Hi, Thinking about experimenting with some whitewash on Academy's 1/25 Panther Ausf. G and was wondering just how much whitewash was used by the German forces during the last winter of the war?

I've read someplace or other that due to a lack of supplies or not being able to get these supplies, the Germans didn't use, or very rarely used, any whitewash at all, on any of their vehicles on any of the fighting fronts during 1944/45.

Just curious here what anybody else happens to know on this subject, one way or the other.

Thanks and take care. Sgirty

From what I have read the Germans on the Eastern Front would take whatever paint they could find, steal, scrounge, or borrow from Russian farmers, factories, captured units, etc. The same went for the painting implements. Probably not too much was applied with a spraygun, but mostly with paintbrushes or even mops and rags.

Sidenote: with minimal drying time during war, and being white 'washes', the color would begin to run off upon the first contact with water so chassis and running gear would have the base colors showing through.

Because the paint was rare, it was probably quite thin. It would wear easily, and you'd have lots of paint chips on the access routes to the turret by the crew. I don't think much whitewashing was done during the bulge and the winter of 44/45 on the western front. I suppose this was mainly due to the unquestionable superiority of the German armor (most nameably the Tiger series and Panthers)

I have some pics of Tiger II's on the eastern front in '44-'45 that have a very thorough white wash on them. I also have one of a late Panther G with a splinter whitewash camo scheme, but I'm not sure of the unit or the place. So yes it did happen, and if they had time to do the splinter scheme on a Panther I wouldn't be surprised if some were done in an overall whitewash.

Mike

Two pictures came to mind when I read your post. I believe that they were in the Panzer Colors books. Due to what I am guessing was a shortage of whitewash there was one German tank covered with white bed sheets to help hide it. The other picture I saw was where the crew had used white chalk and scribbled lines all over their tank. I don't recall at what point of the war these pictures were taken.

I know this doesn't answer your question about whitewash but I thought it might show that not everyone had whitewash available.

Take care, Harv.

Hi, Kelley. Thanks for that information on the pictures of the Tiger IIs and Panther Ausf. G with a white wash pattern on them. Most probably of either an SS or elite Army unit(s) as if there was any whitewash available, it would go to those units first.

I was pretty sure that whitewash would have been used, if it would be found in any stocks to be had. Even if it would only be on the front of the machines. And there was always the old stand by of local mud to use on them as well. I was just curious if there was any photo documentation available showing such, as the Germans didn't take a whole lot of photos towards the end of hostilites, at least not in the volumn as they did in the earlier years, or not that many have come to light of this period.

Harv, Yes, I know the pictures you're referring to in Panzer Colors. My three volumns of these books have been looked through so much that they have literally fell apart. These were supposed to be early war photos, but what worked at first would also work at the end. Chalk and bed sheets would be a good old stand-by in desperate times, and the winter of 1944/45 were indeed desperate times.

Think I will try to add some 'wash' to the front of the vehicle and taper it out towards the back as if they just didn't have enough to do the whole vehicle. And try to make it very worn, as coltm4 suggested.

I've got to tell you all, working with these larger scales can spoil a modeler. Kind of nice to build things that doesn't tend to cross you eyes every now and then. Ha, ha!

Can't wait for Trumpeter's 1/16 T-34s.

Thanks and take care, Sgirty

Some sources will state that the winter of '44-'45 was milder that previous winters will less snow (probably because the Eastern Front was now in a roughly north-south line with eastern Poland where winters are, in fact, milder than Russia). Less snow meant that whitewashing, even if time permitted, was not always necccessary. Lots of East Front pics show vehicles in 2- or 3-colour camouflage. Likewise, most of the vehicles during the Ardennes Offensive were also not whitewashed.