A couple of questions to the cognoscenti if I may?
First Question:
In the image below, I’m trying to make sense of the markings on the front of the Marine M561 coming off an LCU.
I can see ‘USMC’ within the circled (in red) marking and I can see an alpa-numeric code above the winch and a six-digit number on the right. I guess one of them is the vehicle reg. and another might be a unit code?
However, the red-circled area seems to include a black diamond with possibly a three-digit code inside it (212 to my eyes).
What do they mean and would they also be repeated on other parts of the vehicle (sides/rear)?
Second Question:
This relates to the sidelights (circled in yellow). They look more like US military pattern tail lights. I’ve seen this feature on several images of Gama Goats instead of the usual orange lights (per the Tamiya kits). I can’t decide if they are IR lights, if they represent an earlier production ‘Goat or even whether they might be specific to Marine vehicles?
Early M-series lamps with aluminum housings, such as seen above were used on virtually all types of U.S. military tactical vehicles from the 1950s up into the 1980s, though the very last models had plastic housings. In front and fitted with clear oval glass lenses, they functioned first as parking and white blackout marker lights, and later as parking, turn-signal and white blackout markers.
I think the black diamond with 12 (not 212) is the vehicle number. The diamond could be 1st Mar Div or a company symbol. The 12 looks more centered, the first 2 is the black camo playing tricks. My guess anyway.
Above the winch, I think is NCCA MM (XX) not sure what the XX is, but my guess is the unit code for the Equipment Allowance Pool (EAP) for that time period and not the regular unit MUC code. It’s a basically a military rental unit to get vehicles for training instead of shipping them across the country.
The six digit code is probably the serial number for the goat.
Hard to say about the markings elsewhere but my guess would be USMC and serial number at least on the trailer either the sides and/or rear. I would also guess the diamond 12 and NCCA on the rear of the trailer.
This is from TM9-2350-242-10 Operator’s Manual for Truck, Cargo: 1-1/4 ton, 6x6, M561 (2320-873-5407) Truck, Ambulance: 1-1/4 ton, 6x6, M792 (2320-832-9907) of March 1972.
I disappeared down a rabbit-hole whilst trying the spot similar diamond markings on other vehicles. On balance, I think they are unit codes(?).
In the old Concord Publications book shown below, there are images of a single M561 Gama Goat belonging to 26 MEU with the code ‘2235’ in the diamond (Sardinia, 1986).
Similarly, there are several photos of M151s (also 26 MEU) carrying ‘diamond codes’, but crucially, two photos show different vehicles carrying the same ‘2041’ code, whilst a third photo shows a Jeep carrying ‘2031’.
The upper lens on the rear also functioned as a brake light when using “Black Out Drive” and in “Service Drive”. They were a dim red until the brakes were activated, when they would then slightly increase in brightness. I spent many an hour driving in columns at night paying attention to those lights on the vehicle ahead.
It shows that in the diagram, too — second box in the left-hand column: “Blackout drive (brake on)” has the upper lenses on the back lit up, as well as the off-centre one at the front.
Still not certain as 26th is east coast based so mostly 2nd MarDiv units as 3rd MarDiv is in Oki and they have there own MAU/MEU units.
Second, technically in 1986 the MEU was actually the MAU Marine Amphibious Unit. The name change was in 1988.
Third, MAU/MEU doesn’t have its own units pre say. Each deployment is made up of different units temporarily assigned to the MAU/MEU.
There were two 26th MAU/MEU deployments in 1986. This is the best example I could find but it’s the air side, the ground side would have been similar as far as being mixed matched.
I cannot find one for 1986 but 1992 this can give another look at how it can be switched up.
USMC markings and unit organisation are clearly a rabbit hole all of their own
The M561 I’m building is meant to be a canvas for the Tropical Verdant version of the MERDC scheme, so that means 3rd Division in Okinawa. It’s also meant to be an easy project to get me back in the saddle after a few months of lost mojo.
As long as I have some reasonable markings for that arena, then I’ll be happy. I can create some vehicle numbers - the advantage being that Marine vehicles carry very limited markings anyway.
Now you mention that, and old MP friend of mine always old me this story about Gamma Goats.
whenever they went on convoy to training, o e private would asks him “What if we get lost?”; he responded with “Just follow the trail of broken down Gamma Goats”…
I pretended to not be able to start one at the railhead in Berlin. The Russians got bored and decided they wanted to leave. I blocked the exit. What fun! One of the officers threatened me in some weird broken English I wish I could remember.
I got my Gama Goat completed a few days ago. It’s almost entirely out of the box, with just some fuel lines for the fuel tanks and cabling for the connections between the front and rear units - neither of which are provided in the Tamiya kit.
