My father was in WWII and when he was in Normandy, his Jeep ran out of fuel. He said that he was too far away from a fuel source because he was on some farm. A farmer brought him some Calvados (distilled apples) which he made him understand was almost pure alcohol. So "any port in a storm" and 4 liter bottle's worth of Calvados later poured into the Jeep an Brrroommm off it went. He said that when he told everyone back at the camp what had happened, the others tried it too.

Eisenhower said of the KW, "It does everything ours does, but on half the gas." But in the end, we had more jeeps and gas.

I noticed that they didn't compare fording depth, mud traversing, weapon mounting, and towing capacity.

"If we survive we're gonna win" - Murica...

After WWII, farmers bought and worked the jeep on their farms. they were sold for $50 brand new.

I think the most important quality to take into consideration is fuel consumption. Running fuel trucks to the troops was a challenge and the Kubelwagen consumed far less than the Jeep did.

basically it’s no contest. Somehow, in the back of our minds, we want both. Especially the “Schwimm” version that had a propeller on the back.

You're forgetting something. The jeep was also engineered so you could take the tires off and run it on train tracks, it could haul up to 9 tons on rail.

“If the Jeep wins, it proves the Allied factories made better stuff” What?

Anybody else notice at 0.18 it shows a pile of track links and one of the pin holes has a very bad crack followed by the dude marveling over German engineering 😂😂😂😂😂😂

i just saw a video of a wwii jeep being assembled in 5 minutes by germans lol

4:21 - schwimmwagen (swim car with 4X4 transmission and propeler too).

Really hard to take them serious when one guy complains they where 'death traps' always tipping over... No.. WWII Jeeps where not prone to tipping over. That comes well after both WWII and the Korean war with M151 and M151A that had a new fully independent suspension that was prone to 'tucking under' when unloaded. These didn't see service until Vietnam. The M151A2 redesigned the rear suspension and fixed this issue.

I’ve driven both. I learned stick on a stock 1945 Jeep and drove it in the Cali hills in 4 wheel drive. I’ve driven a 1943 Kubelwagen at a reenactment (harder than the owner knows). The Kubel simply drives better and surprisingly chews its way through sandy roads with no problems. It’s a bit of a tough call. I think overall the Jeep is more rugged but the Kubel is more stable and being air cooled, is more reliable cold climates. They really are very close. If you put a gun to my head I might go with the Jeep for reliability but even that could be debated.

Totally different vehicles . Not a fair comparison . The kubel was a 2wd passenger vehicle and the jeep was a four wheel drive 1/4 ton truck.

I recently got a ‘56 Unimog 404s What a machine! Thank you for taking so much time to put together a detailed video. Very well done gentleman. Warm regards from Canada

The Kuebelwagen is not really an example of overengineering. It´s really simple and realiable. PS: it was used up to the 1960ies. i learned to drive on it in 1988 during my time in the Bundeswehr.

I was grown up with that old jeep in Burma. Its steering wheel helped me to grow up my arm muscles.

when I was 6 years old back in the 1970s my step dad took a jeep home while he was in the US National Guard. no seat belts, no doors and going down the highway at 50 something m.p.h. scared the living hell out of me! I had him pull over so I could ride with my mom in a car with doors,ironically, I'm pretty sure that car was a 1960s volkswagon! lol! thanks guys, love the show! cheers!☆☆☆

My cousin once had a Kubelwagen. After a stretch of bumpy road his seat was on fire. The battery sat underneath it and the springs of the seat shorted the battery at every bump, throwing sparks into the hay filled upholstering. Otherwise: great design. And when comparing quantities produced, you wonder what then took the Allies so long, or: The Germans fought a good deal more economically.

I could have swore that the Army did a trial at Aberdeen and found the Kubelwagon was better. Benefits were the smooth bottom for clearing obstacles, no radiator (air cooled engine) so it could take shots and still function, and the suspension was similar to tanks making it nearly invulnerable. However, they just said the Jeep was better because you don't tell your troops the enemy has better anything. Plus I love how you can see a jeep break in 2 at the 3:43 mark, its quick but you can see it.

It has been a couple years since this video was posted and I was hoping for a part 2. Which would include how these two vehicles were actually used and handled in the field of combat: driving thru deep mud, up steep hills, driving thru streams, towing a loaded trailer, mounting weapons, surviving small arms fire. I hope to see that one soon. This video was entertaining but didn't settle the score as to which one was better in the field. Keep up the good work.

The Jeep won the speed race by a mile and only lost the obstacle course by 2 seconds (56 to 54 sec.) because the driver screwed up the first turn terribly. The Jeep, with 3X the horsepower could tow much more as well.

This is dumb. the jeep was 4wd could cross sand mud and drive in a forest. It could tow a 75mm anti tank gun or mount a heavy machine gun. Ask the SAS 'Desert rats' what you can do with a Jeep.

The jeep has 4wd so of course it won't have as good a turning circle as what is essentially a VW beetle which is rear wheel drive only. The jeep also had high and low range, really comparing apples and oranges here.

the kubel was a runabout and light patrol car, not meant to tow anything (or very light something). where the jeep was meant to be a runabout, patrol car, and tow light artillery and other such items. both are designed to do the task set before them, but because the kubel had less items it was trying to do, it could do them better. German precision and over-engineering helped, but i would bet that if the allies did not have to design it to tow something the jeep would have been closer in design to the kubel.

can't this guy speak normally without accentuating his ridiculous carney accent

Thanks Guys for the video, I enjoyed watching it and was smiling all the time.

i like how they used schwimmwagen footage for the kubel 😹

One good thing about the kubel is that it got four seats while the jeep only got two seats and these trucks was meant to have officers inside of them so the kubel would be better for comfort

The Kubelwagen is a glorified Volkswagen that has been later revived after the War as the Volkswagen Type 181, marketed as the “Thing” in 1968-1983. 🇩🇪

The Kübelwagen was engeniered realy simple. The goal was to produce a vehicle both simple to build and repair, but still fullfil its function at its best. And they achieved it. Mud and Snow performance is outstanding. Low fuel burn, etc... They dropped this wagon in boxes with parachutes out of planes and the soldiers were building them together like Lego.

A Jeeps leaf springs were for preventing the axles from damaging the frame. Comfort was a distant after thought, if that.

The only reason the Jeep failed the turning course is on account of poor driving skill. You could've taken a turn like that in a limousine.

Let me explain something about engineering. if a simple, cheap reliable device can get the job done that is the best-engineered solution. Any hack can come up with a complex, unreliable, and expensive solution.

Germany also had the VW Schwimmwagen and the Americans had the Ford GPA. I would love to see an amphibious challenge between the two !

Comparing apples and oranges, rarely works.

That wasn't a good test because it never used the jeep's greatest strength, its 4x4. I would love to see the kubelwagon traverse the Rubicon or logging trails of washington state. The limited slip diff in the kubelwagon would help but not enough for really treacherous terrain which the jeep thrives in. You still see MB's and CJ2's on trails...never saw a KW or Thing.

After driving both I like a Willis 4x4 and the fact it don't get stuck however a Thing is a very underestimated car.

There was also a 4wd version of the Kubelwagen, and a 4wd version with a Beetle body for selected officers.

It ain't just a race, it's a shouting match!

“Woooahhh bloody hell!” That got me😂

"These trucks look, Brilliant!" 0:15 That's my favorite part!

My Dad was in a Jeep durring WWII that tipped over going too fast around a corner. They got a bit banged up but ripped it back in its wheels let it sit a few minutes and went home in it. Great old machines.

“The kind of handling in a Porsche!” *Paul Walker intensifies*

I was licensed by the Army to drive the Jeep in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968. I never got the Jeep up to full speed. I was very cautious. I loved driving that thing. Eaglegards 🦅...

Wonderful content. Thank you!

They needed a real country boy Slangin that jeep

Really amazed with the VW's suspension technology 80 years ago, which resulted in better ride comfortable for the passengers on uneven roads.

I’m not letting a Brit tell me what’s wrong with my great Jeep.

Excellent video!

The KW was suprisingly capable off road and was easly adapted for rail travel . Its horses for courses

So the jeep, in spite of going into the turn to fast, having to stop, back up, and continue through, was only 2 seconds behind the kubalwagon, but it beat it in a flat out speed run, by almost 7 seconds, and the kubalwagon, was better?

Didn't even waste time on towing power, or hill climbing, or forging water and mud...

great show thank you

Out produced yes. Outnumbered, surrounded, overwhelmed and cut off yes. Outfought HA! No Way! Not even close! Great fun video though! I would have a hard time picking which I’d prefer. Both are off the chart for Way Cool Factor! Thanks for posting.

America: Jeep Germany: Kubelwagen China: *Joop*

this was not a test, compare man hours and material to build, ship them across an ocean, let them sit in the rain for a week or two, then put them in field conditions for a month or two, compare maintenance needs,

I have a 1943 Willys MB but would love to have a Kübelwagen in my fleet as well. Both are really iconic cars.

Broad smile, Gentlemen :) My Grandpa drove the Kübel to the Ostfront. When I got my driving license, he gave me an advice for slippy conditions in wintertimes: `Always take 4 Bolts and Nuts with you... and four chains, being long enough, to reach around your winter-tyres...` I will never forget that, because I could imagine, under which conditions this simple `innovation` was born... Maybe this solution belongs to this video... Thank you with a broad smile, ...also because I never thought about a Biathlon Race like this. Your wonderful humour is at least the other half :) Good Luck !

Test them both over the Rubicon Trail

The Army did a comparison with the Jeep and a Kubel at Aberdeen Proving Ground during the war and found lost of things about the VW vehicle that were lacking, such as the lack of 4WD and the tires not made for sand.

Hard to dislike either. Both legends in their own way.

AWESOME - AMAZING , THANKS .

The fake reality TV stuff isn’t entertaining.

I feel like he's two feet away from me, yelling as loud as he can

Bravo! Well presented and your pointing out logistics is very proper.

I have experience with the jeep and the Kubel. The jeep has a good tough engine but it's not that easy to work on. Most of them were used as throwaway cars in WWII. It has decent performance but many design issues with accessibility of components, the result of a cobbled together drivetrain from a civilian vehicle. Valve adjustment is a nightmare, so many of the engines failed due to burned valves. The Kubel is a more mature and refined design with good access for maintenance and it has a ton of space inside but has much less power. Just the same, many Kubels survived WWII and I still saw some in Munich well into the late sixties with the original engine, which was easy to pick out because they had a very noisy cooling fan like a tiny siren. The original Kubel was thoroughly tested and during the testing, the 4wd was discarded. My preference as a long time mechanic is for the Kubel or the late version, the thing. Just remember that the gearing on all of these is very short. They're not meant for speed. Kubels have good off-road ability because of their light weight.

Yeah well, 24 seconds in, you see 2 tracks with 2 cracks...hmmm. Won't go too far, I'll tell ya.

That was Jochim Peiper in the Ardennes at 4:24. The Kubel on the show also has Leibstandarte markings, Peiper's division. Although i suspect they had to cover the first part of the license plate showing the SS runes for the tv show.

Their jeep obviously had the steering limitation that was put on the later jeeps to keep them from flipping over so easily. The world war two era jeep could easily have made that turn

Wow, what a rare Kuebelwagen. It has the logo of the LSSAH

OK, next competition cross country and the mud hole course.

The kubel even though it was only 2w was suprisingly good in mud and snow because of its flat underside it worked like a sled

I own a CJ-5 now for 45 years. I Bought it new. It still runs great, has high mileage, burns some oil but now only gets used to plow snow out of the driveway. The VW put out a Kubelwagen under the name of "the Thing" about the same time (early to mid '70's). Today, I can still see CJ-5's rolling on back roads, in backwoods, on beaches or in rocky areas. I haven't seen a "Thing" since 2010 and that was in a car meet!

This horizontally challengend Bruce is really a pain in the ass.

The only reason they tipped over was that the operators would over push the jeeps limits.

The jeep can be used as a farm tractor as well.

That was one hell of a video!!

Very interesting presentation of two legends of world war two, loved it.....

Remember when Volkswagen came out The Thing? The Thing looked like a newer version...

Having driven both I'd rather have a Jeep (In combat that is). Collector wise I'd rather have a Kubel, since it's worth way more. The Kubelwagen felt incredibly under powered. I did like the fact that it had doors though.

Top speed for a light utility truck is not an issue, because you should be concentrating on staying in one peice and getting to your destination safely, especially off road. The Kubelvagen aces the Jeep in sooo many areas, for stowage and suchlike, and then there is the easy access to the rear seats too. Then there is the width of the track to make it more stable and less prone to tipping over.

This is awesome.

Now, do it again while towing a 75mm field howitzer

Who needs torsion bars when you have good old leaf springs

Thanks

2 seconds on the track .... if he would have took that turn on the out side in it would have been the Jeep won

Great stuff. You should do a Unimog and American Deuce and half comparison next. 👍

As usual, the Germans overbuilt their version of our Jeep. That is why we produced 100 Jeeps to every Kubelwagen. Ditto for tanks, planes, rifles, etc. And that is a major reason why we won the war. When we lost a Jeep or plane, it was immediately replaced by two more. When the Germans lost a piece of equipment, they had to wait weeks or months for a replacement.

The quarter/tons my Light Infantry Co. still had in 1988 were Beasts.

The Jeep by far. More adaptable, could be used as a weapons platform, Ambulance, troop carrier, and could tow more. Not to mention they were used up until the late 80's in the US military, and are still in production as a civilian vehicle today.

I dont see an FCA vehicle called the “Kugelwagen”. Jeep is the stuff of legends

brilliant cars, and brilliant accents. i love this channel

I’d like to see the Willys and Kubel battle through some REAL offroad courses, like mud holes, hillclimbs, etc.

Jeeps are more versatile though. They can act as ambulances when needed and they can haul/ Tow heavy equipment. Essentially they're the swiss army knife of vehicles.

**The 'Jeep' is the over-all winner with regard to it's capabilities on hilly-terrain and steep-grades and 'fixability' in combat zones...with much more 'torque' for hauling a trailer. The 'Wagen' is an excellent vehicle in it's own right...but too under-powered for very poor or no-road conditions...I've read that most experienced drivers always had a heavy wooden lift-barlashed outside so the 'Kubel' could be 'lifted-free' from rocks or deep ruts...the lack of 4WD really degrades performance off-road**

How he says it: bloody hell How it sounds: bläädy häll

What a great video

Very suprised about the turning circle test ive driven a WW2 willys jeep through some trails offroad and its extremely nimble