Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: Sakuragi Miniatures on May 13, 2025, 01:44:32 AM
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I'm working on forces for the 1940-41 East Africa Campaign but am having trouble finding reference photos or physical descriptions of the Matilda IIs. I'd like to paint up some for Bolt Action but I'm not sure how to proceed. Any help is appreciated.
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The 16 Matildas used in East Africa came from B Squadron, 4 RTR. They were shipped direct from the UK to the Sudan. Unlike their comrades in Egypt, it looks like these weren't treated to the Caunter Scheme that shows up on photos of Matildas in North Africa at the time. I'd assume a base colour of Light Stone or Portland Stone (buff/sand colours).
There's an account an period photos to be found here:
https://4and7royaltankregiment.com/1940-1941/
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The 16 Matildas used in East Africa came from B Squadron, 4 RTR. They were shipped direct from the UK to the Sudan. Unlike their comrades in Egypt, it looks like these weren't treated to the Caunter Scheme that shows up on photos of Matildas in North Africa at the time. I'd assume a base colour of Light Stone or Portland Stone (buff/sand colours).
There's an account an period photos to be found here:
https://4and7royaltankregiment.com/1940-1941/
Thanks, I read that and wasn't sure if they would be painted for Europe still, or if they would have been given a buff/sand paint scheme before deployment.
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Caunter was (I believe) officially adopted in Nov 1940 so, before this date, most vehicles were in the stone/sand colours. The question is, if they were sent over prior to November 1940, were they repainted in the same way as tanks in the Western desert?
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According to Mike Starmer in one of his MAFVA guides:
1940-41; Under G.O. 297 November 1940 very many AFVs and soft-skins in three tone Caunter scheme of Light Stone 61 or Portland Stone 64 as basic colour with Silver Grey 28 and Slate 34 or G3 left on as an expedient dark tone. G.O.s of this period specifies Light Stone or Portland Stone at various times. A scheme for The Sudan specified Light Stone No.61 or No. 64 Portland Stone with Light Purple Brown No. 49 In lieu of Silver Grey No. 28 and No. 34 Slate. Pathe film shows the darker colour being applied by spraying patches onto CMP trucks. The order is ambiguous by implying that it should be to the same pattern which appears not to be so.
A two-coloured pattern similar to ‘Caunter’ was applied to 3 RTR A10 tanks in Greece and 5 RTR A13 tanks in Libya during April and May 1941 using Light Stone No.61 or Portland Stone No.64 basic colour. Due to the low contrast pattern, Silver Grey No.28 may have been used instead of Slate No.34 or some unknown colour.
Light Purple Brown No.49 was exclusively the Sudan scheme, as yet no evidence of the pattern using the Sudan design has been found although photographs do appear to show it in use as wavy horizontal stripes on a carrier there.
I have not been able to find an online source of the picture of the carrier mentioned.
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Of course the extant photos of 4 RTR's Matildas in theatre don't show Caunter or the Sudan scheme.
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Of course the extant photos of 4 RTR's Matildas in theatre don't show Caunter or the Sudan scheme.
Do you have a date as to when they were sent to East Africa? It would probably be asking too much to find out if those photo's are dated as well?
Got it - they were sent in October 1940 before the Caunter scheme was adopted and, chances are, they weren't repainted, although without a date on those 2 photo's I wouldn't state it conclusively! lol
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This might be helpful
(https://i.imgur.com/etQ9lRl.jpg)
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Thanks. It looks like hastily applied sand paint over the original green. That can be interesting to attempt. What book is that plate from?
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Thanks. It looks like hastily applied sand paint over the original green. That can be interesting to attempt. What book is that plate from?
Sorry, I don't remember. I found it on the internet many years ago when researching my East African Campaign models. I was a bit surprised to find that 4 RTR did not appear to have painted their trademark "Chinese Eye" marking on the tanks
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Dadlamassu and Sakuragi
it was from a very old and, i suppose, accurate magazine in Polish..i do not own anymore the physical magazine/booklet but still have the plates that i had scanned. No text available as it just included a small summary in french or English of something that i already know..the translation of the magazine title was something like "Italian East Africa 1935-41"..after having cross checked, with my own reliable Italian sources, the plates referring to Italian stuff , they seem very accurate ..so i suppose the same accurate research had been made for British AFVs
...i' m posting those plates as i guess that the magazine is long out of print..in case i did something wrong please excuse me and delete accordingly
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Thanks, those are all really helpful!
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I copied the sand painted over original green look for my East Africa campaign Matilda II. It's my first time trying something like this but I'm really happy with how it came out.
(https://www.wayfarerdaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250515-1_1.jpg)
(https://www.wayfarerdaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250515-2_1.jpg)
(https://www.wayfarerdaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250515-3_1.jpg)
(https://www.wayfarerdaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250515-4_1.jpg)
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That looks really good, Sakuragi - I do like the way you got the hint of green on the tank. One thing I noticed from the photo's is that the colour seemed lighter the further down the tank you went; so that the turret seems to be a slightly darker shade - if you graded the colour a slightly lighter sand down the hull it'd look superb, but that's just me being picky! lol
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That looks really good, Sakuragi - I do like the way you got the hint of green on the tank. One thing I noticed from the photo's is that the colour seemed lighter the further down the tank you went; so that the turret seems to be a slightly darker shade - if you graded the colour a slightly lighter sand down the hull it'd look superb, but that's just me being picky! lol
That's just because of the way the flash hit it. Turret and body are the same, Tamiya light sand primer followed by Vallejo gunship green drybrush then Tyrant Skull drybrush to dull it down. Then a very watered down Agrax to enhance details wash and second drybrush of Tyrant Skull to lighten it up again. Flat Earth is drybrushed around the bottom of the hull as well.
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I love the sound of this project: I enjoy the backwater campaigns a lot (I have a project for the Allied invasion of Syria). You're Matilda looks fantastic. It also looks like it will be a true titan amongst all those armoured cars and tankettes!
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I love the sound of this project: I enjoy the backwater campaigns a lot (I have a project for the Allied invasion of Syria). You're Matilda looks fantastic. It also looks like it will be a true titan amongst all those armoured cars and tankettes!
It will be. The British Commonwealth/African troops force is still undecided but I know this will be the centerpiece.
Syria sounds interesting, Polish troops with French kit?
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The Perries do a dedicated range of Vichy French which work for Op Exporter. Alas not with Circassian Cavalry as yet but on the plus side they do have British cavalry both mounted and on foot.
You can get even more value from those Vichy figures, pitting them against Britain in Madagascar and Dakar, against their Free French Compatriots elsewhere in West Africa and against the Thais in Indochina. You could even use them against your Italians in an 'almost happened' invasion of French Somaliland, as they produce suitable Senegalese in tropical kit.
The side shows of of WW2 are rabbit warren you should be wary of entering. You'll start off thinking you have bought the forces to fight Tobruk and ending up invading Iraq and Iran. :)
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The Perries do a dedicated range of Vichy French which work for Op Exporter. Alas not with Circassian Cavalry as yet but on the plus side they do have British cavalry both mounted and on foot.
You can get even more value from those Vichy figures, pitting them against Britain in Madagascar and Dakar, against their Free French Compatriots elsewhere in West Africa and against the Thais in Indochina. You could even use them against your Italians in an 'almost happened' invasion of French Somaliland, as they produce suitable Senegalese in tropical kit.
The side shows of of WW2 are rabbit warren you should be wary of entering. You'll start off thinking you have bought the forces to fight Tobruk and ending up invading Iraq and Iran. :)
I was looking at their mounted and dismounted yeomanry, decided to create a proper plan before buying. For once. I do know I'll need a Marmon-Herrington mk. I armored car.
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You'll want some MkVI light tanks and a few universal carriers for the Australian Div Cavalry.
If you want what is probably the best account of the campaign with lots of maps and vignettes of the fighting, I'd suggest reading the Australian Official War History, it;s available free online via the AWM
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1417307
It also gives you the Greek and Cretan campaigns.
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Allied Cavalry are available in 3D Print for Yeomanry and Transjordanian in the King & Country KS (Studio Historia) and there are some Chasseurs d'Afrique in the Poilu D'Orient KS (can't remember the KS creator).I have seen MH Mk. 1 in 3D print files as well. Lots of later variants, both production and field mods in 3D files.
The Perries do a dedicated range of Vichy French which work for Op Exporter. Alas not with Circassian Cavalry as yet but on the plus side they do have British cavalry both mounted and on foot.
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Syria sounds interesting, Polish troops with French kit?
I'm doing it in 15mm: Australians vs Vichy French. But there was also some French vs French fighting once Exporter rolled into Lebanon, from memory. As Carlos says, the official Australian history is good. I also really enjoyed 'England's Last War Against France'.
But to drag this topic back to what you're doing, what's the best read on East Africa?
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That's just because of the way the flash hit it. Turret and body are the same, Tamiya light sand primer followed by Vallejo gunship green drybrush then Tyrant Skull drybrush to dull it down. Then a very watered down Agrax to enhance details wash and second drybrush of Tyrant Skull to lighten it up again. Flat Earth is drybrushed around the bottom of the hull as well.
Umm, actually I was talking about the period photo's that were in the earlier links.
As to a primer - Osprey do a campaign guide that would probably get you up to speed and I think at least one author has done a campaign guide from the Italian viewpoint.
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Thanks. I have the Osprey book but didn't see any photos that clearly showed how the Matilda was painted for the campaign in it.
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. But there was also some French vs French fighting once Exporter rolled into Lebanon, from memory.
There was indeed a kinda 'les bleus contre les bleus' and 'our bleus' didn't always come out on top. No love lost whatsoever between the two.
Some may recall that in 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon. That very year we had an old chap who had been part of Exporter, the 1940 invasion, come and address my school cadet unit for our annual dinner and he talked about the parallels and contrasts between the two. I don't recall a great deal of what he said but what sticks in my mind was him recalling plinking away at a Vichy French sangar on an adjacent hill with a Boys anti-tank rifle.
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"But to drag this topic back to what you're doing, what's the best read on East Africa?"
Not sure if it's the best but there is of course the British Official history:
https://archive.org/details/mediterranean-middle-east-vol-1/page/93/mode/2up
Whether it's the fact that they deal with things on a much grander scale (understandable) or it's the authorship itself but I've always found the British official histories a deal drier than the Australian or NZ ones. You usually need a regimental history to give you the colour and detail you want at gaming level and those are harder to come by.
Of course Playfair was a military man, whereas the author of the best of the Australian histories, Gavin Long, was a journalist by training and war correspondent by way of experience so his narrative style is a far more engaging.
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The Two Thousand Mile War by W E Crosskill There are several on ebay (uk)
(https://i0.wp.com/www.raptisrarebooks.com/images/139194/the-two-thousand-mile-war-w-e-crosskill-first-edition.jpg?fit=850%2C680&ssl=1)
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"But to drag this topic back to what you're doing, what's the best read on East Africa?"
Not sure if it's the best but there is of course the British Official history:
https://archive.org/details/mediterranean-middle-east-vol-1/page/93/mode/2up
Whether it's the fact that they deal with things on a much grander scale (understandable) or it's the authorship itself but I've always found the British official histories a deal drier than the Australian or NZ ones. You usually need a regimental history to give you the colour and detail you want at gaming level and those are harder to come by.
Of course Playfair was a military man, whereas the author of the best of the Australian histories, Gavin Long, was a journalist by training and war correspondent by way of experience so his narrative style is a far more engaging.
They need to be dry to match their humour and martinis.
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Martinis? Perish the thought. Chota peg, a large brandy unadorned, possibly a G&T or nothing. Important to keep up standards. Martinis are for bounders like that Fleming fellow. ;)
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Might I also suggest the official Indian history?
https://archive.org/details/east-african-campaign-1940-41
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Thanks Veroo..that Indian “official history” is nice..only issue im experimenting with thiose open source free reading is that I cannot figure out how to properly download a PDF and store it ..I think you can only read that text on line