[chascbv]

Hi, MoMo

I think L01 is the right version for January 1945, and both vehicles will make a great display together!

Regarding paints, these were indeed supplied as paste in those tins you mention; however, they were intended to be thinned with water and sprayed on. Every vehicle had a spray gun to be connected to an engine-driven compressor, and spraying was in fact the most common form of application. The problem was that such water-thinned paints were highly unstable, and tended to be washed off by rain, etc. So it was recommended that they be thinned with fuel, and then sprayed on. As fuel shortages were common, many units had to use muddy water or waste oil, and the resulting mix, unsuitable for spraying as it was, was rather applied with rags, mops, brooms, brushes, or whatever tool was at hand.

A similar tin of white paste was supplied for winter camouflage. This paste was to be thinned with water, and then sprayed on. It was unstable on purpose, as it was intended to be a "washable" paint to be easily removed in the absence of snow. However, supplies of this paint seem to have been commonly sparse and problematic, and crews often had to turn to lime whitewashes that were scrubbed on with all sorts of improvised tools, including foliage, or rubbed on with rags, sponges, and the like.

Hope this helps!