A12 Matilda II Mk.II in Malta campaign

It is a lesser known fact that during the war, Malta had its very own armoured unit.  This unit was formed in 1940 with four Matilda tanks – nicknamed Faulknor, Gallant, Greyhound, Griffin – and two Vickers Light tanks making up the bulk of the force.

The unit later gained the services of Valentines tanks, A9 Cruisers, and A13 Cruisers which were all sent out to the islands at different periods so to boost the island’s defence against a potential Axis assault.

Such an assault did not materialise, even though there were plans for it in what was called Operation Hercules, meaning that the tanks never did see the fields of battle.  They were however valuable for keeping Maltese  morale up, helping to promote a feeling of security in the Maltese people in the midst of the blitz.  They were used primarily for patrols around the island’s bases, and as tugs to clear fallen aircraft away from the island’s valuable runways.

More tanks were eventually seen on the island, but these were American tanks brought over when the tables had begun to turn in favour of the Allies and when preparations for Operation Husky – the invasion of Sicily – were in full-swing.

The tank detachment on Malta adopted a curious camouflage scheme dictated by local conditions. Much of the island being exposed and bare the most common feature was the stone walling that lined the roads and surrounded the fields, so the vehicles were painted to blend in with this. Other markings were entirely absent except for individual tank names which they seem to have retained from their previous service. 

Considering the size of our Island (314 sq. Km) its history is amazing. Due to Its strategic geographical Malta played an extremely important role in history ever since Prehistoric times. Preservation of this history in time has given Malta quite a unique appearance.

It was this country side environment which was the foundation of the development of the unique Maltese camouflage. The pattern was matured in two main styles. The first one was used on Motorcycles, Military cars and trucks up to 1 ton and resembled typically a dry stone rubble wall. (Still very commonly seen in fields.) Irregular sized shapes looking like a mosaic. In both styles the crevice between the 'stone' was painted either green or brown. This greatly depended on the availability of paint as anything was scarce to find in Malta during the war period. Very often paint was mixed locally and therefore probably no two vehicles looked alike!

The painting of the camouflage was mainly done in two ways. Vehicles that were factory painted in green or brown, were patched in light stone color, leaving the lines in between in original color. To save time and paint very often the vehicle registration number on bonnets and fuel tanks were not painted over thus leaving a large patch of the original color between the patches. In other instances light stone color paint covered the whole vehicle, and the crevice lines were painted later.

The finish of these paint jobs was obviously smooth.at all. In fact sometimes sand and dust were literally thrown over the wet paint, to dull the paint and give it a much more matte finish. On other occasions paint was splashed all the vehicle, and headlamps, tyres, canvas tops and windshields were not spared.

In Malta, remnants of the past are still with us, including British army buildings, RAF airfields, Romni huts and many other places that are still hidden away from the world. The Maltese camouflage is considered by us as one important landmark of Malta as part of the Second World War. Therefore we consider that it is our duty to preserve it, by encouraging our members to designate their vehicles in this style.

The pattern, which was only used in Malta, had two main variations;
Light vehicles, guns, generators, motorcycles, tanks, etc. which had an irregular outline were painted in a pattern resembling the rubble walls which bordered each and every field. This consisted of shapeless blotches of light stone paint, with a darker colour (dark green or dark brown mostly, but sometimes any dark shade available) between the blotches.

Larger vehicles, especially those that had a squarish outline had the stone-coloured paint applied in rectangular blocks to resemble walls of buildings. The darker colour would thus be in straight lines to mimic the mortar and the gaps between the blocks. These vehicles would be parked next to a farmhouse and camouflaged further to resemble an extension of the building.

If the vehicle to be painted was in light stone colour, the dark pattern only was applied.
If on the other hand it was in green or dark earth, the light stone blotches would be painted on, leaving the original colour showing between them. In this case the census ( or WD ) number would not be painted over, leaving a dark patch with the white numbers on it.

Sometimes it is possible to tell from photos how the pattern was applied. If the stones had rounded corners, the stone colour was probably applied over a dark background, whilst if they had sharp angular corners the dark paint was probably applied on a stone-coloured background.

This would usually be done by hand, and various factors, such as the availability of paint in suitable colours, the ability of the individual entrusted with the job, and his interpretation of the official instructions would all be working against any uniformity of results.
The ‘rubble wall’ effect sometimes ended up resembling pebbles, while the building block pattern could give one the impression that the builder was completely ignorant of his trade! A wartime photo even shows a truck with the blocks painted in VERTICAL courses! Another photo shows square blocks placed in a grid pattern. So much for blending in with buildings…..

Smaller items were usually not camouflaged but only painted in light stone to show their military ownership. Bicycles, petrol cans, tools, etc. did not have enough area to take the camouflage pattern, so were just left in light stone colour.

In an effort to further improve the effect, sand was sometimes sprinkled over the freshly-painted surface, especially on steel helmets. This eliminated glinting in the harsh Mediterranean sun, which would often be enough to give away one’s position.

Many objects which would not usually be taken into the field would be left in their original paint, but if obtained from the North African theatre of operations they would invariably be in light stone (or sand, as it was called over there).

Many photos of anti-aircraft guns show that the pattern was not applied, possibly because it is difficult for a pilot not to spot a gun that happens to be firing away at him, even if it is camouflaged!