FS34079 Forest Green, which replaced Olive Drab in 1974. It was the factory base color for the then-current MERDC camouflage schemes, but the four-color patterns were time consuming to apply, and most units had stopped applying the other three colors by the early '80's. The system had twelve colors to choose from, covering a multitude of environments, though each scheme used just four at a time. Later in the decade, the three color NATO scheme replaced it.

FS34079 is available from Testors Model Master as a USAF color. You might want to lighten it a bit for scale effect.

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FS34079 Forest Green, which replaced Olive Drab in 1974. It was the factory base color for the then-current MERDC camouflage schemes, but the four-color patterns were time consuming to apply, and most units had stopped applying the other three colors by the early '80's. The system had twelve colors to choose from, covering a multitude of environments, though each scheme used just four at a time. Later in the decade, the three color NATO scheme replaced it.

FS34079 is available from Testors Model Master as a USAF color. You might want to lighten it a bit for scale effect.

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Thank you, would there be a ammo Mig or Vallejo equivalent to this color?

Greg,
What unit was your father in?
I was in 1AD at that time and was also a Tanker.
Dan

I was the M60A3 deputy transition officer for the 2/11 ACR in 1980. It fell to me to order the MERDC repaint colors for the Squadron in early 1980. The vehicles came from the CONUS depot in the forest green color mentioned above, which is a what I'd say is a mid shade green color, similar to NATO green, perhaps a little lighter. However, these vehicles we transitioned into were soon painted in MERDC colors, I'd say within 2-3 months of returning to garrison after receipt of the vehicles and transitioning through Grafenwohr for tank gunnery, immediately after receipt. So, depending on when and where your father was, it might make a difference in the scheme. Not all units followed the same process-- some repainted right away, others later. Generally, the green color formed the basic camo, and was repainted with brown, tan and black for the MERDC colors. Later, in 1987-88, I was assigned to Korea, and the M60s were being repainted in CARC paint, so the shades were just slightly different. I'm not sure if CARC was employed yet in Europe by 1988. You should ask your Dad if his tank remained in the basic green color or was repainted at some point-- since most of the initial issues came in the basic green from the depot. Also, for REFORGER units, many of those vehicles remained in the basic green, and replacement vehicles would likely remain in the basic green for a while until the unit repainted.
VR, Russ

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Greg,
What unit was your father in?
I was in 1AD at that time and was also a Tanker.
Dan

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He was stationed in Bad Hersfeld Germany, he has a plaque hanging up in the garage with a dragon and it says something like 35th fire brigade or armored. His tank was called “storm bringer”

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Greg,
What unit was your father in?
I was in 1AD at that time and was also a Tanker.
Dan

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He was stationed in Bad Hersfeld Germany, he has a plaque hanging up in the garage with a dragon and it says something like 35th fire brigade or armored. His tank was called “storm bringer”

Does it mean that even when a tank was repainted into various MERDC schemes like Desert Gray, being in my interest, the bottom of the tank would remain in Forest Green?

Does it mean that even when a tank was repainted into various MERDC schemes like Desert Gray, being in my interest, the bottom of the tank would remain in Forest Green?

@Russ @Dan

Thanks a lot. That solves my dilemma. As MERDC has no dominant color, I was really wondering what about hull bottom. It is true that at the end of a day it will be dirty and scratched but base color will be still visible there, to some extent.