"21st Pz Div. Uniforms Normandy?" Topic

Hi Gents,

Mt Googlefu has failed me. I've been painting up vehicles for the 21st Pz Div. in Normandy, I'll be moving on to infantry soon. I've seen a few pictures of troops, mostly it seems in standard grey uniforms, except for the famous photo of Hans Von Luck with two officers in dark camo.

Can anyone tell me what the Panzer grenadiers wore? Standard grey, smocks, pattern tunics and trousers and if so which pattern?

Thanks in advance.
Thomas

Field grey, according to the book "The Germans in Normandy" byRichard Hargreaves.
Hargreaves added that the division was sent "a large stock" of summer splinter pattern smocks on may 17th.

Pictures generally depict smocks (splinter) over fieldgrey.

Jackboots seem the norm though (perhaps old stock found in France?)

I used Peguses "SS" figures (in 20mm). As they have smocks and jackboots.

TomT

Thanks Gents!

More Googlefu and I found this…

PDF link

Many photos of '21 Panzer Division' in Normandy actually show soldiers of 16. Feld-Division (L), which operated in close proximity and occasionally alongside elements of 21. PD.

That said, 21. PD was seemingly issued (or acquired) quite a lot of the long, open-fronted Luftaffe camo smocks.

They also got their hands on a large number of 'Water' Pattern, hooded oversmocks (lace-up at the collar – like SS smocks in cut, though with hoods). This seems to have been a very common garment for the panzer-grenadiers of the division.

'Splinter' helmet covers were clearly very common, as were camo-painted helmets (yellow/green/brown, as for vehicles) and/or chicken-wire mesh.

Officers frequently had uniform tunics privately tailored from Splinter 'zeltbahn' material. Luck and a number of his subordinate officers were photographed wearing these.

The men of 21. PD were also very commonly photographed wearing their 'zeltbahn' as a camo poncho.

The panzer troops seem to have usually worn the usual two-piece black uniforms, while other AFV crews and artillery crews wore the same uniforms in grey. One-piece grey coveralls also seem to have been common for the artillery.

Jemima Fawr,
Interesting stuff, making me think now……….always a bad thing for a designer ……..
L

Sorry! ;)

There are also these funky camo waistocats, worn over grey two-piece panzer uniforms and presumably made from zeltbahn fabric:

Same unit (StuG-Abteilung 200) on the same day. Note the mixture of uniforms and the different methods of camouflaging the helmet:

Officer from Panzer-Regiment 22 wearing a converted Luftwaffe camouflage jacket:

A colourised photo of two men from 21 PD wearing zeltbahnen:

Another officer, with Von Luck (who is looking through binoculars), wearing a Luftwaffe camouflage jacket. Note the type of rank badges worn on the left sleeves of camouflage garments (bright green on black):

link

Von Luck with an aide (on the right) and one of his company commanders (Lt Bandomir). Again, note the camouflage jackets, which appear to be shortened versions of a Luftwaffe camo jacket. Also note that Von Luck is wearing the two-piece grey panzer uniform, even though he was a panzer-grenadier regimental commander:

Some panzer-grenadiers of 21 PD wearing the hooded pullover smock worn by many in the division. This is the only photo I've found on line thus far, though I have many more similar photos in books here:

Jemima Fawr,
Ok now stop that at once! lol
I've got a zillion Lehr figures to make before I get distracted by something else.
L

One wonders about the transfer of kit between the Luftwaffe field division and the 21st Pz Div. Was it done for boxes of cigarettes in the bar, or something more formal involving quartermaster staff … ?

I'll have a look. I seem to remember that it was a formal handover of kit from a central depot, rather than an informal exchange of kit with their neighbours at 16. FD(L), though the memory is rather fuzzy.

Whilst doing that R Mark could you also expand on your two-piece grey panzer uniform comment? Do you mean the field grey assault artillery uniform?

Thanks.

Yes, the grey version of the two-piece AFV crew uniform supplied to AFV crew (and some panzer-grenadier, recce and panzerjaeger units).

Thanks for all your input!!
When you talk about the water pattern smock with hoods, is this it?
auction

Yes, that's the fella! The edges of the camo are 'watery', as opposed to the sharp-edged angles of the more usual 'splinter' pattern.

Essentially your saying a mix of Luftwaffe, Water, zeltbehnen and possibly SS smocks?
All mixed up or within companies or battalions? Any idea?
Thanks again!

No SS smocks that I'm aware of. The only non-SS unit I've ever found that wore SS smocks were some engineer and flak elements of the Herman Goering Division in the Med.

Yes, a total mixture, though the water pattern over-smocks seem to have been prevalent in the two panzer-grenadier regiments, if the photos are anything to go by.

Also interesting that the only people photographed wearing the (shortened) Luftwaffe smocks are officers

Oh, there are also those camo waistcoats made from zeltbahn material. :)

Thanks again.
Painting the water smock will be a lost easier than the splinter pattern or zeltbahnen.