1942 Ford GPW

Serial Number 20636

Date of Delivery: 30 April 1942

During the latter half of 1944, my father (who was 30 years old at the time), Joseph Plechavy, Jr., was serving in Co. C, 117th Infantry Regiment, of the 30th Division. In October of that year, he was wounded in action. His ›rst, real introduction to Jeeps was as a casualty strapped to the back of one.

You see, he said his unit was trying to cross a “large stream.” From what I have been able to determine, I believe he was describing the Wurm River in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany.

His squad was supposed to take out a pillbox. All of them were each carrying 10 pounds of explosives, full ammo loads, and “catwalks” (basically, ladders with wood on them so that when you placed them across water, you could walk across without getting wet).

While his squad attempted to cross, machine guns and mortar ›re opened up on them. Though my Dad was wounded in several places