Ral Colors

[lidrob]

People, I am looking information about the following:
Are the german helmets painting in accordance with the RAL normative?
If the answer is positive. Can someone give me information?
Thanks a lot
Roberto

[Skip Pickett]

What does that mean?

Sir: What does that mean?

[lidrob]

RAL COLORS

The meaning of my inquiry is easy:
If the color introduced in february 1943 for Panzers was the gray RAL 7028, I want to know. for example if the color blue-gray for the Luftwaffe helmets followed a RAL normative.
Another example, the buildings around the airfields were painting in RAL 6003 olivgruen.
Regards
Roberto

[John Hodgin]

paint

Before 1943 Panzers were painted grey. From 1943 on they were painted a dark yellow, as was most equipment like gas cans, ammo cans etc.. Prior to 43 these equipments were painted a dark green.

[John Hodgin]

Paint

Here is a photo of a 1944 Fuel can with original dark yellow paint. This is the color vehicles were painted from 43 on.
best,
John

[Willi Z.]

I always understood the Luftwaffe bluegray helmet color to be RAL7016 for anthracite gray.

As John mentioned, ordnance tan became the standard Wehrmacht color in 1943 for vehicles, equipment, field gear and ordnance. You find it on late-war compasses, 98k cleaning kits, binoculars (commonly and mistakenly called Afrika Korps issue) etc. Before 1943 ordnance items and weapons related accessories were found in a dark bluegray and a dark green. Armored vehilces and heavy weapons were in panzer gray before 1943.

Willi

[Perry Floyd]

I may be wrong but didn't they bring the panzer grey back for the Ardennes offensive? Just for the combat vehicles taking part...

Does anyone know what the correct color name for the late-war slate/granite helmet paint intended for all branches?

[lidrob]

Call the things correctly

The Heeres Memmorandum or HM 181 of February 1943 specifies that the armored vehicles must be painted in color RAL 7028.
RAL uses series 7000 to identify grays and 1000 for yellows.
The term dark yellow or dunkelgelb is used by authors who pay attention to the tone of the color and not using their correct name.
Letter RAL (in my hands) denominate the color erdiggrau or earthy gray. RAL confirm me that by fax and Monogram in the book about German missiles
Regards
Roberto

[John Hodgin]

So what is the 'correct term' for dark yellow?

[lidrob]

RAL 7028

The correct name of RAL 7028 using to paint panzers from 1943 is erdiggrau or earthy gray.
The german never, never used yellow colors in order to paint vehicles.
Another case is the RAL 7027 used by the Afrika Korps, the correct name is sandgrau.
One thing is the shade of the color, for example the RAL 7028 is almost tan, an another is the name give us by the normatives
Regards

[John Hodgin]

That may be what they called it, BUT there isn't a painter, or an artist, or physics color spectrum expert in the world that will call the color on the fuel can I posted "grey"!

Perhaps the Luftwaffe flying crews wore "sun grey" waffenfarbe.

[Willi Z.]

Ok, the point is ????

The colors are still "earthy" or "sand"...regardless of whether "grau" is added afterwards. Calling the DAK sand camo color "sandgray" or late-war ordnance tan "earthygray" doesn't make it gray in any kind of practical sense. So yes, it may be correct to call it that....

RAL 1002 is sand yellow. What was that used for???

The RAL 6000 series is for the green/olive shades. RAL6014 is a nice Luftwaffe tropical yellow olive. I certainly agree that the RAL 7000 series are grays. So Perry, I assume the answer to your question about late-war slate gray lies therein.

Not sure about the Bulge era paint scheme other than the late-war ambush scheme is commonly seen in color at the Bulge.....tan, green, and red brown.

Willi