In the Humphrey Bogart film, ';The Caine Mutiny,'; what was the ship's crew wearing face cream for?

There's a battle scene in the film,The Caine Mutiny, where all of crewman are ordered to put on white face cream.





The only thing I could speculate is that it's a crude type of sunscreen.





Does anyone know what this cream was, and what purpose it was supposed to serve?In the Humphrey Bogart film, ';The Caine Mutiny,'; what was the ship's crew wearing face cream for?
Anti-flash cream, supposedly to protect yourself from munitions flashes.In the Humphrey Bogart film, ';The Caine Mutiny,'; what was the ship's crew wearing face cream for?
ski dawg is correct on both counts!!!