Percentage of German Tank Camouflage?

[Wally's World]

Just wondering with all these great mods out, what was the percentages of the different types of camouflage the Germans used on their AFVs?

I mean by 1944 how many tanks were painted in panzer gray, in ambush colors or in light brown and so forth? I would just to know if a panzer gray painted Panzer IVH appearing in June 1944 in Normandy could be still be found? By this time of the war were many German vehicles still painted gray?

I'm justing asking because after looking at Steven Burvenich's awesome looking Panzer IV and StuGs at Combat Mission HQ, would that color still be found in numbers in 1944?

[Pine59]

Well, since you have read the other thread, you know this topic stirs up considerable debate. I think the panzer gray mods look great but as long as we are still in CMBO time I guess I am in the anti-gray camp. Personally, I have yet to see a late war photo that unequivically has panzer gray as the primary color.

Leaving that aside, almost from the beginning of the standard use of dark yellow, some units received supplies of brown and green to apply themselves. I don't believe "factory applied" camo became common until later but I could be wrong. By mid-44 it seems like mono, bi, and tricolor schemes existed across the board. As you may know "ambush" refers to a specific factory applied tricolor with contrasting "spots" pattern that was used from Oct 44 until early Jan 45. After that, the usual base color was red-brown primer with green and yellow camo applied if available. The last "official" color scheme was solid dark green but few if any production vehicles came out with it.

One of my books actually references an order prohibiting the use of panzer gray on new vehicles but I haven't been able to find it.

Two cents (or less)

[jgdpzr]

IIRC, there is nothing but a small amount of anecdotal evidence of panzer grey vehicles in the west from 1944 on. Most of this evidence is in the form of accounts of US vets saying they saw grey vehicles. Also, some b&w photos showing darkly colored vehicles have been interpreted as panzer grey. However, both of these pieces of evidence have been largely discounted. The latter in that these photos almost certainly show vehicles that are either primarily panzer green or the red-brown primer that served as the base color late in the war, not panzer grey. The veterans' accounts may also confuse panzer green with grey, as that color supposedly had a greyish tint, particularly when dirty or dusty.

I am not aware of any collaborative evidence supplied by the Germans that they were using panzer grey vehicles in 1944-45.

Now, regarding other color schemes, there was a great deal of variance because many of the schemes were applied in the field with paints that varied widely in how they were dilluted. An exception to these schemes was the aforementioned ambush paint scheme that was applied in the factory. By 1945, the Germans were facing extreme shortages of most paints, and this resulted in vehicles being painted with whatever was on hand at the factories. I have seen some allusions to panzer grey stocks possibly being used in these instances, but I have not seen anything definitive.

Edited for grammar.

[ April 23, 2002, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: jgdpzr ]

[Wally's World]

highlife and jgdpzr:

Both of your posts were really interesting to read. Thanks!