"15th Panzer Division Turret Stowage Bin Platoon Bands" Topic

Hello,

I've been reading Claude Gillono's Battleline 1 Workhorse Panzer III in North Africa and I stumbled upon 15th PD Panzers with a small band around the bottom of the turret stowage bins, there is an image on pg 17 and pg 12 has a photo and describes white/red/yellow/lightblue for Platoons 1-4 and a red/white band for Company Command. Has anyone come across this in other sources or photos?

Thanks

FWIW this is news to me. Not all pz 2 had turret bins. Seems odd they'd adopt a marking couldn't be used on all tanks.

Maybe the copier couldn't get the ink down that far below the box undercut, so the blank page is showing through…

That does seem like a weird place for a marking.

This book is the only place I've seen some of these images, here is the photo I mentioned above:

I'd guess it's some kind of "follow me" or "don't shoot me" marking for people behind the tank line…?

Just a guess.

It could just be an unobtrusive unit identifier.

Would they just put it at the bottom of the rear turret face on earlier tanks without boxes?

I've not come across the band this g before, but it does seem to be a sensible explanation of why so many DAK vehicles apparently had just single numbers on the turret. I shall go and add a few bands to my panzers..

Ive also seen a photo of a 9th SS Div Panther with just a single 9 on the turret, but I suspect that was because they didn't have many left in August 1944 and just numbered them sequentially, like Panzer Lehrs Tiger II company.