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SFC_Jeff_Button · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:22 am Post subject: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

Below is a 1942 GPW (Ford Script) Jeep. It belongs to a Captain here at Ft Hood and he was sent my way by the 4ID museum director to possibly assist in its identification. It's serial number from the dash plate says 12078, built 4 April 1942 at the Ford plant in Dallas. He bought the jeep in the past year from a man that lived just east of Dallas. The previous owner said it had been there since 1989 but he knew nothing else about the jeep. The Captain has sanded the jeep down and revealed these markings but knows little about them. Can this esteemed board of experts lend a hand?

MarkHolloway

Hi Jeff,

Good post! I'm going to guess the top number is "C4" but the botttom one looks pretty long to be an Army bumper number. Could it be a registration number? I guess there's a chance it came from Camp Hood. Wish my 'photo shop' had sandpaper mode so I could dig a little deeper. Wink

ChrisC · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 26, 2006 Posts: 147

Looks like he may need to sand a bit more.....

Too cool, I have GPW 15170 built in Dallas in April 13 42 ! You have my jeep's slightly older brother here.

You should have him add this jeep to the S/N number list on G503.com if he has not already done so.

SFC_Jeff_Button

I think the 2nd bumper has an "AB" in the top row, but I'm not sure what this would relate to in Army terms. I beleive he's already afraid he may have sanded too much already. He sand a little and then photographs, sands some more, etc... He is already a memeber of G503 and that's where these pictures came from. I have yet to meet this Captain in person but he lives only about 15-20 minutes from me in Harker Heights, TX. We have communicated via phone and e-mail thus far.

MarkHolloway

- SFC_Jeff_Button

I think the 2nd bumper has an "AB" in the top row.

Any chance it's 82AB? That would be the 82nd Airborne.

SFC_Jeff_Button

I think there's a good chance you might be right about the 82nd Airborne. I found this photo of a restored 82nd Jeep. It had pictures from WWII as well and this could be it. However I still need to try and decipher the lower lettering. This one belonged to the 320th Field Artillery.

[img]

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Dennis_Smith · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Mar 17, 2006 Posts: 192

Wikepedia shows a chart with all the units in 82nd Division (modern day). Towards the bottom of the page shows the structure during WW2. It may help with deciphering.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...ed_States)

Of interest, it shows 320F as artillery delivered by gliders!

SFC_Jeff_Button

Yes, I found the 320th did come in on gliders with the 82nd.
I tried various unit numbers and did come up with what might be one close match. Prehaps the bottom number below the 82nd says; 899TD, for the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion. They were a separate Battalion that was attached to the 82nd for a few days, (16-18 Jun 1944), and Charlie company would match what was on the other bumperette.
Since the 899th was a Separate Battalion, they went where needed every few days. Below is what I am tracking;

A period of training in the Algerian desert followed the Tunisian campaign and on 1 November 1943 the 899th departed North Africa and landed in Italy on 10 November 1943. A short time later, the Battalion was withdrawn and embarked for England to train in preparation for D-Day invasion at Normandy.

Company â€œAâ€? and Company â€œCâ€? landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, with the remainder of the 899th arriving D plus 4 and 5. The 899th, the first TD Bn to land in France, teamed with four infantry divisions, including the Fourth Infantry Division, until D plus 11, when it was attached to the Ninth Infantry Division. objective Cherbourg.

Attachments of Independent Tank Destroyer Battalions and Groups to Infantry, Armored, and Airborne Divisions in the ETO

4th Infantry Division
Cos A&C, 899th TD Bn (SP) 9-13 Jun 44

82d Airborne Division
Co C, 899th TD Bn (SP) 16-18 Jun 44

90th Infantry Division
Co B 899th TD Bn (SP) 17-19 Jun 44

9th Infantry Division
899th TD Bn (SP) (- 2 cos) 19-20 Jun 44
899th TD Bn (SP) 20-24 Jul 44

3rd Armored Division
Co C, 899th TD Bn (SP)(Support of 47th Inf Regt)6-10 Sep 1944
Co C, 899th TD Bn (SP)(Part of 47th RCT) 25Oct â€“ 10Nov 1944

I also found an article where the 899th Commander commented that of all the units the 899th was attached to, the 82nd AirBorne was the Battalions favorite due to the soldiers ferocity and tenacity with the enemy.
Prehaps this is the unit I have been looking for. If not, at least I did learn alot about tank destroyer units in WWII.

Jens_O_Mehner

Before you get too carried away...

The 899TD would have kept the higher command markings they were assigned to and would not have changed them for a couple of days with the 82nd. IIRC, TD battalions were independent Army or Corps assets, so the first combination would have been that, then 899TD, then individual vehicle on the other side, if in fact they even put the highest command on there, many independent tank and tank destroyer battalions only had their own codes on the vehicles.

A lot of Jeeps assigned to airborne units show no bumper markings at all in contemporary photos in theater, not because they have been censored, but because they a) were not painted on in the first place due to opsec or b) the original ones were overpainted because the vehicles were, ah, appropriated, from their original units. The airborne divisions did have less Jeeps assigned to them than for instance infantry divisions, most of their movement was done on foot, by air, on semitrailers or by rail in the good old "8 or 40"s.

Many, if not most, vehicles remained in theatre and were either used by the Army of occupation, allied nations, UNRRA and other rebuilding efforts, MDAP etc. etc., many of them ended up either in collector's hands over here, many more were scrapped, some of them had a second or third life in Africa or Asia Minor.

There is a good chance that this 1942 Ford GPW never left CONUS, but it may have been assigned to the 82nd when they returned after the war or to a stateside ABN training element during the war.

What about the front bumper? The codes should have been painted on that one as well, maybe those could be recovered more easily? I also recommend tracing them with a piece of paper and a pencil- you know, the old trick every PI and detective uses in a gazillion of movies... Wink

Jens O.

Dennis_Smith · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Mar 17, 2006 Posts: 192

The first digit looks like a "G" instead of a number. WW2 regiments had 12 companys, A-M skipping J. I wonder if the number might mean G company, xxx regiment?

This site shows all the airborne divisions and their regiments. (None that fit very well, though)...

www.militaryhistoryonl...valry.aspx

SFC_Jeff_Button

The front bumper was one of the few pieces that were not with this mostly original vehicle.
I agree that Tank Destroyer bit was a bit much to hope for, but once I got into the research of the unit, I got a little bit carried away since it was all new to me.
Once I get some more time, I will research / check out the stateside 82nd AB units and try to find a match. I still need to see this vehicle in person which I hope to do within the next week or two. Thanks to all that have helped.
I have an Ontos here in Texas I need to visit as well with the "hook-up" from Dontos as an assist.

SFC_Jeff_Button

I found out that the jeeps hood had "2066837" painted on as its Registration / USA number. I sent this number to a friend for research but does anyone else know how this number might assist in deciphering this jeeps unit history?

ChrisC · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 26, 2006 Posts: 147

The USA number won't help you much in tracing unit history.
Tom Wobolt on G503 is the guy to ask if that hood number seems right for that GPW.
Was the number painted in White or in Blue drab?

SFC_Jeff_Button

Blue Drab was on the hood numbers. This Captain is part of G503 and I know he posts there quite often.

ChrisC · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 26, 2006 Posts: 147

Thats too cool to have the original Blue Drab numbers!
If he has put this same info on the Gee, I'm sure that he has been talking with Tom.
I wish I could have found my original hood numbers, I am sooo jealous

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