Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Lang

Gina

Just had a read of your link put up yesterday giving the RAAF side of camouflage. Talk about herding cats!

The instructions in the beginning of the file coming out in 1941 clearly laid out what is required for the army (until they modified them time and again).

The RAAF, who had thousands of vehicles, decided to do their own thing, coming up with their own colours and patterns and being continuously - or attempted to - brought back into line by Dakin and Co. They still modified his instructions.

Lang I’ve not yet seen the file (download problems) but I suspect RAAF sought to standardize their vehicle and aircraft paints. It was around this time they repainted their yellow trainers in (presumably) RAF spec camo paint, so it would make perfect sense to adapt this paint to vehicles, rather than adopt Dakin’s dodgy house paint with all its attendant supply problems. It would also make sense to develop their own camo scheme specific to each base, because that’s where the vehicles would be stationed, and that’s where air attack was expected. Plus of course they had the means to conduct air observations of camo schemes in development, way beyond Dakin's limited access to aircraft.

You’ll find some discussion of this question at post #148 in connection with RAAF Parkes. OMG Mike Kelly that was 3 years ago!


RAAF Parkes Wackett trainer 1.jpg

RAAF Parkes Wackett trainer 2.jpg

RAAF Parkes vehicle camo 1.jpg

RAAF Parkes vehicle camo 2.jpg

RAAF Parkes vehicle camo 3.jpg