The GMC CCKW

I am looking for detail photos of the above or, at least, overall photos which show details clearly, preferably contemporary or of accurately restored vehicles. All angles and it would be ideal if they show typical US Army Air Force stencilling.

Iain Wyllie

Iain...welcome. There is of course a photo of the A3 bowser on this very site in the trailer section.

My own research has produced very little information on these trailers in service, but the markings i have seen are typical of the period:

U.S. ARMY - AIR FORCES. on sides

A Star (Without circle). On rear panel.

Trailer serial number beginning: 00**** , on rear panel.

Caution LHD max, 40 mph etc, if ETO.

Red fire extinguisher if Stateside or new delivery ETO.

O.D. fire extinguisher if COMZ or ASCZ.

I have NO evidence of GASOLINE or NO SMOKING signs.

Hope that helps a little,

Colin.

Thanks Colin. I have a colour photo of two A3 trailers in train behind a GMC fuel truck which are marked quite differently. One has a star on the rear face and the serial numberfollowing the curve of the yop of the tank. It has No Smoking to the left of the star and above the US ARMY AIR FORCE legend on side. It has the usual Caution LHD sign and various numbers and letters on the rear face.

The other, in a browner OD has a smaller star and the serial above it in a straight line. It has some lettering on the side of the tank, too small to read in the photo below the USAAF and a star centrally on top of the tank at the front end.

On a photo of a 1/48 CMK kit there is a valve handwheel on the upper LHS of the rear face but I cannot see this on either of the above. I would like to know if this ever existed as I have not seen it on any of the small number of photos I have seen of this trailer.

BTW, what is COMZ and ACSZ?

Sorry Iain. My particular interest in with my CCKW 352 is Red Ball Express re-enactment.

As the Allies advanced through Europe sectors were designated for "risk" analysis. The nearer the front line the greater the risk. COMZ was shorthand for the Communications Zone; ASCZ was the Advanced Sector Communication Zone....nearer the front line. Vehicles traveling into these areas would adopt Field Camouflage discipline as they got nearer the front line, hence my comment about the fire extinguisher being red, (as issued) or OD as camouflage was applied in a combat zone.

I regret my A3 came without the original hose work or pumps, but I have raided the scrap box and knocked up a pseudo installation that looks busy. Not strictly true to the original, but "in the spirit of" its predecessor. It adds a bit of "life" to an otherwise bare trailer.

The signage I'm about to apply is:

U.S.ARMY - AIR FORCES.

Note the hyphen and plural. This I believe to be correct. I'll post it up when it’s done, perhaps we can exchange photos. ?

Regards

Colin

I had looked up the acronyms and they were as you say - just couldn't see the relevance!

I've never seen USAAF as you describe on USAAF vehicles, must be a one off. My main interest is the aircraft side and as an aviation artist I like to get the details correct, not just on the aircraft but anything else appearing in a painting. Where did you see the hyphen and plural?

Is there any evidence of a valve having been on the upper left rear face of the tank?

I can scan the photo I referred to if you like.

It would appear as though Karoshi's lettering is supported in the PTO-CBI but maybe not in the ETO.

Bill



Gassing up a Consolidated B-24 in China

http://historylink101.com/ww2_color/Wor ... _3492.html

and this

9th AAF, 378FG

But Bill, my understanding is that the picture of the 9th AAF 378th FG. was taken in France, and hence in the ETO.

Nice to see the picture of the A1 Fueler, an even rarer animal.

Colin

I can see that the tank has US ARMY AIR FORCE written on it - anything else is scuff marks and/or staining.
The unit is the 378th Fighter Squadron not Fighter Group. It was one of the three squadrons making up the 362nd FG. As the invasion stripes are fully intact, this photo was probably taken at Liggerolles or Rennes, the first two bases from which the group operated in France after D Day.
I have attached the photo I mentioned which shows A 26 Invaders of the 391st BG being replenished. It shows two different forms of markings. I also have a smaller photo showing an A3 in service with no markings on the side of the tank.
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Looks like you are right guys.

Karoshi, I improperly assumed that it only said Army Air Forces. For some reason I did not take into account that the helmet sitting on the hose clip would be blocking US.

My appologies.

Em........US ARMY AIR FORCE, singular, actually! The imaginary S is scuffing or staining.

I have now spent some hours poring through my USAAF refs and have found two colour photos of articulated refuellers with the legend US ARMY AIR FORCES - one has a star in a ring between ARMY and AIR. Most have FORCE singular and some have US ARMY AIR CORPS.
So it would seem that there is an S in the trailer photo with a stain running through it. I am always cautious about staring too long at something on a photo as it is all too easy to convince oneself that what one sees is what one wants to see!
Glad that's cleared up as there is always a niggling doubt unless something is clear and unambiguous.

Iain

Iain never say never in this game. Heres another picture showing the same type of scuffing and staining.



Regard your original question about the rear end mounted valve, could you have been looking at an A1 bowser and not an A3. The A1 did have a tall fire extinguisher mounted at that point, as the photo shown by Weasel Nut portrays.

Indeed, believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see!

Here is an ad for a kit showing the handwheel on the back face. Looks like a normal valve handwheel - it's at about 10 o'clock on the face. You can just see it protruding in the larger photo.
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Agreed thats an A3, I have seen several, but never one with a hand wheel valve on the rear. The front plumbing looks correct though.

There are no fittings other than the Top Hatch, underside Sump Bowl and front Extraction Pipe to connect to. So the purpose of the rear valve to me is a mystery, but in scale so is the length of the towing eye. The ring is almost flush to the adjustable height rack. The rear bumper also stands further out from the tank, but these are detail points that dont really distract from a nice looking kit.

That's what I thought. I wonder where that notion came from.
I also wonder how many turns of the crank handle it took to transfer the contents of the full tank!

Only half as many as you think !..there are two crank handles.

Doh!

I can't post it as it will be part of a book soon and doesn't belong to me, but there is a photo of an A-1 on a flight line of L-5's in CBI; painted in large numerals on the rear of the tank is the number 73, for the octane of the gas.