CCKW DUNNAGE-THE 55 GAL DRUM

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:06 pm

Many HMV owners are attempting to relive the Red Ball Express experience and find a creative use for those discarded 55 gallon drums by simply stenciling the complicated 4" words "GASOLINE" or "MOTOR OIL (they don't even pass the 20' test) SAE 30" on them.
The Army has always had a uniform specification for marking everything
that it procures in order that no GI will be confused as to where to look.

The specifications for WWII are not all that much different from present day markings, except for minor details such as Bar Coding and changes to the way Federal Stock numbers are marked.
One can try flipping through the pages of MIL STD 129 and come up with the markings.

Remember that these markings are a Federal Color Spec designated shade of yellow and that Motor Oils are marked "OE" and SAE is not printed after the OE, but the weight is. There will be contract numbers and manufacterers names printed on the Drum, plus the capacity and weight of the drum.The drum will be painted that nice pleasant shade of OD we see on ammo cans. There are specs on the paints and primers used on disposable Army property also.

This is intended to give you OE Drum fanatics a start in the right direction. The rest is in the manual used for marking petroleum products, copies of the spec. manual have been seen for sale on eBay in the past year. It won't be hard to come up with the specs, and you will be rewarded for your efforts by having correct information.

There are plenty of WWII era photos of Oil drums to be seen in the history books, oil drums can be seen in many wartime uses from propping up wrecked warbirds, to being used as a makeshift jig for bombs on the M-1 Bomblift when raising the bombs to the wing of a P-47. Markings can still be seen in those wartime photos.

PS:
Dunnage is an old Army term for something useless used to give something that loaded look.
Remember the Bung Hole is on the top.

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:24 pm

There are many realistic possibilities for displaying Oil and Gasoline drums, reinactors may choose to portray the famous 28th Division 1944 winter scene of a CCKW on fire in the Vosges mountains.

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:27 pm

Why carry something bogus when there are so many WWII items in their original wood crates to be found.
Here's some Ideas.
WWII GI Footlocker, Ammo Crates, CCKW Parts Crates, HQ Field Desks, Typewriter Chests. CG-4A Glider spare parts box.

I have all of these in my CCKW, and have accumulated them over the past 10 years. eBay is an excellent source, old surplus dealers are another.

brian · Post by **brian** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:16 pm

hmmm, well scince "gerry cans" are such a science project.

I'm kinda suprised that 55 gal drums, arnt. surrly someone out there in collector land, has all the skinny on which bung holes are correct, and
who invented the steel barrel anyway?
and who the mfgrs. were.
and what about that hoop band thing? ect, ect.

and dont call me sherly

BB

Ugg · Post by **Ugg** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:12 pm

Brian:

If ya want a laugh, ask a former sailor about BARREL DUTY.

Later