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5th ESB Vehicles


NebrPatch
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Some of the vehicles appearing in D-Day photos have a white arc, similar to the arc painted on 5th Engineer Special Brigade helmets, painted across the radiator grill. Due to the similarity to the 5th ESB helmets, I'm assuming the arc was used to identify the vehicle as one belonging to the 5th ESB. Is my assumption correct? Here are a few other questions I have about the arc:

  • Was the arc required on all 5th ESB vehicles?
  • If the arc wasn't required, was there a certain unit(s) that painted arcs on the grills of their vehicles?

A photo from a copy of YANK magazine showing of a bulldozer with a arc painted on the is attached, some jeeps & trucks have similar paint schemes.

 

Thanks,

Tom

post-5886-0-65499200-1528851235_thumb.jpg

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Tom - I don't have an answer for you but you may be on to something. I've had a great interest in D-Day for decades. I've pored over hundreds of photos over the years and I've never noticed these markings before. I did a quick search on Fold3 for info about the markings with no luck. You may want to post on a modeler's website http://missing-lynx.com/. There's a few U.S. armor modelers there who know just about all that is known about U.S. vehicle markings.

 

Tom

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The modeler idea is a good one; the MODELING section of this forum is right below the MILITARY VEHICLES, maybe we'll catch one someone from that section.

 

Below is a cropped D-Day photo from Fold3. Notice the arc on the jeep's grill; it also appears that the guy behind the steering wheel has a 5th ESB arc on his helmet.

 

post-5886-0-23859900-1528944760_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Notice the arc on the jeep's grill; it also appears that the guy behind the steering wheel has a 5th ESB arc on his helmet.

 

Huh... Very interesting. I don't think you'll get much help with this one because you may be the first guy to actually notice these markings. You sure have an eye for finding them. I mentioned the Missinglynx forum because one of the moderators for the Allied WWII AFV forum is Steve Zaloga. He is probably the foremost researcher and author on the subject of US WW2 vehicle markings. Engineer units & vehicles are a bit more obscure than armor and infantry units and vehicles so there has been less research and discussion about them. I think your info may prompt others to look into this more if they are made aware of it.

 

Tom

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I don't think I'm the first to notice the markings; I've heard or read it somewhere but can't remember where. My friend who also studies WWII Engineers has heard or read about the same thing. We sure would like to find some sort of confirmation to our theory.

 

Getting back to my original questions in my initial post, I don't think the arcs were required on all 5th ESB vehicles. If they were required, there would be lots of photographed vehicles with the markings. Since photographs of vehicles with the arc are somewhat rare, it might have been up to an individual unit or two.

 

I've asked a few veterans about the arc, unfortunately it was too late for them to remember a small detail like that.

 

We'll keep looking.

Tom

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