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kmf
10/4/2010 4:23:36 PM | I have just bought a 1942 Willys jeep. This car was restored about 20 years ago. When it was restored it was found to have bumper markings of the 401bg under many layers of paint. Does anyone have any information or pictures of Jeeps allocated to 401bg at Deenethorp
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Paul Bellamy
10/4/2010 6:14:27 PM | Here's a few for now:
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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kmf
10/5/2010 12:41:03 AM | Many thanks for those pictures, if there any more out there i would love to see them. I would love to find a picture of my car there. I am sure there were not that many jeeps with the 401 bomb group
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Paul Bellamy
10/5/2010 12:04:56 PM | Do you have any photos of the bumper markings that were found?
It's something sadly lacking in the photo archive, as they are either obscured by dirt or censored out in the majority of period photos at Deenethorpe.
The left-hand half of the bumper markings for any of the units that were part of the 401st would read 8★ (3 inch star) indicating 8th Air Force, 401BG denoting 401st Bomb Group.
The x on the far right would be where the individual vehicle's Order of March number would be placed, if used:
( 8★ 401BG HQ-x ) 401st Bomb Group HQ and HQ Company
( 8★ 401BG 612-x ) 612th Bomb Squadron
( 8★ 401BG 613-x ) 613th Bomb Squadron
( 8★ 401BG 614-x ) 614th Bomb Squadron
( 8★ 401BG 615-x ) 615th Bomb Squadron
Other units on base would follow a similar arrangement. A few examples:
( 8★ 450SD x ) 450th Sub Depot
( 8★ 251M x ) 251st Medical Dispensary
( 8★ 861G x ) 891st Chemical Company
( 8★ 1192P x ) 1192nd MP Company
( 8★ 1597-O x ) 1597th Ordnance (Supply & Maintenance) Company
( 8★ 1209Q x ) 1209th Quartermaster Company
( 8★ 2095 EFF ) 2095th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
After the April 1945 reorganisation of non-combat units within the 8th Air Force, the above support units were amalgamated into an Air Service Group.
The new unit markings don't appear to have been recorded in regulations, and may not even have actually been applied before VE-Day, so below is a "best guess" as to what they would have been:
( 8★ 431SVG HQ-x ) 431st Air Service Group HQ and HQ Company
( 8★ 431SVG 857AES-x ) 857th Air Engineering Squadron
( 8★ 431SVG 681AMS-x ) 681st Air Materiel Squadron
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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kmf
10/5/2010 2:27:20 PM | many thanks for that information. I am still awaiting the pictures of the original bumper markings. Looking at what you have said it should rear on the bumpers, it looks like it has been marked up incorrectly. It is marked on the right side 401BG and on the left side 612BS but under the windscreen it is marked as a tribute to one of the B17s Diabolical Angel with a matching picture. I will try to up load the pictures i have so far but not too sure how to do it yet
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kmf
10/5/2010 2:34:47 PM | i do hope there pictures have come out ok
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Paul Bellamy
10/5/2010 2:41:48 PM | Nice script-bodied MB. 🙂
Paul Bellamy
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Paul Bellamy
10/5/2010 6:40:03 PM | To clear up a possible ambiguity in my earlier post, there were a lot of variations in how 8AF vehicles were marked.
Whilst they were supposed to comply with the US Army regulations of the time (AR 850-5), that gets a bit difficult when the regulations themselves mainly refer to non-air force units. 😉
Working from photos of various types of vehicles at Deenethorpe it would seem that, in the main, at the very least the individual vehicle number was rarely applied.
The front bumper markings below are taken directly from a lineup of the station's Dodge ambulances:
(_ 8★__ 450SD_)
(_ 8★ 401BG_612_)
(_ 8★ 401BG_614_)
(_ 8★ 401BG_615_)
An partly out-of-focus photo of the rear bumper of a staff car outside the base headquarters gives:
(_ 8★401BG???_)
Jeep front bumper seen on a dispersal, September 1944:
(_8★_____450SD_)
All those in the photos have OD bumpers with the ends painted white outside the white markings, or all-white rear bumperettes with black or OD markings.
(Apologies for the scrappy formatting, but the forum software automatically strips out what it sees as superflous spaces.)
Jeep bonnet stars are noted as being either the larger type in the centre of the bonnet, with an unbroken circle, or the smaller early pattern overlapping the bonnet hinge.
In the latter case there is no circle, but the star is superimposed on a solid disc of yellow gas detecting paint.
Stars by the rear wheels on jeeps at Deenethorpe are also always seen without a circle.
Something often seen on 8AF jeeps is the rear bumperettes fitted upside-down before the markings were applied, roughly half of those in the Deenethorpe photos have had this done. While the purpose of this modification this is unclear, it has been suggested that it was to make them easier to stand on for whatever reason.
Hope that's of use,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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EDanaII
10/5/2010 9:21:14 PM | Nice Jeep. 🙂 You'll have to bring it to a reunion someday...
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kmf
10/6/2010 12:42:53 AM | Many thanaks for your help on this post. I think from the information you have given me i need to add the "8" and the star to the right hand side of the markings to make it better. I will post the original pictures of the markings when i get them. If you find and more Jeep pictures from Deenethorpe please post them, you never know perhaps i might find an original picture of my car there
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