camouflage nets

[wim sikkelbein]

To all the wise people of MLU,

Recently I found a camouflage handbook of ww2 with the sizes of American camouflage nets on the internet; I don't remember the specific site.
The sizes in feet were:
15x15
22x22
29x29
36x44
45x45

The patterns used were Greek-key, U-shaped and bow-tie

Now for my question:
Were the same sizes and/or patterns used by the british/canadians?

Regards Wim

[Rob Beale]

A 1941 pamphlet on Camoflague has a table with the sizes in use then:

14x14 garnished net:
Bren gun or 2" mortar or Vickers gun, arty OP, cars, and
also trucks and lorries up to 30cwt (2 nets)

14x7 garnished net plus 25x12 shrimp net: 2 pdr A/T gun

25x12 shrimp net with spider(?): 3" mortar
also Light AFV incl carrier, Armd car and light tank(2 nets ea)

35x15 shrimp net: Infantry and Cruiser tanks

24x24 garnished net: Lorries and trailers over 30cwt

artillery had special split nets with frames

Garnishing was hessian strips 2 inches wide issued in 100 yard rolls in 4 colours - dark green, light green, light earth and brown.

Garnishing was applied heavily in the centre of the net, tapering off towards the sides (larger spacing between strips) to reduce shadows under the edges of the nets.
If nets were joined, the garnishing was increased along the joined edge(s).
The strips were cut to 5 or 6 foot lengths, then woven in flat with a random mix of 'U' and 'L' shapes and knotted at each end. Colours were selected to match the surroundings and mixed.

Single knot garnish using 9 inch lengths was a WW1 method to conceal large areas of spoil from excavations.

The shrimp nets had a much smaller mesh size, which gave a deeper texture. They were coloured with a pattern of brown and green, and were not garnished.

Please note this is from an early war publication (1941).

I hope this helps,
Rob

[wim sikkelbein]

Thanks guys, this is just what I was looking for.

Wim

@Brad: I would like to see a photo of this swastika net, wonder if it was a common practice or a one of a kind.

@Rob: Very interesting to see the sizes of the nets and their use per vehicle.