Smock, Denison
(Airborne Troops)

Smock, Denison, Airborne Troops, 1942.

The British Army Smock, Denison, Airborne Troops, introduced in 1942, was worn over Battledress by paratroops and glider-borne airlanding troops, and special forces, as well as staff and general officers who managed to procure one. The Denison Smock remained in service until it was replaced by the Smock, Parachutist, Disruptive Pattern Material beginning in 1977.

1st Pattern Denison Smock, 1942

The 1st Pattern Smock, Denison, Airborne Troops may be distinguished from later patterns by its knitted wool cuffs. The yellowish sand-coloured heavy twill material was painted with disruptive brush-strokes of pea green and dark brown. The impermanent colours were meant to fade, making the disruptive brush-stroke pattern appear less distinct than those of the later pattern Denison.

Compatible paints for the 1st Pattern Denison Smock illustrated on page 18 of Stephen Badsey‘s Campaign Series publication Arnhem 1944 – Operation Market Garden are Vallejo 70.977 »Desert Yellow« with disruptive brush-strokes of Vallejo 71.080 »Rust« and 70.924 »Russian Uniform«, all of which need to be desaturated to match.
Compatible paints for the 1st Pattern Denison Smock illustrated on page 18 of Stephen Badsey‘s Campaign Series publication Arnhem 1944 – Operation Market Garden are Vallejo 70.977 »Desert Yellow« with disruptive brush-strokes of Vallejo 71.080 »Rust« and 70.924 »Russian Uniform«, all of which need to be desaturated to match.

Painting 1st Pattern Denison Smocks

  • Tan
    • Denison Tan Base, AK 11413
    • Khaki Grey, Vallejo 70.880
  • Pea Green
  • Dark Brown
    • Red Brown, AK 11434
    • German Camo Medium Brown (FS 30097), Vallejo 70.826

2nd Pattern Denison Smock, 1944

The 2nd Pattern Smock, Denison, Airborne Troops had cuffs with buttoned tabs, but the tops of wollen socks were often sewn to the cuffs to wind-proof the smock. The beaver tail flap had brass snap fasteners, allowing the tail to be stowed at the back of the smock when not in use. The base colour of the smock was changed to a light or medium olive green, with disruptive brush-strokes of reddish brown and dark olive green, to better match north-western European terrain.

Painting 2nd Pattern Denison Smocks

  • Light or Medium Olive Green
    • Denison Base Opt. 2, Green Brown, AK 11126
  • Red Brown
    • Red Brown, AK 11434
    • German Camo Medium Brown (FS 30097), Vallejo 70.826
  • Dark Olive Green
    • US Dark Green (FS 34079), Vallejo 70.893

Bibliography

  • Badsey, Stephen: Arnhem 1944 – Operation Market Garden (Lond. 1993)
  • Chappell, Mike: British Infantry Equipments 1908–80 (Lond. 1980)
  • Ferguson, Gregor: The Paras – British Airborne Forces 1940–1984 (Lond. 1985)

British Miniatures of World War Two