What is the exact purpose for the various zimmerit designs/textures found on different types of German tanks? Did having texture aid in the anti-magnetic properties (if not, wouldn’t it have been easier to jut plaster it on smooth?)? And why did each type of tank seem to have one or two patterns (I’d say unique patterns, but I know one pattern could be on multiple types, but then some was only on a specific tank, i.e Vertical ridged with diagonal one-way cross-hatches on the Panther G)? You would think that either they would be uniform, or if they allowed panzer crews to put it on whatever way they wanted that there would be endless variations (say diamond shapes[:p]). Just looking at this site and became curious. http://www.panzerworld.net/zimmerit.html
Makes sense. The ridges would give a thicker area with less material than a smooth finish.
That’s exactly correct. It’s an effecient way of increasing the distance from the metal therefore making it it tougher for the magnetic mines to work with the steel of the tanks. I think they experimented with different patterns not so much to increase the materials effectiveness, but to make it easy to put on from a labor stand point. For example the waffle pattern being down with stamps, easier to make the pattern and took less time.
Apparently they never settled on the perfect design? You would think that they would have said “this way is easiest” and changed all patterns to one, though. Those mysterious Germans
Maybe they abandoned the whole zimmerit process before they arrived at agreeing on a design easy for labor?
all i will say is, silly germans-why don’t you zim the lower hull, and roadwheels too?
They actually did zim the lower hull. and a mine on the road wheels would take out the wheel, not mechanical devices.
Zimmerit in real life had to be a pain in the butt. It’s interesting that nobody else bothered with it, only the Germans.
The reason for the different patterns is possibly due to the multiple factories that produced the vehicles. Factory orders called for the zimmerit to be applied but I don’t think a pattern was ever specified on any particular vehicle. Some patterns in fact are unique to a spefici factory (the waffle pattern was only produced at Alkett for example on StuGs) and it’s more likely that each factory came up with its own way of doing it or, if they were lucky, borrowed the method of another factory instead. That’s my guess anyway…
Thanks Bill
SO who was using these magnetic mines in the first place? HOw did they place em?That could be a neat Dio idea. A tank taken out by one of those mines.