Army Vehicles turned into USMC Questions

[artillerydan]

Hello all,

Here are some questions on the USMC use of previous US Army vehicles. OK I have an M37 that sanding down gives me white numbers that are army but the top numbers (unledgible) were USMC, the truck left service as USMC as I have had it since mid 80's and it has all the USMC mods. OK Mules the M274 variety... Most mules I come across (maybe my location to Barstow) are USMC did the USMC really buy what apperas to be that many more Mules than the Army.. Now the third Question. Recent Purchase of VERY early M151A2 by Ford. Original paint of US Army Semi Gloss, Then USMC Green, then another military green. then a civilian red. Did the army procure with their hood / registration numbers then sell / transfer to the Corps??? Anyone have clarification on this...

[blackdog]

I can't vouch for the Army transferring vehicles into the Marine Corps, but I do know that the Marine Corps has transferred vehicles to the National Guard on several occasions. There are photos of M1051 Fire Fighting Jeeps (not sure if that's the correct nomenclature - basically an M151A2 with a big pump on the back, may have been USMC only, I don't think there are any surviving copies), M35A2's, and M37's at Barstow on DefenseImagery.mil which are captioned as vehicles being transferred to the National Guard.

[J.R. Welsh]

Hi,

Not sure I can be of much help but I do recall while I was in the Army in the late 70s we transfered a lot of stuff to the Corps. We always left the USA numbers on them for acounting purposes and they were handed over in that condition. These were M151's and Gamma Goats mostly.


J.R.

[Ben Dover]

They all belong to the US Gov't. We had M-37's in my unit at Ft Dix that had Strata Blue beneath the OD with USAF in yellow. A lot ov vehicles get reissued to other service branches after overhaul or upon requisition.

[Mike W.]

In the Navy I drove a blue M38 that might have been ex- USAF but was marked USN. When one branch is done with a vehicle it is 'surplussed' out of that branch and any other branch has a chance at it followed by other govt. organizations.

[AROOGA]

ArtyDan,
I acquired a 1944 Dodge WC63, 1.5 Ton, 6x6 a few years ago. As a retired Marine, I wanted to eventually convert it from it's Army colors and Tac marks to Marine. I discoverd early on that the USMC and Navy had Internationals and the Army had the Dodges in WW II. I was not going to make a non authentic conversion. After a lot of research and postings on the "G" I discovered the following. When WW II ended the Army declared a lot of Dodges excess and a lot of them were new and never deployed. Marines from Camp Lejeune visited Ft. Bragg, Ft. Benning and probably a few other installations and "cherry picked" the best that they could acquire. From what I understand, the streets aboard Camp Lejeune were loaded with lines of these Dodges for a time. Subsequently, a lot were used in the years after the War and then landed with the 1st Mar. Div. at Inchon. In fact, I have pictures of Dodge WC62's and 63's like mine being used as the Prime Mover for the T66, 24 Tube, 4.5 Inch Rocket Launcher, Towed. Did that light my candle! So, I may not have an authentic Marine WW II Dodge, but I have a Korean War Era one. Additionally, I've gotten further corroboration from members of the Marine Rocket Association who used and drove them in Korea. They said they loved that truck, especially when outfitted with the winter cab canvas and a heater unit they fabbed for the driver and cargo area when moving troops.
Semper Fi,
T.

[Mike W.]

The Navy had Dodges in WW2 (seen the pics) so the Marines and Coast Guard would have also as they were all under Navy Dept. control during the war.

[AROOGA]

Mike,

The pics of Navy Dodges in WW II that you refer to are probably a rare exception rather than the rule (or a Navy Shanghai job). The plethora of WW II Sea Service truck pics show Internationals. That doesn't mean a periodic need (e,g, combat loss) wasn't filled by a onesy/twosey Dodge that was available when a replacement International was not. There was one big exception, I think the vast majority of big amublances used by everyone (all services) were Dodges.

SF,
T.

[Mike W.]

T - There are more than the odd one/two Dodges, at one time I had a Dodge listing of trucks ordered new for the Navy and the IH trucks were out at the same time. I think a lot depended on where and when the trucks were being used.

[Sean Bathrick]

Not to totally revive a lost thread, but I found something kind of interesting with my jeep (52 M38A1). I think my jeep was initially an Army jeep, according to the data plates. It was rebuilt at the Japan Ordinance Depot in 1956 (engine and tub) and released from service in 1962, and sold to the Tulare School District in California. It has the undercoating, Marine Corps Green paint, rear bumperette marked USMC, and a USMC hood number in an Army format. I attached a picture. Kind of hard to read from the picture but it's USMC 20947723. Any thoughts? http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showfull.php?photo=152407

[Ben Dover]

The Maine National Guard turned in is last Enginerers Contact Truck on the Dodge M-56 Chassis back in 1985. It went to Brunswick NAS DPDO and was reissued to the USMC at a Western Base after about 30 days.