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Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: 6milPhil on 10 January 2015, 09:51:58 PM

Title: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: 6milPhil on 10 January 2015, 09:51:58 PM: My google-fu is failing me aside from finding a couple of great photos of these RAF hangars in Belgium in '44: 8)

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/major-setback/album%202/hangercamo01.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Mitchell_180_Sqn_RAF_in_especially_camouflaged_hangar_Belgium_1944.jpg)

So I'm still looking for a paint guide for camo for Hangars both RAF & LW.

Any suggestions?
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: georgec on 11 January 2015, 11:07:33 PM: You might have tracked down that this is apparently an ex-Luftwaffe hanger at Melsbroek Airfield, now Brussels International Airport, under new management. Apparently that is a 180 Sqn Mitchell, there is also a picture with a Typhoon in front of the hanger, and whoever was in charge of airfield camouflage there was very industrious and had quite an artistic streak...

http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/images12/69.jpg

I don't think there really is a definitive guide to hanger camouflage, some both German and British of it being very elaborate and deceptive and some of it being 'paint it green'. There are bits of building round RAF stations today where you can just make out where black and/or brown paint was applied directly to brickwork in patterns very similar to aircraft camouflage; I have been watching some of it fade for the last 30 years! Much like the aircraft, a lot depends on when and where; by 44-45 the RAF and USAAC weren't bothering and the Luftwaffe was putting a lot of attention into it....
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: 6milPhil on 12 January 2015, 11:58:20 AM: Thanks. I'm almost tempted to go down the all-green route, esp. as I haven't found anything more definitive.
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: Ray Earle on 12 January 2015, 03:09:22 PM: Not hangers as such but the Steel works in Corby had most of the main buildings in an alternate green and brown banding. Fairly wide strips too. They're sizeable buildings! Of course, the majority of it has faded now unfortunately.

I'm not sure what the correct scheme would have been for RAF installations though. Once the Luftwaffe had turned their attention away from the airfields I'm not sure if more than just a general green colour would have been needed.
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: georgec on 13 January 2015, 09:00:03 AM: This is what East Kirby looks like today:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/17923489/369786539.jpg

Of course most buildings that were in use by the mid 60s got a nice thick coat of 'NATO Green' so even some restored buildings may just have 'accommodated' this as a base coat. The Airfix control tower box top is a good indication too:

http://www.airfix.com/airfield-control-tower-1-76.html

Certainly RAF Wyton and High Wycombe just seem to had black/dark green (pigment could be either on the fragments left 70 years later) on 'natural' brick.

While aircraft and vehicles had uniform schemes I think buildings were done on a more individual basis.
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: 6milPhil on 13 January 2015, 09:52:31 AM: Hah! That's one of the pictures I used as a reference for my control tower. Although I went for stripes in the end. :D
Title: Re: Looking for Hangar Camo guide.
Post by: MartinR on 25 January 2015, 09:54:16 AM: You can still see traces of the camo on the buildings at Duxford. Green and brown or green and black, depending.

Cheers
Martin