MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post your jeep photos, Pre or Post restoration. Bragging Photos etc. Also LIFE jeep photos.
Joe Gopan
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MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:49 pm

DOD is 31 July 44. It was sold surplus at Dow Field, Maine in 1946. I bought it from the original buyer and have owned it 43 trouble free years and have had many happy and memorable experiences with it. I even got to spend a few hours with General Chuck Yeager in it at a military airshow.
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1944_Jeep_001.JPG
1944_Jeep_001.JPG (161.49 KiB) Viewed 3268 times
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO


lawcdw
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by lawcdw » Fri Aug 01, 2014 5:56 am

Happy Birthday Mr.Jeep;you look well for your age.Very nice job Ben!! :)

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Aug 02, 2014 5:51 pm

This is also the 69th anniversary of when we took delivery of the factory new Pasture Green 1945 CJ-2A which was from the first delivery batch of new civilian Jeeps in Massachusetts and the beginning of my long relationship with the Jeep business.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Tue May 23, 2017 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

myersron
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by myersron » Sun Aug 03, 2014 9:33 am

Congrats, Mine will be 70 on the 11th of August. Uncle bought it in 1949,been in family ever since.

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Aug 03, 2014 9:42 am

Neat, they are like members of the family, aren't they? I'll bet they were a "ho hum" event to whoever took delivery in the Army.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

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Navarre
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Navarre » Wed Aug 20, 2014 2:47 pm

Happy birthday, looks very young :lol:

I like the unit depicted: So many great and legendary pilots as Yeager, Carson , Anderson...

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"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"
Ford GPW 86534 DoD 12-11-42...in progress!
Resto thread: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=198728

Hammerhead
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Hammerhead » Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:52 pm

Beautiful jeep Joel!!
1943 White M-3 Halftrack, 1944 CCKW 353, 1945 MB, 1944 Bantam T3,
1945 Ben-Hur 1-ton trailer, MVPA 12610, NRA Life Member

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:27 pm

Thanks, Jeeps are natural camera hounds.
The reason for the 357th markings is that the local ANG unit scheduled a huge air show including a ceremony to honor retired BG Philip E Tukey, longtime CO of that unit, General Charles Yeager was a featured airshow guest and guest speaker at the NCO Banquet the evening before. The General arrived at the event directly from Oshkosh along with a P-51 (Big Beautiful Doll belonging to Ed Shipley).
I was given 3 months advance notice and the opportunity to provide a Jeep for use by the General at the air show. M/SGT Merle Olmstead USAF retired), Historian for the 357 FG and a former 357th Crew Chief and 363rd squadron member, provided information for marking, M/Sgt Joe DeShay (USAF retired), a WWII 357th Line Chief gave me a little anecdotal advice.
General Yeager flew a salute in the P-51 for General Tukey. General Phillip E.Tukey was a WWII Squadron Commander in the 56th Fighter Group (Zemkes Wolf Pack) and also CO of the 356th Fighter Group. General Tukey was CO of the Maine Air National Guard from 1947 thru the 70's when they flew P-47, F-80C, P-51, F-94, F-89, F-101 and F-102.
The 9th AF Demonstration Team put on an F-16 demonstration and the young pilots were mesmerized by the presence of General Yeager and his comments about continuing development of the F-16 at Edwards AFB. The General was 73 at the time and still actively flying Jets at Edwards.
General Yeager did a brief P-51 demonstration the day before the airshow, it was an aerial ballet of slow aerobatics like only General Yeager could do.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Hammerhead
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Hammerhead » Mon Sep 01, 2014 7:33 am

Wow, what an experience! Once in a lifetime! I know they had to be impressed with your jeep!
1943 White M-3 Halftrack, 1944 CCKW 353, 1945 MB, 1944 Bantam T3,
1945 Ben-Hur 1-ton trailer, MVPA 12610, NRA Life Member

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:52 am

The General checked it out and commented that it was one of the few WWII Jeeps he had witnessed with a working gas gauge and that he used these old Jeeps to rabbit hunt at Edwards.. I am honored to have met a real American Hero, I had wanted to meet General Yeager since 1950, it took 46 years. All the Air Guard members were ecstatic to have him at the base.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Captain John
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Captain John » Sat Oct 18, 2014 7:30 am

I was thinking to mark my GPW as allocated to the USAAF airfield at Ellough near Beccles in Suffolk County England . Research has shown it was only used as an emergency airfield with an ultra long runway to cater for aircraft who had battle damaged brakes . The next nearest active USAAF WW2 airfield was at Leiston which is about 8 miles south of Kessingland where I live . Most local jeeps here are marked for various bomb groups so I thought I would mark my jeep the same as yours .I hope you do not mind as they will never meet !!! If you could post a pic of the rest of the markings ,sides and back bumpers etc etc Also what does the "8" stand for on the front bumper end ??? If it is peculiar to that jeep I could use "9" Thank you .

Captain John in partly cloudy evening Suffolk County England

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:12 am

Good choice of bumper markings. "8" is for 8th AF. I do have photos from Merle Olmstead who was a P-51 Crew Chief in the 357th. I'll have to do some digging and can't promise when. Most of the 357th vehicles had the ends of the front bumpers painted white and the same for the bumperettes. 357th was stationed at Leiston
Merle Olmstead was a retired US Air Force Master Sgt and for many years was the Historian of the 357 FG and authored many books about the 357th. He passed away recently. His 357th work and photos have been passed on to an aviation museum.

You may want to do a web search for 357th-Lieston to see if other photos of their ground crew vehicles show up. I'll look tonite and find some rear views. The General was pleased with the MB that was prepared for him during the airshow up here.

Rick Larsen provided the 357th paint mask on short notice- A belated thanks, Rick
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Tue Oct 21, 2014 5:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Captain John
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Captain John » Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:43 am

Thank you Ben .most appreciated . If you "Google" Leiston USAAF Airfield you will see there is an active group keeping the memories alive . I think I will go and take a look in my flying 1928 Model A Ford pheaton weather permitting !!!

Captain John

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Oct 19, 2014 2:47 pm

The 357th marking from the rear. For Captain John.
Eighteen years ago (August 11,1996) seems just like yesterday. Its kind of exciting to have provided a Jeep for use by General Yeager,a national hero, world famous aviator and WWII ace.
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General Yeager.jpg
General Yeager.jpg (86.53 KiB) Viewed 2555 times
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Captain John
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Re: MY MB IS 70 TODAY

Post by Captain John » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:11 am

Thanks for the pic Ben . I will check out FOLAF (Friends of Leiston Airfield) at Leiston this coming weekend and see if there are any WW2 pictures on record of the base vehicles .

Captain John


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