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"Tetrarch Tanks Camouflaged?" Topic


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3,213 hits since 16 Nov 2012
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Terry3716 Nov 2012 2:46 p.m. PST

I am working on a Tetrarch Tank to support my British airborne forces and am trying to find information about camouflage for this tank. Was it camouflaged or just painted a solid khaki green color? If it was camouflaged what colors would it be painted in and was there any kind of specific pattern used for it. Also, can you recommend paint colors for it (I use primarily Vallejo paints and would like to stay with them).

Any help, pictures, etc. are greatly appreciated.

Terry

Emilio16 Nov 2012 2:51 p.m. PST

For the kaki, Vallejo Russian Uniform is nice. Probably camouflaged with black blotches. Nevertheless, in some sites it is painted in brown and green.
But I like this:

picture

Jemima Fawr16 Nov 2012 4:20 p.m. PST

Some Tetrarchs (possibly all, though it's impossible to be certain) were camouflaged in a banded olive drab & black scheme. Some might well have been plain olive drab, but there is a photo of a camouflaged Tetrarch wreck in Normandy, so at least one of them was camouflaged and it therefore seems very likely that the whole squadron was similarly camouflaged.

As Emilio says, Vallejo's 'Russian Uniform' is a pretty good match, but I would use it as the final 'highlight' coat – don't make it any lighter. I use Humbrol 159, which is a touch darker than Vallejo's 'Russian Uniform,, but is still a bit too light.

The dark earth & black camouflage scheme often seen was the obsolete mid-war scheme and had almost certainly been painted out by D-Day. The brown & green scheme is simply wrong, but it's on the Tetrarch at Bovington (the restorers for some reason mistook the dark earth & black scheme seen in black & white photos for green & brown), which explains its undying popularity among wargamers.

Markings:

Formation sign was the Airborne Forces' Pegasus & Bellerophon sign in sky-blue on a maroon square.

Arm-of-Service sign was changed before D-Day to the standard Infantry Division Recce Regiment sign of '41' on a green-over-cobalt blue square.

6th AARR did not use the usual geometric squadron signs in Normandy, but instead painted the troop designation (HQ, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) in quite large figures on the turret rear 'quarters'. These were either painted in white or sky-blue – the jury's out on that one, but Airborne units frequently vehicle registrations and other 'white' markings such as AoS numbers in sky-blue.

Jemima Fawr16 Nov 2012 4:31 p.m. PST

Here's a good photo of a Tetrarch of 6AARR just prior to D-Day, showing the positioning of markings – particularly the troop number on the turret side and rear. You can also just make out the camouflage banding on the turret.

picture

Note that the '53' AoS marking was changed to '41' just before D-Day (the '85' often seen on models is way out – early 1943 IIRC).

photocrinch16 Nov 2012 6:11 p.m. PST

British airborne forces? What was the genesis of this project? What scale?

David

Personal logo Jeff Ewing Supporting Member of TMP16 Nov 2012 8:37 p.m. PST

Thoughts on Madagascar livery?

Marc33594 Supporting Member of TMP17 Nov 2012 7:08 a.m. PST

Those who wish to use Vallejo I found a very good mix is 50-50 70888 (Olive Grey) and 70924 (Russian Uniform). Not my own mix but suggested by someone here. Easy to mix too as Vallejo has a nice mixing bottle which holds two of their regular dropper bottles worth of paint.

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