AEF Vehicle insignia

[world war I nerd]

A White 1-Ton truck with what looks to be the letter 'A' on the windshield. Is this a tactical marking or something else?

 

Photo Courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection

[world war I nerd]

A "U.S." marked (on the front & on the door) Balloon Company winch truck ... photo courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Light trucks belonging to an unknown MG Company, possibly on the Mexican Border circa 1916-1917. The spare tire covers appears to be stenciled "U.S. ORD DEPT", I think.

[mrwocco]

Unknown vehicle type. Stencil reads " U.S. QM CORPS". Photo of men from the 134th Infantry, 34th Division, Camp Cody.

[world war I nerd]

Another great addition mrwocco. I have some additional U.S.Q.M. marked vehicle images that I need to set up and add.

 

PS, Not sure, but I think those are General Service Wagons.

 

Here's a VIIth Army Corps chaplain's motor car with a VIIth Corps Insignia on the windscreen ... photo courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection

[rolfi]

World War One Nerd et al, this may be of interest it's lifted verbatim from the "Manual of the Motor Transport Corps", October 1918.

513. IDENTIFICATION INSIGNIA.

(a) Trucks composing trains or smaller units of not less than twelve trucks

will have stencilled or painted on both sides and the rear distinctive insignia,

together with the serial number, of such truck within the company or other unit.

The design must be of simple pattern, readily discernable at some distance, and

must be black, but on a background of any color, which must be more than

eighteen inches square. The same design and the same colored background will

be used for all vehicles in a company or smaller unit, while the same design,

but of different colored background, for each company will be used for thevehicles

in a train. Motor ambulances and passenger cars will also bear such

insignia, so far as body construction will permit.

(b The organization number will be placed within the square containing

the insignia in such a manner as not to create a tendency to confuse it with the

registration number, and will indicate the vehicle's number within the organization.

Thus, if an organization operate twenty-seven trucks or ambulances and

one passenger vehicle, the trucks or ambulances will be numbered from one to

twenty-seven consecutively, and the passenger vehicle twenty-eight.

(c No insignia will be used or adopted for this purpose until after a design

or description thereof shall have first been submitted to the Director, Motor

Transport Corps, and his approval given. Approved designs will be registered

in the Office of the Director to prevent duplication. In cases where organizations

find it impracticable to cut their own stencils, requisitions therefor should

be submitted to the Director, Motor Transport Corps.

(d) The provisions of the foregoing Paragraph 513 (a) are limited to the

following organizations:

COMBAT DIVISION.

Division headquarters.

Train headquarters and Military Police.

Ammunition train.

Engineer train.

Sanitary train.

Mobile ordnance repair shop.

CORPS TROOPS.

Corps headquarters (including headquarters troop).

Military police company.

Corps artillery park (including M. O. R. S.).

Sanitary train.

Supply train.

Troop transportation trains.

Engineer regiment and engineer train.

ARMY TROOPS.

Army headquarters (less army artillery headquarters).

Army artillery park.

Military police company.

Motor supply service (1 regiment headquarters and 6 companies engineers).

Road service.

Truck companies.

Sanitary train.

Truck companies, army train.

Supply train.

Army reserve.

S. O. S.

Motor truck trains.

Motor truck companies.

Motor car companies.

In addition to the foregoing, various organizations operating in the Services

of Supplies, such as groups, schools and training centers, may, upon application

to the Director, Motor Transport Corps, be assigned identification insignia

where circumstances warrant such action.

(e) Motorcycles, rolling kitchens, trailers and vehicles belonging to combat

trains of organizations will not be marked with identification insignia.

[rolfi]

302 Transport Company:

 

The salamander also appeared in red or gold wire on a white disc as a shoulder patch.

[world war I nerd]

Rolfi, excellent addition & exactly the sort of documentation this thread needs to help explain some of what we are seeing in the photos.

 

It would be great if we could turn up some information regarding vehicle insignia (if it exists) from earlier in the war, or even before the war ... anybody?

 

Also, nice image of the 302nd Motor Truck Company Insignis.

[rolfi]

414 Motor Supply Train:

[world war I nerd]

414th Motor Supply Train ... nice! Rolfi are you making the graphics you've posted?

 

Machine Gun motorcycle & sidecar simply marked "No.2", presumably from the Mexican border circa 1916.

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection

[GITom1944]

Wow. I'm a long-time WW2 buff who has only recently taken a closer interest in WW1. I'll see if I have any useful pics but I'm really responding here to thank world war I nerd for his amazing research and well presented post. This is like a free book provided to members of the forum. Interesting how division markings on AEF vehicles preceded the use of similar designs for shoulder patches and helmet markings. I had always thought the designs popped up late war or post war but this post shows they were often already designed and in use. Very interesting.

 

Tom

[MP25]

Military Police Patrol wagon

 

 

 

 

[BEAST]

Here is an ambulance from SSU 598, one of the two sections formed at Purdue University. Note the Statue of Liberty and the Croix de Guerre.

 

 

 

[world war I nerd]

Erick, your SSU598 ambulance photo is amazing. It's neat to see another Croix de Guerre painted on a vehicle. Lets hope some more Croix de Guerre vehicle images turn up

[Mitter2k1]

Thanks AEF1917 - McGeorge & Trenchbuff for the additional info & images ... keep em' coming. Trenchbuff can you post any photos of the tin plate emblems in use on AEF ambulances?

 

Steve, I think the soldier next to the FT 17 is from the 80th Division as that image was part of a series of post combat photos of the 80th Division after coming out of the Argonne. Yeah, it does kinda' look like a Kerr sling buckle.

 

Here's another heavy truck with an unidentified insignia that looks a lot (to me) like a profile of Abraham Lincoln. The soldier partially hidden by the inset appears to be wearing an Adrian helmet. Not sure if this is an AEF truck hauling French tanks or French trucks hauling French tanks, but It's hard to imagine the French Army using an image of Abraham Lincoln (if that's who it is) as a unit insignia. Can anybody ID this insignia?

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection

The only thing that comes to mind is the 11th Div. with the profile of Lafayette. However that just doesn't seem to fit the photo.

 

-Mike

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

 

 

[dunmore1774]

Looks to be stateside

[mrwocco]

I found some more photos on the World War I National Museum and Memorial website.

 

Tractor & Water Supply vehicles of the 89th.

 

[mrwocco]

General Pershing's car & possibly an 89th vehicle to the rear right.

 

And a Signal Corps Antennae vehicle assigned to the Air Service (below)

[mrwocco]

Medical Trucks

[mrwocco]

And a medical training exercise, possibly state side.

 

[12thengr]

Looks to be stateside

With that bumper it looks like a European freight car.

[world war I nerd]

Mrwocco, more excellent additions from the National WW I Museum's online photo archive, some of which I've never seen before. I especially like the image in post no. 145, which shows Medical Department men wearing the 1912 Ration Bags with wrap around bedroll.

 

Also, in case anybody's wondering, the truck at the bottom of post no. 143 has the crossed signal flags emblem of the Signal Corps on its side ... Thanks for posting.

[world war I nerd]

This stateside U.S. Army truck carrying a load of soldiers is marked "QMC - 18 - USA". Note that the following truck bears the numeral "16".

[world war I nerd]

This Mack dump truck with a "USA" prefix to its serial or registration number also bears the numeral "2" on the cab behind the driver and a logo or insignia below and to the left of the driver's backside. It's also unusual that all of the markings have been applied with black rather than white paint.

[world war I nerd]

I thought it might be worthwhile to extend the scope of this post to U.S. Army and AEF vehicles with a camouflage paint scheme - both with and without markings.

 

Other than some illegible stenciling on the superstructure on which the driver sits, this artillery tractor appears to have no additional markings.