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USAF Colors for Early M35

Paint Scheme

  • USAF Camo of Era

    Votes: 4 80.0%
  • 3 Color Woodland

    Votes: 1 20.0%

  • Total voters
    5
  • Poll closed .

maccus

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
In the 60s the color of vehicles was mostly determined by which major air command they were assigned to. Almost all commands except Tactical Air Commands vehicles were strata blue. Tactical Air Commands tactical vehicles were for the most part Army OD or even Marine Corps OD. Marine Corps OD was used on ground power equipment (AGE) for many years.

I was assigned to Tactical Air Command in 64-65 and was assigned to the 507th Comm Group. at Shaw AFB. I was sent by them to Fort Benning PCS and assigned permanently to the Tactical Air Control Party ( TACP) for direct air support for the 2nd Inf Div and later the 1st Air Cavalry.. All the 507th tactical vehicles were OD as were the ones we had at the TACP in Benning. Our radio jeeps were OD as well as our deuce. And the deuce was a gasser. The AF in the early 60s tactical vehicles were a mess. Poorly maintained etc and were not in good shape. Whenever we had to take our maintenance van for calibration we would borrow a M35A1 from the Army to transport it.

As a matter of fact our M38A1 VC-104 radio jeeps were procured by the Marine Corps. And one was still Marine OD in color. As we lived, ate, did everything the Army did we had to look like them in the field. You lived longer that way. The AF troops assigned today to the TACPs still look like Army people pretty much, but with AF stripes. Close air support is still important to the Army folks.

So I would say paint your truck to the color of the Major Command you want to mark it for. All commands had a few tactical vehicles.

P.S. In my 28 year involvement with the AF I never did see a strata blue truck with a white star on it. There might have been some but I never saw one. As a mater of fact I never saw a white star on any AF vehicle.

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/airforce/a/aftacp.htm
 
Last edited:

fuzzytoaster

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After some digging and scraping I found more info inside the truck. It is/was a USAF tuck #66KO3553 last documented at 280th CCSQ in 1995. The truck has an old style shiftier arm that smacks the selector switch when in reverse meaning what plausibility..A1 model? Early A2? I have some pictures of the paint and I can't quite tell what color I'm looking at. It looks like Red/gray/blue/bare metal unless the strata blue fades gray over time or the gray is a primer. I'm purely speculating at this point, but the last picture does seem to show a darker blue.
 

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Goose2448

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I think that the "gray" is just the red bleeding into the blue. Were the insides green on the USAF trucks? Does the truck have a 4 speed or 5 speed? I know I saw a 4 speed Multi once. Had the same shiftier. I think you have an A1 that was converted into an A2 by some lazy/bad mechanics or the parts just were not there yet.
 

fuzzytoaster

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I think that the "gray" is just the red bleeding into the blue. Were the insides green on the USAF trucks? Does the truck have a 4 speed or 5 speed? I know I saw a 4 speed Multi once. Had the same shiftier. I think you have an A1 that was converted into an A2 by some lazy/bad mechanics or the parts just were not there yet.
There is a definite layer between the red and gray. It's the gray and blue that I'm having the issue with. It's a 5 speed with O/D so all that is up to date as far as an A2 goes. The inside of the deuce is light green and the doors show rich OD under them but they are not original doors. They are in far too good of shape with no markings at all.


Yep! I've been digging on it. I'm tempted to call the number on the papers just to see who picks up if anyone.
 
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DavidWymore

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Jericho

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No Question AIR FORCE STRATA BLUE . Never saw one with a white star either , should have had US Air Force, For Official Use Only , and the truck numbers on each door in Yellow, Period photos aren't that hard to find
 

Jericho

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AF had many trains at one time, Most were switching engines used to transfer fuel in my day , BUt for a short time there were some experimental Missile trains . Kelly AFB , England AFB as late as 1990 , Pease AFB until at least 1984 to name a few
 
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