What High Ranking Jeeps survived?

[Ben Dover]

I believe that's maxwel taylor 101st abn.

I'll second that. He was born 1900.

[Scrapyard]

Arround 1990 a German Auction House (Auction Team Breker) offered the Jeep used in the movie "The Third Man". According to the auction the same Jeep had been used for several other films, including "Salzburg Connection" in 1972. Sadly I do not know what happened to that Jeep - or if there was any proof that this was the Jeep from the Orson Wells movie.

[horrocks]

I believe that's maxwel taylor 101st abn.

I believe you are correct.

The Jeep in The Third Man is being driven by Trevor Howard. Wonderful film.

[Gary25]

Does anyone have photo's of Jeep that King Micheal of Romania has? I believe he is the last surviving monarch from WWII. Army Motor (MVPA Magazine) did an article about him and the Jeep that Eisenhower gave him at the end of the war in gratidtude for his helping downed US Airmen return to Allied lines.

I believe King Micheal would be in his late 70's or early 80's now. I got two letters from him back in 1984 when he responded to an advertisement I had in Supply Line for GPW parts. He was looking for parts to restore the Jeep Eisenhower gave him when he as only 17 and still King of Romania. I still have those two letters today.

I believe the Russians forced him off the throne around 1946 and he had to litterly drive him and his wife out of the country to Austria in the Jeep he got from Eisenhower.

Possibly someone has pictures or an update on his Jeep and could post it here?

I think he also had a GP and a GPA if I remember the article right?

Gary

[Escort]

Yes Gary!
I have (not so good) pics from a film.

2210_19_22Ex-King Michael of Rumania and his fiancee Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma on holiday in Davos, Switzerland.jpg (21.87 KiB) Viewed 1215 times

2210_19_46Ex-King Michael of Rumania and his fiancee Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma on holiday in Davos, Switzerland.jpg (17.57 KiB) Viewed 1212 times

There was a riport film with the King Michael in th 80s by the Hungarian TV and they showed the Kings jeep. He has 3 or 4 ww2 jeeps if I'm right. He is a very nice man. He lives in Switzerland. I think he is rather in late 80s. I try to get this film, but I'm afraid it'll be very expensive.
Tibor

[horrocks]

It presumably wasn't his only visit to the factory, because I have another with him looking at a late MB with ducting gear attached - unless of course it was the same visit. I have often wondered, because MBs were out of production by this time.

He and Queen Anne were, amazingly enough, regulars on the MV circuit in Europe back in the 1970s. He is a very old man now, and there has been some sadness over the years that, as not only the last surviving monarch and Allied leader from the war, but also a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II (he is a great-grandson of Queen Vicky) he has not been invited to significant commemorations here in the UK and elsewhere.

I recall that he was King of Romania twice. When he was a boy, his father (who was not reputedly very good at the job of being heir apparent) took off with a dolly girl and took up residence in Italy for some years. When his grandfather died, Michael became King, then lost the job when his father decided to return, being 'demoted' to Crown Prince. When the Nazi's took over in 1940, he was reappointed King, but in 1944, as soon as he practically could, he brought Romania over to the allies. Romanian troops, equipped by the Nazis, therefore fought on both sides during the conflict. The monarchy was renounced by the commies in 1947, but the line survives and I believe it has been restored since the fall of the communist dictatorship. He was allowed to return in the 1990s, and now has an official residence in Romania, as well as living in Switzerland.

[Gary25]

Escort and Horrocks: Thanks for posting the info on King Micheals jeeps! He certainly was (is) an avid MV and Jeep fan. During my letter exchanges with him back in 1985, I told him I had already sold the GPW part (F marked oil fill tube) he was looking for, he wrote me back and noted that he was also looking for Bantam BRC-40 parts!

Below are pic's of the letters he wrote me in 1985.

A newspaper article I have from 1997 notes that he was 26 in 1947 when the Russians forced him to sign abdication documents and leave the country. The acticle notes that he was allowed to take some luggage and four cars, but no royal furnishing "not evan an ashtray". He returned for the first time in 1997 and his citezenship was re-established.

The photo's in Escort's posting clearly show the King driving a GPW down the steps. Since he is pretty young in these photo's I would presume that this is the actual Jeep that Eisenhower gave him and likely the jeep that he needed parts for when he wrote me in 1985.

Thanks again for posting info on King Micheal's jeeps. Any further updates on him or his Jeep collection would be interesting.

Gary

[Gary25]

Does anyone have photo's of Jeep that King Micheal of Romania has? I believe he is the last surviving monarch from WWII. Army Motor (MVPA Magazine) did an article about him and the Jeep that Eisenhower gave him at the end of the war in gratidtude for his helping downed US Airmen return to Allied lines.

I believe King Micheal would be in his late 70's or early 80's now. I got two letters from him back in 1985 when he responded to an advertisement I had in Supply Line for GPW parts. He was looking for parts to restore the Jeep Eisenhower gave him when he as only 24 and still King of Romania. I still have those two letters today.

I believe the Russians forced him off the throne around 1947 and he had to litterly drive him and his wife out of the country to Austria in the Jeep he got from Eisenhower.

Possibly someone has pictures or an update on his Jeep and could post it here?

I think he also had a GP and a GPA if I remember the article right?

Gary

[Escort]

It would be great to invate him here.
Tibor

[horrocks]

Gary, a remarkable story, and a fantastic record. Perhaps you should write back to him now, see what response you get. Would be interesting to know if he still has the Jeeps - I would wager he does.

I seem to remember that there was an article about him and his Jeeps in After the Battle or Wheels and Tracks back in the Eighties. I'll see if I can find it.

[Gary25]

Hi Toby,
I might do a little more poking around to see what new info I can find on King Micheal and his Jeeps. Noticed that he signed his letters to me in 1985 with his MVCC membership number 4479. Possibly the MVPA (which replaced the MVCC) may have more info on him too. I will check.

Regards,
Gary

[Gary25]

I thought I would resurrect this thread from 2009 to see if anyone has found out more info on King Michael of Romania. Does anyone know if he still has his Jeep that Eisenhower supposedly gave to the King?

He did have several MV's in the 80's and 90's.....curious as to the current status of him and his vehicles.

Below is Getty image of the King driving a WWII Jeep down palace steps:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news- ... o/50864710


Gary

[neutral]

Great Topic ! How about Mcaulifes ( The Ardennes ) Jeep , which I think was called " Diddy " . Surely it must have survived ?

[mmike]

How many of these did we pass on when we could have bought them cheap. If the jeep could only tell it's story. The one I saw in a junk yard may well have played a pivotal role in a critical battle. My guess is that most of the jeeps that saw action stayed overseas after the war. However that's just my uninformed opinion based on probable logic. Did many actually make it back home other than the ones in the museums?

[Steve Webb]

Very few came home, it wasn't cost effective to bring them back. They got disbursed to all our bases in Europe and Asia and other countries could have them for a pittance. They were in Germany when my dad was there in 1953-54