Story of Jeeps told through author's books
WORTH TWP — Paul Bruno didn't have a connection to Butler and most likely never would have if not for the Bantam Jeep.
A native of upstate New York now living in Nevada, Bruno was writing screenplays when he discovered more than 20 years ago the story of how the first Jeep was manufactured here in Butler in 1940.
“I thought it would make a great movie,” said Bruno, who traveled to Butler in 2002 to pitch his idea. “But it was never able to take off, so I decided to write a book.”
In 2014, he authored “The First Jeep,” and last year completed “The Original Jeeps,” which details how Bantam's achievement led to competition from other companies and mass production of Jeeps when they were desperately needed during World War II.
Bruno was present to sign copies of his second book at the Jeep History Exhibit as part of the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival Saturday at Cooper's Lake Campground.As Bruno details in his book, the federal government believed branches of the U.S. military would benefit greatly from the production of “a Light Reconnaissance and Command Car.”Nothing like that existed at the time and bid documents were sent to 135 companies around the country in hopes of the eventual creation of a viable prototype.Butler's American Bantam Car Co. was the only business to turn in the required bid documents on time, but it had just 49 days to provide a finished product.Bantam completed the prototype Sept. 21 and had just two days to turn it in. On the morning of the deadline, the Bantam Reconnaissance Car, as it was called, was driven to Camp Holabird in Baltimore for inspection.
How would it grade according to Army officials?“They did a lot of tests on it, really beat it up,” said Bruno, “but they couldn't break it. It was remarkably solidly built ... and this on the first try.”Bantam signed a contract to manufacture 69 more, an obligation which it fulfilled. In all, the company would turn out 2,675 Jeeps.Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States found itself in the middle of World War II, and the Jeep proved invaluable to the war effort.“That war was fought all over the world. From the Arctic to the jungle, the Jeep could function and perform in any conditions,” Bruno said.The original prototype no longer exists.“It was involved in several accidents,” said Bruno, who explained that the prototype was disassembled and its parts were used in the manufacture of other Jeeps.Two other companies, Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. and Ford, would go on to contribute more than 600,000 Jeeps to the military during the war. But the vehicle's history and impact began right here in Butler.This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first Jeep Heritage Festival. Bruno appreciates the event and, obviously, the inspiration behind it.“I think it's fantastic that Butler has embraced telling the story to the world of what happened with the Bantam Jeep in their city,” he said.
