshly-minted civilian the means to have a way to get to work or get to school so as to be able to stand on his own two legs. Being able to sell off jeeps, even jeeps in crates would serve both the veteran and the government as well. The GI Bill was not a sweepstakes giveaway. It was a genius piece of legislation that actually paid for itself because a fellow with skills earns more and as a result, pays more taxes. Such things also helped the country be able to shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society as it became necessary. Kind of a big deal.

Now, one might argue that having the government selling military cars and trucks on the cheap would go contrary to the fundamental idea that manufacturers of civilian cars and trucks were the ones who really needed to sell their products which is very true. Which is why this really only happened for a very short period of time. Until Detroit made the big changeover Uncle Sam stacked 'em deep and sold 'em cheap and managed to get some taxpayer dollars back in the coffers where it was needed most.

Which brings us back to the seemingly inconsequential question of Jeeps sold in crates. The simplest answer to the question is another question - Why not? Everything certainly points to it. Circumstances at the end of the war created very fertile ground for it. Legitimate documentation exists that even shows us how much they cost when purchased from the government (and a bit more than the low low prices claimed, I'm afraid). A system existed giving preferential treatment to veterans (who undoubtedly needed a way to get to work to feed their families until they could get their new lives in order). And we also know the quartermaster always spends a quite a bit of time preparing for the next big thing. Out with the old and in with the new. Things you and I might hold in high value, the government does not.

The $50-jeep-in-a-crate-purchased-straight-from-your-Uncle-Sam has been reasonably debunked. These stories are passed down, even if that story comes from a second cousin's sister's mother's brother twice removed. Yes, these are stories that are not always wholly accurate, especially when it comes to price; stories clouded by the passage of time; stories about a homely little truck that couldn't hold a candle to a shiny new Oldsmobile and thus, never seemed important enough to be the subject of a photograph. But, these stories almost always begin a nugget of truth and should not be dismissed out of hand. Did the jeep-in-a-crate exist? Yes. Yes it certainly did.

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GPW1263

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Re: One of 1588 crated Jeeps sold new

Post by Ed Roberts » Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:50 am

GPW1263: Very well written and quite informative. I can attest first hand to the ways in which military surplus was handled during and after the Vietnam War. Little you describe had changed. My Sea Scout unit (BSA) was the recipient of a 63' USN Aircraft Rescue Boat (DoD 1943) as well as all the supporting parts and equipment needed to make it seaworthy again. Our program support also included everything from bunk mattresses to foul weather gear to paint and fuel. We were on an approved distribution list that included State and local governments at no cost to us.
This distribution did not include retail buyers to the government. (sold for nickels and dimes on the dollar). The military has been, is and always will be subject to budget buying. (If you don't spend your max amount, your amount will be reduced as you clearly didn't need that much. Therefor, if you need 50 gonkulators, buy 150 just in case.
Of course, you have to store all that material somewhere. The government really doesn't care about recovering costs. I am thankful for the receipt of very good and useful equipment that was used for a good cause. And much today still is. Once again, thanks for your post.

Best, Eddie
V/r Eddie
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MVPA & MVCC


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