King Tiger - Wheels Camo or Not

[phlarris]

So... 3-tone camo and camo spots done on the King Tiger. Do the wheels get done in the yellow/green/brown camo, or left dark yellow?

 

Finding it difficult to find any good photos either way.

 

Many thanks in advance...

[spruecutter96]

Simply using my (fairly hazy) memory, I think KT crew's tended to leave the road-wheels whatever colour they left the factory in. Having said that, I have seen colour profiles of KT's where the road-wheels were painted by the crews with the camo colours. Considering how much mud, dust and other weathering the wheels would go through, painting them in multi-colours seems like a rather wasted effort, to be frank. 

 

You also have to factor in how late in the war you're talking. As I understand it, in the last months of the war, paint-supplies were at such low levels in Germany, that some tanks rolled into combat simply painted in red primer. 

 

I'm probably not helping much here, am I? Apologies for that. 

 

Chris. 

[Retired Bob]

2 hours ago, phlarris said:

Finding it difficult to find any good photos either way.

 

Checked out my KT books, most photos that show the wheels clearly, do not show a camouflage pattern, so there might be one covered in mud and dust, or they might not have bothered.  The well known photos of the s.Pz.Abt. 503  KT with zimmerit  (France July 1944) being sprayed with paint from a paint gun show him spraying paint on the wheels over the mud and dust, he also sprays over the shovel and tow ropes. (Not many likes on his WiP)   Apart from that example the only other camouflaged KT wheels are on preserved examples and profiles.  So your tank, your decision.

[Bozothenutter]

Depends.....

Ambush field or factory applied?

Factory no

Field....anyones guess....

As said the well known 503 pics showing field applied and wheels being done aswell.

[Retired Bob]

Checked some more books today, on KT's most photos show a pale washed out finish to the wheels, probably mud and dust, whether there is a camouflage finish underneath who knows?  A colour photo of a KT captured during the Battle of the Bulge (turret number 332) and taken to the USA, supposedly in original paint finish, it shows the wheels painted in solid olive or rotbraun colours.  Another book on the Sturmtiger shows the wheels camouflaged in the same  3 colour camouflage as the rest of the vehicle, unfortunately no unit or location details are included, but it shows its German crew members loading ammo onboard so it is not a preserved machine.

[phlarris]

On 4/5/2019 at 6:46 PM, Bozothenutter said:

Depends.....

Ambush field or factory applied?

Factory no

Field....anyones guess....

As said the well known 503 pics showing field applied and wheels being done aswell.

Aha. Field or factory applied? Mine is 'living room' applied 🙂

Looks like I'll be leaving them plain for the time being.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Mig Eater]

On 4/4/2019 at 10:21 PM, spruecutter96 said:

some tanks rolled into combat simply painted in red primer.

This is an unsubstantiated myth created by what-if model makers over the last few decades. In reality German tank parts were made & then painted in different factories before being sent to a single factory for final assembly. As such the original red primer would have been painted over long before a tank was assembled let alone gone into combat. There is an exception to this rule, some unfinished prototypes were still in red primer when discovered at the end of the war, these were unfinished hand built prototypes through that were never used in combat.

In relation to to the original question, this also means that a factory fresh tank would have had the wheels painted in just base colour, as they would have been painted separately from the hull before hand.    

Edited April 8, 2019 by Mig Eater

[Bozothenutter]

12 hours ago, phlarris said:

Aha. Field or factory applied? Mine is 'living room' applied 🙂

Looks like I'll be leaving them plain for the time being.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

yup, afaik the 'Tarnanstrich'  (three colour camo with dots) was applied t the factory

[Bozothenutter]

8 hours ago, Mig Eater said:

This is an unsubstantiated myth created by what-if model makers over the last few decades. In reality German tank parts were made & then painted in different factories before being sent to a single factory for final assembly. As such the original red primer would have been painted over long before a tank was assembled let alone gone into combat. There is an exception to this rule, some unfinished prototypes were still in red primer when discovered at the end of the war, these were unfinished hand built prototypes through that were never used in combat.

In relation to to the original question, this also means that a factory fresh tank would have had the wheels painted in just base colour, as they would have been painted separately from the hull before hand.    

almost, but not quite...

Main parts (Hull etc,) would be parkerized (standard with steel) as this can be welded, after welding everything would be covered in 'menninge' red oxide primer.

smaller parts would be covered is mennige AT THE SUBCONTRACTOR.

This means that smaller parts can be different shades of primer (just as you can get red oxide primer in variying shades now, still the same stuff regardless of colour)

dependent on the timeframe the exterior was covered either fully or partially in a base colour (if partially the other two would cover the rest).

Don't get me started on the interpretation of THAT order.....

Same for the interior, dependent on timeframe,  blueishgrey, ivory, or unpainted primer (or a combination of two)