Bottle openers on jeeps.

Create a thread to track the progress of you MB/GPW restoration progress. Previously a General Discussion board.
Post Reply
User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Farrell Fox » Wed Aug 09, 2017 6:40 am

[Post Deleted By Author]
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator


User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:45 am

Cast "Coca-Cola" openers on jeeps
Canvas "donkey dick covers"
Canvas mirror covers on GPWs
Canvas spare tire covers
Khaki jeep seat/top covers

...the list of what you can put on your jeep "because it's cool" grows with each passing year.

I think one of the hand-operated and "Coke/Coca-Cola" marked openers would be period correct...and if in fact that one-out-of-five of those Coke cases sent out had an "opener" in it, you'd a thunk by now a pic of a vehicle with one on it would have surfaced by now if they were the cast/mounted version.
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

GI.
Sergeant Major [E-9]
Posts: 900
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:21 pm
Location: Marietta GA.

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:52 am

Mark Tombleson wrote:
Tue Aug 08, 2017 8:46 pm
I disagree. The small portable bottling plants were designed to be towed by jeeps. I think it quite possible they had openers on them.
.

Mark,
I think you've got it right, their has to be a reason why bottle opener's show up on WW-2 jeeps, you don't need a pic. to prove everything.
I've seen GI's come up with some great idea's and no one took the time to take a pic. when you get a bunch of GI's together they can solve any problem.
The three stooxx's are just trying to prove that they are the only true expert's on WW-2 equip. and what GI's will think of in time of war [EGO] :lol: .
Who would take the time and film in WW-2 to take a pic. of a bottle opener on the dash of a dirty ole jeep ?
I guess some folk's just have to have a pic. to do anything, "poor people." :shock: , :wink:.
67 M-151A1

User avatar
Chuck Lutz
Gee Addict
Posts: 26829
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:00 am
Location: Jeep Heaven

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:38 am

I also think it "quite possible" that Tiger tanks had the same bottle openers on them to open FANTA bottles but I don't have a picture, Maybe B-17s had them by the doors also? Prove that those statements are not true...

I mean, this thread is like so many posted by wanna-bes...when asked to PROVE their opinion, they fall back on the "well, you prove it didn't". Mark did not say that portable plants were giving out cast openers like they were souvenirs, in fact the only reference we have so far was to the fifth case containing some kind of opener...so here again, we have a perfect example of the "well, I put one on my jeep so it MUST be period correct" and grasping to keep that fantasy alive spawns insults and attitude when a few pics of the openers on WWII jeeps that can be dated would suffice.

We're all ears (and eyes) but thus far, a few insults is all we got...try ramming that crap past any decent DA or atty who would simply say, "show us some EVIDENCE instead of wishful thinking" in any court of law.

The collective knowledge on the g503 is based about FACTS....and so far no FACTS to support the cast type openers were common on jeeps.

Instead the reference to the "three stooxx's" is the best you have?
As they say, "put up or shut up" and we'll all go from there no matter where the chips may fall. I've changed my mind before, but nobody here has seen the cast openers on WWII jeeps so far so, why say they WERE put on there? Fantasyland?

PS...Mark mentioned towable bottling PLANTS, not distribution centers....I doubt they had a towable bottling plant anywhere near the front lines where most of the jeep pics we are familiar with are from...so lacking/pending any EVIDENCE, this myth is BUSTED!
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Farrell Fox » Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:46 am

[Post Deleted By Author]
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

GI.
Sergeant Major [E-9]
Posts: 900
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:21 pm
Location: Marietta GA.

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:12 am

I'll wait for Moe's comment, then I will reply. :wink:
67 M-151A1

User avatar
Mark Tombleson
MZ Radio Operator
Posts: 9836
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2002 7:58 pm
Location: Selah, Washington

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Tombleson » Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:37 am

I will eventually find a photo... in the Pacific theater.

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories ... -coca-cola

The problem is like the photo of the cooler in Germany, Coke was there before and during the war, muddling the issue.

http://wwii-letters-to-wilma.blogspot.c ... 5.html?m=1

These stories are interesting.
MB-NAVY-MZ-1 352625 - 07/20/44 (DOD est.)
U.S.N. 133818
2nd place Restored Class 2008 Portland Convention
MVPA Hall of Fame - 2013

TonyStandefer
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 2:43 pm
Location: Everett, Wa

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:43 am

Wow, obviously struck a nerve. So we're now resorting to name calling? I asked for photo proof on ANY vehicle so far nothing. No and calling just facts. Paint your jeep bright purple go all I care, whatever.....
Willys MB 340931. DOD 6-9-1944
Mvpa 1996 convention 1st place motorpool class
Dodge wc-12, July, 1941

Myers
G-Lieutenant Colonel
G-Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 1089
Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: Fort Riley, KS

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Myers » Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:53 am

GI. wrote:
Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:52 am
I think you've got it right, their has to be a reason why bottle opener's show up on WW-2 jeeps,
I think the tendency to over romanticize WWII and the American GI is the primary reason you see them on restored jeeps. I think a lot of people imagine a GI driving through Europe with the sun on his face, a Saint Lo road sign strapped the the spare tire, big band music playing on the radio, a coke bottle in hand, and a pin up girl in the passenger seat; resembling a tourist more than anything. At least that's what most reenactments and WWII themed events portray, so I can see why the trend has caught on.

While the bottle opener field-mod certainly could have happened, it just makes absolutely no sense, for several reasons:

1. The same "yankee doodle ingenuity" that everyone loves to cite when it comes to these bottles openers would have probably led him to the much easier option of opening his coke bottle on the nearest hard surface with a 90 degree angle... Hell, the flat spot on a rear bow bracket has always worked for me. You don't even need a bottle opener to open a non-twist cap, there are many different methods of removing the lid. A screw driver, bayonet, spoon, etc all work perfectly.

I have included an instructional video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9BxaPWQLeY

After watching the above video, can you really tell me that it is easier/faster to 1) finding/stealing/acquiring a bottle opener 2) finding mounting hardware 3) finding a jeep whose operator will let you mount said bottle opener 4) finding a hand drill from maintenance 5) drilling and mounting said bottle opener 6) using said bottle opener to open your bottle. If you actually stop and think about it, it really is an absurd modification that solves a non-existent problem.

2. As mentioned several times before, there is little evidence that suggests soldiers were having to open bottles frequently. Certainly not enough to warrant a drug store style opener.

3. I am all for challenging the accepted "rules and guidelines". As anyone who has been on this forum for even just a few years could tell you, the "period correct" answer for a lot of judging standards have been revised or completely changed due to presenting evidence. There are either photos or documentation of just about every modification ever done, and not a single shred of evidence supports drilling and mounting a cast bottle opener. I understand that some things are very difficult to prove, and of course they did not take photos of everything during the war.

The original question asked was:
Mark Jesic wrote:
Sun Aug 06, 2017 5:26 am
Guys, i noticed a Coca Cola bottle opener on the dash of my mates jeep. Was this common practice in WW2 ? It looked good, but i have not seen another restoration with one on . :?:
Could it have happened? Certainly. Was it common? No. Was it rare? No. It was extremely rare, if ever happening at all.

GI, You clearly want this to be true, and will do whatever you want in the end. No one is saying you can't mount one, or that it doesn't look rad/cool/hip. All we are saying is that according to the current amount of evidence, you cannot rationally say that it was anywhere remotely close to being common.

Since Moe, Curly, and Larry are already taken; can I be Abbott or Costello?
1-44 Ford GPW (161784) USA 20439314, USN 87559
5-4-45 Bantam T3 (68871) USA 0948627

TonyStandefer
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 2:43 pm
Location: Everett, Wa

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:32 am

Logic and reason? Had no business in this thread
Willys MB 340931. DOD 6-9-1944
Mvpa 1996 convention 1st place motorpool class
Dodge wc-12, July, 1941

Marty, SoCal
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 6319
Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:34 am
Location:

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Marty, SoCal » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:46 am

Here's how I opened bottles in the Marines. We still had .45s in '86-'87

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CxuRbNr6_I
43 Ford GPW 92098
53 Dunbar Kapple M100
Sold: 61 CJ-5, 41 T207 WC-1 Dodge closed cab pickup
MVPA #8266
USMC Tanker (1811, 1812), 85-93
ASE Automotive Master tech, former Chrysler-Jeep Level 4 Mastertech, CA state EA smog license

TonyStandefer
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 2:43 pm
Location: Everett, Wa

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:57 am

Impossible you have to use a vehicle mounted opener
Willys MB 340931. DOD 6-9-1944
Mvpa 1996 convention 1st place motorpool class
Dodge wc-12, July, 1941

Myers
G-Lieutenant Colonel
G-Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 1089
Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: Fort Riley, KS

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Myers » Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:21 pm

TonyStandefer wrote:
Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:57 am
Impossible you have to use a vehicle mounted opener
They obviously drilled holes in and mounted M1911s to the dash..
1-44 Ford GPW (161784) USA 20439314, USN 87559
5-4-45 Bantam T3 (68871) USA 0948627

GI.
Sergeant Major [E-9]
Posts: 900
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:21 pm
Location: Marietta GA.

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:08 pm

Myers,
Thank you for your 1st post, a very intelligent comment, I feel much the same as you do, one thing you said: could it have happened ? certainly, was it common ? no. and I agree.

I never said that all WW-2 jeep's had bottle openers on them and I would like the three WW-2 self appointed expert's to show me what post I said that.
I did say that the pic's posted by other members looked neat and that I was going to put one on my jeep.

Thank's for your input, very helpful.

PS, Yes sir you can take Abbott or Costello, I am taken goofy being as Doc is already been taken.
I gotta go now, Moe just showed up.
67 M-151A1

TonyStandefer
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 2:43 pm
Location: Everett, Wa

Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Wed Aug 09, 2017 4:31 pm

Where did I claim to be an expert? Opinions are like a-holes, etc. my point is that they were not common or if ever used in ww2
Willys MB 340931. DOD 6-9-1944
Mvpa 1996 convention 1st place motorpool class
Dodge wc-12, July, 1941


Post Reply

Return to “MB GPW Restoration Projects”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests