Can anyone confirm the turret numbers used on the Tiger I of the 101 SS s Pz Abt in normandy. I am building a tank of the 1st company, and while some sources suggest red with white border other say that each company had different colours and the 1st is green.
Green numbers with white outline throughout 1st company of 101. Numbers on the storage bin are same color but larger.
I have a decal sheet at home with all of the unit’s Tigers from Tiger productions I believe…I can’t confirm the green numbers right now but can confirm some odd-Tigers (other than 007 and 008) also had solid white numbers…I’ll check later when I get home…
tiger009 Well, thats straight and to the point without any if’s or but’s. I have been edgeing towards that. Given what we know about these vehicles, its so hard to pin it down. It didn’t help that the decals are in red.
Thanks. It does seem accepted that HQ Tiger’s had white numbers. And i am finding the general thought is that the companies had different colours. There are some colour profiles of these tanks with the numbers in red, but i think its generally accepted that is not correct. I even had an issue with the acctual colour scheme of the tank. panzer colours sugested it was just green on yellow. But again most seem to sugest green and brown. You wouldn’t think it would be so hard to pin down.
You’re talking about from 1 company, 101? Green with white outline is almost a sure bet.
007 009 were from stab company. They had solid white numbers.
Ciao
White w/white outline?
Looked like solid white to me. Can’t tell if it’s outlined[:-^]
I don’t have a picture of myself, how embarrasing[:D] Stole some from websites.
Ye, i am talking about 1st company. I am building tank 131, from the Tamiya kit. Thats several people have said green so thats what i am going for.
LOL, the numbers look pretty chunky, they just might be!
Page 7 of TIC Vol II, lists them as olive-green with white outline for the first company.
Thanks. Thats a another confirmation. I have heard of that book before. Who publishes it and how many volumes are there.
There are two volumes of Tigers in Combat, originally published in hardcover by JJ Fedorowicz. I believe both volumes in hardcover are now out of print, but they have been picked-up in paperback by Stackpole Books, at a fraction of their original cost. Although they are not of the same quality as the originals, they are a necessary addition to anyone who is interested in the operational histories of Germany’s various Tiger units.
I have refs that show 3rd company numbers originally in solid white, chunky numbers and then filled-in later with olive green…some of my refs also say that they were then outlined in yellow…I have pics of the solid white numbers…I am somewhat skeptical of the “bright” colors that are often cited in modern refs for numbers insignia…Just recently (see thread) a decal company claims that the red numbers often cited as being used by the German SS divisions at Kharkov were not red at all but rather the base color of the tank…
It certainly is tricky when you are going off black and white photos. Even the solid white ones ain’t that easy to be certain about. I have heard that said before about them only being painted in outline. But then surely when this is over two different cammo colours you would be able to tell. Thats the case with the Tiger i am building. The number overlaps the yellow and darker colour.
It seems odd that we don’t seem to have this problem with aircraft numbers.
Think about how the US air markings changed throughout the war.
There’s also issues with misidentification