"NATO 3 Colour Scheme" Topic

Hi does anyone have a definitive date for when US M1 (not M1 A1) tanks first appeared in Germany painted in the 3 colour NATO scheme? Earliest reference I can find is a drawing of an IP M1 at NTC Feruary 1987, M1A1 in Germany August 1987 and a painting manual TM 43-0139 dated October 1988. Other references state a general period "mid eighties" which is not specific enough for what I need.
I am also struggling to find picture of a pre M1A1 or IP M1 in this scheme. Can anyone help here?

From Osprey Vanguard 41 "The M1 Abrams Battle Tank" copyright 1985, page 57, 2nd paragraph. "In 1984 the US Army under pressure from its NATO allies (particularly Germany)agreed to begin adopting a common NATO colour scheme developed by Germany.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams
states that M1A1 tanks came from the factory in 3 color scheme built 1986 to 1992

There are numerous threads about plain green M1s already, sadly I think that 'mid 80s' is about as accurate as you are going to get for NATO three colour, although I'd be more inclined to 'late 1980s' for 3 tone M1s.

I'll also note that adopting a new paint scheme is often a process. You won't find an exact date like "On Oct. 1, every vehicle was repainted."

In the USMC, for example, we went from MERDEC to NATO 3-colur a vehicle at a time. We'd send away a vehicle that was to be rebuilt, and receive a replacement that had shiny new paint. Platoons were "mixed" for years as a result.

It's also worth noting that this new paint was CARC, which you cant just throw on in the field. It requires special equipment (respirators, etc), so like Scott said would usually be applied during serious maintenancenough activities. So I would use the factory application as a baseline date, then existing tanks may or may not get repainted in the years following

I'd stick with green for 1985 based on everything I have read.

Just to confuse things more for soft skins, I had a HMMWV at Ft. Hood painted tan for Desert Storm that had to have the fiberglass hood replaced. The replacement hood came pre-painted in NATO 3 color, we had several vehicles like that.

Yeah, CARC is a pretty nasty epoxy paint, though it's pretty much the same as the DuPont Imron in terms of protective equipment required. Wouldn't be surprised to hear that it actually *IS* Imron with a flat finish.

Just to confuse things more for soft skins, I had a HMMWV at Ft. Hood painted tan for Desert Storm that had to have the fiberglass hood replaced. The replacement hood came pre-painted in NATO 3 color, we had several vehicles like that.

Seen lots of pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan with random panels in green or NATO 3-color, so that's still an issue.

I had the same question because of the Team Yankee game. All the M1s in the book are in MERDC, but from everything I've read, M1s in Europe were just green, only later being painted in 3 color. My solution: the M1s will be gredn, the M113s and varients will be MERDC.

Anyone know what a proper color for the M1s would be?

Thanks everyone for your answers. As I suspected, that M1's for the "Team Yankee" period should just be pretty much solid green.

I would use the Vallejo air NATO three colour pack, it is ready to go

A big push in 1990 to have all vehicles in NATO three colour for reforger 90.

Search Reforger in Google images for pictures, there is also book on the reforger exercises probably worth it if you are fussy about actual datelines.

link

1988-89 We only had one spray paint booth in our unit and one spray painter, we a number of trade assistants to prep the vehicles for painting, from memory it took 12 months to paint all of the Regts vehicles to three colour nato, two or vehicles a day at max, a lot of the trucks especially support coy transporters and recovery were still green till late 89.

Cheers
Matt

Forest Green FS 34079 is the "official" color. According to various painting sites MM 1710 Dark Green or Humbrol 116 are a match. In Vallejo Model Air 71.016 US Dark Green or 893 US Dark Green in Vallejo Model Color are also a match according to their charts.

If you subscribe to scale effect, weathering or fading YMMV.

ScoutJack,

I just found a modeling site that also says FS34079…many thanks!!

Now for the Soviet equipment…….

When I was in 2ACR 83-86 our M-1's were plain green.

Jim

scouts- In your 2ACR days- what was the unit policy for any extra camouflage on vehicles deployed to exercise (or in the event of actual war)- real foliage, nets, a mix, or nothing?

The folks at BF have said that the M1's should probably be green but admitted that they painted them in MERDC to make them easily distinguishable from the Russians.

seneffe sorry it took so long to get back to you. I don't remember any policy on extra camo or foliage. I do remember never being in one spot very long and if we were(usually 2+ hours)camo nets went up. Probably one reason for not putting foliage up was that units had to pay for maneuver damage and I know I did my fair share of tearing up the country side.

Jim

Thanks Scouts- that's helpful. Certainly from photos, foliage seems the exception rather than the rule on USAREUR vehicles. The BAOR on the other hand seems to have rumbled around W Germany decked out with foliage like fully tracked mobile shrubberies. Maybe they didn't get the memo about paying for damage, or they just stuck it under the tea pot and promised to read it later.

Re the OP- Looking at the well researched Tankograd publications- the first photo of USAREUR vehicles in Germany in NATO 3 colour is in the 1987 REFORGER ecercise.