What does the "V" design on the side of military vehicles indicate?
July 28th, 2009 | by admin |On the side of United States military vehicles there is a "V" sometimes upside down, sometimes on its side. It’s on tanks, HMMWVs, ships, planes, etc. Can you tell me why it’s there? What does it signify?
Unit designation. Sometimes it points up, with a number inside, or down. Even sideways. At far distances, it is hard to tell if a vehicle is from your own unit, since numerical designation couldn’t be seen far enough. Having a huge "V" gives you an idea which unit the vehicle belongs to.
The design might have come from the US Army’s 24th Infantry Div. (Mech.) known as the "Victory" division. They painted "Vs" on the side of the vehicle to symbolize this, even on their helmets. In 1990, they were one of the first to arrive in the Gulf and painted their vehicle tan colored. As tradition, they painted the "V" on the side, but a general, noted the simple yet effective recognition feature of the letter "V". Every branch of the armed forces now utilize the symbol, or an alternative.
4 Responses to “What does the "V" design on the side of military vehicles indicate?”
By im_smart on Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
The upside down ‘V’–known as chevron, or the blade–is the symbol of males. It is also the symbol of war. Medieval knights used upside down V’s as their coat-of-arms. Notice that among the enlisted men of the military, the more V’s in your insignia, the higher your rank is (Private E-1s have no chevrons, while Sgt. Majors have 5.)
I forgot to add, V also means ‘victory’, or it might be the unit designation, like F-22 or B-117.
References :
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevron_%28insignia%29
By krystal on Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
its used to tell that its a friendly vehicle. there is also usually a number on another door that signifies what unit the vehicle is with.
References :
By azrach on Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
Unit designation. Sometimes it points up, with a number inside, or down. Even sideways. At far distances, it is hard to tell if a vehicle is from your own unit, since numerical designation couldn’t be seen far enough. Having a huge "V" gives you an idea which unit the vehicle belongs to.
The design might have come from the US Army’s 24th Infantry Div. (Mech.) known as the "Victory" division. They painted "Vs" on the side of the vehicle to symbolize this, even on their helmets. In 1990, they were one of the first to arrive in the Gulf and painted their vehicle tan colored. As tradition, they painted the "V" on the side, but a general, noted the simple yet effective recognition feature of the letter "V". Every branch of the armed forces now utilize the symbol, or an alternative.
References :
By oldhippypaul on Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
Azrach and Krystal are both correct is is an IFF – identification friend or foe device. that helps to avoid blue on blue (friendly fire) incidents. It usually contains the unit designation also.
References :
91 Bravo USA DAV