18/12/2025
Well I didnât know that!
An occasional article for âFriday Night at the Fightsâ for Anschluss Wargames.
German Camouflage Colours 1943-1945
For those of us who enjoy painting military vehicles in World War 2 it is a constant challenge to get those German colours to look ârightâ. But what do I mean by that? Well, mainly something that does not offend the eye. (I refer you as an example to the paint scheme on the Panther that is in the Bovington Tank Museum, which I think must have been applied after it was built under British orders after May 1945, using what was laying about. If you have not seen it, itâs worth a visit to this great museum just for the horror of it!)
But I digress.
By 1943 the chorus of disapproval from the front with the dark grey base colour which increasingly in Russia where there was little cover on the sweeping plains caused the German vehicles, and particularly the larger tanks coming into service, such as the Panther and Tiger I to stand out like sore thumbs was no longer able to be ignored by high command.
The result was âDark Yellowâ as the base colour for all new vehicles coming out of the factories. This colour had been forged in the Western Desert in several variants but confirmed officially only by the start of 1943.
The base Dark Yellow was to be over-painted at local commanderâs pleasure in new colours, initially olive green was the prime colour, not specifically formulated for vehicles specifically, but in fact âre-purposed from the Luftwaffe, which used it solely for painting buildings and other ground structures. (And which had been over ordered significantly it seems) Red brown was the other camouflage colour, specifically produced for vehicles, and designated RAL8017.
All of these colours were issued to units in 2 and 20kg tins, not of paint but as paste, and being the German War Machine, there were detailed tables which stated how much would be needed by different sized units. The paste could be thinned with petrol or water and could be spayed, brushed or even mopped onto vehicles. When the season changed petrol was used to remove one colour scheme before replacing with a more effective scheme.
For the extreme conditions particularly on the Eastern Front, white emulsion was to be used for winter conditions, but initially this was in very short supply, so to eke out what was available dappled patterns were used, and there are even photos of tanks with white chalk covering the vehicles.
By the end of 1943 it was very rare indeed to see a dark grey painted vehicle at or near the front anywhere, as orders stated that the dark grey was to be over painted, but reserve and rear area vehicles were only to be re-painted dark yellow as and when they needed re-painting in the course of overhauls and repairs.
But while the three colour camouflage scheme was adopted across German land forces in general, German engineer vehicles were the exception, in that all bridging equipment and associated vehicles remained in the base dark yellow. This principle was followed up to the end of the war.
So, if someone queries your colour scheme for your beloved German tanks you now can be content in the knowledge that whatever you have come up with, some German unit commander between 1943 and 1945 got here first and âso thereâ to any critic!
The two sheets attached to this article give you some idea of the wide variations of colour schemes, and I am forever in the debt to Don Greer for these, which are to be found in the book âPanzer Coloursâ. (AAP)
