Wwii usa vehicle markings

[Lang]

Tony,

Have a think about a unit you want the markings for - perhaps a SA unit or one of someone you know or related to. You have 6,7,9 Division to choose from plus Australian GHQ and of course RAAF units.

The markings are very clearly set out in the instructions for unit identity to be carried on the vehicle. From all these photos it looks like the units in the field didn't give a rats about carrying regulation marking!

Most trucks did carry the unit markings.

Here is a photo of my Chev with "correct" markings (this style was introduced during the desert campaign and kept with slight modifications throughout the war) The jeep had the division and unit signs on the bottom panel of the windscreen. But again, from the photos - who cares!

Lang

[Blackpowder44 (RIP)]

I couldnt agree more with Lang when he says keep it Australian. At the time the Australian army was in the desert no invasion stars were used, on british vehicles an RAF roundell was on the bonnet. The British and Commonwealth armies were the first to use Jeeps in combat so lets commerate this fact and do your jeep up as an Aussie one, John.

[Little Jo]

Hi Lang and John

The photos of your vehicles look terrific. I can see what you mean and I agree "Keep it Australian", I may have been born in Holland, but I am a proud Australian, struth, I even won a marble in the lottery in to serve in the Australian Army. Lang your Tac plate looks like it could be Artillery.? As I live in South Australia I will go for an SA Unit. The 2nd-10th, served in the Middle East.

I have attached photos of when I purchased my Jeep and of the current stage of restoration.
Cheers

Tony
Little Jo

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Tony,

Excellent advice here from your now-fellow countrymen. Many restorers back in your old home country prefer to restore their Jeeps as "one of those used by our liberators" and then they run off and paint it up in US 82 or 101AB Div. markings

If someone is adamant on using US markings I often try to point out there are more possibilities than OD plus white stars - see attachment.

Your Jeep is looking great and "going Aussie" is an excellent choice.

Regards,
Hanno

[Little Jo]

Hanno

Thanks mate, I am now happy with my choice and going as an Australian vehicle. It should look better when I get the correct Tac plates etc. onto it.

Had a phone call from my brother in Holland last Sunday, he tells me there are a lot of restorations in Holland, He said a guy accross the road from him has an old military vehicle. I will try and find out more details from him.

Cheers

Tony
Little Jo

[Lang]

Tony,

I have just looked at the marking instructions for the desert period and see that if you did everything they said the vehicle would be covered in signs. This obviously did not happen from the photos so I will set out below what should be a good balanced group of markings that conscientious commanders might have put on your vehicle.

The bonnet sign is in white if a dark coloured vehicle or in "contrasting" colour if it is light. Looks like the desert vehicles had black numbers.

You should have 3 1/2 inches high, simple block letters something like: AIF, then a space, M(vehicle class), then a dash, then numbers.
AIF M-12345 You can choose whatever numbers you like. All the numbers I have seen for the desert period are 4 or 5 digit groups. Whatever number you put on some anal person will tell you it was on a Chev ute not a jeep - that's life.

Vehicles other than staff cars could all have an individual name "Saucy Sue"
This was no larger than 2 inches high in white placed over the windscreen or central on the front bumper (obviously bumper for jeep).

Your markings for the 2/10 infantry battalion would be:

Red background for the senior Brigade with the number 80 for the second senior battalion. 2/10 was in the 9th Division but all divisions had the same markings ie there could have been 3 battalions in the Middle East with a red background and number 80.

This confusion is solved by carrying the division sign as well. Later on with trucks the division sign is on the top half of a 9 inch high plate with the unit sign on the bottom half. During your period trucks carried two large signs - the division on the left and unit on the right like in the photo of my Chev above. Obviously a huge plate is not going to fit on the jeep so the signs on the jeep will go at the bottom of the windscreen.

On the right hand side a red square of approximately 6" with the number 80 in white. On the left hand side a black square of approximately 6" with the division sign in white. In your case this is the platypus over a boomerang. These can be on removable plates but 99% I have seen in photos are painted straight onto the screen panel.

That is enough. You could have bridge weight signs which almost no light vehicles carried plus numerous other stripes and twirls but nobody seems to have done anything about these from the photos. Keep it simple.

Lang

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Something along these lines?
Bonnet numbers are being hidden by the sun shine, you can just see the top of them,
For some reason, all the jeeps I have seen named over here have the name behind the right mud gaurd. Not saying it is historically correct, just what is currrently in favour.
Rich.