Real or fake

[Brian Ostlind]

Original color photo ofJags in the Ardennes

[Brian Ostlind]

[Brian Ostlind]

[Brian Ostlind]

For the Jagdtiger fans...a wooden mock up presented to high command here.

[Stephen White]

Desert photo of Pz III - 1st Battalion, the Leftishire Regiment aka "The Lefties"........

Regimental motto: "Vicerimus ad sinistrum".

S

[Phil Woollard]

This one might fit in here.

[Brian Ostlind]

Phil the environment is a giveaway. I look forward to seeing your FAMO outside.

[Phil Woollard]

Try this edit, I can't wait to get it outside too!

[Brian Ostlind]

Two photos I would like to re create...

[Phil Woollard]

It's always great to have a goal like reproducing a famous old photo, you should be able to recreate those no problem

[Vince Cutajar]

What do you think the guy in the last photo is doing?
Washing the wheels or applying camouflage to the wheels?

Vince

[Phil Woollard]

Hi Vince, that's how they applied the paint in the field......with a oil gun! (and sometimes a broom) Well I know it as an "oil gun" , it will spray any thin or relatively viscus liquid. I use one to drench my swing shovel, dumper and Nevara in oil to preserve the metal work.

[Stephen White]

Brian, Phil, the second photo of the crewman camouflaging the roadwheels is interesting and goes to show that tank crews go for Zipf's Principle of Minimum Effort rather than slavishly following regulations. One of the OKH regulations on painting equipment (Anstrich des Heeresgerätes) (can't remember which one) very clearly forbids painting rotating components with more than one colour. The reason is obvious - the rotation of an irregularly patterned component creates an effect which draws attention, compromising the camouflage. This guy knows better and is clearly indulging his inner artist. Clearly too much time on his hands.

The photo is one of five taken in France of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 preparing new tanks for action. They were at Mailly le Camp waiting to be committed to action, so probably did have time on their hands. The artistic camouflage was of little benefit - they were decimated in the subsequent fighting.

It was the same in the UK during the Cold War. The UK tank "bible" - Pamphlet Armour Vol 2 - had a dinky diagramme of the approved distruptive pattern, no doubt worked out after extensive and expensive trials at FVEE or ATDU. I've only seen it applied once, when I had my squadron use it when we had to repaint for a parade. It looked great and the inspecting general was impressed. It lasted until the day we rolled out of barracks, when it disappeared under a cloud of dust, as I knew it would. After that, we slapped on the paint with artistic licence.

That said, the majority of German WW2 AFV were painted according to the regulations.

Stephen

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks guys for the information. Good to see an actual photo with camouflaged road wheels.

Vince

[Mike Conley]

Italy 1944. 508th (Heavy) Panzer Division.