How the Jeep Began

Bill Mauldin.  Up Front.  New York:  Henry Holt & Co., 1945.

The Jeep was beloved of American soldiers during World War II.  Below, how it almost didn't happen. From From Katherine Tupper Marshall, Together.  Annals of an Army Wife.  Tupper & Love Inc., 1946.  The author was the wife of General George C. Marshall, U.S. Chief of Staff.

 

This account doesn't quite jive with other historical information, but it makes for a cute story.  As to how the Jeep got it's name, there are various theories:

The Reader's Digest Book of Strange Stories, Amazing Facts.  Montreal:  The Reader's Digest Association (Canada) Ltd., 1975.

For the most authoritative answer I've encountered, see How the Jeep* got its name....