Airfield Building Camouflage

I know a fair bit about camouflage as I have a copy of the wartime camouflage school notes. With huts (or pillboxes) the idea is to have the darker colour running through the windows (or loop holes) as these (loopholes or windows) appear dark against the rendered cement, concrete or brick background. This however is not possible with two-storey buildngs such as barrack blocks as the windows are too frequent. In which case the dark brown is applied to a corner sweeping around both sides of the building (where there are no windows), to break up the building's shape, this is followed by a lighter colour, the next dark application runs through a line of windows, then a lighter shade and so on. Its all rather hit and miss really so basically what ever you do should look ok.

I know a fair bit about camouflage as I have a copy of the wartime camouflage school notes. With huts (or pillboxes) the idea is to have the darker colour running through the windows (or loop holes) as these (loopholes or windows) appear dark against the rendered cement, concrete or brick background. This however is not possible with two-storey buildngs such as barrack blocks as the windows are too frequent. In which case the dark brown is applied to a corner sweeping around both sides of the building (where there are no windows), to break up the building's shape, this is followed by a lighter colour, the next dark application runs through a line of windows, then a lighter shade and so on. Its all rather hit and miss really so basically what ever you do should look ok.

This is a complex subject and one has to be careful with regard to colours as it seems there are differences, depending exactly what you want to achieve. There are regional differences too. For example, the ARP guide book 'Camouflage of Large Installations' has a colour chart of just three colours: camouflage red brick No.1, Bronze green No.1 (grass) and Bronze Brown No.3 (earth). These could be used to distrupt a roof and side walls of say a north-light factory building. At northolt the barracks (H-shaped plan-form) were camo with an almost black colour (as the dark) and a grass green colour. I am not sure if the dark colour was black, very dark drab or drab (I suspect it was very dark drab). Today only the dark colour has survived in any great detail allthough very weathered. This was designed to make the buildings blend in with the surrounding countryside. The older T-shaped plan-form barrack blocks had hessian drapes fixed to the walls (the attaching pins are extant today) and no painting was involved. In contrast to these schemes the hangars were painted to look like terrace houses using a varity of colours and this scheme was very successful. Other camo standard military colours are: medium drab, med light drab, yellow drab, light drab, sand, dark red and light red. Shadows are important too, a pillbox for example casts a give-away shadow because of its sharp corners and angular form. Painting is not enough, it requires concealment with the use of wired-guys (like a tent) used as a framewoprk for supporting feathered wire netting, Hessian or steel wool to break up its outline. Some defence lines use shadow generators extending away from the pillbox roof. These are a series of different size curves that create a shadow similar to a tree canopy. Getting back to A/F buildings I have a colour chart for hutting somewhere, though it will take a while to find it.

This is a complex subject and one has to be careful with regard to colours as it seems there are differences, depending exactly what you want to achieve. There are regional differences too. For example, the ARP guide book 'Camouflage of Large Installations' has a colour chart of just three colours: camouflage red brick No.1, Bronze green No.1 (grass) and Bronze Brown No.3 (earth). These could be used to distrupt a roof and side walls of say a north-light factory building. At northolt the barracks (H-shaped plan-form) were camo with an almost black colour (as the dark) and a grass green colour. I am not sure if the dark colour was black, very dark drab or drab (I suspect it was very dark drab). Today only the dark colour has survived in any great detail allthough very weathered. This was designed to make the buildings blend in with the surrounding countryside. The older T-shaped plan-form barrack blocks had hessian drapes fixed to the walls (the attaching pins are extant today) and no painting was involved. In contrast to these schemes the hangars were painted to look like terrace houses using a varity of colours and this scheme was very successful. Other camo standard military colours are: medium drab, med light drab, yellow drab, light drab, sand, dark red and light red. Shadows are important too, a pillbox for example casts a give-away shadow because of its sharp corners and angular form. Painting is not enough, it requires concealment with the use of wired-guys (like a tent) used as a framewoprk for supporting feathered wire netting, Hessian or steel wool to break up its outline. Some defence lines use shadow generators extending away from the pillbox roof. These are a series of different size curves that create a shadow similar to a tree canopy. Getting back to A/F buildings I have a colour chart for hutting somewhere, though it will take a while to find it.

I think in reality, WW2-built dispersed sites were not always painted, despite drawings being issued showing suggested camo schemes and the colours to be used (I have one of these). Dispersed huts and even the gym, were often built close to hedge lines and tree canopies to conceal them plus existing roads. This off course being an important part of passive defence. I suspect too that there was a shortage of paint and that the priorty was the technical buildings, followed by the communal site and lastly the dispersed living sites.

I think in reality, WW2-built dispersed sites were not always painted, despite drawings being issued showing suggested camo schemes and the colours to be used (I have one of these). Dispersed huts and even the gym, were often built close to hedge lines and tree canopies to conceal them plus existing roads. This off course being an important part of passive defence. I suspect too that there was a shortage of paint and that the priorty was the technical buildings, followed by the communal site and lastly the dispersed living sites.