About a week ago I was looking through some images and noticed a couple jeeps with unusual paint jobs across the windshields. It turns out these were jeeps associated with the Constabulary Force in Europe. (I believe these differ from the ‘white mice‘ MPs)
Here’s an excerpt about the Constabulary Force from the history of the 2nd Constabulary Regiment, “The District Constabularies were regarded as an interim force during the time USFET [United States Forces European Theater] was submitting plans for a more extensive organization.
The Theater plan of organization proposed a Zone Constabulary composed of three Brigade Headquarters at the German Land or state level, each to include an Air Reconnaissance Squadron and varying numbers of Cavalry Groups; twelve Constabulary Group Headquarters; forty-eight Squadrons with 192 mechanized recon troops, 48 tank companies, and 48 Headquarter and Service troops. The total strength was to approximate 38,000 troopers.
Paralleling the planning and development of the United States Constabulary from its origin to the operational date of July 1, 1946, was the Mobile Security Control of the U. S. occupied zone (as we have already stated) by the District Constabularies. The Second Cavalry Group was shortly joined by the Sixth and Fifteenth Cavalry Groups to accomplish this.”
Back to the paint schemes, here are several pics with the unusual paint schemes. Unfortunately, I don’t have any color pics and the pics I do have aren’t great ones.
Walter Sanders snapped the 2nd and 3rd images as part of his work for Life Magazine.
Here’s a link to the site with this image:
Here’s a link to the site with this image:
As an aside the constabulary,because of the circle c emblem,were called,unoffically,the circle c cowboys.
The upper and lower stripe are Cavalry yellow, and the center stripe is Infantry blue. All vehicles in the U.S. Constabulary had the same paint scheme.
The Circle C emblem is a Cavalry yellow background, with inner ring and C of Infantry blue and lightning bolt of Artillery red. Bumpers would likely be Cavalry yellow, but wouldn’t swear to it. Bumper numbers? Might be something on the U.S. Constabulary website.
The “Circle C Cowboys”, “Lightning Police” or “Blitz Polizei” as the Germans called them, were a very elite force formed after WW II, mostly made up of the combat proven armored and mechanized cavalry units in Europe at the end of the war. It was their task to bring order and discipline to a continent devastated by war.
In addition to a tank company, mechanized reconnaissance troops, fixed wing aircraft, and motorcycle platoons in each Constabulary squadron, horses were reintroduced into the Army to form horse platoons in each squadron, for patrolling the mountainous regions where jeeps couldn’t go.
Hope this helps.
Hi Dave,
Very interesting!
If you should ever run across a color image of one of these jeeps (either of an old photo or a restoration project photo), I’d love to see it and make it available for readers. It might make an interesting restoration idea for someone.
Thanks!
– Dave