Bottle openers on jeeps.

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Chuck W.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck W. » Wed Aug 09, 2017 5:42 pm

Every 5th crate or so was to have a Coca Cola bottle opener in it
I've been reading Coke history during WW-II and I don't find any reference to this, not sure it's true. Would like to know where the OP found the information.


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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

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

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Old Dodge Guy » Sat Aug 12, 2017 7:44 pm

Read the post about German Jeep Story. Read the story, about half way down through the pictures, there is a bottle opener.

Of course, if you look at the pictures, there are also just about every other do dads known to Jeepkind, too. :D :D :roll:
At least enjoy the story....it is nice.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Silly's MB » Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:26 am

Are the finish on these openers chrome ? If so they would not of been made in wartime, also they are heavy on casting material which as Chuck suggests would be crazy for such a luxury.

Would it be possible they could be liberated from Bars on the continent if they had been supplied promotion-ally pre war ? yup.

They are just more common on vehicles now they they ever would of been then. (But then so are airborne Jeeps :lol: )
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:48 am

Hi All,
I thought I would put up a pic. of my bottle opener on my GPW. it has to be true because I bought this jeep about 10 miles west of NORMANDY [tenn.] :lol: , so it has to be true.
If bottle opener's were on some of them or not we will never know for sure, I keep hearing their are more of these do-dad's on jeep's now then during the war, and that is true, the same thing goes for 1919's, the 50 cal., wire cutter's, radio's, compass's, and a lot of other thing's, but if people think all these thing's look good, and it's their jeep, why should anyone have a prob. with it ?
I really like what Mark and Myer's put together, and it is so true:..... "Could it have happened ? Certainly. Was it common ? No".
and that should be the answer.
Some people like a basic looking jeep, myself, I like a lot of do-dad's on it. BUT!..I like all jeep's. :wink:
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Jesic » Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:12 pm

Thanks for posting G.I. The jeep looks great, and so does the opener. CHEERS. :D Its exactly where my freind has his.

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:06 am

Coca Cola did exist during WWII, my uncle Max was a C-47 radio operator in the 317th Troop Carrier Group, (Jungle Skippers). He told of throwing out empty Coke bottles to unnerve the Japs. The empties made an erie screeching noise as they were dropped.

Gotta comment on all these "cool do" dads some G-503 owners just gotta mount. Why add junk like that if your Jeep body is not already drilled?
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:14 am

Hi Ben,
About do-dad's on jeep's. when I first took up this hobby 20 years ago a friend of mine talked me into buying a M-151A1 like the one he already had,
over time we both had finished repairing both jeep's to their basic look, my friend added a radio, and ant's, then a .50 cal. then a M-60 with a linked 100 round 7.62 ammo. a back pack, a hand grenade wooden box, and ever thing but an atom bomb. we go to a lot of Military/car shows and parked side by side, I noticed his jeep drew most of the people there, not my stock one. People just like all the add on's, I guess if your one of purest and like your jeep the way it came org. that's fine also.
I got into the WW-2 jeep's about a year ago and bought a 43 GPW, I have add'ed a lot of do-dad's [no A-bomb yet] and get a lot of comment's, and I do enjoy talking to people about jeep's, esp. the kid's.
I like the basic jeep, and I like the one's with all the do-dad's on them, esp. the one's with a bottle opener on the dash :lol:
Ben, glad your back, always enjoy your post and your knowledge of this great hobby. :wink:

Here's a few pic's of my 151 and GPW with a few do-dad's on them, I like um. :)
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:55 am

I believe jeeps were relegated to motorpools for the most part, meaning you didn't always get "your" jeep when you drew one for an assignment. They would not be good candidates for mounting personal items on.

However, jeeps assigned to specific units with specific missions; like Cavalry Troops would have assigned crews. They would also have radios and .30 cal and some .50 cal mounted on them and the GIs who were assigned them would and could add on the things they needed (like wire cutters and gas can nozzles) and the means to mount personal baggage like sleeping bags or cooking stoves and fuel cans and such. so some "personalization" of a jeep is probably expected.

Now we have canvas fuel can nozzle covers, canvas mirror covers, back-of-the-seat canvas pouches, canvas spare tire covers and of course the coke bottle openers on them...hey, what happened to all the Schlitz or other beer bottle openers? Why go with "Coke" when GIs had probably more of an interest in beer in the first place.

Mount a beer company opener on your jeep and you'd have something unique, not a monkey-see-monkey-do kind of thing you can by as a repop on ebay like everyone else is doing?

Hey, as Dave was wont to say, "It's your jeep!" so put what you want on it as eye candy because that attracts the civilians as car shows.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:45 am

WOW!..It is so interesting to listen to someone with your military back ground dealing with jeep's and what equip. they would carry, esp. in time of war,
you must have seen a lot, "thank you". were you in the 1st cav. by chance? anyway, glad you made it home safely.

It really mean's a lot for us who have little knowledge about war time jeep's and their equipment to hear from a real American fighting man like yourself.

Please keep us informed of any other info. on jeep's, motor pool's, and your jeep when you drew one for assignment, and equipment you might think of during any flash-back's you have in the future. :wink:
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:19 am

The coke bottle opener seems to be more revisionist history than anything based in FACT....

But...I will keep an open mind if you can come up with proof, photos, period documentation or anything acceptable to the others who aren't buying in on this in the thread either...Go for it!

Hey, put air-conditioning on your jeep if it suits you but don't try to sell it here on the gee as something the GIs came up with.

By the way, where in WWII did you serve?
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GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Jesic » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:23 am

Two outstanding vehicles G.I. Must agree with you , the more on a vehicle, the more admirers you pull in, but as previously said , its your jeep, you do what you want with it. :)

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:31 am

Well...at least it's an 82nd A/B jeep and not a 101st A/B....but try rereading Farrell Fox's post above.

However...you are missing the radios, the pigeon cages, the wine bottles, the German helmet, the camo netting, the extra jerry cans and the suicide-knob on the steering wheel!

Do-dads Rule!
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:10 pm

Chuck Lutz wrote:
Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:19 am


By the way, where in WWII did you serve?
Well Chuck'y,
It's like this, I was to young to serve in WW-2, but I did serve in Vietnam, Just Cause in Panama, and Desert Storm as did many member's here serve [you ask], How about you ? you ever do anything ?
And in my early years in the Military while in Japan I did drive a lot of WW-2 jeeps, we had seven in our unit.
I also drove a lot of M-151's later on, and I did not go to the motor pool to check one out for my assignment, I kept it, unless it was broke.

Anyway, please keep us informed on any more new equipment used on Military jeep's. :wink:
Last edited by GI. on Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:17 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:22 pm

Mark Jesic wrote:
Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:23 am
Two outstanding vehicles G.I. Must agree with you , the more on a vehicle, the more admirers you pull in, but as previously said , its your jeep, you do what you want with it. :)
Mark,
Thank's for the kind word's about my jeep's, I really enjoy showing them at Military/car show's, people show a lot of intrest in military vech's esp. jeep's, as some one in their family was in the Military at some time, and a lot of them are Veterans also. the same in many Country's.
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