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Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:35 am
by Silverstalker
Can anyone tell me what that "etching" is on the tiger armour? A series of of fine lines or groves running the length of the tank, some have some don't?
I haven't got a photo am on mobile
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:52 am
by mike1268
Its a paste that was applied to german tanks to help stop magnetic mines sticking to them. Irony is, we didnt use magnetic mines against them ... lol
Its called Zimmerit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerit
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:40 am
by billpe
I think it was aimed more at stopping the Soviets.
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:05 am
by mike1268
billpe wrote:I think it was aimed more at stopping the Soviets.
Acording to the Tiger Haynes manual, non of the allied nations used magnetic anti tank mines
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:12 am
by Silverstalker
Ah I see.......well better safe than sorry

Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:17 am
by billpe
Yes, the only nation to use magnetic mines with the Germans themselves. At the stage when zimmerit was developed and started to be used was when the bulk of the ground fighting was with the Soviet Union. There was a myth of Soviet soldiers using them which perpetuated enough that zimmerit was invented and used. However there was never any official Soviet magnetic mine. The dogs with bombs strapped too them was true though.
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:26 am
by mike1268
Does make for a nice looking tank. If you havent read the tiger haynes manual, its well worth a read. Got some nice photos of a chap re-creating the zimmerit process. Also tells of some tanks that got shot setting fire on the outside of the tank. This again was caused by the zimmerit not being 100% cured. They have to burn it on to set it and the pictures show the zimmerit on fire.
I've heard about the dogs being used. They were quite effective at taking out tanks, but were not selective to which tanks they went to.
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:17 pm
by billpe
mike1268 wrote:
I've heard about the dogs being used. They were quite effective at taking out tanks, but were not selective to which tanks they went to.
I think they were initially effective but Hans Von Luck stated that after the first few exploded, men just shot dogs if they saw them.
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:55 pm
by Silverstalker
Pigeons with bombs on them.....throw bread crumbs at the tank.....sorted haha....just thinking way outside the box here
Re: Tiger etching
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:14 pm
by AlwynTurner
There was a demmo of the socks/c4 approach on saving private ryan but that was the movies. Alwyn