Yiannis Mitzas

Cockpits U.S. (1941-1954)

US cockpit colors in World War II are the subject of much controversy and speculation. Thankfully, there is slightly greater consistency among USN aircraft than their USAAF counterparts despite using the same colors. From 23 August 1938 (TO 50-38), the default cockpit color used by the USN at the start of the war was Bronze Green. This was introduced as early as November 1919 (US Army Specification No. 3-1) where it was known as Bronze Green No. 9. It is a very dark olive green which can be compared to a black-green, although like most cockpit colors it would look considerably lighter in practice. However, adherence to this color was not strictly enforced and manufacturers were allowed to use similar approved colors. The most common was Green Zinc Chromate, which was already in widespread use as a primer for unexposed interior spaces. Some manufacturers were known to have used their own particular variants of GZC, such as Curtiss whose version is known colloquially as Curtis Cockpit Green. Ultimately, the use of Bronze Green or any version of zinc chromate was highly manufacturer-dependent and resulted in many aircraft built in separate factories being finished with different cockpit colors. Additionally, a small number of pre-war aircraft like the Brewster Buffalo and the Douglas TBD Devastator had cockpits painted in an aluminum lacquer. These aircraft saw only limited service during the first year of the war.

From 24 April 1942 (BuAer Specification SR-15d), a new cockpit color known as Dark Dull Green was introduced to replace Bronze Green. There is considerable speculation regarding its exact color and is generally believed to a darker version of Medium Green No. 42/ANA 612/FS 34092 with more of a blueish hue. More problems arise from the fact that it looks vastly different on many aircraft, in some appearing as a turquoise-like blue-green. The fact that this color is much closer to that of actual aged bronze (think of old bronze artifacts and statues) lends even more confusion with Bronze Green. A few months later, the specification of the color that would later be known as Interior Green ANA 611 (which as the previous section described as a specifically tinted version of Green Zinc Chromate) came on 21 December 1942 and many manufacturers that had hitherto used GZC gradually shifted to this new color. Interior Green was formally adopted as part of the ANA system when it was instituted on 28 September 1943 by which time the use of Dull Dark Green had been largely abandoned on USN aircraft.

The final wartime change occurred on 10 October 1944 (BuAer Specification SR-15e) when it was determined that all cockpit areas above the level of the bottom of the instrument panel were to be painted Instrument Black ANA 514. This included areas such as the canopy frame. This practice continued into the post-war era although it also became common for larger areas of the cockpit being painted in ANA 514 such as the entirety of the walls and side panels. Eventually, many aircraft cockpits by the time of the Korean War were painted entirely in ANA 514 until 25 March 1954 (BuAer Instruction NAVAER 07.1) when the use of Dark Gull Gray was introduced.

A summary of the suspected main cockpit colors used on major USN carrier aircraft is as follows. All post-war aircraft used Interior Green and Instrument Black or overall Instrument Black cockpits:

1.  F2A Buffalo: Aluminum lacquer (F2A-1/2); Green Zinc Chromate (F2A-3)
2. F4F/FM Wildcat: Bronze Green (F4F-3); Dull Dark Green (?) or Bronze Green (F4F-4); Green Zinc Chromate/Interior Green (FM-1/2)
3.  F4U Corsair: Black (?) or Bronze Green (F4U-1); Interior Green (F4U-1A), Interior Green and Instrument Black (F4U-1D and later)
4. F6F Hellcat: Interior Green (F6F-3); Interior Green and Instrument Black (F6F-5)
5. SBD Dauntless: Green Zinc Chromate/Interior Green (All versions
6. )SB2C Helldiver: Curtiss Cockpit Green (All versions)
7. SB2U Vindicator: Green Zinc Chromate/Interior Green (All versions, factory color); Dull Dark Green (SB2U-3 repaints pre-Midway)
8. TBD Devastator: Aluminum lacquer (All versions)
9. TBF/TBM Avenger: Bronze Green (Early TBF-1); Dark Dull Green (Late TBF-1/1C); Green Zinc Chromate/Interior Green (All TBM versions)
10. Unlike exterior camouflage, vintage wartime-era color photos of cockpits are a rarity, which makes the problem of approximating the actual colors so much more difficult. Cockpit photos are also notoriously difficult to accurately assess given that colors tend to look lighter than they actually are. Furthermore, restored aircraft like those found in museums may have been repainted and the new color may not match the original. In conclusion, all information here is speculative and should not be taken as the final word on this controversial topic.

Paint guide:

Bronze Green: Very few ranges (Colourcoats and Mr. Paint) offer specific matches for cockpit Bronze Green and Dull Dark Green that are specific to US interiors and given the controversy over their real shades, may or may not be accurate. For example, Mr. Paint’s version of Bronze Green is bluer than its Dull Dark Green which is probably the opposite of what their real colors actually are. Various shades of Bronze Green are used by the British Army and are close in terms of hue to the cockpit color, with Deep Bronze Green being closer to the color chip though perhaps too dark for a model cockpit. There is also RAL 6031, known as both Bronzegrün and NATO Green, and is close enough. Otherwise, there is no FS color that is remotely similar to it although FS 34048 is often cited as the closest equivalent.

Dull Dark Green: The fact that this color was never added to the ANA palette complicates matters as it makes it subject to interpretation. It is claimed to be closest to FS 34092 which is lighter but therefore suitable for a cockpit. However, many pictures of USAAF aircraft show a much bluer, turquoise-like hue. As a result, FS 34058 could seem more appropriate for this particular shade. AK Interactive’s version of FS 34092 (in its Air Series) is too blue and is therefore an excellent choice for the bluer version.

Instrument Black ANA 514: This is merely a basic satin black (later matched to FS 27038). Ideally, a lighter black-gray/tire black should be used in order to contrast best with the darker instrument panel.

Green Zinc Chromate FS-34151
Bronze Green FS-34058
Dull Dark Green FS 34092
Interior Green FS-34151
Instrument Black FS-27038