"M5 Halftrack WD Census Number" Topic

Before I commit to the decals on my vehicles, can any one confirm (ideally with some period phots which I haven;t been able to find) what the prefix should be?

I know universal carriers had T same as Tanks, I have seen models of M5 with T number, but also with Z numbers. They might be right, but I have my doubts and would like some confirmation.

Thanks

Leigh

Hi Leigh,

Haltracks did indeed have Z as the prefix. I forget exactly what it designated, though it indicates armoured trucks.

T was only for fully-tracked vehicles and should never therefore be used on a half-track. Even then, some fully-tracked vehicles received other prefixes such as S for SP guns.

M3A1 Scout Cars and C15TA armoured trucks also used Z:

(The extra 'C' prefix here means Canadian):

Curiously, the large Armoured Command Vehicles used the L prefix for lorries… I think it was a weight thing. IIRC, Z indicated only armoured 15cwt trucks (which was what halftracks were officially designated as, following on from that designation being given to M3A1s), so anything heavier had the L for heavy lorries.

And the armoured Morris, Otter and Humber Light Recce Cars shared the M prefix with Jeeps etc, instead of the F prefix of Scout Cars & Armoured Cars…

Don't you just love British Army markings…? :)

How did I know it would be you with the answers Jemima!! Gotta love the British Army markings. If you can't work them out, the enemy has no hope of learning anything from them!

Fantastic, thanks. Not to see if I can read those tiny Doms Decals and get the right prefix on the right vehicle!

Leigh

I paint mine… Twenty years of painting 15mm hussar braid does that to a bloke…

By the way, I looked up the prefixes and Z simply indicates a 15cwt truck, armoured or otherwise. As mentioned above, M3A1 Scout Cars, M5/M9/M14 Halftracks and C15TAs were all defined in the War Establishments as 'Truck 15cwt', hence the Z prefix.

Strangely, the M3 75mm GMC had a W prefix – that one isn't in my books! I'd expected it to have S. I wonder if W is for portee gun-carriers?

That's most odd – my photos of 6 pounder portees are L, and Deacons F. W for Weapon Carrier seems plausible, but no idea why they'd single out that one type for it.

Yeah, I'd not seen it before, but found it in two photos of M3 75mm GMCs.

I wonder what the M16 MGMC had?

I can't find an original photo to check that one. :-( The one restoration I came across has a Z though – obviously the usual pinch of salt for restored vehicles applies, but the other markings (Polish 1st armoured) look researched rather than "generic" as it were.