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A few explanatory notes:
1. These are the 'recommended colours' for the various nations. These colours are in "faded scale finish" and are appropriate for
1/76th and 1/72nd scale AFV's.
2. All colours are Humbrol colours, unless specified.
British
At the start of the war British equipment was authorised to have a base colour of khaki green or middle bronze green
(medium green). Over this, a disruptive pattern of either deep bronze green (dark green) or light bronze green
(light green), could be applied.
At the end of 1941, a khaki brown (brown) colour was introduced. During 1942, this usually took the place of the base
khaki green colour and often disruptive colours were not used. In 1944 a khaki green colour (green drab)
was introduced to replace the middle bronze green and khaki brown colours.
For all intents and purposes this colour is identical to the U.S. Army olive drab.
In Europe, some softskin vehicles had their tarpaulins camouflaged with the so called Mickey Mouse Ears.
This would be typically done in a deep bronze green or black.
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Theatre Of War
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Color
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Humbrol Paint No
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Europe 1939-1940
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Medium green
Brown
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30
26
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Europe 1944-1945
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Green Drab
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155/159/179
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Desert
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Sand
Earth
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94
29
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Italy 1943 onwards
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Earth
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30/91
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U.S
American equipment, from early 1942, was always painted in an overall base olive green colour called green drab. Over this
could be applied disruptive patterns of forest green, earth brown or black.
In the desert, vehicles were often repainted. frequently this was with desert sand or earth yellow.
These could be applied overall or as a disruptive pattern, over the base of olive drab. Tan Sand and red brown
could also be found on equipment in the desert.
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Theatre Of War
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Color
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Humbrol Paint No
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N/A
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Olive Drab
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155/26
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N/A
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Forest Green
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30/86
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N/A
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Brown
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Testor's Military Tan
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N/A
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Tan
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119
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N/A
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Sand
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148
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N/A
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Black
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Any variety of Black or Charcoal
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German
From 1939 to the winter of 1942-1943, German equipment had a base colour of panzer grey. This colour varies between a
medium blue grey and a dark grey.
From the start of 1943, a new three colour paint scheme was introduced. The base colour was called sand tan primer
or dark yellow. (This was a darker shade than the sandy yellow colour used in the desert.) Over this base, medium green
and/or red brown could be applied. This varied according to the terrain in which the vehicle or gun was to be used.
In the desert after about the first six months, vehicles were repainted a yellow brown. To break up the vehicle outline,
either grey green or dark earth could be applied over the base colour. These colours were also used over the
panzer grey base, on the Eastern Front.
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Theatre Of War
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Color
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Humbrol Paint No
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Early War
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Grey
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27/124
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1943 Onwards
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Sand Tan Primer
Medium Green
Red Brown
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Tamiya XF60/Humbrol 83
30/86/102
160/113/133
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Desert
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Sand
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63/94
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Soviet
From the start of the war, the Soviet vehicles were painted in a base colour of olive green. Although the shade of this
colour varied from one unit to another, three main shades were utilised through World War Two.
From 1939 to 1942, a light reed green was in evidence.
From 1942-1943 to 1944-1945 a medium olive green was used. This was almost identical to the U.S. colour, olive drab.
In the final year of the war, many new vehicles were painted in a dark olive green. Occasionally, equipment could also be
painted a base colour of brown, red brown, sand or grey. Over any of these, a disruptive pattern of
a darker shade or colour could be used. For example if medium olive green was used as a base, a darker green or dark earth
could be painted over it. Earth and sand colours tended to dominate in the Asiatic and southern regions. Greens tended to be more
dominant in the central and northern regions. Lend-Lease vehicles were generally left in their original colours by the Soviets.
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Theatre Of War
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Color
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Humbrol Paint No
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Early War
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Green
Ochre
Brown
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151/30/SW1
HS220/94
26
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Mid War
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Green
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86/102/159
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Late War
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Green
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116/117/123
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This list is not comprehensive as Italian, Japanese, French, Hungarian and a wide variety of other countries are not included.
There is also no mention made ot the effects of fading and colour variation(due to the original paint being applied using petrol, oil or
water or the differance of using a brush or spray-gun). The effects of weathering are not covered either, as this is a whole subject on its own. The markings that are used on the various AFV's have, by necessity, not been covered. For references to these, it would be
worthwhile to refer to the N.W.A club library.
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