Quick question for the Indirect Artillery types:
On the M106 carriers, did the MERDC pattern carry over onto the interior sides of the mortar top deck hatches, so that when folded open, the camo pattern continued?
I doubt anyone’s going to commit to an answer for you - especially if they can’t find it online.
Army U.S. Army Technical Bulletin TB 43-0209 back then called for the interior of hatches to be painted the dominant base color. But - the two base colors were to be painted of 45% of the surface. The default seems to have been the green. Did it say to carry over the scheme? Not that I can discern. So a little detective work comes into play - possibly dependent upon the local commander’s whims.
This is not an M106.
This is not MERDC.
But I do like to do my own research as you saw from the other photos you have.
So please look at these and make your own determination based upon what you see.
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From my time dealing with “mortar maggots” as a 13F, I did not particularly notice any thing other than green or tan, depending on the base outside color. However, the 34th ID was particular about making sure that equipment, whether new issue or foisted on us (er I mean reassigned) was brought up to standard. Not directly relating to the M106, but “we” inherited a BUNCH of equipment from the 24th ID back in 1996. It was AHEM well used and in a mostly sad state of disrepair. It took 3-4 M109’s to make one usable 1 out of them. I even drove around in a former USMC M88A1 in their old MERDC type scheme.
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I wasn’t an 11 Chuck, I was 11H, 11B. But in my time with Mech Infantry in the 80’s, the interior faces of all hatches were usually just in the base color of 34079 Forest Green. We were often at the wash rack alongside the Mortar Platoon from HHC. There were several schemes worn on the tracks in our battalion, brigade, division (5th Mech, Ft. Polk)…. But aside from new ones in the 3 color CARC/NATO scheme, the 34079 was standard.
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On a quick browse through some M113 books, this is the only photo I could find that shows a MERDC-painted M106 and the inside of the hatches:
(From M113 in U.S. Service by Michael Green and Yves Debay, Hong Kong: Concord, 1991.)
This is a vehicle of the Alabama National Guard, deployed to Germany in Reforger 86. The hatches look like they were painted the same as the inside of the vehicle, without camouflage.
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That girl must have been well used.
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18Bravo, I pulled up the TB 43-0147 and control-find-ed “hatches”, which had a particular entry for the M113-series of tracked combat vehicles: Lusterless forest green. Interior surfaces of doors and hatches which become exterior surfaces during operational use.
Makes sense, although as identified in your images, camo still makes an appearance sometimes,especially across the thousands of vehicles operated by the military. So, i’ll keep the Forest Green on the interior portions of the mortar opening hatches.
Thanks to all for the responses. BTW, my active duty and NG time spanned 73 to 86, and with the exception of POMCUS vehicles during REFORGER, all of my unit’s vehicles were painted in MERDC.
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First let me say that I have absolutely NO experience with the M106, so I cannot say with certainty what the answer is based on actually SEEING one.
What I CAN say with absolute certainty is that there is NO doubt in my mind that you would have found SOME with the exterior paint scheme applied to those surfaces and SOME with the interior paint color applied.
The official TB’s not withstanding, LOCAL Commanders’ wishes and policies will apply and the ONLY way to know whether YOUR model is “correctly” painted, is to find a photo of the exact vehicle you’re modeling (with the same USA Number and the same bumper numbers) and make sure they match.
Otherwise, I’d just paint it the way that looks best to you and defy someone to say that YOUR model is incorrect.
Control “F.” My best friend during SLC.
Yeah, too bad my SLC was still in the duffle bag full of regs, manuals, policies, etc. PITA.