During World War II, Willys crisscrossed Europe from Normandy to the heart of Germany. They also left their mark in the jungles of Asia as their durability made them a symbol for the post-war period. Jeeps quickly spread throughout the Allied forces and continued to serve in armies around the world for decades after World War II. Its success was critical to the outcome of the war with former US President Dwight Eisenhower describing it as one of the three defining weapons of WWII.

The French army found it so useful that they had Hotchkiss build a mildly upgraded Willys MB under licence until 1966. Less than 30,000 Hotchkiss M201s were built, compared to 650,000 Jeeps during the war, but some “survive” in much better condition due to various mechanical improvements but mostly due to the fact that they did not “serve” in combat.