Hi All,

Find the current issue of After The Battle (#122?).

It has a story about battling Tigers in Italy, and some interesting zimmerit photos.

There are two variations to the pattern. The hull has what I will call 'neat and fine' pattern: uniform row strokes that begin and end clean. The furoughs are maybe a half and inch wide.

The turret has 'rough and thick' : looks like it was slopped on with no tool, maybe spread with sticks and fingers; the furoughs overlap and interlock, perhaps up to 2" wide.

Just an observation and source material that will allow you to mix-n-match. I am going to do one just to drive some of the self-declared model-gods at some shows crazy!

I have a PZ IV book that shows a PZ IV with that same meesy look. Field applied.

i know this sounds dumb.
but why would Tigers and other germen armor in Italy, have zimmerit on them.
did u take these tanks from the easten fron and put them in italy.
because i though onlyamrom on the easten front had zimmerit on them.
so plz explain thnaks

Tazz, all German armour had zimmerit applied to it, either in the field, or at the factory regardless of where it was deployed.The reason for this was quite simple. With the fluctuations in the demands of the Eastern front compared to the Western Front, it was never exactly clear as to where the Panzer Divisions where going to be employed. Also as of mid '43 Germany was on the defensve and as such their tanks needed protection from Infantry hunter/killer teams no matter what theatre they were deployed in.

Regards from the Swamp

Hawkeye

For the most part, Hawkeye is right.. Although saying "all armor" is stretching it a bit.. After the order to apply zimmerit was given, many units out in the field applied zimmerit by hand.Thus you'll see very sloppy or un-uniform patterns... It is possible that the tank JPTRR is referring to may have had the hull zimmerit applied at the factory, but somewhere along the way, the tank was rebuilt with a different turret added, or it lost some of the zimmerit coating and the zimm was re-applied in the field. Hope this helps..

Hi Everyone,

Capt Mojo posted this the other day--THANK YOU!!!

http://www.panzerworld.net/Zimmerit.htm

Everything one might want to know about the subject.

About the article, it had several photos of the Tigers; it appears that this mix of patterns was on more than one vehicle.

I plan to buy the magazine tommorrow. Then I'll post more intel.

The two styles of zimmerit on the Tiget I is quite well know. The lower hull features a tighter raked pattern while the turret was more of an open freehand pattern. Probably applied by different teams at the factory.

Here's my zimmerit article that I wrote nine years ago that everyone now seems to have copied.