The art of camouflage

[Mike Kelly]

I have a few pages from a book published here during WW2. The author was apparently an academic of some note .Most of the book is relating to buildings, but some of it is vehicle related .

[Mike Kelly]

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[Mike Kelly]

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[Clive_Dakers]

Is there anything mentioned about camouflaging stores or ammunition depots?

[Keith Brooker]

I have this US Manual FM 5-21 Oct 1942 Camouflage painting of Vehicles and Equipment looks a bit like the British manual.











1944 Morris C8 GS
1938 Humber used as a staff car

[Keith Brooker]

This is part of the camouflage pamphlet Part 4A. Painting of Mechanical Transport. Reprinted in Canada 1941/42

[Keith Brooker]

Pamphlet No 20 Camouflage- Disruptive Painting of Vehicles dated June 1939.
top of the page is the Wrong way to paint, Bottom of page is the Right way to paint it. The Cammo paint used in this 1939 booklet. G3 basic colour ,now known as Khaki Green. Disruptive Colour G4 Dark Green [ European conditions ] . G5. Light Green for very light backgrounds.

[Keith Brooker]

In most of my cammo books, Dumps that are out side are camouflaged by use of Netting with the use of cammo or hessian to distort the shape and blend in with the ground, The use of colour, shape , shine shadow. every piece of natural cover or ground pattern should be used.

[Keith Brooker]

This is from the US Army manual FM5-20B that i had a just sold, part of it was in colour.

[Mike Kelly]

LINK to the interesting booklet ...

http://geocities.com/vk3cz/camoausttxt.html

[Keith Brooker]

If you can get hold of a copy of this British manual, Concealment in the Field printed in 1957 as it has a lot of info and over 270 photos about camouflage/concealment, at least half the photos are from WW2. Does not show how to paint your Veh, but how to hide it + ammo, Fuel Dumps Ect.

1944 Morris C8 GS
1938 Humber Staff Car.
RE Flying Flea

[Keith Brooker]

More info on Dumps from the 1957 British Manual.

[Keith Brooker]

Info from my US manual Camouflage Painting FM 5-21 1944. the trailer Looks a work of art . All so in this manual is Camouflage Painting of field guns and tanks.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

See this link https://www.paradata.org.uk/media/993 for “MILITARY TRAINING PAMPHLET (MTP) NO 46, PART 4A: PAINTING OF MECHANICAL TRANSPORT, 1941”.

[Keith Brooker]

WW2 British Cammo book with colour of paint used and 1941 Veh marking.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

On FB it was questioned if there were any official instructions for Mickey Mouse camouflage. Here are some quotes:

Mike Starmer notes: “1942- 44 – M.T.P. 46/4A introduce new toned schemes aimed primarily against aerial observation, usually using the BS.987C browns as laid down in A.C.I. 1160 of May 1942. The most common versions were variants of the ‘Foliage’ pattern and the ‘Mickey Mouse’ variant of the ‘Dapple’ pattern.”

"Hi Steve [Burvenich]

The term 'MM' is of course reference to the profile of Mickey Mouse which is more apparent when the large vehicles have dark areas on their sides. The actual pattern is simply a simple means of applying the MTP 46 style of disruptive painting. It is simple to use, templates to chalk around, mark the dark area then have unskilled labours to fill in those areas by brush. With a contract for say, 1,000+ vehicles being common, then a regulated method is best. The tilts could be placed over a jig at ground level to allow easy access whilst the vehicles are systematically painted during production. The templates would be located at the same places, give or take a few inches, spray the top then brush fill the sides or just sharpen the edges. This regulated method was not approved, the note at the side of Camouflage Chart No.15 states mechanical painting from the factory was not really what was desired and recommended a more ragged edged scheme as and when repainting.

This patterning style was widely used by AEC, Vauxhall/Bedford, Commer motors, Standard Motors, Guy, Fordson, Austin, Karrier, Leyland and Scammell. ERF used similar but more pointed shapes. The CMP range carried it too but since these arrived in UK as CKD the disruptive painting was often applied after erection by civilian companies, sometimes by spraying which should not have been done. These were also painted at Canadian workshops too in similar method. Basically human beings tend towards regularity so naturally there is adrift towards a common appearance of disruptive painting. You can see this at model shows within a varied display, one can tell fairly easily that the same person is responsible for different models by the colours and method of application. Ideally each vehicle should have have wide range of shaped areas but when speed and expediency are required then MM is what happens.

The 1943 Italian camouflage orders do not specifically mention MTP.46 but do state that vehicles already the dark colours from UK need not be repainted until necessary. Photographs confirm that MTP.46 painted vehicles were common there. HTH

Mike [Starmer]"

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Two wartime colour plates referring to Military Training Pamphlet (MTP) No 46, Part 4A: Painting of Mechanical Transport.

https://www.paradata.org.uk/media/993

[Paul Edwards]

Brilliant subject! Can it be made a sticky?

Cheers,

Paul