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Help with colours of Tiger IIs in Normandy?

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 8:40 am
by Plumbguy
Can someone help me? I'm thinking of making my Tiger II into a tank from Normandy (D-Day) or the weeks after that, I just need colour schemes and what numbers the tanks went up to, thanks in advance!

Re: Help with colours of Tiger IIs in Normandy?

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:45 am
by tomhugill
Some on will probably correct me but I always thought at d-day the majority of king tigers where on the eastern front and they only appeared in larger numbers around the Ardennes offensive.

Re: Help with colours of Tiger IIs in Normandy?

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:33 am
by billpe
The only King Tigers in Normandy/Northern France were 14 1st and 3rd Company "Porsche" turreted King Tigers from 503 ABT, used at the end of July '44. These would be zimmerit coated, dunkelgelb base, with olive green & red brown applied in accordance with battalion directives i.e. vertical stripes. Tactical markings has a balkenkruz in the middle of the turret and 1st company had the tactical numbers at the front of the turret side and the 3rd company at the rear. They lost all their tanks as they were not ready for combat and 503 got shipped out to Hungary where it got 45 new Tiger II's.

It's not until the winter of 1944 did more turn up in France with 506 ABT, SS 501 & 502 ABT (I think 1 more ABT for a while as well). These were "Henschel" turreted tanks which were nearly all newer models with no zimmerit and had factory applied camouflage.

There is a really good, well researched page here about factory schemes: http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/th ... -+Overview. Just be aware that there are lots of Tiger II profiles around and a good majority of them, like the Tiger ones are approximations at best, quite a few are completely wrong.

Re: Help with colours of Tiger IIs in Normandy?

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:18 am
by Plumbguy
billpe wrote:The only King Tigers in Normandy/Northern France were 14 1st and 3rd Company "Porsche" turreted King Tigers from 503 ABT, used at the end of July '44. These would be zimmerit coated, dunkelgelb base, with olive green & red brown applied in accordance with battalion directives i.e. vertical stripes. Tactical markings has a balkenkruz in the middle of the turret and 1st company had the tactical numbers at the front of the turret side and the 3rd company at the rear. They lost all their tanks as they were not ready for combat and 503 got shipped out to Hungary where it got 45 new Tiger II's.

It's not until the winter of 1944 did more turn up in France with 506 ABT, SS 501 & 502 ABT (I think 1 more ABT for a while as well). These were "Henschel" turreted tanks which were nearly all newer models with no zimmerit and had factory applied camouflage.

There is a really good, well researched page here about factory schemes: http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/th ... -+Overview. Just be aware that there are lots of Tiger II profiles around and a good majority of them, like the Tiger ones are approximations at best, quite a few are completely wrong.
Thanks for the info! I think I'm might go for the ones in July 44 as my Tiger II has the Porsche turret.