Author Topic: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?  (Read 6620 times)

Offline Berman

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Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« on: August 23, 2015, 04:18:44 AM »
The Germans and Austro Hungarians were certainly seduced by their spiffy sophisticated symmetrical six sided stealthy sections for surreptitious surveillance and skirmishing. However, was this any more effective than speedier slapdash camouflage applied as splotched, squirted, squiggled, sprayed, scrambled, spotted, splattered, striped, serpentined, sponged, splashed, smeared, scrawled, scumbled, serrated, stippled, sprinkled, staggered, swirled, stencilled, spiraled, segmented, splintered, scattered, stained, streaked, shaded, spluttered, sprawled, shadowed, spattered, slopped, swished, scribbled, or speckled?

Offline Pgtaylorart

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2015, 04:35:03 AM »
That's some awesome, all-encompassing alliteration, but I can't answer your question. ;)

George

Offline skeeterbuck

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2015, 07:28:21 AM »
I have no idea.  ::)

However when someone models one of those aircraft and it's done correctly, it don't get much nicer than that for me.   8)

Offline Thumbs up

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2015, 07:57:43 AM »
Well every one will get shot down sooner or later!


Offline stefanbuss

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2015, 05:00:58 PM »
It was all done to torture modellers in future times.

S.

Offline Nigel Jackson

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2015, 08:40:39 PM »

Offline GrahamB

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2015, 01:13:25 PM »
NO.

The US Navy in early WW1 tried some highly complex camouflage schemes on its ships - notably the Herzog and Mackay low-visibility schemes. These were comprised of small strips or flecks of many colours (including primaries) - more or less equaivalent to 'lozenge' - at a distance the effect was of monotone grey anyway and of no advantage over other methods. Also bloody time-consuming to paint a whole ship.

These are not to be confused with genuine disruptive, concealment or confusion (dazzle) patterns (with larger swathes of colour than the Herzog and Mackay schemes ) that did have some value.

Cheers,

GrahamB

Offline FarEast

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2015, 02:47:42 PM »
The dutch took it one step further!

HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen






Offline coyotemagic

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2015, 02:55:56 PM »
Now, that's some serious camo!
Cheers,
Bud
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream in the dark recesses of the night awake in the day to find all was vanity. But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, and make it possible." -T. E. Lawrence

Offline FarEast

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2015, 03:05:13 PM »
The story is incredible - they used it to avoid detection from the IJN and made it back to Australia, the other two ships in the group didn't.

Offline ALBATROS1234

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2015, 01:13:55 PM »
I personally never did get aircraft camo, to me whether its painted green or covered in lozenge,painted hex,or two tone/three tone green/brown and or mauve i wouldnt think it did much as an aircraft would seem to appear as a dark aircraft shaped flying object flying thru the air. lozenge with its purples,blues,pinks etc seems to mimic sunset colors but dont seeit doing much to conceal an aircraft in flight. now some of the world war 2 green/brown blotchy stuff may have help hide a craft on the ground under camo net and foliage.

camo on land craft as tanks and snipers is far more effective.

that said i am glad the germans experimented with it cuz its fun to model and makes for pretty aircraft imho

Offline Borsos

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2016, 03:18:55 AM »
Maybe I could add, that the German "Tarnstoff" (the Germans never ever used the term "lozenge"...) was not invented by any military specialist. It was sketched at an university of art by young artists being influenced by expressionism...
"Deux armées aux prises, c'est une grande armée qui se suicide."
Barbusse.
"Ein Berg in Deutschland kann doch einen Berg in Frankreich nicht beleidigen. Oder ein Fluß oder ein Wald oder ein Weizenfeld."
Remarque.

Offline lcarroll

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2016, 04:00:20 AM »
 
Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?


Quote

 

"I personally never did get aircraft camo, to me whether its painted green or covered in lozenge,painted hex,or two tone/three tone green/brown and or mauve i wouldnt think it did much as an aircraft would seem to appear as a dark aircraft shaped flying object flying thru the air."

   I can offer an opinion based on years of flying Air Combat Training against most of the "Free World's" inventory of Combat Aircraft. I immensely enjoy the comment here of "Camo is for sissies" but in my experience it does work well in most environments and situations. It is never 100% however it does help, whether the misty grey air to air schemes, the brown and greens of the air to ground attack aircraft when viewed from above, or the multi grey versions over water. If it only makes visual acquisition a degree more difficult, and incurs a delay in same, it's helped. An old adage in air fighting is "he who hesitates is lost". The comment on helping to conceal an aircraft on the ground is particularly valid, a "target" blending into it's surroundings is a very effective deterrent to visual acquisition in the rush of a visual attack.
    Just the recalled opinions of an old "has been" but Camo is effective, and the drab PC10's and Lozenge schemes of WWI probably were just as effective in their day in the right circumstances. I'm also the first to endorse ALB 1234's comment as well, "it's fun to model and makes for pretty aircraft!"
Cheers,
Lance

Offline tcraftpilot

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Re: Was painted hexagon camouflage worth the effort?
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2016, 04:08:45 AM »
I personally never did get aircraft camo, to me whether its painted green or covered in lozenge,painted hex,or two tone/three tone green/brown and or mauve i wouldnt think it did much as an aircraft would seem to appear as a dark aircraft shaped flying object flying thru the air. lozenge with its purples,blues,pinks etc seems to mimic sunset colors but dont seeit doing much to conceal an aircraft in flight. now some of the world war 2 green/brown blotchy stuff may have help hide a craft on the ground under camo net and foliage.

camo on land craft as tanks and snipers is far more effective.

that said i am glad the germans experimented with it cuz its fun to model and makes for pretty aircraft imho

That is true from the ground, but much different in the air.  Aircraft viewed from above or that are below the horizon can be very difficult to see especially in low light situations such as dawn or dusk.  We have three airplanes.  Our yellow and black Tayorcraft sticks out in the daylight but from certain angles at dusk when the yellow is not as reflective becomes very hard to see.  Our brown/tan Piper
Pacer disappears when below the horizon from about quarter to half mile distance.  Our other Taylorcraft is silver and highly reflective. Easy on high visibility days disappears completely on low vis cloudy days or worse, hazy days.  Paint can also make it hard to determine a direction of an aircraft viewed in flight especially again if viewed below the horizon and the paint gives no clues to what is the front or back of the airplane.  Keep in mind these situations may only last for a few seconds, but that is a long time in combat.
Ryan Newell