It was one of those days!! My computer hard drive died and took with it a month's worth of info collecting. I lost all of the armor painting references that I had accumulated on the MERDC scheme for the ITV. Can anybody give me some leads? I did a "Google" search, but could not find anything on the MERDC pattern. I did find a couple of references for the NATO three color scheme. I may have to settle for that or just SWAG it. Any help will be appreciated. :-)

Thanks,
Dave

Delta Dave,

You are looking for TB43-0209. It's the technical bulletin entitled Color, Marking and Camouflage/Painting of Military Vehicles, Construction Equipment and Materials Handling Equipment, dated October 1976. I can't find it online, though. Hope this helps!

This is the 1990 version. It illustrates the three color NATO scheme. MERDC is the four color scheme used in the 70s and 80s. Some Reserve and Guard equipment kept the MERDC scheme into the 90s. But the source you posted is valuable and a recommended bookmark/download for any modern US vehicle buff.

Nope. Right era, but there is no specific diagram for the 901 (or any other "combat") equipment either. Sorry.
Good hunting, GreyHunter, but this is one elusive TB.

Hi

The only MERDC pattern for the M113 range I found was here under camouflage MERDC and is for the M163, hope you can adapt it and that this helps:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/afv/index.html

The pictures for the actual vehicle patterns were here as well and included :

M49 tanker truck
M60A1, -A2 & -A3 main battle tanks
M109 self-propelled howitzer
M163 Vulcan anti-aircraft gun
M551 Sheridan reconnaissance vehicle
M577 command post carrier

I could not find the patterns so here goes some that were originally from this site:












The number on the pictures do correspond to the sites camouflage (colour) schemes namely:

Desert, gray
Desert, red
Snow, temperate climate with open terrain
Snow, temperate climate with trees
Summer, US & Europe, verdant
Tropics, verdant
Winter, arctic
Winter, US & Europe, verdant.

I've got one at work. I believe it is in NATO 3-color, but it may just be in overall forest green. I'll take a look at it on Wednesday (if I remember).

Thanks everyone for your help. I found all of the above info during the Google search and as has been pointed out they contain nothing on the MERDC pattern for the M901. It may just be that there never was a MERDC pattern. The ITV might have come out during that "in between period" between the MERDC and the 3 color NATO. Any 4 color schemes may have been individual unit generated and not of "Official" origin.

Once again, thanks everyone for the effort.

Dave

I served in Germany during the "in between" period. The 3-color scheme was basically the 4-color scheme without the light tan "squiggles". The black squiggles also became more like a third main color (bigger blotches as opposed to "V" or "Y" shaped).

I've got one. All I need to do is to find where it got packed when I moved. Still haven't finished unpacking everything. If I find soon I'll Post a message about it.

BTW, have tried looking for the 4 color MERDAC camou for the FST-V (M113 version)? It has the same camou pattern.

I am trying like heck to remember if my 901s in the scout platoon had MERDC or NATO Tri-color. I do distinctly remember one of the ones I rode around in at Ft. Knox as being overall Forest Green. That was with the Scout Platoon, HHC, 4th Bn, 15th Infantry, 194th BDE. Don't recall the specific vehicle number. I somewhat suspect my 901s in the Guard were tri-color. So it's probably of no help to you.

Here's one sort of



All 901s were rebuilt from existing 113 hulls. I can't remember any that were in the four color scheme.

Hey Steve, is that the "197 BDE" or the "157 BDE"? Just can't make it out. Nice pic! Thanks for posting.

Hi fella's
IIRC the Verlinden "Warmachines" volume on the M901 had a group of simplified camo patern drawings in it. I'll hafta look and get back to ya!
Chuck

My M901 ITV is in the standard NATO 3-color camouflage scheme. I assume it is the same scheme used on all the M981 FIST-Vs, but I do not know for sure. FIST-Vs were the first of the new vehicles to be issued in factory applied NATO schemes.

Based this one from Concord's book... Blitz in the Desert.

M901-1

M901-2

I really appreciate everyone's help and input. Based on all of this info, I will probably go with the NATO 3-color. It will be a good departure from my other tracks that are all in the MERDC scheme.

Thanks again for the help.

Dave

Dave,

HOLD THE PHONE!

Can you get your hands on Verlinden's Warmachines No. 9? It the M113/ Part2. On pages 17 thru 24, it shows an M901ITV of the 1st Infantry Division in Germany in, yes, the MERDC scheme. The colors used are Forest Green, Olive Drab, Sand and Black. Let me know if you can't get this, I may be able to scan the pics feom the monograph.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Bob,

Those may be the pictures that I lost when my hard drive died. As I remember, they were an M901 from the 16th In of the Ist Div. I will try and find a copy of the book.

Dave

Well I fouind a copy of the book. I was right, it is a vehuicle from the 16th In. It appears that the scheme is the same as for the M113 that is adjusted for the gantry. Thanks again for everyones help.

Dave

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I still haven't found any copy of the 4 COlor pattern. However, I did find my Xerox copy the the offical camouflage NATO 3 color pattern for the M901. Let me know if they will do. I'll scan them and emaill it to you.

Manchu34, thanks for the follow up. Based on the info about the WarMachines book, I was able to paint my M901 in the MERDC pattern. It looks pretty good. I really appreciate your help.

Dave :-)

No problem. ITsthe thought that counts