Well, on to another question I suppose:

The answer is: The Weasel (M-29) was concocted by General Marshall after a meeting with Lord Mountbatten who introduced Marshall to one Geoffrey Pike an "eccentric" (as if there were any other kind!) British scientist who had devised a plan to divert large numbers of German troops from Western Europe and the East by using commandos with special vehicles to allow them to raid in winter and in poor / swampy terrain.
Facinated by Pike's ideas, Marshall went to the Studebaker automotive company and gave them a contract to design what became the Weasel to fufill this requirement for a specialized commando raiding vehicle capable of traversing deep snow, swamps and, other generally impassable terrain. This was also the orgin of the US / Canadian 1st Special Service Force.