Why were there poles on the front of Jeeps？

Why were there poles on the front of jeeps? When driving in their jeeps, American GIs often had the windshield down and covered with a canvas cover because they reflected the sunlight, therefore giving their position away to the enemy. On roads surrounded with trees, German soldiers would set up a trap using a piano wire strung at neck height between two trees. If a jeep was driving down the road, the driver and passenger could be seriously injured or even decapitated. As a countermeasure, iron poles were welded to the front bumper of the jeep, which would snap the wire or push it over. They were first seen in Tunisia in 1943 and became common in Italy and France later in the war. Another battlefield countermeasure was to add sandbags to the floor of the jeep, one under the passenger seat and one under the feet of the driver. This was to protect the soldiers in case the jeep ran over a landmine. Because this weighed the vehicle down so much, this countermeasure slowed down the jeep's performance. Subscribe and click the notification bell for more history videos. Get your copy of Simple History World War II today. Thank you guys for all your support on the Simple History YouTube channel. If you enjoy it, please consider visiting our Patreon page. There, you can show us your support for the channel by donating and make a huge difference in what we're able to create for you. Plus, you can get early access on upcoming videos. So let's keep it growing and thank you for being part of this amazing community.