Developed by the Quartermaster Corps, the jeep and other motor transport vehicles were transferred to the Ordnance Department in August 1942. Despite its lightweight, the jeep could perform a variety of functions, including towing a 37mm antitank gun over a 7% grade. Unencumbered, the jeep could climb a 60% grade, and was capable of attaining speeds in excess of 60-mph on a level highway. It could ford a stream 18-inches deep, even when fully equipped and loaded. It had a cruising range of approximately 300 miles on 15 gallons of gasoline. Operated by a crew of two, the jeep had a space in the rear for equipment or additional personnel.

Pictured here is a 1:48 scale replica of a USMC Willys 1/4 Ton jeep fitted with a stretcher that was deployed to Okinawa during April 1945. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 3-1/2-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: August 2012

Historical Account: "Typhoon of Steel" - The Battle of Okinawa, fought on the Japanese island of Okinawa, was the largest amphibious assault during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. It lasted from late March through June 1945.

The battle has been referred to as the "Typhoon of Steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or tetsu no bōfū ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of gunfire involved, and sheer numbers of Allied ships and armoured vehicles that assaulted the island. Okinawa had a large civilian population, of whom at least 150,000 were killed during the battle, while the Japanese army attempted to defend the island.

The Allies were planning to use Okinawa as a staging ground for Operation Downfall, the invasion of the Japanese mainland; however, after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan, Japan surrendered and World War II ended.