Taubert Book
Colleagues
Stephen has undertaken a mamoth task and his material is an invalueable resource if you don't have access to the original source material. I would not describe it as definitive, rather I would suggest that it is the starting point for any discussion on Australian vehicle markings. By this I mean that while he presents the official directives the next step is to analyse existing photos / documents to see how these directives were implemented at the formation and unit level.
There is also the issue what material was added or deleted as the directives were disseminated down to unit level. From my own research dissemination could happen in a number of ways; direct reproduction of the original document or redrafting it to be formation / unit specific, which was then promulgated either as a stand alone document or under General Routine Orders. An example of this is a marking document (at work at the moment and can't provide a full reference) issued by 2nd Armoured Brigade which under the heading of vehicle names goes on to describe both the height of letters and the positioning on AFVs.
One area he did miss was the marking instructions issued in South Vietnam and currently held in the AWM Vietnam files.
Please don't take this as 'panning' his work. Rather, I would suggest that it does have its limitations and that it should be considered as the starting point, not the end. There is still considerable material out there that is unpublished.
regards
Shane
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