Post War Canadian Army Paint

[David Dunlop]

In particular, I am curious about the reasoning behind the introduction and use of what is commonly referred to as NATO Gloss OD Green. A colour that is close to, but not quite, like the factory paint found on the Canadian 1950’s set of M Series vehicles.

If I think about it, I cannot recall ever seeing this NATO green on anything other than wireless/signals/comms equipment, where it seems to be slathered on with gay abandon, more often as not by brush. Any original markings or colour are wiped out in an instant, and where the object in question may have had a very informative description/ID stencilled to it originally, all that remains is an often cryptic one line ID and a ZA/CAN Number. To what end, I am curious?

It seems to indicate the item in question was still in active use in it’s late postwar life, which begs an additional question. If a unit was using a Telephone Set D and it crapped out on them, but additional stocks were still available in the supply system, did the brand new replacement item have to be repainted before use? Seems a great waste of many resources, for a currently unknown or understood benefit.

David

[rob love]

There are usually 3 or 4 levels of maintenance involved. Not sure if you are talking about comms equipment, or all equipment in the Cdn army.

At the first line level of maintenance, painting of the equipment falls onto the user. A lot of the painting would be done by the user, especially come annual technical inspection time. During ATI, or GOCs inspection, if you signed for it, you painted it.

You would not likely get a lot of markings from them. Most likely when it goes back to either 3rd line or else a contractor (4th line) it might get a complete paint as part of an overhaul. Sometimes the paint would be automatic, and sometimes it would be as required.

In some cases, like rifle chests, the original paint and markings would often get painted over at the supply/ second or third line level in order to apply the more current NSNs and nomenclature.

Regarding your field telephone, I saw Valcom decals on a lot of that type equipment right into the 80s. They were a 4th line contractor doing overhaul. But before it went there, it would have been looked at by first or second line, then backloaded to the 3rd or 4th line facility if repairs were not able to be done by the lower levels of maintenance.

The Canadian semi gloss green was available in the supply system until the early 90s.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Rob.

I’m curious just how extensively that particular paint was used. I referenced the sigs equipment merely because it came to mind quickly (an accomplishment in its own right these days) as being where I have most commonly encountered it.

No idea if it was intended for use on vehicles, or larger equipment, but now that I think of it, it was probably on a lot of Bren Gun boxes and other items I have run across over the years. Seems kind of like it was intended to ‘standardize’ a lot of equipment postwar into a common appearance for some reason.

David

[rob love]

Or, and this is far more likely, it was the colour of paint made available from the supply depots, so therefore was the paint that was in the paint lockers that the troops could access. Most likely by the 1960s the WW2 paints were gone from the locker and the system.