Panzer Colours

[NARSES2]

Me and Steve (Aircav) share similar views on the weathering of armour models and he sent me these pics of some fairly clean looking German armour (one non German) as part of our ongoing discussion. Personal views and I don't want to get into them here, but I thought I'd share the pics.

Chris

[pyro-manic]

Nice pics - do you have them in a bigger size? They're all so tiny!

[RotorheadTX]

I luuurve the Bizarro-world paint scheme on the Pz.III with schurtzen.   
It seems a bit over-exposed, so I'm guessing two greens, black, and panzer yellow?
I'd eyegasm a complete set of photos of that scheme!

[TsrJoe]

I luuurve the Bizarro-world paint scheme on the Pz.III with schurtzen.   
It seems a bit over-exposed, so I'm guessing two greens, black, and panzer yellow?
I'd eyegasm a complete set of photos of that scheme!

plus bright sunlight and dapple shade from the trees around it, the images do provide a good illustration that crews generally did look after their vehicles tho, many thanks for sharing these, cheers, Joe xx

[RotorheadTX]

Looking at that photo again, the gun-barrel looks funny; no taper like a KwK39.
I submit for discussion that on top of the odd paint scheme, it's a Pz. III Flamm!

[TsrJoe]

missed the gun, nicely spotted, methinks your right re identification as a 'flammpanzer' 
looking at the camouflage, possibly sand primer, green and brown camuflage with maybe black as a fourth colour?

[rickshaw]

Not surprising really.  I'd expect that along with the other aspects of Prussian discipline that the Wehrmacht inherited vehicle maintenance and cleanliness was one of them.  However, I'd also suggest that after long weeks of campaigning, particularly during a rapid advance such as in 1940 in France or 1941 in Russia, that aspect of vehicle maintenance might not be paid too much attention to.  In areas such as North Africa and Southern Russia as well, where water is in short supply and dust isn't, you'd have pictures of vehicles which are both festooned with personal gear and loads of dust and dirt.   

[NARSES2]

Sorry about the size but thats the default size on my Photobucket account. I'll have to figure out how to change it.

As for cleaning equipment. A mate knew an ex Panzer driver and he said that in the early part of the war at least all tanks were washed down as soon as they stopped for the night. Normally with whatever was available even fuel !

[TsrJoe]

I recall my late father mentioning that during his National Service with the REME. attatched to the AAC. It was common practice to clean down their vehicles with petrol to make them shine, he mentioned that it also changed the colour somewhat too compared to 'normal' duller Deep Bronze Green vehicles, added to which 'embellishments' such as black painted wheel arches, white 'blackout' markings (usually seen on Ww2 vehicles) and colour coded wheel nuts and filler caps all adding a sense of individual pride to their allocated equipment (my father and his colleagues vehicle being a unit built mobile workshop)

[RotorheadTX]

I did a little more poking about, and that little marking just forward of the Balkenkreuz is 6th PzDiv at Kursk.

"At the time of Operation Citadel, the 6th Panzer Division was part of Army Group Kempf
(Army Group South) and had 111 tanks (Panzer II, III, IV) and 13 Flammpanzers."

So, very unusual scheme and a rare vehicle too. 

[GTX]

Nice set of photos.

[phoenix54]

This one (9th Pzr?) was knocked out S.E. of Caen late June / July '44 possibly by Canadians, either a 'Firefly' or a 17lb.
You can see the entry hole just to the left of the main gun and to the right of the vision port.

Chris, where did you get the colour / tinted original? and could i have a copy PLEASE? grovel, grovel, grovel!

Paul

[NARSES2]

Chris, where did you get the colour / tinted original? and could i have a copy PLEASE? grovel, grovel, grovel!

Paul

Aircav found it Paul, send him a PM