1980 British Uniform colors,

[dougeagle]

What color were British battle fatigues in the early late 70's and early 80's?

[evildrsmith]

DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) - camouflage, in other words.

Base was a sandy brown, with overlay of dark brown, dark green and black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive ... n_Material

[voltigeur]

evildrsmith:
Since yor fromt he UK you might know this or beable to research it.

I remember looking at Photos from The Falklands and noticed that in that time frame the elite forces were wearing the disruptive pattern on the jackets, with olive greed trousers and black boots. Was this uniform used by BAOR?

I wish someone would make a good beret figure with FN-FAL weapons for that time period. (hint hint hint )

[evildrsmith]

Hmm...will have to rummage through a few books to be sure but...

In addition to DPM, the British Army had 'lightweight greens' - lightweight cotton trousers, mid-olive green in colour. (Google 'British Army lightweight greens' and you should find various army surplus stores that still stock them, for colour guide).
I think they were general issue (primarily for in barracks wear possibly? Not sure), but I think the parachute regiment tended to wear them instead of the 'heavy weight' DPM trousers. (This is all from memeory of what I was told many years ago).
So DPM jacket, green trousers, black boots - yup perfectly acceptable for BAOR 1980's, though probably not typical of 'line infantry'. (I was told that the para's did it because they were para's, and therefore had to be different - no idea if that's true...)

Of course, if you saw a photo of British troops in the Falklands, they probably weren't wearing lightweights (too cold!)

I'll try and dig out a few books to see how widespread lightweights were in the field.

[BattlerBritain]

Yes - I can confirm that DPM was the uniform of the time but that the green trousers ('OG's as they were refered to) were also common.

The OGs were often worn as they were light and comfortable. The DPM trousers had a lining in them for added warmth but that also made them heavy, especially when wet.

At the time GoreTex waterproof material was just coming out and it cost a fortune. The Army certainly didn't issue camo'd (DPM) GoreTex at the time, although now they are common. So common in fact that my son was even issued with some on joining our local Air Cadets recently (much to my amazement! )

I still have my OGs but for some reason they're a bit small now I must have been a skinny-little-sh!t when I was in

For painting if you can do DPM at 1/300th then you're doing good. For my 1980's Brits I used a base green of Humbrol 105 then dabbed spots of black, then mid-brown and then the odd bit of dark brown on. Looked good enough.

I used Black for the boots but at the time of the Falklands British boots were pretty poor so most guys bought their own (do things ever change?). I know the Royal Marines tended to. Karrimor KSB boots were the rage at the time (yep - still got mine!) and they were a mid-brown colour. The use of waterproof gaiters around the boot and up the lower leg was common. They tended to be a dark green colour.

Hope this helps,

Battler

[dougeagle]

Thanks for the replies guys...I appreciate it.
However, I don't think that I will paint the DPM on 6mm figs...maybe too hard the eyes. But I think perhaps dark green would work fine.

[voltigeur]

It wouldn't be that hard. Paint them tan, dab circular green follow that up with very thin brown and touch up with black.

Of course it depends on how may you have to do. YOu have to let go of the idea of them looking like the fabric samples.

BattlerBritian and Evildrsmith:

Would the OD green be correct for BAOR mech infantry.

[evildrsmith]

Based on photo's published in various books (mostly showing training, some from deployment to Falklands and Former Yugoslavia), green lightweights would be atypical of standard infanty (or anybody else, for that matter) when 'in the field' / deployed operationally, but not necessarily wrong.

Most of the photo's showing troops in lightweights are of training 'on-base' (Para's duing jump training, Marines on the way to the Falklands training on board ship, artillery doing a firepower display); most pictures of troops in the field show DPM: most, but not all.

Note also that some photo's showed troops in a mix (some in DPM some in lightweights).

So is BAOR mech infantry in green lightweights 'correct'? - not really, but not necessarily wrong, either.

[7.62]

For BAOR late 70's- early 80'S.

OG's normally as part of barrack dress.
ie shirt, woolly pully (sweater/jumper), OG's (lightweights), boots DMS and putties, DPM jacket if required.

DPM's = Combat dress.
Shirt, woolly pully, lined vest, DPM jacket & pants, boots etc.
Long underwear if cold, NBC kit on top if really cold.

Some water proofs issued (dark green 2 part) , very few DPM water proofs until after 82.
Most of BAOR would have used green poncho for rain wear.

I was told that there was a warehouse in Paderborn stocked with 100,000 sets of brown trousers just in case the balloon ever went up!
So a green/brown mix would work ok at this scale.

[7.62]

"Karrimor KSB boots were the rage at the time"

KSB karrimore Specification Boots.
The best boots I ever had.
1st ones I had broke them in on a 19,000' climb without a blister!
Later had the KSB3's and walked them right off my feet, just the best at the time.
Do they still make them?

[BattlerBritain]

My KSB3's are probably getting on for 30 years old now.

I went to try and find a new pair recently as the waterproofing is a bit suspect now on mine (soles are still fine and the boot still feels OK).

Although Karrimor make boots that look a bit similar they're not the same. They're a bit 'cheap' and not as good as other manufacturers GoreTex-type boots.