"Unusual kill markings" Topic

I would love to know the story behind this kill markings on this 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz. 4/1 (Maultier). Robert

Maybe they mean "in all the time we've been back here lobbing things over hills we've actually SEEN 4 enemy tanks"

Joke aside, they would be interesting stories to hear.

Maybe things really went to hell and he used it as a direct fire weapon. That's essentially 10 giant bazookas, right?

Hmmm, I don't know if this vehicle has direct fire sights. I suppose it is possible that they sighted through an empty tube and got really lucky, but I'd hate to be the guy that does the aiming.

Damon.

Maybe they found a few of their dud rounds embedded in abandoned tanks!

That's essentially 10 giant bazookas, right?

I don't think that they had any HEAT rounds for those. That said, a salvo of ten 15 cm rockets should at least distract tank crew for long enough for the Maultier to make a hasty retreat.

Lovin' the answers :)

Maybe they were light tanks?

The rounds could have hit the engine grill at the back of a tank and incapacitated it.

I would not want to sit in a tank on the receiving end of a salvo of 15cm rockets.

I'd guess along with Ditto – an FO saw the fire land and knock out the tank(s). For all we know, those 4 kills are for the entire battery, not just that one vehicle.

Doug

They may have been comedians.

Im going to say that the kills belong to the track commander
maybe he was wounded and was unable to get a replacement tank and was made TC of the MRL and took the kill marking with him. They could also signify 4 battles the track took part in …..Mikey

My first thought was the same as Armymen's.

Own goals? Look at those silhouettes : )

The commander of the vehicle was a tank hunter prior to his deployment on this vehicle, his personal tally hass been transfured onto the vehicle as a moral/pride thing, does that ring. Like a plausible answer? Cheers

The commander of the vehicle was a tank hunter prior to his deployment on this vehicle, his personal tally has been transferred onto the vehicle as a moral/pride thing, does that ring like a plausible answer? Cheers

The vehicle was commandeered by a misfit band of Allied renegades commanded by a cigar chomping disgraced officer while on a suicide mission behind enemy lines.

On their way out of the artillery park, Nazi tanks barred their path.

The firing mechanism had been damaged during the vehicle hi-jacking and the officer cursed wildly when he pulled the trigger and naught happened.

Fortunately the black ex-football player who had killed his previous officer for being bigoted and who would have been executed if he did not opt for the suicide mission reacted quickly.

He grabbed his officer's lit cigar and jumped out of the armored crew compartment to man the tubes.

Easily bore sighting he lit the rounds individually by the conveniently accessible wick fuse and destroyed four enemy tanks in quick succession, thus ensuring their escape.

Unfortunately he took several rounds from enemy MG's and collapsed dead as stone once the vehicle was clear of pursuing Nazi forces.

As a testament to his bravery, the formerly ad hoc unit was now allowed to remain together and fight the captured vehicle.

The four markings are the only monument to the bravery and sacrifice of that formerly disgraced soldier.

I think I nailed it.

How would you like to be the company commander explaining the loss of those tanks to the commissar?

I imagine that the battery FOO would report back on fire effectiveness, destroyed targets, etc, so their 'kills' are possibly gleaned from that.

I know of a British Lee that was destroyed in Burma by an incredibly lucky shot from a Japanese 320mm spigot mortar, so it's not entirely implausible.

I like the pic for the jacket with one dark sleeve. Who would think of painting a mini like this?

Is that straw insulating the engine from the cold?

DM

What is the coat that guy is wearing? Maybe inside out sheep's wool but why is one sleeve dark and one light?

Hello all,

So much speculation here?

1. The wills were done by this vehicle.
2. The kill was done by the 15cm NW
3. As the 15cm NW was many tubes and nit just one is the kill indicated on the vehicle and not around the barrel of the weapon analogue aircraft weapons.
4. The NB NW is used against armour as it combiend salvo cropresses the air so much that the lungs of ocupqnts of tranks explode.
5. Therefore has this vehicle killed 4 tanks (T-34) by indirect fire.

Greetings

As Russians used BM "katyusha" against German tanks from 1941 it will be logical to assume that Germans tried the same.
However, Red Army used their launchers not only as indirect fire (first appearance of BM in Roudnya served this purpose) but as direct fire units too. Some interesting pics here, unfortunately all text is in Russian:

link

I remember reading of a German column (with only 37mm armed Pz IIIs) held up by a KVII called up its engineer halftracks mounting 28cm rockets (Stuka zu Fuss??) which peppered the KV and effectively knocked it out!!!!

I think the incident was written up as a scenario in Miniature Wargames?

The concussive effect from an HE rocket inside a tank would be unpleasant…maybe enough to 'bale out' the crew and cause a kill…….

"Maybe inside out sheep's wool but why is one sleeve dark and one light?"

The infamous black sheep?

I know of a British Lee that was destroyed in Burma by an incredibly lucky shot from a Japanese 320mm spigot mortar, so it's not entirely implausible.

I happen to know someone who knocked out a tank with a flare gun, so nothing really shocks me anymore, either.

There was the Blacker Bombard, also known as the 29mm Spigot Mortar too LOL. Robert

The answer is obvious. It goes like this……cue wobbly wobbly image mixing effect taking us back to the war….

"Hans I have a brilliant idea. Get the paint and put some kill markings on the side of the half track, make them something really impossible to believe. I'm going to turn one sleeve inside out. Klaus go get the Leica. This is going to drive people nuts trying to work out what this is all about. This is going to make us famous!"

Ha!

I would think 10 15cm rockets could make a mess of a t34 company. If it landed in amongst them.