Review by Felix Bustelo

The Royal Navy used camouflage extensively during World War II, more than any other navy. While the Admiralty officially developed some schemes, most others were unofficial variations. At times complete schemes were developed based solely on colors available at an installation or an officer's whim. Because of these factors, the scheme worn by one particular ship could vary greatly throughout her career. While this presents ship modelers with exciting options and projects, the wide variety of patterns utilized during the war could be a source of frustration, as many were not documented.

Alan Raven has spent nearly 35 years researching and documenting Royal Navy camouflage using a variety of sources. The Warship Perspectives title Camouflage Volume One: Royal Navy 1939-1941 is the first of several volumes that will be the end result of his efforts. Over 90% of the material presented in this volume have never been published before, which is truly fantastic news for Royal Navy buffs.

This soft cover 56 page book is crammed with a little over 150 original pieces of artwork and 7 photos depicting camouflage pattern used on various ships during the time period. For the ships that had different schemes on port and starboard sides, images are provided for both when the information was available. An eight-page section in the middle of the book contains 31 schemes in color. When possible, dates when the schemes were utilized are provided as well as colors used on horizontal surfaces.

The book goes through an almost chronological study of the different "schools of thought" regarding camouflage schemes. It is fascinating seeing the wide varieties of schemes employed, even on the same vessel during the early part of the war. For example, HMS Ajax was painted in 5 different schemes from 1939 through 1941. She was painted an overall light gray at the beginning of the war through the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. After repairs to damage she sustained at the battle, she was painted on overall Light Mountbatten Pink from July to November 1940. After this, she wore 3 different "Alexandria" disruptive schemes, each wilder than the previous one.

The book does contain two printer's errors that will be corrected in Volume Two under an errata section. Specifically, the images of Sheffield on page 26 and Formidable on page 53 have the port side repeated. Missing are the starboard sides, which had a different pattern.

This book is a fountain of knowledge and will provide modelers with a dizzying array of modeling options. Personally, I cannot decide which Royal Navy model to build next. This volume is a must if you plan to build World War II Royal Navy subjects in any scale. My thanks go to WR Press for providing this review sample.