Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Lang

The British were just as big a shambles as the Australians. Here are the RAF camouflage convoluted processes.

1941 KHAKE GREEN / disruptive patten TARMAC GREEN or LIGHT GREEN

AUG 1942 CAMOUFLAGE GREEN/ disruptive patten DARK TARMAC

DEC 1942 CAMOUFLAGE LIGHT BROWN/disruptive patten DARK

BROWN

SEP 1943 ANTI- GAS MT BROWN SPECIAL/disruptive patten BLACK Matt

SEP1944 ANTI-GAS OLIVE DRAB with out disruptive patten.

1944 Upper surfaces of vehicles used within landing area of airfields to

be painted YELLOW.

Until the end of the war an area of GAS DETECTOR PAINT irregular in

shape approximately 36 square inches to be applied to each front to be

visible by the driver

APRIL 1946 semi gloss RAF BLUE/GREY wings chassis semi gloss BLACK

Hi Lang,
A major change of colours from greens to brown was due to the use of Chromium Oxide which is one of the components of green. This product was needed urgently in other areas of war work, so brown was substituted. I understand that green paint stocks were run done, so this was not an immediate change and vehicles could be leaving the factories in either colours. By 1944 the problem was over and the British shade of Olive Drab was introduced. But looking a the official regulations I believe that re-painting was only done where necessary due to condition or overhaul. So several variants were going around at the same time.