Planning a Light Utility Car,10hp done as an BOB era RAF bomb disposal vehicle. Looking for the RAF Blue Grey, 633. Hataka B145 allegedly fits the bill, but looks way too dark to me. One reference gives RLM 66 as an alternate. That is super dark grey/ black, no? (Arcus has one but not had real good results with their quality. MPR(?) has one, but I dont do lacquer. White Ensign had the color. Course they are long gone. Soverign, dunno if they resurected this one from WE, but importing from the UK these days would probably be $50 just for shipping .. via RMS ⌠and tariffs ) Other ones Iâve seen are the blue grey for uniforms or the post war blue. Any ideas?
1 Like
The fifth message is probably the one youâre looking for 
Apparently, Tamiya XF-50 Field Blue is an exact match.
1 Like
Ends up I have the Hataka B145 in my stash. It it the âblue-blackâ the Swedes used on the Saab Draken. 
The Tamiya XF-50 (thanks Jakko)âlooksâ the part⌠when compared to the restored ones/ models⌠not my favorite reference.
1 Like
RAF vehicles were repainted according to the prevailing Army instructions in 1939, so you would need an early-war G3/G4 scheme (two shades of green).
The other issue is that the RAF did not use the Austin Tilly at this time (the âLight Utility Car,10hpâ as Tamiya call it). Most RAF Tillies were manufactured by Hillman and Standard, and look somewhat different. There are suggestions that at least one batch of Austin Tillies were issued to the RAF later in the war but it wouldnât be appropriate for BoB.
Similarly, Bomb Disposal was primarily an Army role and those are the vehicles you see with red fenders. Iâm not convinced that the RAF had dedicated bomb disposal teams but Iâm happy to be corrected on that. It wouldnât be unreasonable to see an Army team on an airfield though - and they could easily be using an Austin Tilly.
Just as an aside, the RAF didnât have Austin K2 (âKatyâ) ambulances during WWII either (they used Albion and Crossley ambulances instead) - but the USAAF operated them on their British bases.
2 Likes
1 Like
RAF had bomb squads for bombs that landed on airfields (Though Iâm sure theyâd poach off base if needed) and crashes with bombs involved. RN had EOD teams to. thier jurisdictt, ion was between high /low tide lines, and mines that washed up. " Royal Navy Bomb Squads in WWII
During World War II, the Royal Navy (RN) operated dedicated Bomb Disposal Teams and later Clearance Diving Units to deal with unexploded ordnance, mines, and booby traps left behind by enemy forces.
Origins and Structure
By late 1939, the RN established Bomb Disposal Teams under the Directorate of Naval Ordnance, led by Bomb Safety Officers (BSOs) â often Sub-Lieutenants in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve or Commonwealth equivalents. By September 1940, there were teams at 27 shore establishments, covering RN property and nearby areas.
Rendering Mines Safe (RMS) and Bomb Disposal Units
These units were tasked with identifying and neutralizing unexploded bombs, mines, and other ordnance. They worked closely with the US Army Ordnance Bomb Disposal Service in some cases. RMS divers and bomb disposal personnel were among the most decorated of the war, despite suffering significant casualties .
Port Clearance Parties (âP-Partiesâ)
From 1944, the RN deployed P-Parties â small teams of divers and bomb disposal specialists â to clear ports and harbours in Europe and the Mediterranean after D-Day . These included:
-
P-Parties 1571 and 1572 (Naval Parties) operating soon after D-Day.
-
Others such as 1573, 1574, 1575, 2444 (with Commonwealth and Dutch personnel).
-
P-Party 3006 based in the Netherlands.
They cleared ports like Cherbourg, Caen, Dieppe, Le Havre, Boulogne, Antwerp, Ostend, Zeebrugge, Flushing, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Bremen, removing hundreds of mines and tons of debris .
Equipment and Tactics
P-Parties wore P-Party Mk II suits and used Mk II Human Torpedo Sladen âClammy Deathâ suits for shallow-water diving, breathing pure oxygen. They were highly mobile, often working in hazardous conditions with minimal support.
Legacy
Most P-Parties were disbanded by November 1945, but some, like P-Party 2444 at Dunkirk and P-Party 2443 at Portsmouth, continued postwar clearance work The RNâs bomb disposal and clearance diving legacy influenced later naval safety operations."
2 Likes