Camo Netting on Sherman Firefly Mk Ic (Hybrid).....

[Chris Preston]

'Afternoon All,

Two questions for those more knowledgeable than myself - I'm currently working on a large scale model of a Sherman Firefly Mk Ic (Hybrid), from the 28th CAR (British Columbia Reg't). One photo I have of the tank being modelled dates from April 1945, in Germany, showing a Firefly from A Sqn, BCR, 4th Arm'd Bge, 4th Cdn Arm'd Div.

My Questions are:

1. Is there a pattern for the cloth strips hanging from the netting (for British/Canadian camouflage netting), and it's colour?

2. Did the netting cover the entire turret, top as well as the sides, or was it just secured around the sides of the turret.

I can't provide the photo here, but can do so by private e-mail.

Many Thanks for the assist.

Chris Preston
Victoria, BC
Canada

[Chris Preston]

All -

Further to my last, here's the link to the photo in question:

https://www.backtonormandy.org/media...s/m/126042.jpg.

Cheers,

Chris Preston

IMG_0314.jpeg

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Chris, your link doesn't work for me. Typically there were two types of cam nets. On with a very small weave (3/4" +/-) and was coloured green and brown. Not much room for scrim. The other type is a tied twine with about 2" squares. Into these were weaved burlap strips (like sandbag material) of green and brown, often in right angle patterns. I could say more if I see your pic.

[maple_leaf_eh]

type in www ahead of back....

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

type in www ahead of back....

That worked.

The net is not one of the typical Canadian ones. American perhaps?

Alternatively, I wonder if it's a net at all. Its has hexagon segments so is it possibly a wire mesh semi-permanently draped over the turret with scraps of (no doubt brown, green or khaki) inserted?

[Jordan Baker]

Looks like a "chicken wire" type of mesh with burlap then pine tree branches

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

Chris, your link doesn't work for me.

That’s because he linked directly to the photo, but the site doesn’t allow that —it wants you to view the photo on the site itself.

And damn, that site is a good example of non-user-friendly design … WTF sticks sets of a hundred photos in a lightbox that looks like it’s a new page, and that you can only scroll through by holding your mouse pointer over the bar of pictures at the bottom?! After looking through a few of those pages to try and find Chris’s photo, in hopes of providing a working link to, I gave up

Anyway, the netting doesn’t look like normal camouflage net to me either — you can clearly see hexagonal shapes, but too large to be standard chicken wire. I get the impression it’s wire over a piece of cloth (hessian or something?) and with some more bits of cloth and branches stuck/tied on. No idea how it’s attached to the tank, but since the spare track armour must have been welded on, maybe the welder also attached the wire onto the turret?

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

That’s because he linked directly to the photo, but the site doesn’t allow that

I had the same error about cannot hotlink with this url

https://www.backtonormandy.org/media...s/m/126042.jpg

I deleted the https:// prefix and hit return and the image opened.

Tim

[Chris Preston]

'Morning All,

Many Thanks for your replies.

When I enlarged the photo (don't know why I didn't think of this first), I can make out an hexagonal pattern underneath the foliage and hessian material. Now I have to figure out what I can use to replicate this in 1/16th scale.

Thanks everyone.

Cheers,

Chris Preston
Victoria, BC

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Chris Preston

'Morning All,

Many Thanks for your replies.

When I enlarged the photo (don't know why I didn't think of this first), I can make out an hexagonal pattern underneath the foliage and hessian material. Now I have to figure out what I can use to replicate this in 1/16th scale.

Thanks everyone.

Cheers,

Chris Preston
Victoria, BC

Scratch built, or from an off the shelf kit? Do you have photos?

Tim