GHQ Models Forums

Slowly working on some US forces for a battle that's from Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising...the defense of Beiben, Germany with MacKall in command. Just wondering if the M1 and Bradley were ever painted in the MERDC paint scheme around the time of the book?
Mid '80s I think...the M1's were stated to have the 105mm on them.

Thanks,

Doug

Original M1 Abrams had 105mm barrels on them, as far as MERDC I'm not sure.

Great book, I served with some of the first Bradley's in service and initially many were in the MERDC scheme (M2A1 and M3A1 only). When in West Germany in the mid 1980's the M60A3's were in MERDC and the M1's (w/105mm) were fielded in overall green (at least where I served)

I think M1's and IP M1's were always straight green and the CARC pattern was introduced on the M1A1's. In 1993 when I was in the Guard we transitioned from M60A3's to IP M1's and they were all straight green even at that time. If I remember correctly we received our tanks from the 24th Mech. They had upgraded to M1A1's right before they deployed or just after deploying for Desert Storm.

I never did see an M1 (105mm) in MERDC, but I can assure you there were M2 Bradley's in MERDC (at least in the States). I was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning in 1982, 1983 where a battalion's worth of Bradleys were assigned.There were definitely Bradley's in MERC scheme. I was assigned to West Germany in 1984 and 1985 (Bradley's had not yet arrived where I served - though M1 Abrams did). Here is an M2A1 in MERDC:

Its a good question -- I have several books that show early M1s in various camo schemes, including MERDC (one is a Squadron/Signal IIRC). However, I'm reasonably sure that they were mainly prototypes.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about getting the "wrong" scheme for a fictitious battle; as long as it is one of the standard schemes, there is little reason to believe that all-green vehicles wouldn't have been given a scheme of some sort in the weeks after mobilization.

Pat Callahan
www.microarmormayhem.com

Doug,

I have looked around and I think all of the M1s and IPM1s in Germany during that timeframe were overall forest green. The M2/M3s were also overall green. I dont think many M1s were painted in the MERDC scheme except for a few prototypes and those at the Ft. Knox Armor School. There were stateside Bradleys in MERDC though.

But I would agree with Pat that as long as it is a standard scheme for the timeframe you really cant go wrong.

Steve-o

When I was fielding new M1's and BFV's in West Germany in the 1980's, they all came with CARC paint - Chemical Agent Resistent Coating. At the time CARC came in only OD Green. The tanks and BFV's with MERDC were fielding to units at Fort Hood (1st Cav and 2nd AD) and at the school houses - Fort Knox for tanks; Fort Benning for the BFV

The first three color CARC was fielding with the first M1A1 tanks in Germany @ 1988.

Bradley in MERDC camouflage.
Have you painted any M2/M3 Bradleys in MERDC?

As test officer at the Armor Board, I took the M1 driver's thermal viewer to Germany as part of the test. We used an armor unit in Schweinfurt - they had the new M1 (straight, brand new). This was December, '81. The tanks were a medium geen, very flat color that sucked light in rather than reflect it. Humbrol did the color very well. This was not forest green.

So what is the list that actually saw MERDC both domestically and abroud?

In the EARLY 80s, it appeared that the M1s and M2s, as well as M0A3s, were issued in the non-specular medium green. As the other MERDC colors and training schedule permitted, units paunted their own vegickes. M1s in USAREUR, at least in 11thACR abd 3rd ID, remaibed in the initial colors for a while. I'm sure there are some folks here who coukd shed a little more light.

Hi Panzergator

Do you have the Humbrol stock number for non-spectacular medium green? I use Humbrol all the time and was looking to do some M1s and M2s in this overall green color but am curious as to which stock number I would use. I have several Humbrol greens and I recall that the color was not really OD at all.

Pete

Sadly, I do not. It's been quite some time since I used it - over 20 years. I've been busy raising my boys. Humbrol has changed their pallette since then. The local hobby stores don't carry Humbrol, so I can't just go look. I can tell you that the Model Master medium green isn't it. It was a Humbrol medium green, but with the new pallette, I have no idea if it is the same as today. I did a 1/35 cale M1 in it and it stood up well against the green of the real thing. The Model Master is too rich-looking. The new year is the year I get this resolved and I will post what I find out. I may have a book that tells me the Federal Specification number. It is much flatter than Model Master's, too.

Hi Panzergator

No problem on the Humbrol paint number ID. I will do some checking on what I have and pick one that looks reasonable. I will also check some online sources to look at some color pictures and try to match them up.

Pete