  
Bishop's Tri-Colors
Carrier, Valentine, 25 Pounder Gun Mk I, Bishop: Ordnance QF 25-pdr on Carrier Valentine 25-pdr Mk 1 Myth Busting Part I: Use of Tri-Color by British Forces by "NACHT"
British armour aficionados have problems with the use of anything on a British AFV (in the Arm of Service flash arena) being anything but Red/White/Red or White/Red/White... the low resolution photographs or printed versions in books depict their look at least in this segment of the war incorrectly for most vehicles. During the Tunisian Campaign and further into Sicily and Italy they were commonly not solid bars of color in original application nor were they Red/White/Red and this is a myth perpetuated by those that are quite uninformed and working from previous statements but not the photographic evidence!!! Many were actually comprised of a series of vertical colored bars like those on US vehicles that entered into North Africa through Morocco or Algeria that had painted on them were a part of the general transfer markings set for all combatant vehicles in Tunisia. Sometimes they are overpainted or washed with Red/White/Blue but seldom were they the previously claimed Red/White/Red RTR flash... this is a myth and has been repeated for far too long! The decal manufacturers and the modeler's do not want to hear the truth but they need to buy high resolution copies of the photographs from the IWM for a particular case in point. 
Simply look at Bishop photos in Tunisia and Sicily to know that something is in error in this previous think of a Red/White/Red flash... first look at the First Army Shield on the rear of the fuel cell (look closely at this cell)... and the partially mud obscured Red/White/Blue Tri-Color painted over Rainbow Color bars on the rear of this Bishop above the towing pintle. (Pintle= A Pin, Bolt, or Hook by which a gun or the like is attached to the rear of a towing vehicle). Look at the engine access hatch doors and note the barely visible horizontal stripes that were an overpaint of Blue/White/Red over a smaller series of 16 horizontal Rainbow Colors bars and on the right door was a White of Yellow 8 which are both actually placed on top of a larger Red and White painted and halved circle... We know the colors of the cross and sword on the First Army Shield being Red on White with a gold & yellow sword... This may actually be the case with the field area behind the shield being painted in blue. Three stripes are readily discernable on the tank and the letters F C in White on the front section... it appears an attempt to reduce the visibility of the rear color has been attempted or this was a good position for a crew member to stand!  But is our Bishop tank's cross the Red form or the Blue form cross?
The Red and Blue shield with two crossed swords = 21 Army Group Red, White shield with single sword = 1st Army Blue, White shield with single sword = 2nd Army Yellow or Gold , White shield with no sword = 8th Army Also the difference in the Red cross or Blue cross was to designate 1st Army versus 2nd Army… and the Gold or Yellow cross was used for the 8th Army... the Bishop's Fuel Drum also has Red/White/Blue stripes on top of vertical colored Rainbow Stripes! The cross is Red... but the reason for the query was that I had posted to MechInf a crop magnification of the front of the captured Tiger with Diablo and Blue Cross to verify exact colors… for both markings forms and the units… First Army's Red St. George's Cross is the answer (Shield has a black lined surround and the back of the fuel cell is actually Blue and not the base green AFV color!) Monty’s Jeep and Caravan in color to verify what I am saying is true...! To further verify the colors… on the rear of the fuel drum and the viewer must also realize that this drum has been painted with several colors!  
The left F (appearing White) looks to be resting from top right to bottom left just beyond the top edge of a second diagonal color bar or stripe and just into the top diagonal striped color and then just about to the bottom of the third of the diagonal striped color bars (more in a bit about this) as I am conjecturing that this F basically is resting on top of a series of diagonal color band stripes somewhat similar in other proposed examples of this color combination using Blue/Red/Green... with base paint color to either side. Currently this is guesswork until I can properly format the color match utility from the series of six photos. This painted over the The right 201 (appearing Dirty White) centers on a Red/Blue horizontal bar arm of service flash for Royal Artillery and is also interesting because directly adjacent below its lower Blue component is an equidistant wide but more narrow vertically (about half the thickness of either the Red then Blue horizontal bands above it) painted bar of white that is seen as the lowest component color in the center element of another Red/White/Blue narrow band Tri-Color...which has Red to the left in this same height/width of the White element in the center of this Tri-Colored bar and on the opposite side in this same height/width bar of color but in Blue. Soon a color interpretation... I had an eMail inquiry and a very adamant one that was totally incorrect and quite humorous actually about the denial of the truths shown in the higher resolution photos... but he still considered himself an expert because his decals and the illustration he drew were simply WRONG! New information confuses those set in their ways... Note the large multi-color split sectioned circle painted on the engine deck that is covered with mud (this is not a part of the two color camouflage) this marking has always been missed in determination of the extreme markings set that this group of vehicles has in its story to tell. There are some of these type vehicles that even had variously colored stripes or shapes painted across their roof or upper surfaces for rapid air identification. The vehicle's role was close infantry support and thus they wanted to be identified by their friendly support air operations team as quickly as possible. A closer look and can you see or recognize the large number on the engine deck and the split colored circle and the horizontal lines especially discernable on the viewers left side of the ventilation louvers? 
Note also the No.27 Artillery trailer... and tent setup in the center of the photo... 
For AFV's shipped to NA via Morocco and Algeria the Tri-Color marking on British AFV's begins to appear 'photographically' in the late December 1942-January 1943 timeframe... many vehicles have an application of Gas Detection Paint overlaid onto the area in the White center element... the initial paint layout is to denote "Free French" friendly and is displayed in the Blue/White/Red form on all four sides of the vehicle. The forms of painting appear in both vertical and horizontally displayed types. This was later modified into the summer of 1943 by mimicking the flash seen and displayed on vertical tail surfaces of RAF aircraft. This is in the left side display of Red/White/Blue and right side display of Blue/White/Red but there are all types of combinations and mispaints to be seen in various period photographs. This is a difficult combination of colors to adeptly identify in black and white photos. The adoption of the white star and circle on all allied vehicles was a result of friendly fire incidents and some semblance of marking's unification for friend or foe identification and alike. The US Army had still not unified its adoption of the displayed star form to be later ascribed and painted onto its vehicles. The fear of gas attacks was suspected in ENIGMA transcripts and various washes or applications of a yellow-green Gas Detection Paint were applied. Little has been discussed about the German plans for the use of gas warfare but when the Nebelwerfer was placed into field use in North Africa this became a true or realized threat proposal for the Allied High Command. Interpreters of the coded crypts had an assumption based upon the that "Smoke Throwers" were to be used for a last ditch effort to stop the Allied advances in Tunisia. Measures were immediately put into motion for decontamination units to be shipped into the theater of operations and field orders for application of the Gas Detection Paint were disseminated. Many late arrival British Shermans, Churchill's, M3 Halftracks and armoured cars into the Tunisian Campaign have a Blue/White/Red form Pro "Free French" Tri-Color and not the presumed or older form White/Red/White or Red/White/Red RTR Arm of Service flash. Some even have a combination of both markings types. Prescribed Red and Blue colors... similar to RAF (Not in the RAF reduced visibility color forms!)  Then a grayscale comparator 
Standard 12 inch X 24 inch AFV Displayed stencil form... (An 8"X12" printed card form was also seen masking taped to vehicles) 
The wide narrow Pro 'Free French' form... 
With thin layer of Gas Detection Paint in center area 
Later prescribed form... 
With thin layer of Gas Detection Paint in center area 
Horizontal Tri-Color 
Horizontal Tri-Color with thin White Center (Also seen on late RAF aircraft fin flash in the vertical form) 
Confusion
Royal Tank Regiment Flash The initial RTR White/Red/White & the later Red/White/Red color usage seen in the Western Desert were supplanted within some designated units for deployment into or from the various fields of operation in Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy and Southern France. New arriving units into North Africa had 'political' versus heritage bias in the designation of the specifics in their applied markings usage and this goes against the grain of many armor enthusiasts. The display of the Tri-Color was also a designation marker for deployment purposes in the vehicle collection areas from major North African ports in preparation for the landings in Sicily, Italy and Southern France. Deployment forces were able to be more quickly identified and dispersed to the correct holding areas for embarkation onto transport and also for queuing in landing disembarkation points. Enter the mix are the Canadians with the Red/White/Red flash, older Eighth Army elements with retained Red/White/Red flash, and even some with White/Red/White flash! Canadian Armour: 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment
On May 6, 1943, part of "B" Squadron was renamed "A" and formed 1st Canadian Tank Delivery Squadron and landed in Sicily on 16 July 1943 as the tank delivery unit for 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. It landed in Italy on September 14, 1943.  Fourth Canadian Armoured Division  Formation sign of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division
 Then a grayscale comparator 
Pro 'Free Italy' at capitulation Tri-Color  and the Black & White (Grayscale) form to confuse the researcher even more! 
Anti-Confusion Observations in Photos
Bishops in Tunisia & Sicily
A Speculative Assay: Note on the turret assembly to the front right of the turret (lower left of turret in photo) three diagonal bands or bars of color and this is not a shadow as you can see the driver's hatch has direct light on its nearest edge (also note how the shadows appear on the tree branches is a giveaway)... look closely just above the Square Box (Yellow outline) White A3 the overpainted Tri-Color (Red/White/Blue) with what might be an originally overpainted center white with Gas Detection Paint but we cannot tell due to the dobbing overlay camouflage attempt. There also what looks to be another overpainted Tri-Color on the Fuel cell (Red/White/Blue). The obvious Tri-Color variance in color shades on the lower right and not over-dobbed or painted marking of the left side plate of the turret (Red/White/Blue) and the Tri-Color on the tank's bow plate (Looks darker to right than left) with some over applied and the barely visible letters / then numbers and ending in LP which appear to be yellow. There are several more markings to consider on this vehicle with some over-dobbed chalk numbers on the three diagonal bands to the underside of the gun and the side skirt has a chalked triangle just below the fuel cell with a three horizontal painted bar at it apex barely visible and additional painted shipping bars and number (16034) to right top of the gun and also some painted/chalked numbers on the left side plate seen to the right of the Square Yellow outline / White A3 previously noted. The outboard areas of the swing arms are also painted in red... and you might be able to discern in magnification below the overlaid rectangle of Gas Detection Paint or applied strip of prepainted paper tape at a slight angle just above the Square Outline A3 and applied over the barely visible Tri-Color. There may actually be another set of horizontal color bars under the Square Outline A3 but the dobbing has muted its appearance... but the next vehicle in the unit makes this more clear! 
Bishop Yellow Square Outline A4 actually has what appears to be two sets of diagonal color bars over-dobbed on its front (both to gun right and those to gun left are more obscured). The two sets of diagonal colors appear higher on this front plate than on the Bishop we can call A3 above. This Bishop A4 having you can now more clearly see the five color horizontal bar shipping marking on the right gun side and can barely see (to gun left) look closely just above the Square Box (Yellow outline) White A3 the overpainted Tri-Color. The swivel extension arms are painted red beyond the bend nearly to the end of the arm. Use this red as a comparing color marker to note the difference in the bow plate Tri-Color... this one being Blue/White/Red and slightly darker to left (looking at the photo) and the color band which closely matches the red on the extension arm paint is to right. The Tri-Color on its bow plate appears to be in the directed form of Blue/White/Red for insertion into Free French territories... (Morocco & Algeria) as you can see where there is no mud... the difference in applied color. One of our AANA Research Fellows "Danny" has made considerable comment to me about the disdain to mark a British AFV in French colors... my only comment is to look at the both the left & right vertical tail flash color application on any RAF aircraft in WWII... 
Less visible on EDNA II you might be able to just see where the three diagonal color bars have been overpainted but the white letters F C are about one third of the letters overlapping the top band of color with 2/3 of the letters in the middle color and you might be able to see the lowest but closest to left in photo bottom color band. the applied color bands appear dissimilar to the previously shown Bishops in that the bands do not go to the edge of the turret but are about six inches from the turret edge. 
Example: 142 Field Regiment of 23rd Armoured Brigade of 46 Division's Bishops
Seen here with Brigadier General McCreary... 
Note: Posting images in dual forms of Black &White / Sepia versions to better denote the true colors painted & displayed on the vehicles 
Red/White/Blue Left Side flash... 
The "Most" Colorful Bishop... Second Company & F C's Paint... 
Blue/White/Red Right Side flash... (NOT Red/White/Red!!! As they are clearly not the same color... and confirmed via quartered formation square colors comparison) Also note the company formation commander's Blue/White/Red horizontal turret top sensor indicator at right rear. This vehicle also has a large quarter sectioned Air Identification circle painted in white to cover most of the rear of the vehicle's engine access hatches. The top left quarter of the large painted circle is again split into four sections. The sections are upper left quarter Blue / Red / White / Green, upper right quarter in White, and bottom in Yellow! The Bishop was used as an infantry support vehicle and the need for close air to ground cooperation made for this vehicle type to need to be readily visible from the air. Patton and Montgomery both had friendly fire incident at he onset of the Sicilian Campaign an this appears to be the formation commander's remedy and also a method to have his troop to form around his vehicle to set enfilading fields of fire. The bottom half of the circle tends to look lighter in yellow form but could be the gas detection paint color! Some cloth pennant air Identification marker banners were in fluorescent yellow, orange, red, & green! My quick supposition of the look of the engine access plate area circle colors are like this but could be the marker form of yellow... as well...  or the marker yellow form 
British Armour aficionados can quickly confirm the colors of these elements and verify my determination of dissimilar colors in the Tri-Color flash as well... note the square arm of service tactical marking of Mobile Batteries in Bishops appear to have used the inverse of the Royal Artillery Regiments Blue square with Red quarter segment. Royal Artillery Regiment / RHQ Arm of Service Markings 
Royal Artillery Regiment / Mobile Artillery Arm of Service Markings 
On this Bishop of the fourth or S Battery and the Blue quarter segment of the Red square is moved clockwise around the square to indicate the battery number. Note the colors of the Triangle with White stencil D and then the quartered square under this with White stencil 45 and also the Blue/White/Red uncovered roof sensor indicator 
Sepia form to better define edges of these markings elements 
To better show the Red/White/Blue Tricolor forms... here again is a photo split in half then cropped to show a Bishop of the 142nd Field Regiment of 23rd Armoured Brigade being towed on a trailer of the 610 Heavy Recovery Section. The Truck door has an original Blue/White/Red horizontal form Tri-Color with a taped on (upside down) Red/White/Blue 8 inch X 12 inch Tri-Color and the Bishop has what has always previously been called the standard RTR Red/White/Red flash but is quite apparent in comparison to the rear colors in the formation sign of the Bishop that they are actually Red/White/Blue on the front and Red/White/Blue on the left side of some AFV's or the inverse of color application on the right side and rear (but there are exceptions in application of these colors). We know about HQ elements using the Blue over Red flash & REME Workshop vehicles displaying the Blue/Yellow/Red Horizontal flash but the discourse of the use by other elements of Red/White/Blue needs to be examined & uncovered further. 
To show a more "SPECULATIVE" interpretation.. the Diamond T's cab door with the underlying REME marking and the over taped paper placard...  F D's paint... conjectural! The Colored diagonal bands and markings are BARELY visible with the camouflage overpaint.
As in the use of the Tri-Color by other troops and specific units engaged in training exercises in Tunisia, in the invasion of Sicily, Southern Italy and along the French & Italian Riviera...
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