Paint schemes 33 Squadron Hurricanes in Greece 1941

[Pilot]

Thank you Nick and Graham

I know about the used shading variation of the colors and this info bellow is what I have looking for. There was limited info about the use of this colors and airplane mentioned before are Hurricane and Beaufighter,

In N. Africa Light Earth was used as part of the "Emergency Desert Scheme" as per AMO.A.520 of Nov. 11 1939 (until Mid-Stone finalised).
A memo of Jan. 5 1941 ( R&M DA.2) stated that "Light Earth" was required for the Middle East ; apparently it was more used at the Egyptian end. Upper surface colours usually depended on the terrain , lower colours for altitude and role eg. ASR or PR.
The "Mediterranean Blues" ( Light and Dark) were also in the standards; by late 1942 ,Azure, Sky and Light MB were listed for undersides of day fighters ( AMO.664/42 amended) in the ME. An Appendix to AP. 1486 included also for lower surfaces, Dark Med. Blue, Medium Sea Grey, Deep Sky, PRU Blue, Sky Blue, Sky Grey ( Navy), and Night (black).

This is one of the problem I have faced with this contrast and sometimes color are simply blend together so it is impossible to determine lines of colors. Special problem are area around the engine here heating from engine give great influence on the top coat and if we add regular fade out from sun, dirt, maintenance influence... we have real trouble with colors over it.

See what Graham thinks but the low-contrast camo looks like green-brown; the darker area behind the cockade matches the Dark Green part in Hawker's camo drawing (but occasionally the colours were reversed). Spinner probably kept it's Night colour. The Desert Scheme usually shows a higher contrast between colours but that's not certain, depending on film type, light or weathering. Ortho film made yellowish colours appear dark.

Excellent subject!

Cheers

[James A Pratt III]

Here what I got from "Fighting Colours" by Michael J.F. Bowyer which came out in the early 1970s and may be somewhat dated:
"All of the fighters still had brown and green upper surface camoflage. Type A roundels on the fuselage sides in the Middle East area had a yellow ring added in June 1940, and Type B roundels were placed above the wings when camoflage was applied. Type A roundels beneath the wing tips were the usual. During the campaign in Greece some Hurricanes were seen with half black under surfaces and some certainly had the remainder of their under surfaces light blue, although 'all-Sky" (duck egg green shade) was usual."

[James A Pratt III]

"Fighting Colors" and Bombing Colors" both have August 1941 as when the order came out to go to "mid-stone and dark earth" for RAF aircraft in the Middle East. Bombing Colors does mention aircraft in this scheme being painted at the factory these colors earlier this summer.
Also of intrest in Airfix Magazine June 1972 There are photos of "Damaged Valetias of 216 Squadron after a hanger fire, late 1939. The camoflage is and and dark earth approximating to the official colours and made fom locally purchased hot distemper. Color extends under fusalage but other undersides remained doped silver. "

[Buckeye30]

Hi James Middle Stone (or Midstone) was certainly in use in 1940 but not "officially" until AMO A.926/40 of 12 Dec.1940--------
"I. 5. Para. "i" : Temporate Land Scheme camouflage.- This consists of two colours, DARK GREEN and DARK EARTH. Aircraft of the Middle East Command are coloured MIDSTONE in place of the DARK GREEN."
This would be a factory finish from then but reports from Malta in June and August 1940 ( when Hurricanes were being ferried there) indicate the Desert Scheme on some aircraft, the MS painted (usually) over the DG. They also mostly had tropical filters and black spinners .
As mentioned before, overseas commands could adapt schemes where they considered necessary.Some transports in N. Africa seem to have a sandy light earth colour with the Dark Earth.
"Sky" ( Duck Egg Blue ) was not official until June 6 1940 at the start of the BOB, and the older underside factory schemes ( black port wing, white starboard wing and aluminium lower fuselage--but with many variations) could be seen on some overseas day fighter after that including Cyprus and N. Africa ---and possibly later in Greece. There is an air-to-air photo of a Hurricane I said to be over Crete early 1941 in this scheme.
Note that "Sky" and "Duck Egg Blue" were one and the same to the Air Ministry, and "Duck Egg Green" was also used especially by the Observer Corps and Home Defence, this was a more apt description of the colour.

For the record these are the specified undersurface colours in the Ministry Standards (also included Aluminium and Night (black) ).
Please note not exact shades due to settings etc.and reproduction. Sky was lighter .
Nick

[Pilot]

Sky is even in the document A.926 from 12.12.1940 called duck-egg blue as well Sky



Cheers

[Graham Boak]

I suggest that the Hurricane viewed over Crete was not in the well-obsolete Night/White scheme but the then-current Night/Sky - with the usual theatre qualification that it might not have been Sky!

[Pilot]

It is worth reading old article written by Ian Huntley about Sky. Off course- all of his articles are fantastic

[Buckeye30]

Hi Graham...I don't think the "special" underside markings seen on Hurricane Is in Africa, Greece, Crete and Cyprus and Malta in 1940-41 were the ones on day fighters in Fighter Command (ie. UK-based) from Nov. 1940 to April 1941;
the black port wing on the Sky undersides was (as I understand it) applied on the squadrons or at Depots when maintenance required rather than in the factory, and was for daylight ops over N. Europe.They also had Sky spinners and fuselage bands.
The early (1940) Hurricane deliveries to Malta included a few at least in green-brown-black-white, some with the enlarged fuselage cockades. Some of these must have been transferred to Greece in the emergency. No doubt most were lost there or on Crete later, with little opportunity for re-paints.
The photo supposedly over Crete in early 1941 shows a black-white-aluminium underside ,the cockade outlined yellow( no tropical filter though).
The one over Cyprus (?) similar but different divisions, and tropicalised.
Some of the Finnish Hurricanes still had the early colours.
Nick

[Graham Boak]

The photo I was thinking of was Cyprus not Crete, my apologies. I agree that the earlier black/white undersides got out to the ME, certainly to Malta. I just don't think they would still be on later Hurricanes in 1941.

[James A Pratt III]

Thanks for the above information. This is an interesting post. Part of the RAFs problem in the Middle East is WW II is about to start and they have all sorts of silver aircraft that need to be camoflaged fast. Also Osprey does have two books you find usefull on Pattle: "Gladiator Aces" and "Hurricane Aces 1941-1945". One hopes this is of some help.