Bottle openers on jeeps.

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42swing
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by 42swing » Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:24 am

We have one mounted on the drivers-side rear like the picture above. My daughter did some research and found an interesting story that actually went back to WWI when the government took all of Coke's sugar so they couldn't make product and nearly went bankrupt. As WWII was looming, Coke went to the government and made a deal to keep the sugar coming and Coke would make sure every soldier, sailor, or airman could have a Coke wherever they were. Every 5th crate or so was to have a Coca Cola bottle opener in it and hence after awhile many vehicles had an opener mounted on them somewhere. Don't know if its strictly accurate or not, but makes a great story to tell. We usually put our Coke crate by the opener.

The follow-on story we tell has to do with the German bottling plant and the origin of Fanta.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:45 am

42swing wrote:
Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:24 am
We have one mounted on the drivers-side rear like the picture above. My daughter did some research and found an interesting story that actually went back to WWI when the government took all of Coke's sugar so they couldn't make product and nearly went bankrupt. As WWII was looming, Coke went to the government and made a deal to keep the sugar coming and Coke would make sure every soldier, sailor, or airman could have a Coke wherever they were. Every 5th crate or so was to have a Coca Cola bottle opener in it and hence after awhile many vehicles had an opener mounted on them somewhere. Don't know if its strictly accurate or not, but makes a great story to tell. We usually put our Coke crate by the opener.

The follow-on story we tell has to do with the German bottling plant and the origin of Fanta.
Great story 42swing, very interesting part of history, got any pic's of your jeep with the opener and crate?.... would love to see them. Thank's
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Chuck Lutz
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:16 am

Hmm...Coca-Cola supplied five BILLION bottles of Coke in WWII....if there were 24 bottles in a crate, that would be 244,444,444 crates of Coke bottles. If every fifth crate had a free opener included that would be 48,888.888 openers.

It's a wonderful story, but if Coke provided the big, two screw openers that would be a heck of a lot of metal and cost that would far exceed the simple FLAT, stamped out openers that could be carried by troops on their dog tags or in a pocket and would not require mounting it on a jeep....or a tree...and did not require a drill or hardware to mount it...and the GI could "own" the opener, not have it attached to a jeep that would possibly go back to the motorpool or get destroyed.

Now I know "Mythbusters" is off the air now, but here are some old-school Coca-Cola marked bottle openers that would be cheap, easy to ship, easy for GIs to keep and not have to give up if their jeep/truck/whatever got taken/destroyed...
Coke opener 1.png
Coke opener 1.png (57.09 KiB) Viewed 3415 times
Coke opener 2.jpg
Coke opener 2.jpg (5.8 KiB) Viewed 3415 times
I think it MUCH more likely that infantry troops in the field could use one of these that to run around looking for a vehicle or a tree to mount it on!
Chuck Lutz

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

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:27 am

Chuck Lutz wrote:
Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:16 am
Hmm...Coca-Cola supplied five BILLION bottles of Coke in WWII....if there were 24 bottles in a crate, that would be 244,444,444 crates of Coke bottles. If every fifth crate had a free opener included that would be 48,888.888 openers.

It's a wonderful story, but if Coke provided the big, two screw openers that would be a heck of a lot of metal and cost that would far exceed the simple FLAT, stamped out openers that could be carried by troops on their dog tags or in a pocket and would not require mounting it on a jeep....or a tree...and did not require a drill or hardware to mount it...and the GI could "own" the opener, not have it attached to a jeep that would possibly go back to the motorpool or get destroyed.

Now I know "Mythbusters" is off the air now, but here are some old-school Coca-Cola marked bottle openers that would be cheap, easy to ship, easy for GIs to keep and not have to give up if their jeep/truck/whatever got taken/destroyed...

Coke opener 1.png

Coke opener 2.jpg

I think it MUCH more likely that infantry troops in the field could use one of these that to run around looking for a vehicle or a tree to mount it on!
WOW! Great to hear from someone that was there and know's 1st hand all about what other GI's would do about opening their drink's and what kind of opener they "ALL" used,.... BUT, you seem to be in the minority :lol: .

Sound's like you spent many years in the Military, and I thank you for your service.
I have a feeling all the drink's you ever opened were twist off's :wink: .
Last edited by GI. on Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:40 pm

Really? You seem to think that even though there were Coca-Cola marked hand-operated bottle cap openers available in WWII, that the company produced 48 MILLION of the cast-type that needed to be attached to a tree or a vehicle or a signpost? Remember, the article said FIVE BILLION BOTTLES (244,444,444 cases +/-) and every FIFTH case had an opener in it.

I don't doubt the STORY, but the reality of sending cases to advanced areas like Guadalcanal, Tarawa or North Africa with an opener that needs to be mounted to something to work as it should as opposed to the simple, inexpensive ones I posted above must have been over your pay grade.

I remember when the grocery store gave you a FREE church key or bottle opener with advertising on it...this is probably exactly the same thing. Something tells me the cost of the hand operating opener vs the cast/painted one is probably ten times as expensive (we are talking pennies but we are also apparently talking 48 MILLION of them according to the story).

PS....USNR, so you are welcome!
Chuck Lutz

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Jesic » Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:46 pm

:D Guys, lets just have a coke, eh ? :D The bottles coca cola used in world war 2, are still available in France apparrently.

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by JD136 » Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:05 pm

Ask a WW2 Vet. Maybe he can remember what type of bottle opener came in a Coca-Cola case. :)
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:41 pm

Not one wartime photo in use?

Pretty sure a bottle opener is a fantasy piece added by modern owners/restorers.

At best it would be a rarity in use. Like the hull compass or tandem tow bar. More being used now than during the war
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by gerrykan » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:52 pm

I would bet a crafty GI could have liberated a cast Coca-Cola opener in England, or on the Continent if only stamped steel 'church keys' were supplied by Coke.

My Dad passed some years ago, and my Mom only remembers relatives, class mates, and friends telling about when they liberated wine and liquor.
They probably would have only had to defeat a cork to get to the prize. Cheers!
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Farrell Fox » Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:53 pm

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Tombleson » 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.

https://cocacolabottleman.wordpress.com ... -military/

https://www.antique-bottles.net/showthr ... oke/page15
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Farrell Fox » Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:43 pm

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Tombleson » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:13 pm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DE6jW_5Q8C0

I've seen lots of photos of Coke in theatre but I can only post links on my phone.

You sound like Chuck... I remember when most said my MZ-1 was just a fantasy.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pinter ... 229047339/
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Farrell Fox » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:21 pm

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by TonyStandefer » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:23 pm

Not disputing coke was overseas in ww2, produce one photo o a bottle opener on any vehicle in ww2.

I don't think it happened
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