±Recent Visitors

Recent Visitors to Com-Central!

±User Info-big


Welcome Anonymous

Nickname
Password

Membership:
Latest: HighestAce
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 6648

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 215
Total: 215
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Community Forums
02: Community Forums
03: Home
04: Downloads
05: Photo Gallery
06: Home
07: Photo Gallery
08: Home
09: Home
10: Community Forums
11: Community Forums
12: Photo Gallery
13: Home
14: Community Forums
15: Downloads
16: Downloads
17: Home
18: Your Account
19: Home
20: Home
21: Community Forums
22: Photo Gallery
23: Community Forums
24: Community Forums
25: Home
26: Photo Gallery
27: Photo Gallery
28: Community Forums
29: Home
30: Community Forums
31: Community Forums
32: Community Forums
33: Photo Gallery
34: Community Forums
35: Home
36: Community Forums
37: Community Forums
38: Home
39: Community Forums
40: Community Forums
41: Member Screenshots
42: Home
43: News
44: Member Screenshots
45: Statistics
46: Community Forums
47: Community Forums
48: Photo Gallery
49: Home
50: Community Forums
51: Community Forums
52: Photo Gallery
53: Home
54: Community Forums
55: Photo Gallery
56: Community Forums
57: Community Forums
58: Community Forums
59: Community Forums
60: Home
61: Community Forums
62: CPGlang
63: CPGlang
64: Community Forums
65: Home
66: Community Forums
67: Photo Gallery
68: Home
69: Community Forums
70: Community Forums
71: Community Forums
72: Home
73: CPGlang
74: Home
75: Photo Gallery
76: Home
77: Community Forums
78: Community Forums
79: Community Forums
80: Community Forums
81: Photo Gallery
82: Downloads
83: Downloads
84: Home
85: Community Forums
86: Photo Gallery
87: Photo Gallery
88: Photo Gallery
89: Community Forums
90: CPGlang
91: Photo Gallery
92: Home
93: Community Forums
94: CPGlang
95: Home
96: Photo Gallery
97: Community Forums
98: Home
99: Member Screenshots
100: Photo Gallery
101: Home
102: Community Forums
103: Photo Gallery
104: Community Forums
105: CPGlang
106: Community Forums
107: Home
108: Community Forums
109: News Archive
110: Community Forums
111: Community Forums
112: Member Screenshots
113: Community Forums
114: Community Forums
115: Community Forums
116: Community Forums
117: Community Forums
118: Photo Gallery
119: Photo Gallery
120: CPGlang
121: Statistics
122: Community Forums
123: Community Forums
124: Community Forums
125: Home
126: Photo Gallery
127: Photo Gallery
128: Home
129: Home
130: Community Forums
131: Downloads
132: Home
133: Community Forums
134: CPGlang
135: Photo Gallery
136: Home
137: Home
138: Community Forums
139: Photo Gallery
140: Photo Gallery
141: Community Forums
142: Home
143: Community Forums
144: Home
145: Home
146: Community Forums
147: Community Forums
148: Photo Gallery
149: Photo Gallery
150: Photo Gallery
151: Photo Gallery
152: Photo Gallery
153: Home
154: News Archive
155: Member Screenshots
156: Community Forums
157: Community Forums
158: Community Forums
159: Photo Gallery
160: Community Forums
161: Photo Gallery
162: News
163: Downloads
164: Community Forums
165: Home
166: Community Forums
167: Community Forums
168: Downloads
169: CPGlang
170: Home
171: Home
172: Photo Gallery
173: Home
174: Community Forums
175: Community Forums
176: News
177: Home
178: Community Forums
179: Community Forums
180: Photo Gallery
181: Photo Gallery
182: Community Forums
183: Community Forums
184: Community Forums
185: Photo Gallery
186: Photo Gallery
187: Community Forums
188: Photo Gallery
189: Photo Gallery
190: Community Forums
191: Community Forums
192: Community Forums
193: Community Forums
194: Home
195: Photo Gallery
196: CPGlang
197: Community Forums
198: CPGlang
199: CPGlang
200: Community Forums
201: Community Forums
202: Community Forums
203: Community Forums
204: Home
205: Your Account
206: Community Forums
207: Community Forums
208: CPGlang
209: Home
210: Photo Gallery
211: Community Forums
212: Photo Gallery
213: Community Forums
214: Photo Gallery
215: Community Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...
The AFV ASSOCIATION was formed in 1964 to support the thoughts and research of all those interested in Armored Fighting Vehicles and related topics, such as AFV drawings. The emphasis has always been on sharing information and communicating with other members of similar interests; e.g. German armor, Japanese AFVs, or whatever.
Post new topic    Reply to topic    Printer Friendly Page     Forum Index ›  AFV News Discussion Board

View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: 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?










_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
MarkHolloway
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Apr 08, 2006
Posts: 2054
Location: Beatty, Nevada
PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:59 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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

_________________
"TUMBLEWEED"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
ChrisC
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 26, 2006
Posts: 147

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:37 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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.
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:00 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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.

_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
MarkHolloway
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Apr 08, 2006
Posts: 2054
Location: Beatty, Nevada
PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:05 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

- 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.

_________________
"TUMBLEWEED"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:24 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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][/img]

_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
Dennis_Smith
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Mar 17, 2006
Posts: 192

PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:18 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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!
Back to top
View user's profile
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:47 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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 “A� and Company “C� 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 – 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.

_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
Jens_O_Mehner
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 511
Location: Giessen, Germany
PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:40 pm
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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.

_________________
Information not shared is information lost.
"Don't order the Schnitzel, they're using Schnauzer."
Back to top
View user's profile
Dennis_Smith
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Mar 17, 2006
Posts: 192

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:14 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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
Back to top
View user's profile
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:52 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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 "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:41 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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?

_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
ChrisC
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 26, 2006
Posts: 147

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:30 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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?
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
SFC_Jeff_Button
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 24, 2006
Posts: 1311
Location: Ft Hood, TX
PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:31 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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

_________________
SFC Jeff Button "High Angle Hell"
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail Photo Gallery
ChrisC
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 26, 2006
Posts: 147

PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:58 am
Post subject: Re: ID 1942 GPW bumper markings...

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
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    Reply to topic    Printer Friendly Page    Forum Index ›  AFV News Discussion Board
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT - 6 Hours



Jump to:  


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum