White Star??

[RattlesnakeBob]

Yep I know a good few of you will be tutting over me asking this but...:undecided:.....

What year of WW2 was the 'White Star' adopted as the 'Allies' universal symbol?...and was it actually adopted as the universal symbol or am I imagining that ??????

...now....I've seen Free French and Polish Exile Army Trucks/Tanks /Jeeps and such like with it on .....but was it supposedly adopted by all vehicles of all the Allies except the Soviets?...

I'm guessing some vehicles that were maybe already 'in the field' maybe never ever got one painted on ..but were they supposed to have it on?

...I know we kept the 'roundel' on our aircraft right up to the end of the war but...

...did we actually use the 'white star' on all British Army vehicles such as Armour /Transport/Artillery etc etc etc ??

Cheers!

[woa2]

I beleive All Allied vehicles had a white star from early 1944 ready for D-Day, and there was an order to do this. Not sure of the date but I will try and look it up.

[timbo]

Yep I know a good few of you will be tutting over me asking this but...:undecided:.....

What year of WW2 was the 'White Star' adopted as the 'Allies' universal symbol?...and was it actually adopted as the universal symbol or am I imagining that ??????

...now....I've seen Free French and Polish Exile Army Trucks/Tanks /Jeeps and such like with it on .....but was it supposedly adopted by all vehicles of all the Allies except the Soviets?...

I'm guessing some vehicles that were maybe already 'in the field' maybe never ever got one painted on ..but were they supposed to have it on?

...I know we kept the 'roundel' on our aircraft right up to the end of the war but...

...did we actually use the 'white star' on all British Army vehicles such as Armour /Transport/Artillery etc etc etc ??

Cheers!

 

Coincidentally I was just reading about this in Warpaint vol 4 last night - a truly excellent series of books by the way. It was primarily an air recognition signal, and was adopted for widespread use in the run up to D day, although from recollection there was a more limited use of it earlier (1943 I think). All vehicles were to have it on although the size and positioning varied greatly. Tanks tended not to have it on the sides or front as it was feared it could make a convenient aiming mark..! Some tanks had white painted turret tops instead. I would imagine nearly all vehicles had it on, even if roughly applied, in order to protect against attack by roving bands of tiffies and thunderbolts..

 

Hope this helps. Sure someone will be along soon with more definitive info..

 

Cheers

[The Garrison]

I understand this was an order from 11 April 1944.

 

Recognition of Vehs

by Allied Aircraft

 

 

1. White Five Pointed Stars
   

 

 

White Five Pointed Stars will be painted on all vehs ("A" and "B"), SP Guns and mobile mech eqpt. with the exception of RAF vehs and med vehs which carry the Geneva cross, as follows:-

 

(a)

Place

(i) All (armoured) vehs (incl SP guns, carriers, trucks, (halftrack) and trucks 15 cwt 4 x 4 personnel (White Scout Cars)

- TOP only

where space permits (see (d) (i) below).

 

(ii) All other vehs and equpts - TOP and BOTH SIDES where space permits (see (d) (ii) below.

(b)

Design

 

... -when painted

on top

of veh to be surrounded by

4 inch wide white circular band

, touching the points of the star.

©

Selection of Space

 

(i) Top - on largest horizontal or near horizontal surface - NOT on canvas canopies, nor roofs, etc., on which stores are likely to be carried, nor on the part of the cab above the co-drivers seat as this will be holed for AALMG.

 

(ii) Sides - on any plain vertical or near vertical surface NOT usually obscured by fitments, etc.

(d)

Size

 

(i) Top - as large as possible, NOT less than 1 ft in radius measure from centre to outside edge of band.

 

(ii) Sides - if possible 10 in radius from centre to tip MINIMUM 3 in radius from centre to tip

 

(iii) If space does not permit these minims, NO star will be painted

(e)

Paint

 

White lead GS, (Cat no HA 0293), obtainable by indent through Ord channels. Background selected should be as dark as possible.

(f)

Present Recognition Mark

 

The red white red recognition marks now used on AFVs will be removed.

 

Sgd. ) C.F. Laurin. Lt. -Col. G.S.

for (C.C. Mann) Brig.

(Chief of Staff)

 

[lynx42 Rick Cove]

RattlesnakeBob,

 

 

 

I have Yellow Stars on my 1942 M3A1 White Scout Car. I did this as it was an American Armoured vehicle before the use of the White Star was formalised. I had to do a lot of research to make sure that I had the right markings for early 1942 and this is what I discovered. The blue painted registration numbers were not as readable from a distance or on photographs so that the vehicles and their units could not be easily be recognised by the enemy.

 

 

 

A plain White Star was seen on some U.S. vehicles in England as early as 1942. It was also seen in the South West Pacific (Guadalcanal). By 1943 it was seen on all types of vehicles in all theatres of war. In August 1942 HQ Armoured Forces (US) order No. AR-850-5 formalised the use of the White Star as a form of national insignia .

BUT, in January 1942 HQ Armoured Forces (US) had issued orders that all armoured vehicles would have the national insignia painted in Air Corps. Yellow No.4. Lustreless. As a result, some armoured units continued with their Yellow Star right through-out the remainder if the war. (General Patton was one who always had yellow stars on his vehicles. There are plenty of photos of his vehicles with the Yellow Star.)

 

 

 

The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, 10th July 1943 was the first major usage of the WhiteStar. Because of reports that the White Star could be mistaken for a German insignia and there was a threat of friendly fire, orders were issued for a circle to be painted around the White Star. Initially that circle was to be painted in the aforementioned Air Corps Yellow No.4 lustreless. Later this was changed to a white circle.

 

 

This White Star within the white circle continued until the end of WW2 and beyond.

 

 

I hope this helps to clear the waters, or does it maybe muddy them a bit more?

 

 

Regards Rick.

[tim gray]

 

RattlesnakeBob, I have Yellow Stars on my 1942 M3A1 White Scout Car. I did this as it was an American Armoured vehicle before the use of the White Star was formalised. I had to do a lot of research to make sure that I had the right markings for early 1942 and this is what I discovered. The blue painted registration numbers were not as readable from a distance or on photographs so that the vehicles and their units could not be easily be recognised by the enemy. A plain White Star was seen on some U.S. vehicles in England as early as 1942. It was also seen in the South West Pacific (Guadalcanal). By 1943 it was seen on all types of vehicles in all theatres of war. In August 1942 HQ Armoured Forces (US) order No. AR-850-5 formalised the use of the White Star as a form of national insignia . BUT, in January 1942 HQ Armoured Forces (US) had issued orders that all armoured vehicles would have the national insignia painted in Air Corps. Yellow No.4. Lustreless. As a result, some armoured units continued with their Yellow Star right through-out the remainder if the war. (General Patton was one who always had yellow stars on his vehicles. There are plenty of photos of his vehicles with the Yellow Star.) The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, 10th July 1943 was the first major usage of the WhiteStar. Because of reports that the White Star could be mistaken for a German insignia and there was a threat of friendly fire, orders were issued for a circle to be painted around the White Star. Initially that circle was to be painted in the aforementioned Air Corps Yellow No.4 lustreless. Later this was changed to a white circle. This White Star within the white circle continued until the end of WW2 and beyond. I hope this helps to clear the waters, or does it maybe muddy them a bit more? Regards Rick.

Lots of pics showing the vihicles massing in waiting areas or depots prior to issue, having said that of course thier are plenty of books with the end users stating that post landing they got rid of some aspects of the white star pretty damn sharpish, mainly tankers as i recall. Dont think anybody was hugley stressing about luftwaffe interference after a few days post landing . The reference to an earlier yellow star is interesting as i had not heard of that element on american markings.

[GoranWC51]

"but was it supposedly adopted by all vehicles of all the Allies except the Soviets?..."

 

The answer to that is: no.

 

The only other allied unit NOT using the five pointed star (to my knowledge), with and without a ring around it, was the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which landed in Italy in the fall/autumn of 1944. All their army vehicles sported the "Cruzeiro Do Sul" marking, five small stars in a cluster, with a ring (broken in four places: north,south,west and east) around them. The stars origin was from the Brazilian national flag. The Brazilian air force units in Italy had their own, very special, star marking as well.

 

 

Brazil was the first South American country to declare war on Germany, as early as August 1942, due to German submarines sinking a lot of civilian ships with loss of life. In August of 1944 the first units of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force landed in Italy. They arrived with Brazilian uniforms, its design inspired by French army (they also had the French "Adrian" helmets). They were re-supplied with US arms and most of their uniform items and received US vehicles, etc. The heaviest vehicle the FEB (Forca Expedicionaria Brasileira-FEB) used was the Ford M8 Greyhound.

 

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force or BEF/FEB was a force about 25,700 men and women arranged by the Army and Air Force to fight alongside the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. Brazil was the only South American country to send troops to fight in the Second World War. The FEB was placed under the command of General Clark's 5th army.

 

The FEB received extensive training by the US 10th Mountain Division.

 

This air-land force fought in Italy from September 1944 to May 1945, while the Brazilian Navy as well as the Air Force also acted in the Atlantic Ocean from the middle of 1942 until the end of war. During the eight months of the Italian campaign, the Brazilian Expeditionary Force managed to take 20,573 Axis prisoners, consisting of two generals, 892 officers and 19,679 other ranks. During the War, Brazil lost 948 of its own men killed in action across all three services during the Italian campaign.

 

We're planning a homage to the FEB in June 2012 when we will be driving from Holland (Best) to the battlefields around the Gothic Line, called "To The Gothic Line And Back". Interested parties can contact me on goran_noren[at]yahoo[dot]com. A website is in the planning stages.

 

Goran N

[mcspool]

Photo caption:

 

An Original & Authentic 8 x 10 Inch US Army WWII First View of "Liberation Star" Insignia For D-Day Invasion May 1944 Dated Official Signal Corps News Period Photograph.

This photo shows the white star, designated as the identification marking of the liberation forces to be deployed to the ETO at Normandy. The star was used on all Allied ground forces during the rest of WWII. Note the truck is Canadian. The location is England, just before the invasion. The unit marking is censored for deletion, indicating the truck was assigned to the Canadian Postal Corps.