Jeep T-Shirt – WW2 icon and a D-Day hero
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Depicting Brigadier General Theodore 'Ted' Roosevelt standing in his personalised 'Rough Rider' Jeep just after the D-DAY landings.
Sold out but now available on Redbubble under our Bigs66 brand > https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/157515891
The General
At the age of 56, Ted Roosevelt was the oldest serving officer to fight on the beach head – the son of another Theodore Roosevelt (26th President, 1901-1909) who's 'Rough Rider' cavalry charged at the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War of 1898.
The Jeep
Some 640,000 Jeeps were built between 1941-5. Hugely successful, they were the workhorse of the Allied Forces in every theatre of war. Ted (standing) called his personal vehicle the 'Rough Rider' as a salute to the volunteer cavalry regiment commanded by his father in the American Spanish War.
The T-Shirt
Designed by the TT Store, the Rough Rider T-Shirt features an illustration silk-screened in 4 colours with a water based ink giving that lovely flat look, plus a single colour on the back. Beautifully made by Fruit of the Loom in olive-green fine gauge 100% cotton, it sports a taped neckline and twin needle stitching detail. Soft and wonderfully comfortable - like all TT Store T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts and Jackets - it's very durable and retains its shape machine-wash after machine-wash.
Classified Information
- Brigadier General Roosevelt was one of the first soldiers off his landing craft and led the 8th Infantry Regiment and 70th Tank Battalion landing at Utah Beach at the D-DAY landings
- Outstandingly courageous, Roosevelt was nevertheless unwell and died from a heart attack a month later. He was posthumously awarded the highest US military decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his D-Day heroism. As well as being the son of the 26th President, Ted Roosevelt was also related to FDR - president during most of World War II
- The original design for the Jeep was put out to tender to 135 companies, giving them just 49 days to produce a working prototype. Only two replied: Bantam and Willys-Overland.
- Although Bantam's design was chosen, the company couldn't manufacture vehicles in sufficient volume - so Willys-Overland took over mass production.
- As demand for Jeeps increased, Ford also built them to the same US military specifications. To tell the vehicles apart, Ford had 'F' stamped on theirs, Willys followed with a 'W' stamped on the bolts and components
