Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Gina,

This is an interesting discussion. Taking into account the following comment "Given there is little resemblance between the KG3 UK and the Australian KG3 in am inclined to the idea that this is the third version of KGJ . Though others have pointed to references to KG3 by the Australian army prior to November 1943." I looked at just how early in the papers I have that KG3 is referred to as such. The earliest reference I have is the specification MGO 101 'Paint, Prepared for use, Khaki Green No.3. For application by Spraying. Specification to govern supply and Inspection Approved 5 May 1940.' It was issued as CS/1269 in Australia and was accompanied by a colour 'tint ship'. You must have seen it - it's held in the Vic office of NAA.

The next comment is in a letter dated 3 Dec 1941, between Sec Dept of Home Security to Sec Dept of the Army, which refers to experiments in Southern Command conducted in Oct 1941, where the paint pattern used was English, but with 'Khaki-green No.3 substituted for British Standard Service Colour No.61 Light Stone'.

More telling is the preamble to Mech Circular 301 of 22 Jan 1942, para 3, which states "Australian paint manufacturers are at present supplying Gas Resisting paints in Khaki Green No.3 and Light Stone BSC No.61." Earlier in that paragraph, it states that 'gas resisting paints should be used if available, but disruptive painting is not to be postponed on this account. Camouflage Paint, Type B, Australian Standard Specification Emergency Standard No. (E) K.507 is to be used for colours other than gas resisting." (my underline). In other words, continue to use KG3 and LS BSC61 gas resisting in preference to the equivalent colours in (E) K.507 (KG-J and Light Stone-N), but don't hold up work waiting for the gas resisting paints if they are not available.

Paragraph 4 states 'The basic colour of vehicles for use in Australia is Khaki Green No.3; those for the AIF being Light Stone BSC 61.'

The first issue of the ASC chart of colours including Khaki Green ASC J was December 1941. The ASC suite of colours were developed by the research organisation headed by Dakin which only came into existence in 1941, prior to the National Camouflage Regulations which were promulgated in August 1941.

To me, Mech Circ 301 clearly differentiates between the Khaki Green No.3 gas resisting paint, and the paints as listed in Standards Association (E) K.507, which included Khaki Green ASC J. As (E) K.507 was developed during 1941, and the chart first issued in Dec, it seems that the Army's KG3, prepared to MGO (Aust) 101 specification, predates by a couple of years, the existence of the Khaki Green ASC J as show in (E) K.507, rather than being a '3rd version of KG-J'.

A further interesting aspect is the experimental vehicle camouflage viewed at Wesley College. Melbourne on 13 June 1942, which was painted in Khaki-Green No.3 and Light Stone W. The report/memo concludes that the KG3 was too light and that it should be darkened to accommodate fading 'which is bound to take place'. Is this experiment the basis for darkening the colour of KG3?

I also have the E in Cs letter of 9 August 1942 wherein he refers to 'The basic colour for use in Australia in Khaki Green (ASC J) gas resisting', and in many other references at various levels from that date onwards, I see references to KG ASC-J as the basic colour, (rather than KG3) and Light Earth ASC W as the disruptive colour. (for example , 2 Aust Army Adm Instruction 35 of 15/9/42, and 1st Aust Army Circular 31/8/1942, the latter instruction being for a three-tone scheme of KG-J, Light Earth-W, and Blac- U - now that one really is different!)

By later in 1942, we see almost no reference to KG-J or KG3 in Army circulars, with a three tone scheme of Veh Dark Green, Veh Medium Green and Vehicle Grey being the basic camouflage scheme. This continues well into 1943, when the set of Army Design Directorate drawings were issued for the above three tone scheme. These are dated in May 1943.

The RAAF, interestingly, begin their camouflage deliberations (for vehicles) by referring to 'all vehicles in future to be finisihed in Khaki Green No.3, to the latest Army specifications ...' on 5 January 1942, but on 8/1/1942, their MT & Marine Craft Order 2/34 refers to 'Khaki Green J', as do all subsequent references, for example, in February 1942, they refer to 'Khaki Green Camouflage Paint J (Non Gritty) with a RAAF ref number K4/10091, a reference that remains constant for much of the ensuing few years. We see a change in December 1944, however, when RAAF Instruction 2/20 states the finish of RAAF vehicles will be 'Khaki Green Matt Synthetic Resin Based Enamel K4/10394'.

To sum up as I see the evidence I have:
(1) KG-3 is an Army colour that existed long before Professor Dakin's Dept of Home Security and his ASC colours, including KG-J, came into existence;
(2) Around mid-1942, Army start referring to KG -J in place of KG-3.
(3) The RAAF refer to the Army colour KG-3 only once that I've found, then quickly change to all references being KG-J.
(4) I have no references to the ASC set of colours being in existence prior to late 1941. (Dakin refers to developing colours in correspondence during 1941, and to not having addressed colour development for certain areas such as Darwin area, for example, but does not list the colours specifically by name.)

Regards

Mike