diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
index 979d5943dd..41613f6cb6 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
@@ -310,36 +310,45 @@ class NoSSLError(SSLValidationError):
     """Needed to connect to an HTTPS url but no ssl library available to verify the certificate"""
     pass
 
+# Some environments (Google Compute Engine's CoreOS deploys) do not compile
+# against openssl and thus do not have any HTTPS support.
+CustomHTTPSConnection = CustomHTTPSHandler = None
+if hasattr(httplib, 'HTTPSConnection') and hasattr(urllib2, 'HTTPSHandler'):
+    class CustomHTTPSConnection(httplib.HTTPSConnection):
+        def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            httplib.HTTPSConnection.__init__(self, *args, **kwargs)
+            if HAS_SSLCONTEXT:
+                self.context = create_default_context()
+                if self.cert_file:
+                    self.context.load_cert_chain(self.cert_file, self.key_file)
 
-class CustomHTTPSConnection(httplib.HTTPSConnection):
-    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        httplib.HTTPSConnection.__init__(self, *args, **kwargs)
-        if HAS_SSLCONTEXT:
-            self.context = create_default_context()
-            if self.cert_file:
-                self.context.load_cert_chain(self.cert_file, self.key_file)
+        def connect(self):
+            "Connect to a host on a given (SSL) port."
 
-    def connect(self):
-        "Connect to a host on a given (SSL) port."
+            if hasattr(self, 'source_address'):
+                sock = socket.create_connection((self.host, self.port), self.timeout, self.source_address)
+            else:
+                sock = socket.create_connection((self.host, self.port), self.timeout)
 
-        if hasattr(self, 'source_address'):
-            sock = socket.create_connection((self.host, self.port), self.timeout, self.source_address)
-        else:
-            sock = socket.create_connection((self.host, self.port), self.timeout)
-        if self._tunnel_host:
-            self.sock = sock
-            self._tunnel()
-        if HAS_SSLCONTEXT:
-            self.sock = self.context.wrap_socket(sock, server_hostname=self.host)
-        else:
-            self.sock = ssl.wrap_socket(sock, keyfile=self.key_file, certfile=self.cert_file, ssl_version=PROTOCOL)
+            server_hostname = self.host
+            # Note: self._tunnel_host is not available on py < 2.6 but this code
+            # isn't used on py < 2.6 (lack of create_connection)
+            if self._tunnel_host:
+                self.sock = sock
+                self._tunnel()
+                server_hostname = self._tunnel_host
 
-class CustomHTTPSHandler(urllib2.HTTPSHandler):
+            if HAS_SSLCONTEXT:
+                self.sock = self.context.wrap_socket(sock, server_hostname=server_hostname)
+            else:
+                self.sock = ssl.wrap_socket(sock, keyfile=self.key_file, certfile=self.cert_file, ssl_version=PROTOCOL)
 
-    def https_open(self, req):
-        return self.do_open(CustomHTTPSConnection, req)
+    class CustomHTTPSHandler(urllib2.HTTPSHandler):
 
-    https_request = urllib2.AbstractHTTPHandler.do_request_
+        def https_open(self, req):
+            return self.do_open(CustomHTTPSConnection, req)
+
+        https_request = urllib2.AbstractHTTPHandler.do_request_
 
 def generic_urlparse(parts):
     '''
@@ -373,7 +382,10 @@ def generic_urlparse(parts):
         # get the username, password, etc.
         try:
             netloc_re = re.compile(r'^((?:\w)+(?::(?:\w)+)?@)?([A-Za-z0-9.-]+)(:\d+)?$')
-            (auth, hostname, port) = netloc_re.match(parts[1])
+            match = netloc_re.match(parts[1])
+            auth = match.group(1)
+            hostname = match.group(2)
+            port = match.group(3)
             if port:
                 # the capture group for the port will include the ':',
                 # so remove it and convert the port to an integer
@@ -383,6 +395,8 @@ def generic_urlparse(parts):
                 # and then split it up based on the first ':' found
                 auth = auth[:-1]
                 username, password = auth.split(':', 1)
+            else:
+                username = password = None
             generic_parts['username'] = username
             generic_parts['password'] = password
             generic_parts['hostname'] = hostname
@@ -390,7 +404,7 @@ def generic_urlparse(parts):
         except:
             generic_parts['username'] = None
             generic_parts['password'] = None
-            generic_parts['hostname'] = None
+            generic_parts['hostname'] = parts[1]
             generic_parts['port']     = None
     return generic_parts
 
@@ -532,7 +546,8 @@ class SSLValidationHandler(urllib2.BaseHandler):
             s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
             if https_proxy:
                 proxy_parts = generic_urlparse(urlparse.urlparse(https_proxy))
-                s.connect((proxy_parts.get('hostname'), proxy_parts.get('port')))
+                port = proxy_parts.get('port') or 443
+                s.connect((proxy_parts.get('hostname'), port))
                 if proxy_parts.get('scheme') == 'http':
                     s.sendall(self.CONNECT_COMMAND % (self.hostname, self.port))
                     if proxy_parts.get('username'):
@@ -542,7 +557,7 @@ class SSLValidationHandler(urllib2.BaseHandler):
                     connect_result = s.recv(4096)
                     self.validate_proxy_response(connect_result)
                     if context:
-                        ssl_s = context.wrap_socket(s, server_hostname=proxy_parts.get('hostname'))
+                        ssl_s = context.wrap_socket(s, server_hostname=self.hostname)
                     else:
                         ssl_s = ssl.wrap_socket(s, ca_certs=tmp_ca_cert_path, cert_reqs=ssl.CERT_REQUIRED, ssl_version=PROTOCOL)
                         match_hostname(ssl_s.getpeercert(), self.hostname)
@@ -661,8 +676,9 @@ def open_url(url, data=None, headers=None, method=None, use_proxy=True,
         handlers.append(proxyhandler)
 
     # pre-2.6 versions of python cannot use the custom https
-    # handler, since the socket class is lacking this method
-    if hasattr(socket, 'create_connection'):
+    # handler, since the socket class is lacking create_connection.
+    # Some python builds lack HTTPS support.
+    if hasattr(socket, 'create_connection') and CustomHTTPSHandler:
         handlers.append(CustomHTTPSHandler)
 
     opener = urllib2.build_opener(*handlers)