Developed just a few months before the USA entered the Second World War, some 650000 jeeps were eventually built by the end of the war, 175000 of which were supplied to Allied troops under the lend-lease programme. The paratroopers of the Free France units were among the first to use the American military jeep. But it was not until April 1943 that hundreds of these vehicles arrived in the harbours of Algiers and Casablanca, and the mass equipping of the troops with this vehicle could begin. Wherever the troops of Free France were deployed, the jeep was practically always present. It was used in countless variants and modifications. Whether as a liaison vehicle for senior officers, a radio vehicle, a medical vehicle or as a mobile base for automatic weapons or light anti-aircraft guns, the jeep was more versatile than almost any other vehicle.
