Of course, the origin of the Willys Jeep is well known: it was first designed as a response to the U.S. Army’s need for a general purpose workhorse vehicle to be used during World War II. But this short film from the era gives another perspective on the Army’s first reaction to the sparse, funny-looking little vehicle.

Those who first saw it might have laughed at the Jeep’s looks, but after it put the vehicle through a regimen of tests – including floating across rivers, riding along in transport planes, towing gliders – the heart of the Jeep became apparent and the vehicle became a big part of the battle. The Jeep as been with us ever since and remains one of the greatest off-road vehicles available today.