Hi all

I'm figuring this is probably a fairly subjective topic as the colour of wood can obviously vary so widely, but was wondering if there are some generalisations that can be drawn for the colour of British, U.S., German & Japanese AFV tools in WW2?

TIAS

Hi Shaun, since the wooden parts were and still are made by specialized factories, which not always made or make the complete tool, like axes, spades and alike, next to the fact that various wood sorts and batches were/are used, quite some variations are normal.
Furthermore, it was not always common to spray them in the same color as the vehicles. For new vehicles they were sprayed at the suppliers source and than delivered to the factory which build the vehicle or they may have been supplied to a army unit which completed the vehicles in a pool.
To make it more complex, tools may have been over sprayed in a (field) workshop or even (re) painted by the crew.
Last but not least, some crews, like those in my artillery unit, applied coloured spots or rings to avoid a "change" of ownership of their tool sets.
So, do not worry too much, any wood colour is applicable.

P.