I`m searching information on the painting and camouflage techniques of the Erhardt/17 during WW1. The majority of the photos and discussions I`ve seen concern mostly the Freikorps period, which saw its innovations and it`s not always relevant for the war (e.g. the Totenkopf, used only on A7Vs during the war). Could you point me out some references or photos? Is the plain feldgrau painting the standard for WW1?
Ehrhardt/17: Monochrome for most of the war, even the platoons employed on the Western Front in mid/late-1918 are displaying monochrome hues. The colour 'seems' to be rather dark, so a best guess would alternate between a brownish grey and a medium green (keep in mind: only guessing). I know of two camouflaged cars, both seen on the Eastern Front. One displayed a splinter pattern Buntfarben, the other one a flame pattern multi-coulour. Initially, large white fields with Iron Crosses were carried on the front (radiator cover) and the turret, and a white unit designation (like 'PKrMGZug 6') on both sides of the bonnet. This was later changed to simple Iron Crosses without white background and simple numbers - or no numbers at all. It would seen that units (platoons) had a large autonomy regarding the outward appearance of the vehicles, so, there was a wide variety of choices.
Yeah, thanks Ivan, that's the one I've addressed as splinter-pattern Buntfarben. The one with the flame-pattern features in a short film scene, showing it driving from a roadside stop to the middle of the road.
Thank you all for the answers, there`s a good set of Erhardt/17 photos on flickr, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/sets/72157603513014500/ but again, the majority are post WW1 examples.
