British military vehicle markings of World War II
The use of markings on British military vehicles expanded and became more sophisticated following the mass production and mechanization of armies in World War II.
Unit marks were sometimes amended at the front to make them less visible when in view of the enemy. Certain other marks were however made more visible in front line areas, such as aerial recognition signs to avoid friendly fire.
There are practical purposes behind most signs such as; allied identification, bridge weight, gas detection, tactical signs, vehicle War Department number and convoy marks. Attempts were made to standardise the size, colour and location of marks, with varying degrees of success.
History
The marking on military vehicles to identify the country or unit pre-dates the development of mechanical vehicles. The Broad arrow used by the British Board of Ordnance to mark government property dates from the 16th century.Arm of service marks began with the use of service initials, such as S. & M. , which pre-dated RE .
During World War I the system of identification developed as a result of necessity, formation signs were created before being abandoned after that war ended.
Army, Corps, Independent Brigade and Divisional marks generally use symbols. Regimental, Battalion and parts of a battalion marks tend to use numbers with symbols.
Vehicle registration numbers were used to identify vehicle type and the specific vehicle number. Armoured Fighting Vehicles sometimes adopted personal names. Other marks are used for information, such as weight or maximum speed, to identify friendly vehicles, or to identify the purpose, such as bomb disposal.
Markings usually use stencils, accordingly war time markings are not generally as neat as a hand painted pre-war mark, and being done in the field are sometimes in mirror image and often in the wrong location on the vehicle.
National identification
Prior to 1943 there was no formal British identification, however BEF vehicles carried a white patch 12 inches by 15 inches on the front of AFVs, on the front left mudguard of softskins and on the sides of carriers.you would find on some vehicles in 1939/1945, a roundel on the bonnet, front wing, around the windscreen, doors, and on the rear of the vehicle. This was used in the European theatre prior to Dunkirk, in the western desert, Italy, during and after d-day.this I have seen in photographic evidence In late 1941 a patch 18in square with three vertical stripes, white, red, white was added to AFVs in the western desert, with between one and six per vehicle, in assorted places. In spring 1942 most UK AFVs were painted with a similar but rectangular patch 18in by 10in high, some had the RAC mailed fist flash instead, in a rectangle.From mid 1943 the allied star was used on the sides of softskin and AFVs, but rarely in Europe. A painted Union flag was rarely seen in late war.
Formation signs
Each vehicle had to carry a formation sign, normally the formation they are permanently attached to. Thus if temporarily attached to another unit, it would retain its normal sign unless instructed to adopt the temporary unit sign.The sign was affixed to the front nearside bumper, or close to it, such as a forward facing wing, and in a prominent position at the rear, also on the nearside. Similar size to the Arm of Service 9 inch square sign. Not supposed to be carried on motorbikes, but sometimes painted on sides of their fuel tank.
Army and Corps
Only vehicle attached to headquarters of an Army and Corps would carry insignia in place of regimental markings. This would include Army and Corps troops that were lent to sub units on an as needed basis.Army and Corps vehicles carried normal Arm of Service markings, but with a white top bar.
Independent Brigades
Independent Brigades could be allocated a special formation sign, used by vehicles not within a division. The same sign was worn by soldiers on their sleeves. Some units stenciled the independent brigade sign on their vehicles whilst keeping their own divisional sign.Divisions
Each division had its own insignia, carried by all vehicles. The same sign was worn by soldiers on their sleeves.Painted using a stencil, but occasionally hand painted giving rise to variations. Stencils were on occasion reversed. A few vehicles, such as RASC companies carried both a Corps or Division sign and their company sign. The 21st Army Tank Brigade in North Africa painted the Infantry Division sign they were supporting, alongside their own.
Non formation signs
Arm of Service
Discussed in detail from May 1939 the system was summarised in a War Office letter of 12 April 1940 updated in 1941, 1942 and 1943.All vehicles carried arm of service markings comprising a square with a white two or three digit number. Where the background colour is pale, the number may be coloured. The background colour explained the AoS, the number differentiated the AoS HQ and the individual battalions or companies within that AoS.
Painted on the offside front bumper or nearby, dependent upon the vehicle, so may be on the front of the wing, glacis or with a jeep, below the windscreen. The sign is repeated on the offside rear. The size is adapted to suit the vehicle and space available.
| Arm of Service colour | Infantry Division | Number |
| Black | Division HQ | 1 |
| Red over blue | Royal Artillery HQ | 1 |
| Blue | Royal Engineers HQ | 1 |
| Red over green diagonal | RASC HQ | 1 |
| Black | Employment platoon | 1 |
| Black | Section Intelligence Corps | 1 |
| Black | Divisional RAC | 2 |
| Red over blue | Field regiments | 3, 4, 5 |
| Red over blue | Anti tank Regt | 6 |
| Blue | Field park Royal Engineers | 8, 9, 10 |
| Black | Divisional signals | 11 |
| Red | HQ senior Infantry Brigade | 12 |
| Red | Senior Inf. Brig. anti tank company | 33 |
| Red | Infantry battalions | 13, 14, 15 |
| Green | HQ 2nd Inf. Brig. | 16 |
| Green | 2nd Inf Brig anti tank company | 34 |
| Green | Infantry battalions | 17, 18, 19 |
| Brown | HQ junior Brig. | 20 |
| Brown | Junior Brig. anti tank company | 35 |
| Brown | Infantry battalions | 21, 22, 23 |
| Red over green | RASC divisional ammunition coy | 24 |
| Red over green | RASC divisional petrol company | 25 |
| Red over green | RASC divisional supply company | 26 |
| Black | Field Ambulance | 27, 28, 29 |
| Black | Field hygiene | 30 |
| Black | Divisional Provost company | 31 |
| Black | Divisional Postal unit | 32 |
| Arm of Service colour | Armoured Division | Infantry Division | Airborne Division |
| Black | Division HQ 40 | Division HQ | |
| Maroon with light blue Bellerophon -on-Pegasus | Division HQ | ||
| Red | Armoured 50 51 52 53 54 | Infantry Brig. 81 55 56 57 | Para Brigade 81 |
| Green | Infantry 60 61 62 63 | Infantry Brig. 87 60 61 62 | Para Brigade 87 |
| Brown | Infantry Brig. 94 67 68 69 | Airlanding Brigade 94 67 68 69 | |
| Red over dark blue | Royal Artillery 74 76 77 | Royal Artillery 42 43 44 Anti Tank 46 Light Anti-Aircraft 47 | Airlanding light artillery 46 Airlanding anti-tank 47 Airlanding light AA 48 |
| Cobalt blue | Royal Engineers 41 46 | Royal Engineers 49 50 51 | |
| Red/Green diagonal | RASC 81 82 83 84 | RASC 70 71 72 73 | Universal Carrier 70 71 73 |
| Maroon | Armoured Recce 79 | ||
| Black | MG Company 64 | MG Battalion 64 | |
| Green over cobalt blue | Armoured Recce 45 | Recce Regt. RAC 41 | Airborne Recce 41 |
| Green over cobalt blue white top stripe | Armoured Car Regt. 44 | ||
| Blue over yellow over red | R.E.M.E. 40 | R.E.M.E. | |
| White over dark blue red numbers | Royal Signals 40 | Royal Signals | |
| Three vertical stripes, blue red blue | RAOC 75 18 |
A white top stripe indicates Corps troops.
A brigade HQ was the first number, then each battalion within the division, going from senior to junior, having a number increasing by one or more number. Service units, postal, provost, ambulance etc. would not have an HQ unit.
Troop carrying vehicles may use removable plates with the AoS sign as they were regularly moved between divisions. They may also have signs that were twice the size, with a black square over the RASC sign, the unit information of the troop being transported being chalked on the black square.
Headquarters, provost, medical, training & postal units in a division used a black panel with white numbers.
War department census number
A letter designating the type of vehicle followed by a number painted white with 3½ inch high, 2 inch wide stencil on the sides of the bonnet and on the tailboard of softskins, if no bonnet, then on cab door. AFV's painted theirs on the sides, sometimes on glacis in early war. Light blue was used on airborne vehicles and black on vehicles with desert camouflage. Motorcycles used half sized numbers on either side of the fuel tank or on plates front and back.Each War Department order allocated a sequence of numbers to paint onto the vehicles as they were built and left the factory.
In the 1930s census numbers began with the year.. 37... 38... etc.. By 1942 the system had changed with blocks of numbers of four to seven digits being issued. Canadian army vehicles used the same census number as British vehicles, with the addition of a prefix C.
| Letter | Vehicle type |
| A | Ambulance |
| C | Motorcycle |
| D | Dragons |
| E | Engineer vehicles |
| F | Armoured scout car or armoured car |
| H | Tractor |
| L | Lorry |
| M | Car |
| P | Amphibious |
| R | Rota trailer |
| S | Self-propelled artillery |
| T | Tracked vehicles |
| V | Van |
| X | Trailers |
| Z | Truck, White scout car, halftrack |
E, P and S were introduced later during the war. Until 1941 in the middle east vehicles used WD rather than a prefix letter and often had the numbers repeated in Arabic. Pre war civilian number plates on military vehicles continued during 1940 in the UK and in the BEF.
Aerial recognition symbols
No formal instructions before the war, experiments were run which included:- 1941 AFV's 2in white border around turret top
- 1941 Yellow fabric triangle to indicate AFV radio vehicle
- 1941/2 Western desert on softskins – white St Andrews cross
From mid 1943, an allied white five-pointed star within a white circle was adopted. Painted on a horizontal surface of a size suitable for the surface area, standard diameter being 60in, 45in, 36in, 32in, 25in, 20in or 15in. The circle was sometimes complete, sometimes broken at the star points. Not to be placed where the star would be covered by equipment, canvas, fuel cans etc. On a horizontal surface a point faced the front of the vehicle, on a glacis a point faced upwards.
| Vehicle | Location | Size inches |
| Car | Roof | 36 |
| Jeep | Bonnet | 15 |
| Command Car | Bonnet | 20 |
| 30cwt | Bonnet | 20 or 25 |
| 2 ½ ton | Bonnet or cab roof | 32 |
| 4 ton | Bonnet or cab roof | 25 or 32 |
| Scout Car | Bonnet | 36 |
| Halftrack | Bonnet | 36 |
| M8 | Engine deck | 36 |
| Light tank | Turret top | 20 |
| Medium tank | Engine deck | 36 |
From mid 1944 a coloured plastic panel supplemented the star on some vehicles, pink, yellow or white, with a colour of the day chosen randomly.
Allied star
A five-pointed star, painted white, was used to identify allied vehicles from 1944. British tanks rarely had stars on the front or sides, normally just one on the rear turret. AFVs often carried stars on the sides and rear. Softskins normally carried stars on their sides. The star was normally 8-12in and should be stencilled with a point upwards.Bridge rating
All vehicles had a bridge rating, displayed on a yellow circle, with black writing. The circle was for most vehicles on an attached plate, 7½ inches to 9 inches diameter. Tanks and many other AFVs had the marking painted on their hull. The location is normally offside front, sometimes attached to radiators.The number equated to the bridge category, very roughly based on weight with adjustments for axle loading and impact factors, rounded up. Where the vehicle normally has a trailer, the writing showed two numbers, the upper being the loaded vehicle with the loaded trailer, the lower just the loaded vehicle.
| Class | Vehicle |
| 1 | 2–3 seat car, 10cwt GS trailer |
| 2 | 2–7 seat car, including Jeep, 8cwt truck, 15cwt and 1 ton trailer |
| 3 | heavy car, bren carrier, light recce car, light ambulance, Chevrolet 8cwt truck, 3-ton trailer |
| 4 | Daimler Dingo, Humber Scout Car, light ambulance, 15cwt GS truck, most Universal Carriers |
| 5 | most 15cwt trucks, 30cwt GS truck, White scout car, ambulance, Humber staff car, Windsor universal carrier, Lynx, 4 wheel trailer |
| 6 | most 30cwt trucks, some 3-ton trucks, Morris C8 "Quad" tractor, 6-pounder gun |
| 7 | 3-ton GS truck, Daimler Armoured Car, Humber Armoured Car, Tetrarch light tank |
| 8 | some 3-ton trucks including petrol, wireless and command, M14 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage half-track, White 15cwt half-track, 5 ton GS trailer |
| 9 | DUKW, 6 wheel 3-ton trucks such as machinery, most 6x4 vehicles, some 6x6 vehicles |
| 10 | 7 ton truck, 6 wheeled light recovery trailer, AEC 6-ton lorry, some 6x4 vehicles |
| 11 | Diamond T GS and pontoon 4 ton truck |
| 12 | AEC Matador, AEC Armoured Command Vehicle, 5–6 ton 4x2 lorries, Diamond T machinery trucks |
| 14 | AEC Armoured Car, A13 Cruiser tank, 6 ton 6x4 lorry |
| 15 | M3 Stuart tank, Staghound armoured car |
| 16 | Valentine tank |
| 17 | 6-ton 6x6 |
| 18 | Valentine bridgelayer, Diamond T transporter tractor |
| 24 | Matilda tank |
| 30 | Cromwell tank, Sexton self-propelled gun, Ram tank |
| 33 | M10, Sherman tank |
| 40 | Churchill tank |
A Jeep, if it had a trailer, would have 3/2. A 15cwt truck with a trailer could have 5/4, 6/4 or 6/5 or 7/5, dependent upon the vehicle load and trailer size and load. A Diamond T transporter tractor with a trailer with a Sherman should carry 70/18 on its plate.
Motorbikes and motorbike sidecars did not have bridge plates, they fell into category 1.
In the field, the bright yellow sign facing forward was considered too visible so was often toned down, repainted as a yellow hollow circle or discarded.
Tactical signs
Tactical signs used on AFVs, HQ Squadron – diamond, A Squadron – triangle, B squadron – square, C squadron – circle and D squadron – solid vertical bar, indicated the squadron within a regiment. Divisional troops and unbrigaded units such as armoured car and armoured recce regiments used white tac signs. Within an armoured brigade each regiment used a different colour which indicated their seniority. Red for the senior regiment, yellow for the 2nd regiment, blue for the junior regiment, and green for the motorised infantry battalion.They were 8-12 inches high, depending on the size of the vehicle, and were usually located on the sides or rear of the turret, or on the sides of the hull. They sometimes included a number identifying the individual vehicle.
Gas detection
Gas detection panels were painted as an 18-inch square patch on AFVs and on the rear of headlamps of softskins until October 1943, thereafter as a patch on bonnets of softskins, close to the windscreen and not on AFV's. The gas detection paint was a khaki yellow colour.Other markings
Convoy marking
A number, written in chalk, to mark convoy position, written on front of vehicle. The lead vehicle flew a blue flag, the rear vehicle a green flag.A small light shining on the rear axel, the centre of which was painted white, assisted night time convoys. Some vehicles used a circular disc painted white.
Left hand drive
Vehicles that were left-hand drive had CAUTION LEFT HAND DRIVE in 2 inch white letters on the rear. If the vehicle has no indicators, the words NO SIGNALS was added.Civilian vehicles
Requisitioned vehicles, before they received their full markings, displayed WD in 6 inch letters on the nearside front and back.Speed limit
Maximum permitted speed limited was painted in red on the rear tailboard of softskins. The speed 4 inch high above MPH in 2 inch letters,.Shipping and rail loading marks
Temporary 5 or 6 digit number chalked or roughly painted prior to shipping overseas. There may also be the landing craft number marked on the vehicle, such as "LST 368". Two or three colour horizontal stripes in a rectangle were sometimes painted next to the number, being specific to a vehicle movement order. Vehicle size and weight were chalked on a square painted black panel with a white edge.Vehicles and trailers shipped on aircraft had a vertical yellow 6 inch line, ¾ inch wide, showing the centre of gravity, ½ inch wide on motorbikes.
Personalised markings
AFVs, mainly tanks, sometimes had names painted on their exterior to aid identification to other tankers. Troop B, using names that were often themed, such as flowers, villages, or girls names beginning with B.Slogans and graffiti were on occasions added, sometimes inspiring – Berlin or Bust, wishful thinking – Home by Christmas, mottos – Death or Glory, poetry, a persons or place name, crude slang, comic etc. Using paint or chalk these unofficial markings were discouraged but existed.
Specialist vehicles
Bomb disposal
vehicles had bright red painted wheel arches. The words BOMB DISPOSAL or B.D.S. in 4 inch red letters on the front of vehicle. Near side lights to have blue filter. Vehicle may show a red flag.Ambulance
Conforming with international recognition, a white square of maximum size for vehicle on roof and both sides with a red cross. At rear on each door a white 18 inch circle with red cross.RAF vehicles
RAF roundel instead of formation sign on right front and right rear bumper or mudguard. They also wore a code consisting of a letter indicating the Command and a number indicating the group, in white. e.g. B/3 Indicating 3 Group, Bomber Command. Vehicles in Europe after D-Day would wear 'TAF' followed by the group number Vehicle numbers were RAF – followed by up to six digit number, usually on the front and rear, but sometimes following army practice. From 1943 a 4 digit type number would be painted on the door, or side of the cab. After Jan 1945, mobile units wore a the unit number and a three letter code indicating the type of unit, in a hollow white rectangle, e.g. 2679 MSU. The official air recognition symbol for RAF vehicles was the roundel, which was normally placed on the sides of the body.Artillery and anti-tank guns
Guns rarely carried any normal marking on the gun shield. No tactical signs were used. The Royal Artillery had a system of red and blue flashes to indicate sub units, with a red square moving clockwise over a blue background to indicate 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th battery.Other
, Royal Navy-RN, Royal Marines-RM and NAAFI signs were painted on their vehicles and trailers.Examples of other units and markings
| Brigade | Unit | Vehicles | AoS | AoS colour | Tac colour |
| 8th Armoured Brigade | HQ | Sherman DD | 993 | Red with white stripe across bottom | White |
| 8th Armoured Brigade | 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards | Sherman DD | 994 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Red |
| 8th Armoured Brigade | 24th Lancers | Sherman DD | 995 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Yellow |
| 8th Armoured Brigade | Nottingham Yeomanry | Sherman DD | 996 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Blue |
| 8th Armoured Brigade | 12th Battalion KRRC | Half tracks | 475 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Bright Green |
| 31st Army tank Brigade | HQ | Churchill | 990 | Green with white diagonal | White |
| 31st Army tank Brigade | 7th RTR | Churchill | 991 | Green with white diagonal | Red |
| 31st Army tank Brigade | 9th RTR | Churchill | 992 | Green with white diagonal | Yellow |
| 31st Army tank Brigade | 141st RAC | Churchill | 993 | Green with white diagonal | Blue |
| 33rd Army tank Brigade | HQ | Sherman | 172 | Red with white stripe across bottom | White |
| 33rd Army tank Brigade | 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry | Sherman | 173 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Red |
| 33rd Army tank Brigade | 144th RAC | Sherman | 174 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Yellow |
| 33rd Army tank Brigade | 148th RAC | Sherman | 175 | Red with white stripe across bottom | Blue |