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DAK tank factory colour?


Doggy

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The first ones to go were (I understand) painted a specific desert colour on top of their service Panzergrau, but the later ones will have been painted in the factory.  There were two different hues of light brown used, but neither were Dunkelgelb which came into use after the start of the Afrika Korps.  Just to further confuse matters, the first Tigers were reported to be in green, which was probably more suitable for Tunisia.

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It depends on the time period, the first contingent was European grey, followed by introduction of two sets of tropical colours in 1941 and 1942.  Dunkelgelb only became official in February 1943, so maybe some in the Tunisia campaign.

 

 

 

 

 

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On 07/05/2022 at 20:57, Graham Boak said:

The first ones to go were (I understand) painted a specific desert colour on top of their service Panzergrau, but the later ones will have been painted in the factory.  There were two different hues of light brown used, but neither were Dunkelgelb which came into use after the start of the Afrika Korps.  Just to further confuse matters, the first Tigers were reported to be in green, which was probably more suitable for Tunisia.

That green story is still an enigma. 

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According to George R Bradford's book, Armour Camouflage & Markings North Africa 1940-43 he states that vehicles were German Grey (Heeres Mittelungen #864 of 31st July 1940) then a change from grey to dark sand (Heeres Mittelungen #281 of 17th March 1941). The final German paint directive change for North Africa came (Heeres Mittelungen #315 25th March 1942) when the dark sand colour was ordered to be made darker and that grey was acceptable again.

 

Having seen a few photos of Pz. III's in a lighter than grey tone leaving the factory in 1941/2, I would say that the change was made at a factory and field level.

Edited by Crayons
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I think it is as simple as this.  The first vehicles sent to N Africa were not "Tropen" or tropical vehicles.  They would therefore have been Dunkelgrau, the standard colour of the day.  Green is just fantasy: German tanks were never green.  Repainting happened in theatre, most likely in the authorised RAL8000.  The idea that Luftwaffe RLM colours might have been used has been debunked.  This is when you see vehicles with worn paint showing the darker colour underneath and unpainted grey patches around insignia etc.  

 

It became apparent that operations in N Africa and Russia needed vehicles adapted to dusty environments: the "Tropen" standard.  Vehicles produced as "Tropen" with tropical air filters etc were initially factory-finished in RAL8000 from March 1941, over which 1/3 by area of RAL7008 was to be applied.  This colour scheme provided little contrast and was changed in March 1942 to RAL8020 with 1/3 coverage of RAL7027.  From about March 1943 everything went over to RAL7028 regardless, but it is highly unlikely that anything in that colour would have made it over to Tunisia.

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9 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

I think it is as simple as this.  The first vehicles sent to N Africa were not "Tropen" or tropical vehicles.  They would therefore have been Dunkelgrau, the standard colour of the day.  Green is just fantasy: German tanks were never green.  Repainting happened in theatre, most likely in the authorised RAL8000.  The idea that Luftwaffe RLM colours might have been used has been debunked.  This is when you see vehicles with worn paint showing the darker colour underneath and unpainted grey patches around insignia etc.  

 

It became apparent that operations in N Africa and Russia needed vehicles adapted to dusty environments: the "Tropen" standard.  Vehicles produced as "Tropen" with tropical air filters etc were initially factory-finished in RAL8000 from March 1941, over which 1/3 by area of RAL7008 was to be applied.  This colour scheme provided little contrast and was changed in March 1942 to RAL8020 with 1/3 coverage of RAL7027.  From about March 1943 everything went over to RAL7028 regardless, but it is highly unlikely that anything in that colour would have made it over to Tunisia.

I would have thought so too. The reason for asking was a kubblewagon. After painting the entire car tropen colours I thought I would have been better painting the inside and underside dunklegelb. I can't see them painting inside tropen in the field, not much point.

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  • 1 month later...

The myth of green Tigers goes back to the 1960s when, I think Bradford, wrote they they were grey-green.  Followed by an assertion by someone else that this was a pea green colour. Hence grey green artwork.  The colour grey-green is translation from Graugrun, the named colour for RAL7008.  But that colour is neither grey nor green in appearance.  It is a fairly dark brown with a greenish tinge.  So someone from way back discovered that a grey-green, based purely on a translation,  had been applied to Tigers, but probably didn't specify that it was a disrupter over another  base colour

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Wouldn't say RAL7008 is a dark brown, Mike. The modern (read: post-WW2) name is Khakigrau (khakigrey) which is a much better name. Apparently many modern RAL names are much better suited.
Let's be honest: Dunkelgelb for example is not a fitting name for any RAL7028. Graugelb or Staubgelb is much better.

Edited by Steben
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