Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Lang]

Tony

Just a WAG but perhaps they painted the ambulances in a single colour for the following reasons:

They did not want them mistaken for a tactical vehicle with camouflage. They wanted to appear less war-like.

They actually wanted them to be easily identified from other surrounding vehicles. Wishful thinking in an attack on a convoy situation but if operating individually may give some measure of protection.

The big crosses cause a problem as they negate any stealth ambitions. If a unit was actually trying to hide, the first vehicles to be covered with nets or branches would be the ambulances.

I suspect some people in the Medical Corps may even believe that the Ambulances should be all-over white as the Geneva Convention says you should not shoot at them. I think ambulances only get protection if it is convenient in the overall battlefield situation and the presence of an ambulance offers no safety to a unit under attack.

Lang

[M38CDNBill]

Hi,

Nice picture of the GMC tractor but what I find particular about this truck is the cylindrical object where the spare tire is usually located. It makes me think of an air tank and is it possible that the braking system on this GMC model was pneumatic?

Cheers

[Lang]

The trailer had vacuum brakes so the tractor had to have a system fitted. The truck retained its standard issue hydraulic brakes.

Lang

[M38CDNBill]

Originally Posted by Lang

The trailer had vacuum brakes so the tractor had to have a system fitted. The truck retained its standard issue hydraulic brakes.

Thanks for this information

[Stuart Kirkham]

Help required

I am wanting to confirm the two colours used on M3 Grant tanks and other armoured and softskin vehicles whilst based at Mingenew, Western Australia 1943.

It appears that the vehicles, including the Grants, were painted this two tone camouflage scheme as shown in the photo below. I have 'colourized' the Grant to show what I believe are the two green colours.

I think the lighter green is standard Australian army lusterless Olive Drab and the darker green Khaki Green.

I have also included a photo of the 2-pounder Anti-tank Gun Carrier (Aust) on display at the Merredin Military Museum. As can be seen, the two colours look to be 'faded' Olive Drab and a darker green. As this is a Western Australian based Gun Carrier, it is very likely that these colours are the same as those seen on the Grant.

I have also included some advertisements that were placed in local Perth newspapers in 1947. Businesses that were selling ex army stock oil based paints to the public. One add tells us that the paint is manufactured by Berger. The other lists colour names. One being Khaki Green. I presume these are names printed on the cans of paint.

Were camouflage schemes and colours unique to Western Australia?

Any help with these two colours would be most appreciated.

[cliff]

Colours to me look to be Australian Service green (Dark Green)with either earth or light stone.

If you notice the 3 tone cammo of one of the back ground CMP trucks it appears to have Service Green with earth/brown and light stone.

This would not have been restricted to just WA but would have been a directive countrywide in my opinion.

The photo below is a 1/35 scale model I made of a Chev recon Wagon painted in an original 2 tone cammo of Aust. Service Green and Light earth. Colours are as close to original as possible.

[Stuart Kirkham]

Hello Cliff

Given the Light Stone colour you suggested, I went back through the thread and found the document shown below. It is from 1942 (correct time frame) and states that coastal areas should use both Light Stone and Khaki Green for two tone camouflage.

I amended my colourized photo. I used the two colours directly from the Berger colour chart.