Caunter Camo Question

[brasidas19004]

Sooo, I am a big Operation Crusader fan [largely due to one of my first Bantam War Books as a yoot was Robert Crip's wonderful "Brazen Chariots"] and am getting around to painting up my 4th Armoured BDE Stuarts and my 22nd AB Crusaders.

My main question is where are we on historical knowledge here... were they still using Caunter at that point or had they decided to just go with a generic desert sand color?  Or would it be a mix, with the tanks being in Caunter at operation start, but the replacements just being a sand color?

Thanks for info!
Alex

[Panzer21]

Sooo, I am a big Operation Crusader fan [largely due to one of my first Bantam War Books as a yoot was Robert Crip's wonderful "Brazen Chariots"] and am getting around to painting up my 4th Armoured BDE Stuarts and my 22nd AB Crusaders.

My main question is where are we on historical knowledge here... were they still using Caunter at that point or had they decided to just go with a generic desert sand color?  Or would it be a mix, with the tanks being in Caunter at operation start, but the replacements just being a sand color?

Thanks for info!
Alex

At the time of Operation Crusader, the painting instructions were changing from Caunter to plain Stone.

Stuarts
There are frequent pictures of Stuarts in various gaudy Caunter schemes. Actual evidence is more limited.
There is some evidence it wasn't even Caunter on the well known photo of Bellman from 8th Hussars:

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/bellmanwm_1.htm

8th Hussars seem the most likely candidate for Caunter or a variation of it.

https://www.qrhmuseum.com/8th-hussars-sidi-rezegh-19th-23rd-nov-1941

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2024/09/miniarts-35th-scale-british-stuart-mki.html

What the RTR sported is anyone's guess. You could use either Caunter or plain Stone.

Crusaders
The RGH and CLY of 22 AB were plain stone. They may have had black (or possibly green) "flames" at bottom of hull / side skirts but pictures are inconclusive. They were shipped from UK and possibly repainted in Egypt.

RTR in 7AB. Probably stone. They were replacement tanks sent from UK. Any of 6RTR Crusaders from Battleaxe may havecstill been in Caunter, along with the elderly A13 and A10 Cruisers.

Neil

[brasidas19004]

I'm tempted to go with plain stone as the cover painting [uncredited] on my cheap paperback has no Caunter.
I think it is supposed to be Crisp's tank, but maybe not, it might just be a suitable painting.

[fred]

I went with single tone caunter on most of mine