Paint Colors for WWII Germans

[ErikB]

Hi All,

I am trying to paint up some Artizan WWII late war smock-wearing minis.

I am a little lost in terms of the colors for the under-smock uniforms.

I have noticed that there seem to be two colors frequently worn, a field gray which is green-gray and a much greener color. 

Can anyone explain the difference between the two?

What are the best colors and companies for these paints?

Also, it seems that only the SS wore the spotted reversible smocks but I've seen modeled non-SS figures wearing a mixture of camo ranging from the two colors of the smocks and the paratrooper (Fallschirmjaeger) camo with the rain-like lines on it.

Can anyone explain this part, too?  Was it as simple as Wehrmacht soldiers wore what they could get their hands on toward the end of the war?  Were Volksgrenadiers issued all sorts of camo in late war?

Thanks a bunch.

[former user]

so, field grey was the traditional colour, but officers would als wear a plainer grey fom the full dress uniform.
the other green is called reed-green and was summer uniform later in the war, but it would fade quickly.
the fighting branch of the guys with the two runes were first issued camo in 1940, but did not wear them exclusively - this is a common misconception that might come from the wish to distinguish them
there were quite a few camo designs, so a mixture would not be that problematic.
Some Volksgrenadier units were regarded elite, so wouldn't have had trouble to get camo smocks

for more detailed Info better ask someone else

[former user]

here is a link where You can see several patterns
http://www.kamouflage.net/country/00136.php?page=1

Attention - this link incudes swastika for historical information!

[Calimero]

There’s quite a few example of how to paint German figures on the Artizan Design site; http://www.artizandesigns.com/painting-guides.php

[Helen]

Find below some additional links to assist you:

http://wargames.nordalia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=60

http://perrysheroes.free.fr/spip.php?article70

Helen