The Life Magazine photo library site, the Mosquito Assc web site and most Korean War titled web site. I have quite a few loaded on my photo gallery page. Keep in mind the M38's didn't show up in Korea until spring of 52 and the M38A1's didn't show up until the winter 52/53. Very few saw any action before the armistice was signed. They were all standard OD 2430.
Mosquito FAC MB
You can just see the right rear corner of a M38A1 here. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Jun 07, 2010 Posts: 16 Location: Albuquerque NM
Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 8:08 am Post subject:
I think the 2 middle pics are Air Force vehicles. The Korean War was a VERY early time for the USAF and they adopted LOTS of army gear.
I believe those jeeps are Forward Air Controllers. They ride with Army units and call down the thunder. Today they ride in Strikers or HMMVS with a radio pallet in the back. AFSC 1C4
The M38A1 I believe is "Far East Air Force 942 Forward Air Control Sq."
I wish I could see the star on those jeeps. I know the Army Air Corps stars had a blue circle underneath.
The US Army Air Corp became the US Army Air Force in 1944/45 and in 1948 became the US Air Force.
During the Korean war all the services borrowed equipment from each other but each service procured and maintained their own equipment. When the War Department and Navy Departments were dissolved in 1948 and the DOD was created the services became individual but under one boss. Their order of rank became Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp & Coast Guard. Many other changes occurred in the period 1948 thru 1950. The Army became the central procurement point for all tactical wheeled and tracked vehicles and the USAF became the central procurement point for all aircraft and the Navy the central procurement point for all naval vessels. So if the Army needed a new aircraft they submitted their needs to the Air Force and if the Air Force needed a new jeep they submitted their needs to the Army. Thus all jeeps (less the CJV35 series) left Willys from 1950 thru 55 with USA XXXXXXXX registration numbers on the hood and US Army Ordnance as the procurement agency on the lower left dash plate. Those destined for USAF, Navy or USMC service would list their service in the maintenance block of that plate. The actual distribution of new jeeps was usually known well ahead of time and the USAF, Navy and Marines generally had their jeeps delivered to them directly from the Toledo assembly lines. All these jeeps came in OD2430 and were repainted in the field by the using services when the need for repainting arose. Around 1955 the inter-service rivalry peaked again and the central procurement agency was re-assessed and many changes took place bringing a lot of the contracting authority back to the individual services. From 55 on the jeeps leaving Kaiser had the contract numbers for the service they were procured by. It was during this period 53 and on that individual services started requesting their vehicles be delivered in their colors and a lot of the repaints were done right at Kaiser. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
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