Hobby Master 1/48 HG1605 U.S. Willys Jeep Short Stop 88th Infantry Div., 351 Infantry Regt, Italy 1944 to 1945
Wanting to replace their outdated light vehicles the U.S. Military received three tenders. Bantam Car Company was the initial winner but couldn’t meet demand so the job went to Willys-Overland Motors. Willys was to take the best design features of the three submitted tenders and build a standardized vehicle. Eventually in order to meet an even greater demand the Ford Motors Company was asked to build a similar vehicle. During World War II there was a total of 647,870 Jeeps produced by the three companies; Willys-Overland produced 362,841 of them.
The 88th Infantry Division took part in WWI and WWII. In 1942 the unit was re-activated after 24 years and was the U.S. Army’s first division since the implementation of the draft in 1940 to be formed using all draftees. The 88th ID entered combat at Monte Cassino Italy on January 3, 1944. As combat pushed north the 88th was credited as being the first unit to enter Rome. The 88th made its way to Innsbruck, Austria just as WWII ended on May 2, 1945.