United States Army Regulations and manuals can be very helpful to the jeep restorer and historian. It is best to start with Army Regulations like AR 1-5, Index to Army Regulations; AR 850-5 Marking of Clothing, Equipment, Vehicles and Property; AR 850-10 Registration of Motor Vehicles; and AR 850-15 Motor Vehicles (“the bible of motor vehicles”) among others.
Field Manuals like FM 21-6, List of Publications for Training; FM 21-7 List of Training Films, Film Strips and Film Bulletins; FM 25-10 Basic Field Manual: Motor Transport Technical Manuals] TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles (ah, a book to drool over); TM 9-2810 Motor Vehicle Inspections and Preventive Maintenance Services; TM 21-300 Driver Selection and Training; and one of my favorites… TM 31-200 Maintenance and Care of Pneumatic Tires and Rubber Treads; TM 38-250 Basic Maintenance Manual; then there are the vehicle Technical Manuals or TMs.
And there were War Department Circulars
- Training Circulars (“like TC 117 on the marking of bridges and vehicles”)
- Technical Bulletins – this would cover changes to your vehicle
- TMs and would be incorporated with the next TM change
- Tables of Organization and Equipment – just how many jeeps and machine guns are supposed to be in an Infantry Division?
There are Ordnance Field Service Publications
- Standard Nomenclature Lists – gives parts identification and allowances
- SNL “H” parts in common
- SNL “K” includes cleaning, preserving, welding and lubricating materials
- SNL N-19 motor-transport tool sets!
- SNL G-19 Interchangeability Chart of Organizational Special Tools for Combat Vehicles
Don’t forget… Field Service Modification Work Orders (so you install those favorite mods they came up with like Winterization kits.) FSMWOs were replaced with MWOs.
Ordnance Field Service Bulletins
- OFSB 1-1 Index to Ordnance Publications
- OFSB 2-16 Storage and shipment of rubber tires, tubes and camelback
- OFSB 2-18 Requisition and issue of Spare Parts, Equipment and Supplies
- OFSB 2-25 Winterization equipment for automotive material
- OFSB 4-21 Gun mounts for general purpose vehicles
This isn’t everything listed in the World War Two article but would be a good start for any collector. There are many jeep specific publications and most of these seem to be missing from the general jeep collectors library. Perhaps someone is setting on these and thinking of publishing them “someday”. Maybe they will come forward. And as mentioned before there are original articles from service publications, private and public that make interesting reading and collection. Many are still available. Happy hunting.