Chevrons

[Tugger]

'Thicko' Tugger here,

 

Can anyone help me, I have wondered what the chevrons on the side of modern MV's mean, sometimes < , sometimes ^ ?

 

I asked a mate who had just served in Iraq but his reply of "You know I haven't a clue, we just drove the Landies with them on" was a little vague :lol:

 

Thanks

[Enigma]

I think its just the same as the WW2 white star, for recognition.

[fv1609]

The earliest pictures of the use of the V that I can recall were on Israels vehicles in the 6-Day War of 1967. In modern parlence it is a "Conter-Fracticide Marking" so that one's own forces and in particular one's allies do not attack you.

 

I am looking at the Aid Memoire for Op Resolute (IFOR) & it lays down in this instance the requirements for an inverted V. These were to be painted in white, but to ensure identification at night the painting was not IRR but IRA (Infra-Red Absorbent) paint. As if this wasn't enough it all had to go on the roof as well as dayglo orange panels.

 

 

[Tugger]

I appreciate that they are allied markings but wondered why the variation and what it meant?

[sirhc]

I believe the inverted V (/\) was first used in the Gulf war (1991) as it is an Arabic 8 and represents the number of countries in the coalition. After the Gulf it was adopted by the British/Americans and used in most war zones, such as Bosnia, Kosovo etc as a recognition symbol. I'm not sure why they turned it on its side in 2003 for Operation Telic (or Iraqi Freedom if you are an American) but they did.

 

Chris

[fv1609]

I appreciate that they are allied markings but wondered why the variation and what it meant?

 

 

Found this in FM 71-100-2 in a section on vehicle marking in Infantry Division Operations

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/fv1620/Img-011.jpg[/img]

[Tugger]

FV1620..

 

many thanks