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I am preparing to paint the bumper/bumperette markings on my 1955 M38A1. The markings I plan on using will commemorate the unit my father-in-law served in during and after the Korean War:

7th Division
32nd Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion
Company L
3rd vehicle

Would the following be the correct markings for the front bumper?
7—32-I ★ 1L—3

Driver bumperette:
7
32-I

Passenger bumperette:
1L
3

Thanks

Looks correct for the standard Unit markings. Just remember that some units didn't follow the standard, so they may have marked them slightly different. Period pictures would be the way to check to see how they marked them. I have seen units drop the major command, or even some of the intermedate commands from the markings in period pictures.

You have too many unit #'s showing. From the viewer's perspective, Drop the 7 and move the rest one place left leaving only the L-1 on the right side. How high up the chain of command the markings went was normally only enough to keep vehicle's easily recognized as to which local unit they belonged to.

wesk wrote:You have too many unit #'s showing. From the viewer's perspective, Drop the 7 and move the rest one place left leaving only the L-1 on the right side. How high up the chain of command the markings went was normally only enough to keep vehicle's easily recognized as to which local unit they belonged to.

Wes, just so I understand you correctly. Are you suggesting I use the following markings?

Front bumper:
32-I ★ 1L—3

Driver bumperette:
32-I

Passenger bumperette:
1L
3

Beast wrote:Looks correct for the standard Unit markings. Just remember that some units didn't follow the standard, so they may have marked them slightly different. Period pictures would be the way to check to see how they marked them. I have seen units drop the major command, or even some of the intermedate commands from the markings in period pictures.

I have searched period pictures until my eyes hurt. I see no consistency. I developed my original markings by reviewing the following webpage:
http://www.m38a1.com/resources/color_markings.htm


P.S.: Be expecting an order from me as soon as I get this figured out.

Yes the standard per the manuals is;
(1) Major command, organization, activity.
(2) Intermediate organization or activity.
(3) Unit or activity.
(4) Vehicle number

But like Wes said, most dropped the major command when the motorpools marked the vehicles. They were really only concerned with the immediate unit and vehicle number to keep track within that units motorpool.

Would look like; 32-I 1 ★ L—3

32-I
1

L-3

I keep an eye out for it.

Dave

This might be useful:

http://www.lonesentry.com/panzer/jeep-markings.html

Thank you beast for answering for me.