I'd have thought that painting tracks would be pointless as the paint touching the ground, the bottom, would be worn off. Also the amount of track showing to the side would be minimal However I don't really know. Did they paint the tracks? FNG
The tracks weren't painted, but had a natural matte finish. The tread areas were usually quite shining:
Now, tracks fitted were not painted - how about the spare track links that were carried on the tanks? I often see models of German tanks with these spare links painted in camoflage to match the tank. Was this done?
The tracks were usually only shiny on worn-off parts, like the rims on the Panther and almost any track part having direct contact with the road. I always painted spare track links in gun metal when fitting on models. Don't know what's correct though.
If only the parts that had been in contact with the ground were shiny because the matt cover had worn off, then the spare track links strapped onto a tank would not be shiny because they hadn't been used.
Well, since they were so often used as additional armour, it's an advantage if they don't shine brightly.
I was going to say that as the tanks were presumably painted in the field by the crews they would paint any additonal armour the tank had at that time to maintain the camaflague. However tanks from the factory would just have the stuff hung on as is. FNG
I've seen both tracks and tires, as well as equipment of all kinds mounted on the tank, overpainted in the camouflage colour on both modern and WWII tanks. The paint would wear off sooner on those parts though. Back in WWII, as now, I doubt that many would bother to remove the tires from the wheels when the tanks needed to be repainted.
Most camo-jobs were done in the field by individual crews and units... using what they had. I understand that some Panzers had an air-compressor/airgun that could be used to spray a vehicle. (Of course they needed paint as well...) American crews--in winter for instance--used whitewash and brushes, or whatever... to attempt to break-up their outline and blend into the winter snowscape. Past that, it seemed like Olive Drab 'ruled' on American tanks. The Pacific-campaigns saw some US Shermans wearing camo-colors, but this tended to be the exception rather than the rule. (I've seen pictures of Alligators and Amtracks showing camo-patterns in the Iwo Jima and Okinawa battles.) In the battle of BEST CAMOFLAUGE, my nod goes to the Germans for their skilled use of colors and contrast. The late-war 'ambush-pattern' was very distinctive. (Two-thumbs-up.) Tim
Not true - the maintenance sections were in charge of the camouflage paint from 1943-02-18 to 1944-08-19, prior to and after which the paint was applied at the factories - and it wasn't applied by the crews under regulations at any time. Christian
Chris: Are you speaking of allied... or german maint. and factory-jobs? Frankly, the very notion of survival dictates that some 'amateur' paint-jobs were composed in the field. I dare say if I were a T/C I'd be looking for any advantage possible. Pretty difficult to state unequivically that it just weren't so. Tim
but would you draw all over your tank making it stand out from your troop? How to make your troop commander love you :bang: FNG
I'm speaking about the German tanks. Since they were painted to begin with, and the maintenance units would probably not be issued with very large quantities of paint after 1944-08, I don't see how or why the crews should re-paint the tanks. Christian
