----- Original Message -----
From: <JaxInCalifornia@aol.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2001 7:05 PM
Subject: [MV] Camo, etc.
> But, the all time most effective camo... least in my opinion, again has to go
> to the British. They really do their homework and come up with some great
> ideas. Their old two color cammo pattern (guessing this popular late 60's to
> mid 70's) was an olive green and black... olive green base and large black
> areas with soft, diffused and irregular edges. Tell you what, you toss a net
> over that one, back it into some green foliage and it's gone. I've actually
> taken people out to look at the landscape, having hidden a Ferret half in the
> natural foliage and trees and they never spotted it until it was pointed
> out... now that's what camouflage is supposed to do!
>
Perhaps I should finish this off by telling what I know.
We know this vehicle scheme as NATO of course and is likely a
derivation/adoption of a previous national scheme possibly starting with the
WWII OD and black "Mickey Mouse" pattern. The scheme is chosen for European
conditions of course.
What you might not know is that:
a) Serving vehicles have hard edges. You likely have a "restored" example with
the black applied by spray and it is more effective ! Possibly as-new the
finish was sprayed.
b) The black is actually a satin finish paint and infra red resistive - "paint,
brushing, black, matt, IRR."
c) The scheme is quite ill-defined on purpose, the driver paints his vehicle
only and thus the patterns are randomised.
d) The black area grows; it is practice to hand paint yearly so the black
naturally expands and it is very crudely heaped on whatever is there often mud
and all. Some 3/16" of paint on disposed vehicles isn't uncommon.
e) The black should break up the outline and corners but not all four, being
IRR the camo should appear the same under visible light and IR.
f) Other patterns/shades are in use, the Battus scheme used in the Canadian
training grounds being one and, of course, "here-I-am-shoot-at-me" UN white all
over is often seen.
The best camo is that around you which is why Wehrmacht vehicles in Normandy
appear to be mobile hedgerows, this needs replacing daily and has been stopped
for exercises here and on the Euro mainland owing to complaints of environmental
vandalism being levelled at the NATO military.
Richard
Southampton - England
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jan 06 2002 - 22:26:53 PST