RAF North Africa Desert camouflage paint scheme. (1941–1945)

Desert camouflage paint scheme.RAF North Africa (1941–1945)
RAF Middle East Command

The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created by the Axis powers. During World War II, the DAF consisted of squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),
Three Hellenic squadrons were set up, namely the 13th Light Bombing Squadron (with Avro Anson, Bristol Blenheim and Martin A-30 Baltimore a/c) as well as the 335 and 336 Fighting Squadrons (with Hawker Hurricane and Submarine Spitfire) (HAF) of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and other Allied Air Forces, the paint scheme adopted from 2 July 1942 (AMO A.664/42) the Tropical Land Scheme gave way to the Desert Scheme which is the most well known RAF camouflage scheme for the North African and Mediterranean theaters. The Desert Scheme appears to have simply been a renaming of the Tropical Land Scheme, formalizing the topside camouflage of Dark Earth and Middle Stone that were in place before the accidental inclusion of Dark Green on AMO A.513/41 which was later corrected. A new underside color of Azure Blue (frequently referred to as Azure) was also formalized as an alternative to Sky/Sky Blue although its use probably predates the AMO. Azure Blue was based on a pre-war color (No 4) and was noticeably darker than Sky Blue, being in fact a blue-grey. In black and white photos it would be slightly darker than Middle Stone which makes it easy to distinguish compared to the lighter sky colors that preceded it.

Red/Dull Red spinners became far more commonplace by the time the Desert Scheme was implemented. The wartime Red was developed shortly before the conflict began as a new roundel color and it does not match any BSC 381C color (pre-war and post-war roundels match Post Office Red/Cherry Red BS 358). It is often described as a terracota, brick red, or even a red-brown (use a color picker if skeptical). Confusingly, Air Ministry Orders tended to refer to the roundel color as Red and squadron code color (from 1942 onward) as Dull Red, but photos conclusively show that these colors were identical and as such, it must be assumed that this was the same color used on spinners as well (which is also supported in the photos below). Dull Red was also commonly used for squadron codes along with White, blatantly disregarding the fact that the official color for day fighters abroad was Sky. By this time aircraft flown by Wing Commanders frequently had very unorthodox squadron codes and spinners.

Following the invasion of Italy, RAF aircraft in the theater gradually dispensed with desert in the months that followed as the fighting gradually moved into more temperate regions, reverting to the Day Fighter Scheme of UK-based aircraft although some aircraft were still seen in Desert Scheme well into 1944. By 7 September 1944 (AMO A.864/44), the use of desert camouflage on fighter aircraft (though not on bombers) was formally discontinued although Azure Blue undersides were still common and certainly more appropriate for the sunnier Italian skies.

The North African campaign was also the first which saw widespread use of Lend-Lease aircraft under RAF command, such as the P-40. US aircraft were typically factory painted in RAF-equivalent colors (DuPont and later ANA equivalents) which are described in the Lend-Lease section as well as the chart section below. However, many Lend-Lease aircraft used in the Mediterranean were originally shipped to the UK and thus were painted in the TLS scheme and repainted in the field with RAF colors.

Camo Colors :

• Azure Blue: Despite being such a notable RAF underside color, Azure Blue is also notably absent in the Gunze lineup, although a version is available as a Mr. Color paint set. It is well known that Humbrol 157 is too dark, possibly matching the pre-war shade. The AK Real Colors version (RC291) is excellent. This is a relatively easy color to get right and most other ranges should be relatively accurate.
• Red: Wartime red is only available in the Mr. Paint range (MRP-123) and labeled RAF Markings Red as well as Colourcoats (ACRN22) where it is labeled RAF/FAA Red. Its closet FS match is FS 30109 which is carried by Vallejo (70.982) and Lifecolor (UA 088). Less pedantic modellers (this is a relatively small piece of the aircraft, after all) are likely to be well served using Post Office Red/Cherry Red BS 356 or US Insignia Red (FS 31136) and in fact, any basic red that is darker than it is lighter should suffice (Tamiya XF-7 is excellent).