As the title says. Italeri kit #235 shows US Army M109 with MERDC camo on the box art, but there are no decals for the US version in the box. Steve Zaloga's "M109 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 1960-2005 (New Vanguard)" Osprey book includes a color plate for short barreled M109 in MERDC from 1-14th Field Artillery, 2nd AD, Fort Hood in 1976, but there are no photos of this vehicle in the book.
Does anyone have any photos of early short barreled US Army M109 in MERDC camouflage? I would like to paint my model in 1-14th markings, like on the color plate in Steve Zaloga's book, but I would like to see at least one photo of such painted vehicle. All I can find are photos of M109 in OD and M109A1/M109A2 in MERDC, but no M109 in MERDC...

Pawel

Good question. I don't think many straight M109s were painted in MERDC. By the mid-'70s when MERDC was applied, most units had transitioned to M109A2s. Sorry, I don't have any pics of M109s in MERDC either.

If you dig in the Self-Propelled Indirect Fire thread, you'll find a link I inserted that takes you to a site showing a wide range of MERDC schemes. (I'd add the link here but then you wouldn't get to see the work in the thread!) Although I used it for my M109A2, the scheme given is actually the basic M109 (I extrapolated). It's not quite pictures but perhaps it's a decent substitute.

In the old Tanks Illustrated No 26 'US Mechanized Firepower Today' (with Mr. Zaloga as one of two authors - of course) there is a picture from an Armed Forces Day exhibition in the 'early 1970s' showing a M109 from 1/14th Field Arty in MERDEC. Must be the picture/vehicle that the color plate is based on. I'll scan and send it to you by e-mail. Anybody else interested just drop me a line.

/E

Hi Pawel,

try www.panzerbaer.de , then look for tarnschemen, scroll down to page, and look under MERDC-tarnung ( 4-farben )

Succes,

Gé Hovens

Thanks! But I already had these drawings - the problem was with finding photos that would prove that such camouflage was really used on M109. As Gino wrote, before MERDC come into use the original M109 was practically a extinct animal. But photo I received from Erik clearly shows that at least some M109's did receive that camo and that 1-14 markings are correct for such vehicle! Thanks Erik!!!

Pawel