RE: [MV] Kettenkrads and Weird

From: John Hutterer (john.hutterer@deltec.com)
Date: Wed Feb 07 2001 - 05:51:18 PST


Phillip,

According to TB 746-93-1 (Color and Marking of Military Vehicles) (Oct 64)
paragraph 9-i-2-q has to do with marking vehicles of separate Companies or
Detachments that have been identified in the previous paragraph (h). Graves
Registration is a Quartermaster activity and Quartermaster is one of the
units mentioned in paragraph (h). Quartermaster is symbolized with the
letter "Q". Paragraph 9-i-2 lists quite a number of sub-units that would
fall under one or another of the various units listed in paragraph (h), but
Graves Registration is not one of them. Instead, the last item in
paragraph9-i-2 is item (q) "Other Name Units". The description for unit
identification reads "Appropriate and non-conflicting letters, normally not
to exceed three, to properly identify the name of the unit. When necessary,
the numerical designation of the battalion will precede the applicable
symbol."

This tells me that you can, essentially, make up your own markings to
designate Graves Registration, as long as you can do it in three letters, or
less. I would suggest "GRV" or "GR" or "GRG". Several years ago, I was First
Sergeant of a Quartermaster Company that had a Graves Registration NCO
assigned to it. He also doubled as our Training NCO, since there wasn't too
much for him to do in Graves Registration. He didn't have a vehicle assigned
to him, so I can't help you with a bumper number. This might very well be
the case in many Quartermaster units. If there is only one slot for an MOS
in an entire company, it isn't too likely that the person holding that slot
will have a vehicle assigned to him/her, or that it will be specially
marked.

This brings to mind the fact that our local Army Reserve did have a Graves
Registration Unit assigned as part of the 775 Field Service Company, about
15-20 years ago. It was complete with refrigerated semi-trailers for storing
bodies, and a fair number of Graves Registration Specialists. I'll check
with some of the old-timers around here and see if any of them remember what
type of markings were on the trailers.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Philip J. Ulzheimer [mailto:faithphil@mindspring.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 6:34 PM
To: mil-veh@mil-veh.org
Subject: [MV] Kettenkrads and Weird

First the Kettenkrad stuff. Does anyone out there know of any Ket's in the
Los Angeles area. OK now for the weird. Does anyone have any ideas or
information as to what the markings for a 1943 jeep would be for a Graves
Registration unit?

Phil Ulzheimer

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