Can someone identify this?

[NobleSavage]

I think it's a night driving tail light assembly on a WW2 German AFV, but can anyone help me be more specific please? Especially with vehicle type, but more info about the tail light assembly would be very welcome

Edited September 10, 2018 by NobleSavage
more info

[Mike]

I think they call them convoy lights?

[NobleSavage]

Just now, Mike said:

I think they call them convoy lights?

That's great, it makes sense, I found an article that says the green lights are only visible between 20 - 25 metres away, which I suppose would assist with maintaining spacing in convoys. Any idea about the vehicle it is attached to? It looks to me like something Pz III based.

Edited September 10, 2018 by NobleSavage
typo

[Mike]

You can see the word Notek in the bottom middle of the part, and I think they were carried by more than a few types   Have a Google of Notek convoy light

[Artie]

As Mike had correctly said, that's a Notek tail light (convoy position light), but it seems there's a missing flipping plate. When the green lights are visible, the red ones are blanked over, and viceversa. The green lights were used for convoy driving, and the red ones for solo driving (position and brake lights). Most of the german AFV carried them, as they were standard equipment.

Cheers

[Kingsman]

Your original image is a CAD rendering.  A good one.  The flap is shown separately above the unit in order that you can see the whole thing: normally the flap would cover half of it.  Yes it looks like the back of a Pz or StuG III in that image.  "Notek" is short for Nova Technik, the company who designed and made this and the hooded front lamp.

 

It was always on the left side of the vehicle.  Later in the war (1944 some time??) it was replaced with a new tubular design.  The small hole in the flap was to allow the brake light to be seen when the flap was down and the light being used for station keeping.  It helps to know if the tank in front is slowing down rather than relying on suddenly seeing all 4 green lights!

[NobleSavage]

Thanks for all replies, as usual you produced fantastic information and very helpful. If and when I discover the vehicle type I let you know, for those who are interested the picture is a close up detail shot of a 3D model that is to be used in the WW2 battlefield simulator Graviteam Tactics: Mius-Front, for fans of WW2 armour they make extremely realistic tactical battle sims, as the quality of this model clearly suggests.