Crooked white star

[Ed Storey]

My Uncle served in NW Europe during the war, and apparently no-one told his unit that the stars had to be crooked or the same size!

[Petr Brezina]

Just my two cents useless input - Czechs apparently were also members of this crooked star gang
As you can see on the original photo star is also slightly misaligned, so I kept them in this way too. Maybe just a way how some soldiers behave in all these uniformity?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Now since Herbie’s truck had a straight painted star, there surely was no conspiracy to paint them crooked, otherwise Herbie would most definitely have been in on it.

Attachment 130732

Are you sure? Herbie seems rather fanatic and corrected the straight painted star by putting the whole truck at an angle!

[Alex van de Wetering]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

My Uncle served in NW Europe during the war, and apparently no-one told his unit that the stars had to be crooked or the same size!

Attachment 130735

Attachment 130736

Ed, What about the census number? I don't see it on the door, or or the fuel tank.....could it be on the tool box? Always interesting to see period pictures!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Brilliant, Jordan!

Here’s an official press photo released shortly before Herbie “stubbed his toe on the Normandy beach”:

“First View of "Liberation Star" Insignia For D-Day Invasion | May 1944 Dated | Official Signal Corps News Period Photograph.

This photo shows the white star, designated as the identification marking of the liberation forces to be deployed to the ETO at Normandy. The star was used on all Allied ground forces during the rest of WWII. Note the truck is Canadian. The location is England, just before the invasion. The unit marking is censored for deletion, indicating the truck was assigned to the Canadian Postal Corps.”

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

I believe I’ve found definitive proof that the Canadians painted their stars on straight…

All Canadians, whether they have been aware of it or not, are personally acquainted with this man of many moods and misfortunes. For Herbie IS the Canadian Army. He is the ambassador-at-large who almost missed the troop train for Halifax, was less one crown and anchor board on arrival overseas, got lost in the London Underground, drunk in the Queens’s at Aldershot, failed to salute the flag car at Leatherhead, holed up with a simply delightful English family on Exercise Spartan and was unholed by the provost. He was first in the bully beef barter queue in Sicily, thrown for a loss by vino rosso, midwife at a Bambi OS birth in Italy, stubbed his toe on the Normandy beach and became D-Day’s first casualty thereby. He fought and franc’d his way through France and Belgium, fell into an Amsterdam canal, thought V2 fluid was hopped-up Calvados, was brought back to life, cautioned the postal corps to strike him off strength and came home…

Call it fact. Call it fiction. Call it Herbie

Now since Herbie’s truck had a straight painted star, there surely was no conspiracy to paint them crooked, otherwise Herbie would most definitely have been in on it.

The above was inspired by an individual on Facebook who was adamant that the Canadians always painted their star’s crooked.

Jordan, do you reckon Herbie's American cousin Joe Dope had a hand in painting the star on this hull of this US Army Sherman tank?

"Soldiers of B. Coy i.e. Company Argyll Regiment*) advancing into Chong-ju, South Korea, accompanied by U.S. tanks from 89th U.S. Tank Regiment.
Korean telephone exchange blazing in the background."

Source: http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/121604

*) (British Army) 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

[Jordan Baker]

Hanno, isn't that a firefly?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Hanno, isn't that a firefly?

No, it is an M4A3(76)W HVSS in US Army service - with a crooked white star

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Herbie?

"Unidentified Canadian soldier
From the Donald Carson fonds, PR2011.0001/16."


Source: https://flic.kr/p/jhzEi2