Reckitts Blue

[Graham Boak]

Three different shades of blue could be found on fighters in the desert war. The ME Command ruled out the use of Sky, judging it as too light. Local MUs used Mediterranean Light Blue, a medium blue colour close to the familiar PRU Blue but less grey. Deliveries from the UK were made in Sky Blue, a duck-egg blue colour, until painting was standardised on Azure Blue.

The 1942 AMO quoted above is ambiguous: it refers to "Sky, Azure and Light Mediterranean Blue" as being equally acceptable. As there is no colour called Azure, the correct title being Azure Blue, and Sky had been rejected by the ME many months previously, it has been suggested that Sky Blue was actually intended.

To make matters worse, there were two different Sky Blues. The prewar colour seems to have been what was used, as the wartime RAE formulation is actually lighter than Sky.

For anyone used to modelling with Humbrol's Azure Blue - hard luck, that was a mistake, the paint matches Mediterranean Light Blue.

Who said Luftwaffe colours were difficult?

I remember Reckitt's Blue too.