Re:Is this for real
I really don't think there is anything sinister in this - the markings are obviously covered up to conform to the rules of German eBay, which presumably forbids the display of anything with a swastika on it - but that aside there were many camouflaged trains and rolling stock used by all forces in WW2. German camouflage is an incredibly complex and varied subject, much argued over and almost impossible to pin down due to the very haphazard nature of its application. In the case of AFVs, the vehicles came from the assembly lines in a standard basecoat (sand brown from around 1942-43 onwards) and the crews were supplied with two cans of concentrated pigment in the mid-green and red-brown shades. When (and sometimes if) they had the opportunity, the individual vehicle crews would thin these paints with anything they had to hand (petrol was supposed to be used, but was often in such short supply that water was commonly used instead) and then apply one or both colours in a camouflage pattern using anything from proper spray equipment to a rag on a stick. There were "official" recommended patterns for the camo, but these were apparently seldom followed, resulting in a huge variety of patterns, not to mention shade and effect variations due to the thinning media and the methods of application, as well as paint batch variations. I'm sure that the same circumstances applied to locos and rolling stock in many cases.
Jon.
