"Balkan Wars ship colours" Topic

OK, I've got my models prepped, masts added, undercoated and ready for paint. But … I just want to double check, before I start. I've seen various inidcations that the Ottoman Turkish vessels were "khaki" coloured, including Mal Wright, Thomo's Hole, and a nice coloured graphic I came across somewhere which shows them in a greenish shade (except for Goeben and Breslau). However, I have also seen models, including museum models, which show them in grey. I'll probably go with khaki green, because that's what I "always knew", it looks nice, it makes sense (coastal navy), it's possible that they changed to grey in the early years of the Great War, and no-one I game with will know any better. But I do just want to do a last check …

That's without considering the destroyers and TBs, which I may just do in black; and the Greeks: there are pictures on the net of the Averoff in an attractive bluish grey, but I may go for something a little duller based on interpretation of contemporary photos (since the current version may be a modern paint).

I painted my Turkish fleet in a khaki color but kept my TBs black. From what I recollect, sometime around 1912, the fleet went from khaki to grey. I went with khaki to differentiate them from the Greek fleet.

I painted my Greek fleet in a pale/medium gray. You can see the fleets (minus the TBs):

link

What a great reply! Many thanks indeed. And really nice models, too – I am surprised that I hadn't come across this when searching for info. I might have taken encouragement from it, not least as to drilling holes (even in destroyers!) which always causes me problems.

I've remembered that I did have the Osprey on the Ottoman navy on some electronic device but I'm afraid it has gone astray and I don't recall the details. I was hoping to use the Turks against the Russians too, in the Black Sea, and possibly the Italians before 2012. So whether I paint them grey or khaki they'll just have to be wrong for something!

I'm glad my response was of some value. I have the Goeben and Breslau half-painted (been like that for quite some time) and they are grey.

My plan was/is to flesh out my collection to include a Russian fleet for some hypothetical actions with the Goeben and Breslau reinforcing an Ottoman fleet against the Russians. From there, I can paint up the Japanese for the Russo Japanese War and then the Chinese for the Sino Japanese War.

What rules do you plan to use? What scale ships?

I like the bases you used from Litko. Are they opaque blue with the magnetic strips on the bottom to help with storage? Did you paint the bases, or did they come in that darker blue color? They look great! Thanks for including the link!

ww2navyguy: Thanks for the kind words. They are 1.5mm wooden bases (3mm rounded corners) with adhesive magnetic sheet attached to the bottoms. I glued the ships to the bases and painted the water effects with a base coat of P3 Exile Blue and wakes painted on with Reaper Moonstone Blue. I gave the bass a very, very light drybrush of the Moonstone Blue to catch any bits for definition.

My ships are all Navwar. I have quite a lot of WW1 Brits and Germans, but I have been branching out into the earlier periods – started with Russo-Japanese fleets, then some Spanish-American vessels, and now the Balkan Wars. I'm thinking of using David Manley's Balkan Wars campaign rules (I'm a fan; I've also got his sets for the RJW and the SpanAm War, amongst others) but I may also use "Grand Fleets". Then in the lead pile of shame I have one of Navwar's Chinese packs, the Russian Black Sea fleet and the Great White Fleet, with some miscellaneous French, Italians, Austrians, Brits and Germans. I reckon there are a few "what ifs" to be played there – e.g. a US/Japan clash, and I have just read that the US nearly sent a squadron to Istanbul after the 1898 war to enforce claims to compensation …