Bridge Plate?

[Longhunter7]

I am almost done with my frame off restoration on my 63' M37-B1. It is done as Marine Corps, and I have a question regarding the use of bridge plates on Marine trucks.

Did the Marine Corps use the yellow bridge plates and the yellow # 4 on the passenger door in Viet Nam?

[da_sgt]

Hey ricK.. it's boB.. Don't have a answer to your question... But how ya been? The SS site is a far cry from when we where Mods...and we had a total of maybe 50 members... So a frame off?

[UZIS9MM]

Longhunter7

From the “in-action” pictures I’ve collected it doesn’t look like there was any sort of bridge marking or plate on the door or grill of the USMC M37’s in Vietnam. The only thing that appears on the door is a MarDiv emblem.

I’ve included some of the better USMC M37 pictures, hopefully they will help.

Kevin

[Longhunter7]

uzis9mm,

Thanks for the pictures! It appears that the Marines didn't use bridge plates? I haven't seen any pictures yet showing their use.

[Lifer]

Yeah....I think the bridge plates were an Army thing. The AF didn't use them, either. I'm a curious guy, and if I had ever seen one, you can bet I'd have asked the guy in charge of the motor pool what it was for.

[k8icu]

That's because the AF and the Marines didn't use temporary bridges! The AF were always in the rear and if they needed their trucks to go accross a river they put them onto a C-whatever and they got flown accross. The Marines...well they're special...they would just try to float across the river thinking they hit a new beach....

[Lifer]

That's a good one! Actually, we Air Force people didn't use bridge plates because our ground forces had the good sense to use good bridges when crossing rivers. We didn't blow them up first and then say to ourselves "Gee! Now how are we gonna get across? Hey! Bring up the bridge trucks!"

[rixm37]

Thanks for sharing the pictures Uzi. It is always interesting to see the M37 in service.

[M42Dodge]

Uzi`s pictures are great. I have done reenacting in various militery time periods, mostly Civil War. The biggest and best documentaion of "correctness" has been photographs from the specific time period in question. If you can support a restoration or representation with photographic documentation, that is the way to go. Avoiding the temptation to add "gingerbread" items that probably didnt exist on a certain truck when it was in service is being true to the sense of preserving history.

TJM

[Longhunter7]

M42Dodge,

Nice avatar! In what part of the world are you located?

[M42Dodge]

I currently reside in the Northen Region of the Peoples Repulic of New Jersey

[Longhunter7]

M42Dodge,

We share a similar predicament! I am a prisoner of the Peoples Republic of Northern Illinois!