Correct Stenciling of my Jeep?

[bonzai502]

Hi,

I'am new to this forum as a member so this is my frist post out here.
Read there are a lot of experts arround here so I do hope some answers will come up!

My MB has S.N. 427609 (d.o.d. 3-19-1945) and she will get a full repaint as we are not very happy with the current shiny gloss OD color.
So we will repaint it in flat OD. I want to get as close as possible to represent it as 101 airborne - 101 signal company (was attached to HQ of the 101AB during late war.

My questions are:
What will be correct for the bumper and bumperette markings? [101A/B - X (star) S-3] I think????
What will be the right color (flat white or blue) for the hoodnumber and the USA markings on the hood?
What will be the right STAR on the hood (with an solid cirkel or the broken one) and what size will be common referring to the d.o.d.?

I already found some info searching old posts out here, but these questions still there.

Thanks for any answer and best regards,

Michel.

[sjalbert]

See http://jeepdraw.com/images/AR-850-5.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for the Army Regulations

The numbers should be 2" in height. You can probably find a photo of a 101st airborne vehicle, but based on the regs it looks like you want:

101AB Star S-3
For factory class you'll want blue. In the field numbers were reapplied in flat white. If you live in a state where you can use the registration number instead of a license plate you'll want to use white.
Either star can be appropriate depending on when / where you're vehicle is depicted as serving.

[lucakiki]

Not to nitpick, but for factory class you are not supposed to stencil anything else over the blue drab hood number and S for suppression.
After that, it is up to you whether or not repaint the hood number in white and with different fonts.

Nothing prevents you from having a vehicle very close to factory class but with the markings you like to have, though.

[bonzai502]

Hi Seth,

Thanks for your answer. I did read the AR850-5 but was unsure about the bumper markings. So your answer is very welcome.
Depicted as serving is the ETO (Market garden - Battle of the Bulge - Varsity so sept '44 until the end of the war).
Does this give some more info on what star on the hood is most peferrable?

I do live in Holland so the hood registration will not be enough and there's a license plate on it.

@Lucakiki,
As I read you answer you are telling that if factory blue is choosen for the hoodnumber and USA it's not usuall to stencil unit markings and star?
If so I decide to do all (hoodnumbers, star, unit markings etc) in flat white to be more "correct".

Thanks again for both comments!
Regards,
Michel.

[sjalbert]

I missed that the Signal Company was the 101st Signal. That would make the bumper marking
101AB Star 101S-3

The jeep at
http://www.ww2jeep.gportal.hu/picview.p ... 4&index=32" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
is labeled as 20325395-S Willys MB, 101st AB Div., ETO 1945 and has a solid circle

[bonzai502]

Thanks!
My thoughts are to go for the star with the solid circle.
Remarkable to see that the star has painted very close to the window and exceeds the hood.
Will try to do the same.

Regards,

Michel.

[Marty, SoCal]

The star is close to the hood so that you can still see it with the windshield folded down! That placement is actually correct per the regulations!

[bonzai502]

Thanks to all!

Regards,
Michel

[Ingo]

Je heeft post!

Groeten

Ingo

[erikofnorway]

About the star on the hood, what they have done on this jeep is used the standard star that came on the jeep from the factory and simply (hand) painted a solid circle around it to make it an invasion star. This was quite common and very often done on motorpool level. As previously pointed out, this also enabled the star to be visible with the windshield in down position.

Erik

[Gary C V]

Hi Erik,

Mate, the jeep never had the star on it when it left the factory, only the U.S.A. and # was applied once it was accepted by the govenment.

Cheers Gary

[erikofnorway]

You may be right on the star from the factory. My point is really that the star over the hinges was typically applied before the circle. The extensive photo database I have from the 99th Inf Btn shows that their jeeps had the simple stars before the invasion, then the motorpool painted the ring around later, when the orders came for the invasion. Replacement jeeps that was issued after D-day would have the typical invasion star painted lower down on the hood. At least from the 99th, I can say that this was without exception, and I believe this would also apply to most other units (???)

This first shows a 99th jeep from the HQ company with just the star. Taken in England some time winter 43/44.



Next photo shows another HQ jeep in Germany fall of 44. This shows the wide hand painted circle similar to the 101st jeep in this thread.



Last photo shows one of the replacements jeeps from D company received to the Battalion January 45. This one has the invasion star painted lower down on the hood where we are used to see them.




So a jeep with a "high" invasion star where the ring extends under the windshield would be a jeep that was first in England. A jeep with a lower invasion star would be issued to the unit closer to the invasion or afterwords.

I also don't know to what extent the higher star was exclusively to make the star visible with windshield down. I have seen a lot of sloppy/lazy paintwork on vehicles on motorpool level, and have a feeling it was also much simpler to paint a circle on an existing star. If there was an order that stars should be visible with windshield down, this did not seem to have been much followed after D-day.

Erik

[jonesy]

Dragging a thread back to the top as I'm about to apply 101st Signals Co. markings on my jeep.

I've had a quick read of AR 850-5 but I couldn't find out any details on dimensions where the start of the bumper markings sould begin. Should the markings on the left and right of the bumper have a specific gap e.g. 2" in?

Does everybody agree that the markings should be:-

101A/B X 101S-3

[jonesy]

What about the bumperette markings?

101AB on the l/h and 101S on the r/h? I'm literally hours away from applying the markings and don't want to get it wrong.

[fernando mendes]

In march,19 1945 it was in the final of Italian theater.In the same time was occurring Berlin.If you want to put the five pointed star inside the circle you still can,it is right.