"Pz III Camouflage for 1942 Russia" Topic

I am wanting to do a Pz III for the mid to late 1943 time period for the Russian front. I am not sure if the straight Panzer Grey overall would be the correct color of if some camouflage was used by then. Anyone have any suggestions or references they can help me with?

Thanks,

Terry

The switchover to dunklegelb was early '43 so you could go with that, or I have seen pics where brown camo patches were painted over panzer grey as a sort of half-way compromise – I suspect tanks already in the field remained at least part grey for a while.

This might be helpful: link

The brown camo patches over Pz Grey was the early-war standard scheme, seen in Poland and France (though perhaps not all vehicles received it…the brown and the gray are tonally similar so hard to interpret from B&W photos). Like the later Dk Yellow schemes, tins of camo paint were supplied to the troops to apply as they saw fit, and could include brown, green or even dark yellow applied over the dark gray.

Also some vehicles originally constructed for North Africa may have found their way to S. Russia/Ukraine in '42 and were painted in Dark Yellow or one of the N. Africa colors.

Damon.

Mottled green camouflage PzIII's would have appeared by the summer of '43 when Kursk took off. The winter/spring of '43 would see PzIII's with yellow or green swatches field applied (more haphazardly) onto the panzer grey vehicles.

Early dunklgelb vehicles were not given the camoflage treatment, but by Kursk unit maintenance detachments had the green and brown paints for camo, and it was up to them how it was applied. Some used brown, some green, some didn't bother. There was no factory camo this early (pretty sure, someone always finds an exception!).

Thank you all for the help and advice. Much appreciated. However, I just realized my typo as I meant to say mid to late 1942!

Terry

Mid to late 42 is panzer grey all the way, although a small proportion of vehicles destined for southern Russia were done in tropical brown.

Fade, mud, dust on top.

Thanks Martin, That is what I was thinking.

Again sorry for my typo all.

Terry

Thanks for the additional info though.

maybe patches of local mud applied over pz gray, or bits of captured Russian green over the gray?

As Martin said, a few panzers intended for North Africa were sent to the Eastern Front as well, in dark yellow.

It is my understanding that the Germans considered south Russia as desert, so resuplies for Fall Blau were in the 1942 tropen paint scheme, which was RAL 8020 braun (a very light sand color) with 1/3rd grau RAL 7027 (a light grey) overall.
This famous 5th SS Wiking Pz III is an example of of this paint scheme:

Cujoman, that camo looks really nice, but I would need an air brush to achieve it I'm afraid and I don't have one. But it sure is appealing!!!

Terry