"What color for late-war German WW2 Soldiers?" Topic

I am a newbie in WW2 wargaming and have started painting late-war (1944-45) German infantry. I have looked at numerous color illustrations by contemporary artists as well as photos of original coats, trousers, and caps, and am puzzled that they seem to come in both a greenish-grey shade, as well as plain grey. I suspect that both were used, but was wondering if someone could explain this in greater detail. Which color is appropriate for what types of units at this late stage of the war?

Thanks,
Don

The answer is yes.

Field gray was a spectrum of colors.

These are all original tunics. They are all correct as far as field gray goes. You can use a shade similar to these and it really is close enough.

I tend to associate the later war with a dirtier brownish gray green because of lower quality control in manufacture of uniforms, but that's just a rough guide.

All of them. All of the colors…

I suspect the tunic to the far left in the photo above was the "ideal" or off-the-rack intended color, but feldgrau wool does seem to fade to something like a dark khaki color. Variety is good.

Doug

Mixing different shades amongst your troops also adds interest rather than them all looking the same.

Don't forget to do the jackets and trousers a different colour. Uniforms were not matchy-matchy like suits in latter day menswear store. Early war German uniforms were greenish jacket and greyish trousers, i.e. intentionally different. Later war would be just as mixed up, featuring a mix of old and new kit, issued as required.

When Dad's Army was made they clothed the cast in surplus WW2 era uniforms. As you can see in this photo, no two were the same colour and the bloke on the left clearly has top and bottom in a different shade. While it's not the same army, the principle should apply.

My guide for Painting World War II Germans hope it helps.

As always, comments are appreciated.

Take care

Andy