RAAF blue colour code

[Dianaa]

The above dropside trayback appears to have been service green over-painted blue. In the original AuLRO post the author suggested the vehicle in question had never been painted service green.

If the vehicle in question went through a post-war re-build would they have stripped the paint back to bare metal/wood before painting blue?

I know that after the war my uncle bought up CKD kits to use for his general carrier business (my father actually got a 15a off his cousin for his building company). Would these have been pre-painted service green or just finished in primer? And if so did the RAAF build war surplus trucks into fleet colours before entering service?

[Keith Webb]

So Alan has posted my pics elsewhere? Fair enough - it's his vehicle.

He was saying it appears never to have been painted khaki which is interesting - certainly the blue was applied over a red primer on the body so you may be correct in saying it has had a post-war rebuild, but I've never known one where the paint was stripped on a CMP.

I think Alan will find the cab was originally khaki when he pulls it apart.

Originally Posted by Dianaa

The above dropside trayback appears to have been service green over-painted blue. In the original AuLRO post the author suggested the vehicle in question had never been painted service green.

If the vehicle in question went through a post-war re-build would they have stripped the paint back to bare metal/wood before painting blue?

I know that after the war my uncle bought up CKD kits to use for his general carrier business (my father actually got a 15a off his cousin for his building company). Would these have been pre-painted service green or just finished in primer? And if so did the RAAF build war surplus trucks into fleet colours before entering service?

[Garry Collins]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

So Alan has posted my pics elsewhere? Fair enough - it's his vehicle.

No pics have been posted anywhere else. I am the person who posted the original request on AULRO on behalf of the owner of the vehicle. I am the owner of a Landrover FC101 and know little of WW2 vehicles.

The AWM said

"The RAAF vehicle colour scheme during WW2 was a derivation of the Army camouflage scheme, actually first produced/concocted by the boffins from Depart of Home Security in late 1941. Army vehicle depots routinely camouflaged RAAF vehicles at the beginning of 1942, before the RAAF got their act into gear to do it themselves. RAAF vehicles in forward areas were either camo painted or left green overall. Up to the end of 1941 the RAAF did not operate Blitz trucks: they began receiving them during 1942.

The blue colour was the RAAF’s post-war/1945 onwards colour, a dark blue for staff cars, etc, and a lighter RAAF Blue for trucks, lorries etc (except airfield vehs, which were yellow overall). Undersides of mudguards were often black, as per instructions.

The other question, of course, is what configuration the Blitz is in: ie door type, hatch type etc. Is the RAAF registration number visible? All this info will provide a better clue to the correct colour scheme, and indeed if the Blitz is actually ‘wartime’, as RAAF took delivery of new Blitz trucks right up to the end of 1945, well after the war had technically finished.

RAAF painting directions for vehicles are difficult to find. They are buried somewhere in a small mountain of RAAF files in the National Archives."

Thanks for all the comments and information - it has been very instructive.

Garry
Canberra