The Jeep is a perfect illustration of how wartime propaganda
and media evolved into mass advertising during the last global
conflict. For Willys, it was a way to compete with Ford and
Bantam, the other two jeep manufacturers. Willys contributed
enormously to the development of the jeep's fame by flooding
the press with magnificent colour adverts. The vehicle's fame
was further reinforced thanks to its excellent combat
reputation, and its image was used to promote a whole range
of products. Having become an iconic vehicle, the jeep was
seen on all sorts of objects, ranging from writing paper,
matchboxes and playing cards, initially in The United States,
then throughout the free world. This book has assembled a
fabulous collection of adverts and illustrations portraying the
jeep during the Second World War. These were drawn and
painted by the greatest illustrators of the period. Each picture
is accompanied by a short text in order to place it within its
context.
