Crmwell Mk:IV Black an green Scheme

[Eduardo Soler]

I 'm going to build the Airfix CromwelMK.IV CS and  I would like to know if there is any picture of the tank with scheme A. 1st Czech. Independent brigade with green and black camo. Thanks in advance

[Eduardo Soler]

Sorry... MK. VI

 

[KRK4m]

Have a brief look there:

Cheers

Michael

[Kingsman]

As noted above, disruptive painting was not authorised for British tanks in NW Europe.  That included Czech, Polish, Canadian etc forces operating under British command.  That being said, there is photo evidence that it was done: 1 RTR for example.  But I don't know if there is any evidence that the Czech Armoured Brigade used disruptive painting. 

 

Have you found any photos of camouflaged Czech Cromwells?  I've only ever seen then in plain SCC15.  The markings Airfix provide in their kit - if accurate (they can't even count the wheel nuts properly!) - are for a plain tank.

[Bullbasket]

I'm not at home at the moment, but if you are in no hurry, I will be back home around the end of next week, and I could PM a photo of the 1 RTR tank  that @Kingsman was alluding to. (I may even have a photo of a Czech version).

 

John.

[Mike Starmer]

I was able to examine a large number of images of the Czech Cromwells several years ago.  In a book I had, recently sold,  were most of those images some of which I saved.   What looks like a presumed SCC.15 Olive Drab and SCC.14 are actually SCC.15 with much lighter areas.  All the markings, stars, WD numbers etc are on the dark areas which indicates another lighter colour applied around them.  In some artwork this is shown as SCC.2 brown which cannot be since the tonal values of SCC.2 and SCC15 are almost identical and the pictures I saw show a high contrast.  The unit were deployed almost exclusively investing the Dunkirk town and port, still occupied by German forces until 1945.    Given their task and the patrol areas along dunes dark vehicles stood out.  It then occurred to me  that due to having time on their hands and captured equipment and stores, German Dunklegelb had been used to generally lighten the appearance of the tanks.  The tonal values fits convincingly and the shape of the patches clearly shows a brush application.