Serbian army color schemes

[wviz]

Just few months ago, Serbian army has adopted new rules and regulations for vehicle color schemes, as well as new uniform with digital pattern

According to Lieutenant Colonel Milan Kulic(mee-lan Cool-eech), "...the colors are standardized according to Serbia's environment, and patterns created for most vehicles..."
http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Drustvo/Nove-uniforme-u-pet-boja-Srbije.sr.html

In last year, most overhauled vehicles (BOV, m-80, BDRM, TAM trucks...) where painted in 3 colors scheme. Green with Brown and Black spots and/or stripes, depending on the size.








Also, some of the new Land Rovers and FAP-1118 trucks have the very same scheme.





 


 One of the overhauled m-17 of the Serbian got the same look.

Serbian army color schemes

It is interesting that JNA (Yugoslav Peoples Army) never officially adopted color scheme for the land forces, as they did for the Air Force. Around 1963, Army tried to implement some rules for different seasons and areas of the country, and and it was decided to to experiment in 329th Armored Brigade. From the start, there where some problems, since "Duga" color pallet did not have requested colors in their pallet. By the October 1964, new pattern was on one t-34;t-54b, m4a3,TZI M-74 and 3 M-47, as well as OT M-60 in fall scheme. Painting was done by hand and patterns was previously marked by chalk. They used Olive Green(Drab), light "leaf" green; creme/ocer; black and white for winter. In June of 1965, camouflage coloring was perofrmed during the military maneuver to test how it can be done under the war conditions. m-4a3 tank Platoon crew complitd the task in less than 3 hours. 6 tanks where done correctly, while 4 had some small corrections. For some reason YPA never implemented this and all of the vehicles stayed in SMB(gray olive color).
I have never found any photos about this.

Coming up-Yugoslav Army; Army of Serbian and Montenegro and Serbian Army camouflage schemes.














  

[draken35]

Very interresting topic! Thank you for those infos!

[wviz]

Yugoslav Army/Serbian Police
1990-1998
Former Yugoslav republics did not have any rule how to camouflage paint and the same goes for Serbia.

Most painting was done by initiative of the unit commander and usually on limited numbers of units.

Most common colors where brown and black painted on the existing SMB(Olive/drab green) in a form of stripes and spots in variety of differed sizes and shades.

There is great book about Military Vehicles in Croatia, you can check PDF here-
http://biblioteka.mycity-military.com/biblioteka/V.....1-1995.pdf

First organized camouflage painting in Serbia was not performed by the army, but Serbian Police.
Most trucks, APC...had brown and black spots/small stripes and  that varied in size and shape-

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian army color schemes

In the second half of the 1990's, then Yugoslav Army overhauled and purchased some new FAP trucks for the Swedish Radar System Giraffe. They where painted in Swedish Splinter Pattern-



...More coming up!!!

[Profa]

Great topic, thanx for sharing this info!

[No.1]

I still remember blue camouflaged terrain vehicles used by police in Krusevac

[tenk]

wery nice topic,and useful too!

[Sall]

Great info...

[wviz]

Thank you all.
I'm glad you find this info useful!

1998-1999
In Early spring of 1998, Serbian army and Police started operations against the KLA in the province of Kosovo.

Some Army units took initiative, and started sporadic painting, mostly coping Serbian police brown and black amoeba/spots-

Serbian army color schemes

As a part of the preparations for a possible NATO air campaign, Serbian(YU) AirDefence was concentrating on deception, hiding, using camouflage nets and other techniques, as well as camouflage painting-








More coming up...


 

[wviz]

By the middle of 1999, some Army Units, primarily Military Police, started do paint vehicles in NATO like pattern-large vertical brown and black stripes-on existing SMB green, or new lighter green was applied.
After NATO bombing, Complete Pristina Corps, was painted in this scheme.
This however sometimes created issue, since the new green was sometimes painted over existing SMB without adequate preparation. Result was screamingly bright, turquoise green, and brown and black was piling off too quickly.

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian army color schemes

  

[wviz]

At the same time, more and more, overhauled vehicles got the very new green shade, that was more saturated and bright grass like.
 

This is an interesting photo of US scouts looking at Serbian Supply truck-


Slowly, the pattern and colors evolved, and after the 1999, it looked that Serbian army is close to what is today official pattern.
Green became more greenish, and the actual lines where not pure vertical stripes.
Size and areas where the spots and stripes are where well defined, framing green in to a different shapes.
Good example are this overhauled BOVs and TAM trucks-


 

[wviz]

This are some different and unique solutions and variations-
BDRM strela during the 1999.


There is an interesting story that this pattern was actually created in the 1970's.


Up armored truck-

Serbian army color schemes

Nora spots-

Serbian army color schemes

4 colors spots on Puch-

Serbian army color schemes

Jigsaw(m-93 uniform pattern)-


Bov with vertical stripes-

Serbian army color schemes

NATO VAriation-



Praga VJ, 1999-


Praga variation, VJ, 1999-


Praga VRS, 1993-


m-80, VRS, 1995 Bosnia


VJ BDRM strela variation, 1999-




VJ, 1999, m-80 4 colors variation-

Serbian army color schemes

Serbian Police/Zandarmerija-

Serbian army color schemes

Free Crayola Artists,


NAto VAriation, 1999


Zastava NATo VAriation, 2009-


Police, 2009-


Puch, 2010-



















 

[Sall]

Very,very nice...
I like this topic!

[wviz]

Vichicle markings.

Yugoslav Peoples Army used white paint for the numbers.
AirFOrce had better rules and regulatons for the markings, than the ground forces.

After 1990's Yugoslav and Serbian Army kept the same white numerals. You have already seen some on previews photos, but one more here-


Lately, more and more, Serbian Army is applaying Unit emblems and in some cases Serbian Army Offical emblem-4"C" Shiled with the cross.

Military Police BOV-



River Flotilla-

[wviz]

Liscence Plates-

YPA-
 A, motorbikes; C-trailers; P-cars; R-vip, buses; G-passenger car/all terrain; N-Ambulance, F,K,L,M,N-Trucks, T-All Terain, M-MP, TO-territorial Defence; U,Z, C-Engeener, Construction machinery



Serbian Army, new plates-

[Sall]

Splendid info.  
I didn't knew half of this informations. Thanks you wviz.