Curtiss 75L P-36C Hawk

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01/17/2003. Remarks by Bob Lane: "Don't shoot! They're OURS!
This is a photo of the 27th Pursuit Squadron when they had their planes painted in an experimental camouflage. At the USAF Museum site it is named "Desert Sand and Spinach", and is reproduced at the USAF Museum's P-36A. Garish as it may seem, it provided aircraft photographers with some striking photos. The aviation magazines were full of pictures of them back then. FLYING and POPULAR AVIATION, September 1941, has a black & white photo of some of the P-36s and part of the caption reads, '...these Curtiss P-36's carried only two guns and an elaborate but useless camouflage design.'"

02/28/2006. Remarks by Steven Eisenman: "This is a picture of P-36Cs of the 27th Pursuit Squadron of the 1st Pursuit Group, 2d Wing, General Headquarters Air Force based at Selfridge Field, Michigan, USA. The leading aircraft is s/n 38-85 with the number 69 on the tail. The aircraft were on display at the National Air Races to show not only the US Army's preparedness, but also the various camouflage schemes tested at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, during the Carolina War Games of 1939. Twelve P-36C’s were painted in this unusual camouflage, in the picture accompanied by six ”normal” painted aircraft. The schemes were of three classes:

Class I: One to three dark colors on top (ground camouflage) with white or gray underneath (sky camouflage).

Class II: The ground camouflage on top with the outline broken up by sand or white. No camouflage underneath.

Classs III: Confusion scheme, non-concealment with the same camouflage colors being used on top and underneath.

Within each Class there were several variations on patterns and colors.
The colors used were water based temporary camouflage paint, as follows: Dark Blue Dark Green Dark Olive Neutral Gray Sand (believed to have been an orange shade of sand) Sea Green White.

The camouflage scheme was not referred to as "Desert Sand and Spinach."


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01/17/2003. Remarks by Bob Lane: "Don't shoot! They're OURS! This is a photo of the 27th Pursuit Squadron when they had their planes painted in an experimental camouflage. At the USAF Museum site it is named "Desert Sand and Spinach", and is reproduced at the USAF Museum's P-36A. Garish as it may seem, it provided aircraft photographers with some striking photos. The aviation magazines were full of pictures of them back then. FLYING and POPULAR AVIATION, September 1941, has a black & white photo of some of the P-36s and part of the caption reads, '...these Curtiss P-36's carried only two guns and an elaborate but useless camouflage design.'" 02/28/2006. Remarks by Steven Eisenman: "This is a picture of P-36Cs of the 27th Pursuit Squadron of the 1st Pursuit Group, 2d Wing, General Headquarters Air Force based at Selfridge Field, Michigan, USA. The leading aircraft is s/n 38-85 with the number 69 on the tail. The aircraft were on display at the National Air Races to show not only the US Army's preparedness, but also the various camouflage schemes tested at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, during the Carolina War Games of 1939. Twelve P-36C’s were painted in this unusual camouflage, in the picture accompanied by six ”normal” painted aircraft. The schemes were of three classes: Class I: One to three dark colors on top (ground camouflage) with white or gray underneath (sky camouflage). Class II: The ground camouflage on top with the outline broken up by sand or white. No camouflage underneath. Classs III: Confusion scheme, non-concealment with the same camouflage colors being used on top and underneath. Within each Class there were several variations on patterns and colors. The colors used were water based temporary camouflage paint, as follows: Dark Blue Dark Green Dark Olive Neutral Gray Sand (believed to have been an orange shade of sand) Sea Green White. The camouflage scheme was not referred to as "Desert Sand and Spinach."