Different Camouflage-Types within the same unit?

[Sir Tobi]

Hi all,

I am a newcomer to this period. As so often I have to blame the lardies with their great rulesets - they have the slogan "play the period, not the rules", but with me its always the other way round - I want to play their rules, so I have to adapt to the period 

As a big AB-Fan for the Napoleonic Period, I think I will go with 20mm AB for CoC. Now looking at their beautiful range, I am especially fascinated by their units wearing camouflage (both Zeltbahn and Tarnhemd). But as there is only one pack of each and I like a little more variation, so I was wondering weather it is realistic for a Grenadier Zug/Platoon to have different styles of camouflage mixed or even figures with camouflage and without combinded in the same team?

I have read that in the later war the uniformity was in decline and the exception was the rule, but I don not know weather this can be applied to camouflage as well.

Thanks for your help!

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

If you are painting Waffen SS for the late war period, you can have smocks and helmets in Planetree, Oakleaf and Blurred Edge.
You could also have trousers and tunics in Peadot as well. It would also be feasible to have a few garments in Italian camouflage.

Here is a review of a book that may interest you. (I am the author)


Mick

[Sir Tobi]

Thanks, Mick, this sounds great and I think I'll place an order for that book. Congrats to you, the review by WI is a great recommenadation.

Concerning my question, maybe I should reframe it like that: I'm considering to buy these three AB-Packs:
 
https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/germany-world-war-ii-infantry/products/infantry-section-advancing-cautiously-20mm
and
https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/germany-world-war-ii-infantry/products/infantry-section-zeltbahn-20mm
and
https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/germany-world-war-ii-infantry/products/heeres-tarnhemd-camo-jacket-20mm

Would the different types of camo (Zeltbahn, Tarnhemd and no camo) be seen within the same unit of Grenadiers or would it be either/or?

Thanks again.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Infantry section advancing cautiously appear to be in Field Grey Tunics and Trousers.
This could represent either Heer or Waffen SS.
You could paint them in Peadot camouflage tunics and trousers as mid 1944 onwards SS.

Infantry Section in Zeltbahns would have splinter 31 camouflage Zeltbahns and field grey uniforms for Heer.
You could paint the Zeltbahn in Oakleaf or Planetree for Waffen SS.

Heeres Tarnhemd is meant to have smocks and helmets in Swamp camouflage.
The difference to the Waffen SS smocks is the hood, (no hood on SS smock) which is hard to see, so you could paint them in Oakleaf or Planetree for Waffen SS.

And yes, you could use all three packs to represent a platoon in the battles after D-Day onward.

[Keith]

Short answer is yes, mixes of camouflage items within a section or company are absolutely fine. Also a combination of both splinter and sumpfmuster are fine (splinter pattern and soft edged marsh pattern). All of these could be mixed as you like with infantry in plain field Grey uniforms with or without helmet covers.
As you dig a bit deeper you’ll notice some consistency within certain units during specific battles or in some theatres (at least as photographed) but mixing to begin with won’t cause you any problems later.

There are some items of camouflage clothing that are specific to the SS but AB label SS figures as such. Some Heer (army) camouflaged clothing will also work for SS (as Mick mentions) but a little caution is needed here. Obviously the SS had their own patterns which evolved separately.

[Sir Tobi]

Many thanks Mick and Keith, this was very helpful indeed!

[Jemima Fawr]

Yes, what they said.  If you end up painting SS, just remember that the 'Pea Dot' camouflage cloth was only made into tunics, trousers, tank-suits and field caps.  Helmet covers, smocks and ponchos were made out of the other patterns of cloth.

[Etranger]

If you look at 'V's various postings on this site you're likely to see painted examples of those AB figures.

[Sir Tobi]

Many thanks! I did check out V'S work... he really is an artist!

[Truscott Trotter]

Yeah and now you will end up with Barton envy 

[Sir Tobi]

Mick, that Book of yours finally has arrived and it is great! Good work on that, really, it is most helpful. Thanks! I hope there are some more book for the other nations in the pipeline?

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

I am working very slowly on two books at the moment - one is WW2 British and Commonwealth, the other is for the Vietnam War.

Books are a lot of work and earn very little money.