do you want an explanation for the registration numbers or the unit markings?

Quoted Text

---

do you want an explanation for the registration numbers or the unit markings?

---

From the first two posts I hoped that the article in question would explain the rationale behind registration numbers. Difficult enough, and on many pictures they are just impossible to read.

But of course I would be eager to know if anybody could recommend good reading on unit markings as well. Weren't unit markings quite arbitrary when it came to size, style and lettering?

Would the bumper number refer to the number of the vehicle within it's unit? Like A-5 or B-11?

Thank you DJ, I had only a vague idea about those codes. So to do it realistically, one had to keep the numbers low, as there is only a limited number of vehicles to a platoon and of platoons to a company etc. What would be a typical range of numbers for those three indicators in that era?

Actually I never came across a picture with black markings in Vietnam (apart from gun trucks, of course) but maybe that info would get lost on low resolution pictures. What would have happened to the registration numbers in those rare cases, were they also painted over in black?

Hi Guys,
Another item not brought up is that vehicle numbers were even and associated trailer numbers were the next odd number. I drove a 5ton Dump (m51) (my memory may be a little off on exact numbers) the driver's side front and rear was 4ENGR (4th Combat Engineer Battalion) and the passenger side front and rear was C214 (C company, 2nd platoon, 1st squad, 4th vehicle) and my trailer (expandible pole trailer in my case) was C215
Rick Smith

Quoted Text

---

Hi Guys,
Another item not brought up is that vehicle numbers were even and associated trailer numbers were the next odd number. I drove a 5ton Dump (m51) (my memory may be a little off on exact numbers) the driver's side front and rear was 4ENGR (4th Combat Engineer Battalion) and the passenger side front and rear was C214 (C company, 2nd platoon, 1st squad, 4th vehicle) and my trailer (expandible pole trailer in my case) was C215
Rick Smith

---

Rick-- I would assume each tactical unit had some variations. To use your trailer example, we used T6 to designate the 1/4 ton trailer pulled by the M151A2 A-6.
DJ

Hi Guys,
It could be, as an Engineer Company our trailers would often be used with different vehicles. In your case it looks like your trailer was permanently assigned to the Unit Commmander's Jeep. We had Pole trailers, Generator Trailers, Compressor Trailers, two or three types of Tool Trailers and would mix and match depending on mission requirements.

Hi Guys,
Commanders with big egos often added things to make their vehicle distinctive, rank plates doors things like that. It was officially discouraged since it allowed the bad guys to easily target unit commanders. The easist way to identify a command vehicle was usually it had two or more radio antennas.
Rick Smith

I sure didn't mean to spark dissent with that last question, and I think everyone will agree that it is a difference adorning an admin vehicle and drawing attention to a certain fighting vehicle in combat. More than it would receive anyway, because I guess any observer would associate additional radio antennas with higher priority.
Generally, is it save to assume that with a senior officer on board the crews wouldn't have been at liberty to add that many of the slogans and drawings seen on sides and gun shields?