markings for a DUKW

[AlexDUKW]

Hello from Germany!

i´m looking for the correct numbering, tactical/usage markings and any kind of historical insignias for my 1944 DUKW.
I know the AR 850-5 from 1942 and i know the spots where to paint the 5 point star with the circle.
But i don’t know where to paint exactly the Registration Number (USA number) and where to paint the number markings, because the DUKW don’t even have bumbers
I heard about that in late 1944 the DUKW should also have the „Bridge Classification Plate“, but where to put/paint?
Anything else to paint on?

[70th Division]

Hello from Germany!

i´m looking for the correct numbering, tactical/usage markings and any kind of historical insignias for my 1944 DUKW.
I know the AR 850-5 from 1942 and i know the spots where to paint the 5 point star with the circle.
But i don’t know where to paint exactly the Registration Number (USA number) and where to paint the number markings, because the DUKW don’t even have bumbers
I heard about that in late 1944 the DUKW should also have the „Bridge Classification Plate“, but where to put/paint?
Anything else to paint on?

Hello Alex,

Welcome to the G503 !!!
I hope all is going well in beautiful Hamburg !
The last time I was there , we arrived on the Queen Mary 2, what a great trip !

Period pictures of DUKWs are the best sources to see how theu were marked.

I have an unrestored 1945 DUKW, and I will take some pictures for you showing where the "original" markings are located on it.
It still has the USA numbers, and also has the unit markings.
The USA number location is correct but on mine it was repainted to sau U.S. Army with the number under it.
On originals the USA was followed with the number next to it on the right.
But this is what I have and hopefully will be of some help to get some ideas.
It is raining today, but I will get them as soon as I can.
Once a few restoration projects I am working on completed, and I can build a barn for my 2 DUKW projects, I will be able to start working on them.
They will be a huge effort but I am looking forward to it


Can you post some pictures of your DUKW ?

We all love pictures, and there have been very few DUKW projects posted lately !!

DUKWS are awesome !!

Best Regards,
Ray

( Florida, USA )

[70th Division]

Hello Alex,

Here are some pictures of my poor Dukw, she is in need of a lot of TLC, and she will get it someday once she has a stable !!
Her USA number is 7034208 , and the serial number is : 19917, and I have a title for her as well

Sorry that they are pretty faded !

The front sides have unit markings on it.
This Dukw was with the Nebraska National Guard, which also was part of the 35th Division during the War.
Also the same division that was depicted in the movie Kelly's Heroes

On the rear panel you can see that markings were placed on each side, just like trucks and jeeps.
The above picture is the driver's side, and the below picture is the passengers side.
Also you can see the old stenciling markings for the high water marks that all Dukws had marked, on both sides of the rear wall.

This stenciling refers to installing the hull plugs in the bottom of the hull before going into the water.

This stencil above says " Sling Here" and is located at all 4 lifting hooks on the Dukw for lifting into a ship.

Here is the U.S. Army and the USA number below it 7034208

I have seen period pictures with the yellow circle bridge weight plate painted on this vertical area below and right or left of the windshield .


Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hello Alex,

Here are some more pictures :

The high water marks, used to be sure not too much cargo was place on board .
Marked on both sides or the rear panel.

This shows the general location of the stencil referring to putting the hull plugs in before going into the water.
Marked on both sides of the Dukw.

This area could also have a bridge marker paintd as a yellow circle with the weight number.

This shows the location on the rear wall, where the high water markings go, they go on each side of the rear, at the same location, left and right.

This is the hull plug stencil on the passenger side of the Dukw.


This is what I have , hopefully other Dukw owners can contribute what they have !!

There is also a lot of stenciling around the sides of the dashboard inside the Dukw.
I will climb up there and get some pictures to post here as well.

I have also seen in period pictures the USA number also painted across the are right under the windshield, and on the rear wall as well.
So there are plenty of ways to do your Dukw in a unique way, just look online for period Dukw pictures to get some ideas.

I will try to find online what the hull plug stencil actually says, and also try to find a source for the stencils too !!

I have been buying spare parts for the Dukw, and have collected a few top bows, and some smaller parts as well.



Best Regards,
Ray

[AlexDUKW]

Hello Ray,
thanks a lot for the pictures. Great!

What I know about my dukw:
-was built in 1944
-probably in use in Italy from late 1944
-last use by Italien fire brigade (civil protection)
-sandblasted some years ago
-Not much welding was done
-bought it from a collection in netherland

The USA Number which was painted on is not the correct one. I have (probably) the correct USA Number from the dukw vin and owners list.

Now I want to put the right marks and am looking for good information and photos to do it very well.
All stencils are also missing. But I have the small drilled holes for the trim marking at the rear like your.

I hope to get information about which unit my DUKW was in later. Probably in the 1st Engineer Special Brigade.
It was only used for a short time and has not crossed the Alps

[70th Division]

Hello Ray,
thanks a lot for the pictures. Great!

What I know about my dukw:
-was built in 1944
-probably in use in Italy from late 1944
-last use by Italien fire brigade (civil protection)
-sandblasted some years ago
-Not much welding was done
-bought it from a collection in netherland

The USA Number which was painted on is not the correct one. I have (probably) the correct USA Number from the dukw vin and owners list.

Now I want to put the right marks and am looking for good information and photos to do it very well.
All stencils are also missing. But I have the small drilled holes for the trim marking at the rear like your.

I hope to get information about which unit my DUKW was in later. Probably in the 1st Engineer Special Brigade.
It was only used for a short time and has not crossed the Alps

Hello Alex,

Wow you have a BEAUTIFUL Dukw !!!!!!

Congratulations, she looks super nice, and those are amazing pictures out there among all the ocean going ships

I am very happy you posted these pictures, it will certainly give me inspiration to get working on my Dukws !

Your DUKW floats and runs, mine have rust holes through the hulls.

But someday , I want to have a seaworthy DUKW, and shall
My other Dukw is in better shape but still needs some bottom hull repairs, but the side walls are good.
It is also a 1945 model.

I just need to build a big barn to put them inside, so they will be protected and I can work on them.

I wonder if Robert from datplates4u makes the stencils needed for the DUKW ?
I will check.



Please post more pictures, and keep us updated on your stencil and markings quest !!

I can't fully tell, but do you have the little bump outs on the rear side walls of your DUKW ?

It looks like there might be some ?

If so, those were modifications to place a howitzer cannon into the back of the DUKW, to clear the wheel hubs of the cannon when lowering it in the cargo area.


Best Regards,
Ray

[AlexDUKW]

Hello Ray,
i hope you will have a safe swim with your dukw soon, it's a lot o fun!


Would it be possible to arrange the different labels here and see what is correct:

1. USA Number:
Is it correct that it is something like a number plate, which belongs to the vehicle no matter what unit it was in?
Painted in white on both sides in the front area. But also at the rear?
You can find a lot of different styles and typos on old pictures. Was there any official instruction?

2. Bumper Markings
These were painted in white on by the units themselves that used the DUKW. When changing the unit, these were renewed.
Since the DUKW has no bumpers, they were mostly below the windscreen and at the rear. Whereby at the rear these were never painted in a coherent line, but like you in several lines in a small space.

3. Stencils
Is it correct that GMC fitted these at the factory? And were they always painted yellow? Is there a good overview of which stencils were available, there were a lot of them.

[AlexDUKW]

Right, my DUKW has the modifications to be able to transport the cannon. I once read that this was not done in the factory, but only on site.

[70th Division]

Hello Ray,
i hope you will have a safe swim with your dukw soon, it's a lot o fun!


Would it be possible to arrange the different labels here and see what is correct:

1. USA Number:
Is it correct that it is something like a number plate, which belongs to the vehicle no matter what unit it was in?
Painted in white on both sides in the front area. But also at the rear?
You can find a lot of different styles and typos on old pictures. Was there any official instruction?

2. Bumper Markings
These were painted in white on by the units themselves that used the DUKW. When changing the unit, these were renewed.
Since the DUKW has no bumpers, they were mostly below the windscreen and at the rear. Whereby at the rear these were never painted in a coherent line, but like you in several lines in a small space.

3. Stencils
Is it correct that GMC fitted these at the factory? And were they always painted yellow? Is there a good overview of which stencils were available, there were a lot of them.

Hello Alex,

I will try to add some answers.

1.) Yes you are right, the USA Registrations did not change on the vehicle. Even vehicles that were used well into the 1950' retained the same USA number.
After a repaint, the same number was stenciled back on to the vehicle .
The at some point they changed "USA " to US Army in the mid to late 1950's.

2.) Yes, that is correct.
Unit Markings all were done in the field by the units that received the vehicles.
As vehicles were transferred inside the unit , or to other outside difgerent units, the bumper markings would change to what ever unit had control of it.

3.) I would say that yes, the special stencils on the DUKWs were painted on at the GMC factory.
Units would not know where they went, or if they were needed.
Stencils were as far as I know, white on the outside of the hull.
However, there are pictures of stenciling on the dash and side dash, being in white or yellow.

I will climb aboard mine to get you some pictures.

There were also markings stamped or "branded' into the wood floor panels by the gas pedal transmission areas.



Now -
I have been looking for some data base by Dukw owners that would have all this information listed, and I can't find any !!!

What is going on ??

Also I have not found any stencil company that has DUKW stencil sets for sale !

If you find one, let me know as I would buy a set too !!

Other DUKW owners must be out there that have more knowledge available that they can share !!

I will get more pictures and get them posted here !

Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Right, my DUKW has the modifications to be able to transport the cannon. I once read that this was not done in the factory, but only on site.

Alex,


Also a little data plate goes on the bulkhead behind the front seats, where your fire extinguisher is located.
You can see the 4 screws there for it.
Some plates were brass, other were made of rubber ?

I think we will have to start collecting original pictures of Dukws , to see what stencils went where



Best Regards,
Ray

[AlexDUKW]

Hi Ray,
Yes, I have the four holes for the screws there. What data plate was there?

I have a lot of work to do right now and can't research that much.

But I have a few questions about your photos:
What is the height of the yellow letters in "sling here"?
These are the first markings that were probably later painted over with the white letters.

I looked at a lot of old photos. I highly recommend David Doyle's book ("The Complete DUKW - Historical Reference").
There you can only find the Hull-Plug-Stencils on the side in one photo.
This DUKW was for training. Have you ever seen the Hull-plug-stencils on old photos?

[70th Division]

Hi Ray,
Yes, I have the four holes for the screws there. What data plate was there?

I have a lot of work to do right now and can't research that much.

But I have a few questions about your photos:
What is the height of the yellow letters in "sling here"?
These are the first markings that were probably later painted over with the white letters.

I looked at a lot of old photos. I highly recommend David Doyle's book ("The Complete DUKW - Historical Reference").
There you can only find the Hull-Plug-Stencils on the side in one photo.
This DUKW was for training. Have you ever seen the Hull-plug-stencils on old photos?

Hello Alex,

I will get a picture of that data plate, and measurement of the "sling here" stencil, for you tomorrow.


Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hello Alex,

Here are some measurements that you can use to make a stencil for the "Sling Here " markings.

The letters are each 3/4 of an inch tall.

From the bottom of the stencil to the top, it is 1 7/8 inches tall.
The H in "here" lines up directly in line and under the L in "sling"

The length of the word "Sling" is 4 1/4 inches.

The space between the word Sling and Here is 1/4 of an inch.

Here we see this rubber data plate is faded out on the bulkhead behind the front seats.
I will make an effort to get into the other DUKW as I think it has a brass plate, or at least one that is readable.

Here is a link to my other Dukw project, in better shape, from the auction I bought it from a few years ago :
Engine was removed before I got it, but have a rebuilt crated engine for it , someday

https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/ ... CD4A23B67/


Best Regards,
Ray

[70th Division]

Hi Ray,
Yes, I have the four holes for the screws there. What data plate was there?

I have a lot of work to do right now and can't research that much.

But I have a few questions about your photos:
What is the height of the yellow letters in "sling here"?
These are the first markings that were probably later painted over with the white letters.

I looked at a lot of old photos. I highly recommend David Doyle's book ("The Complete DUKW - Historical Reference").
There you can only find the Hull-Plug-Stencils on the side in one photo.
This DUKW was for training. Have you ever seen the Hull-plug-stencils on old photos?

Hello Alex,

Eureka !!!

I got a picture of the brass bulkhead plate behind the front seats on my better DUKW,
but it also needs a hull floor restoration, and running gear as well.
This was a USMC DUKW which is pretty rare to find I am guessing

Here it is :

This is a nice plate, the one on the other DUKW was rubber or plastic and is now faded out.

I have the Hull plug stencils on the Army DUKW , can't really read them now :

Yes I have seen original pictures with all the stenciling, it was standard on all the DUKWs !

I am surprised that there seems to be nothing online about it !!!

Here are the markings on th USMC DUKW :

Different that the Army one, but I am sure these are post war, and put on during an overhaul out West .

Here is another big stencil on the Army DUKW that I have seen on original DUKWs as well :

The Army DUKW dash view.
Both of these DUKWs will be huge restoration projects that will take a lot of planning !!
But they will be done, and started, after I build a 30 'x 60' DUKW barn to put them inside, out of the weather !!


Best Regards,
Ray

[AlexDUKW]

Thanks a Lot Ray!

One more question about the "Sling here". You took such good photos. You can see two stencils, one in yellow and one in white. The white looks newer. Are both stencils the same size and style? It looks like the yellow is smaller than the white.

I'll try to upload all the cutouts of stencils I have. Some are old original photos. Others are from restorations.