Cold War British Armour Markings

[DougM]

Can anyone point me to a decent online guide circa 1984? My recollection is that there wasn't very much over and above the license plate?

[FreddBloggs]

Warpaint: v. 3: Colours and Markings of British Army Vehicles 1903-2003

Warpaint: v. 4: Colours and Markings of British Army Vehicles 1903-2003

[DougM]

I was trying not to buy any more books. Will just browse online images. Thanks.

[Etranger]

Warpaint: v. 3: Colours and Markings of British Army Vehicles 1903-2003

Warpaint: v. 4: Colours and Markings of British Army Vehicles 1903-2003

What he said!

[RMD]

They ditched WW2-style formation markings and Arm of Service markings in the 1970s, but WW2-style squadron/company markings remained (painted on sides and rear): diamond for HQ Sqn/Coy, triangle for A Sqn/Coy, square for B Sqn/Coy, circle for C Sqn/Coy and a 'Lazy D' for D Sqn/Coy. Infantry Bn Support Coys used a broken rectangle shape (like square brackets). The vehicle calling was painted within the sign. There doesn't seem to be any logic in the colours used; either white, yellow or 'reversed' camouflage colours (green on black or black on green).

[DougM]

Thanks RMD... very helpful. I've seen those markings close up, but they are hard to spot on contemporary photos.

[RMD]

The squadron signs and callsigns were always painted, but often covered in camouflage nets

32 Armd Engineer Regt didn't use the squadron signs and instead just painted the callsigns in large yellow numbers.

[FreddBloggs]

So the normal British Army thing of, everything is standard, except where it isn't.

[RMD]

Well they're Engineers. The RA didn't use tactical signs either. It was just the infantry and armour/cavalry who used tactical signs.

Something worth noting is that Armoured/Cavalry regiments didn't have a Support Squadron, so the organic Close Recce and FV438 Guided Weapon Troops had the HQ Sqn diamond.

The only unit-specific marking I can recall from the 80s is 5RTR's 'Chinese Eyes'.

Other markings: almost all vehicles had the small Union Jack decal on front and rear; either left mudguard or right mudguard. AFVs also tended to have an 'invasion stripes' style of marking, low down and centrally at the the rear, which acted as a night-driving convoy marking. Trucks sometimes had the rear diff painted white for the same reason.