On the painting of disruptive pattern paint, it was initially including the tyres.
Quoted from my Britsih Airborne jeeps:
Military Training Pamphlet no. 20 titled 'Disruptive painting of vehicles', dated June 1939, describes a patterning in broad bands, "diagonal-horizontal in general layout". The two colours used on this pattern were, according to Michael Taylor: G3 Green, clearly the Khaki Green No. 3 of ACI 96, as the basis and G4 (Dark Green No. 4) used for the disruptive patterning.
ACI no. 540, dated 1 June, 1940, after noting that especially spare tyres were painted in a disruptive pattern states: Disruptive paint has an injurious effect on tyres, causing the rubber to perish. Care will, therefore, be taken to ensure that when vehicles are being treated the paint is not allowed to come into contact with the tyres.
ACI 1559 of 23 August 1941 states that the spray paint Khaki Green No. 3 and Dark Tarmac No. 4 was injurious to canvas covers and hoods and that in future camouflage paint, bituminous emulsion, SCC Nos. 1A and 7 should be used instead.
ACI 2202 of 8 November 1941 confirms that only bituminous emulsion paint should be used on canvas covers and hoods. It states the preferred shade for dark patterning as the Dark Brown SCC No. 1A but "failing that", SCC No. 14 could be used. According to Michael Taylor SSC No. 14 was a matt black.
On the "Mickey Mouse" pattern Michael Taylor states: "A distinctive style of disruptive painting technique, known as "Mickey Mouse Ear' because it consisted of overlapping black circles of differing diameters does not appear in any of the official pamphlets so far identified, although it does confirm in a general sense to the basic requirement that top and bottom surfaces should be painted in a dark colour and any patterning should carry over edges and corners. It is entirely possibly that we are looking here at a scheme devised under the authority of 21 Army Group for use in its own operational area and therefore not mentioned in the official War Office publications." However this pattern seem to have widespread use on 1 A/B Division vehicles.
Rob
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