Were British and Canadian Shermans MK1-Mk5 serving in NW Europe particularly France left in US olive Drab or repainted in British olive drab 15?
Was the Firefly in British OD?

Churchills; were they painted OD 15 or Deep Bronze Green?

all the kits of these vehicles i have include many confusing color callouts especially the AFV club ones. I hav access to all major paint lines including WEM so any advice is greatly welcome

were very similar. Thus for newly-issued kit (such s most of the Sherman Fireflys in June-July 1944)You could use either. Unlike US OD, British OD faded green over time.

Churchills at the same time would mostly have been painted in British OD. Some larger tanks, especially Matildas, were painted in Deep Bronze Green up to early 1941, but not in Summer 1944. Deep Bronze Green statrs to be used for new-production British armour around February 1945. A friend of mine, who was a staff sergeant in 1RTR, and took the very first Centurion Mk.Is to Germany just too late to see any fighting, insists that they were painted in this colour.

Part of the confusion may arise from the fact that if you go over British OD with an oily rag to add spiffiness, as many British tankers did in March-April 1945,it looks a lot like Deep Bronze Green, especially in black-and-white photos.

Cheers,

Chris.

The formal FVDD specification calling for DBG was not issued until 1948; prior to that tests had been carried out to determine the best paint to use  so some trials vehicles would have been finished in this colour before then

This specification called for a red oxide primer on iron and steel, or zinc chromate on alumiuium alloys, followed by an undercoat of Dark Battleship Grey, BS381 #32,  and a top coat of gloss Deep Bronze Green, BS381 #24,

 

 

Deep Bronze Green 24 was officially discontinued in July 1939. Although some in service Matildas may still have in this colour in late 1940 all production in 1940 was Khaki Green No.3 overall. This colour does not look green but more a yellowish brown with a green tinge in the right light. The matt SCC 15 Olive Drab in use post-war from 1945 was often polished or coated with paraffin to allow them to be easily cleaned, hence the sheen seen on some photographs of vehicles during this period.