Hey, I was bored during English today, I thought up a good (At least I think so) dio idea. It's basically this: Some German troops are salvaging a destroyed Panther (Ausf. A), post-Kursk. And I was wondering thinking, how could I do this? I mean, would the troops be siphoning petrol out of the tank, would they also be taking the shovel, axe, etc.? Also, how would I make the hole right smack dab in the turret? And finally, what kind of vehicle would the salvaging troops be in? A Hanomag, what? AAAAHHH!!! #:-) Thanks for your time.

If I recall correctly, the only guys salvaging Panthers would have worn brown uniforms and not field gray. The Germans were thrown back during the battle and ended up leaving tons of material on the field. Unless you're speaking of one the Panther D's that broke down at the railheads, you won't find any German recovery guys over one of them.

The ones committed to combat and lost were overrun by the Soviets. Didja notice that post-Kursk photos are all by the Soviets?

BTW, during a recovery, the crews would leave all the tools on the vehicle (they'd need to be replaced later right?). Petrol would have been left unless it was a dangerous situation (a leak). Often, the tracks were removed as the heavier tanks rolled easier without them.

Hmmm. Upon re-reading your question, are you just saying any generic Panther A recovery after summer of '43 on the Eastern front? Your saying "post-Kursk" led me to think that you mean immediately after the battle.

Anyways, if you're just going for a generic Panther A recovery they'd need a Bergepanther or a few FAMO 18t tractors. The FAMOs could carry quite a few recovery personnel. It would be unlikely that a valuable vehicle such as a SdKfz 251 (hanomag) would be assigned to the Panzer maintenance battalion. If anything, the guys would be running around in a truck or something like that.

My opinions only.

If you want to have fun, you could have one or two T34 76 mod43 pulling the panther out of a bogged down position.

Ericadeane: Sorry about that. My brain was functioning properly.(Stupid English class!)Anyway, I was watching one of my documentaries last night after I posted it, I realized my mistake. Oh, and penpen, interesting idea...

Post Kursk dio idea: How about some Soviet troops standing in awe beside a destroyed Elephant? Those thing were huge and may make an interesting dio.
Another idea: Early Tiger 1 holding the line after the battle, with some beat on looking infantry, wondering where the next attack is coming from.

Just a couple of thoughts...

Shaun