Olaf Held wrote:
Hi Daniel ~ Both your sources are just secondary sources. The ATDK book, I have it as well, refers mainly to the 1944 paint regulation (ABB Nr. 31). I'm afraid it's of limited use for describing earlier paint jobs. Of course, the authors could just make assumptions as according to today's knowledge, nothing was ever recorded on how to paint this or that vessel with camouflage paints. We just have a list of paints and what they were used for. Again, look at photos, not secondary sources or illustrations in books or on the internet. Furthermore, ATDK is not free of flaws, just have a look at the translations...
The good thing is that it features quite some information about the Dechend memorandum and how things were done.
The second book, well, I highly doubt the presence of green turret tops. If someone comes around the corner with a bulletproof document, photo or whatever primary source, I'll change my opinion. There is a map around, a reproduction (secondary source, I know, but it was copied from an original official document) showing the 1943 northern western hemisphere with all the colours (possibly) used for air recognition, i.e. yellow in this waters, red in this waters, blue here or there, etc., but no green at all anywhere. Btw., if you paint the turret tops of your ship in red or whatever, you must tell your friends from the Luftwaffe about it. I bet there is/was some documentation showing exactly this. Has anyone ever tried to find out something about it in the Luftwaffe sections of the great archives? We all just look for ships, navy and whatever...
Dark blue on the hull? Pffft ... I think they're following some myth, too much emphasis on the Dechend recommendations, i.e. blue here or there. As I understood it, he just wanted to have SMALL amounts of ultramarine and other stuff added to the paints which made them less intense/shiny in certain light conditions. I don't recall something saying that all the colours were so heavily tinted in blue that the former (grey) paints were no longer recognisable. Btw, I think you're mixing up the camouflage schemes of Op. Paderborn (your model) and Op. Sizilien. The latter is the same as used on Op. Ostfront.
Happy modelling ~ Olaf!
with ref this quote would you then be saying that 'Encyclopedia of Warships 43 - Kriegsmarine Colors Vol. 1 ( Colours )' -
https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-War ... dp_product is less likly to be right with some of its colours used then say German Naval Camouflage Volume One 1939-1941 vol 1 and vol2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184 ... d_i=468294 as im looking at useing one of the more colourfull camo's and the first book has part of it more a light blue and the 2nd one has it more as a grey?