Yeah, understand issues with color pics from WW2, but look anyway.
Contrast the turret color to the uniforms, turret nums, flesh tones, even the cig in the guys mouth.
Looks like a real dark gray to me... and with a satiny sheen, not the dead flat.

http://www.panzer.punkt.pl/galerie_1/galer_kolor/fotocol014.jpg

Steve- what's the origin of this Photo? The horizontal lines make it look more like a screen capture, and I'll be damned if that Tank Commander aint the spittin' image of Robert Shaw in "The Battle of the Bulge"...

[EDIT] though I must admit I don't recall any PzKpfw.IV's in that film...

Actually, I think its a panzer III, but I may be wrong, it looks similiar to the model I built a while ago, with out the stowage basket, for a very early panzer IIIl.

Have no idea as to origin of photos - just found the site in one of the many boards. Huge thread developed on whether or not they are real color, colorized B&W, or, original color but re-touched. I recall a book of "Signal" pix that resemble the blackish-gray of the panzers seen on this much-discussed web page.

Another site - with pretty much the same pix can be found here.... It's Russian and loads s l o w.

http://angriff.narod.ru/fotopage/fotocol.tit.htm

Although the link doesn't work for me, I guess you mean the photograph posted near the end of a discussion posted on Missing Links. Shows a Befehlspanzer III 'R06' and crew.

Anyway the picture is genuine 1940s colour and was taken by Helmut Ritgen of 6 Panzer Division. That picture and a selection of others are printed in one of the few old Osprey Vanguards still in print.

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=Q4530~ser=VND

here's a live link

http://www.panzer.punkt.pl/galerie_1/galer_kolor/fotocol014.jpg

Cliff

Thanks Cliff

After I posted I realised that a quick cut and paste would take me to the pic And yes, it was the one I was thinking of.

Anyway, I had a look at the site and found another photo from Helmut Ritgen. I think this one was on the cover of the Osprey book. There are one of two others which look familiar in the gallery and several which look colourised (to me anyway).

The Ritgen picture (note 6PD's XX emblem)

http://www.panzer.punkt.pl/galerie_1/galer_kolor/fcolor03.jpg