Shanghai 1932

[traveller]

Can anyone advice the colour scheme of Japanese armoured cars in Shanghai 1932? Judging from the photos on this link they seem to have one colour:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=102369&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Would it be safe to assume that they are dark green?

Most grateful for any help!

[Svennn]

Can't open your link. My simple answer is I do not know for sure but I am pretty sure this very question has been asked previously and IIRC your assumption was the consensus of opinion at the time.

Doc Twilight should know. I am sure he will be along presently.

Herge did his green in the Tintin book

[traveller]

Thanks Svenn! strange you couldn´t get the link...anyway - Problem solved! pretty cool pictures...

[Svennn]

They are awesome photos. Thanks for posting those.

But I would disagree and say from those they are two colours - the darker areas are too uniform to be shadows. I would possibly go more towards desert sand & a darker brown too

[Arlequín]

I think you'll find these photos have been computer coloured, so beware of shades.



Other b&w pics show vehicles to be darker than the infantry's uniforms and same darkness as the helmets.





It's also possible that Navy Vehicles might have been a different colour or shade to army vehicles.

Most models are depicted with a 'bronze-earth' colour, I suspect that the colour may have had more green in... a sort of 'Bronze khaki'.

[Helen]

I'm looking at my book Japanese armour Vol 1 an it seems that there seems to be a difference between services for colours.

The navy seems to go with all blue grey or with brown stripes on the blue grey and still later using the overall blue grey.

Early two-tone camouflage was common for most army AFVs (green ochre and a dark green or variant thereof).  It was only later in the thirties that you start to see the three tone camo an in some cases depending on theatre of Operations in China that you may see a variant of the camouflage. This maybe blotches, horizontal or vertical stripes etc.

Please remember in early January that the only armour (armoured cars) presence in China (Manchuria excluded) was from the Navy and protecting the Japanese quarter of the city. It was only around March of the same year that you start to see the Army introduce their armour.

Just my little bit to add.

Helen
 

[traveller]

Thanks Helen,

so, should we assume that the coloured black and white pictures got it wrong and that blue gray is then the correct colour?

[Helen]

Thanks Helen,

so, should we assume that the coloured black and white pictures got it wrong and that blue gray is then the correct colour?

If I was just doing the early period with the navy then Blue grey and maybe with brown stipes.

Helen

[Doc Twilight]

Looks like I was beat to the punch, but thank you for the vote of confidence, Svenn:)

I would concur with what's been said so far, and only add that during the early portion of the Second World War, some Japanese Army vehicles were still painted in a shade that is sometimes referred to as "Brown Green" in translated Japanese sources. This is essentially a very brownish green tinge, not unlike that seen in the recolored photo of the Dowa that you found or in the helmet provided by Jim, albeit with a tad red than seen in the recolored photos.

Also, note that the helmet shown by Jim is an -Army- helmet (thus the star). If it were a naval helmet, it would have different insignia, and likely be in a different color, too.

However, I do agree that it seems to have been recolored. If the vehicle is indeed a naval armored car, as is the case, I would lean strongly toward blue-grey.

-Doc

[traveller]

Thanks all,

case closed, blue-grey here I come...