csal

I was doing some reading (mostly looking at pictures) and noticed that the only Jagdpanther pictures with zimmerit where the earlier versions with the mantlet cover which had been welded on. The only picture I have seen with a bolted on version having zimmerit was with the Picture insert from Tamiya of a museum Jagdpanther. It was mentioned in Heavy Jagdpanther that the bolted on cover started production in Sept 1944 which is when they stopped using zimmerit. I have been looking in "The Combat History of schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 654", "Heavy Jagdpanzer", and "Panzer Tracts No.9-3 Jagdpanther" and have not seen any pictures with the bolt on cover Jagdpanthers having zimmerit. If anyone has pictures of a Jagdpanther with the bolt on cover and zimmerit would be appreciated. I am about to start building one with zimmerit and really don't want to modify the cover to make it an earlier model.

Thanks,

Carl

csal

Here is a painting of the later model with the bolt on cover

Jeff489

My Feedback: (12)

You're right about the zim, early model JP's had zim. Later ones did not as zim fell out of use due to the realization that it didn't work. I couldn't find any pics of a bolted version having zimmerit.

A few other things to consider are if you're going to do an early Jp, you might want to research the barrel construction and driver vision ports. I think early Jp's (zim models) had a one piece barrel, non-flash supressor exhausts (multi-pipe), and a different driver vision port than the late models. Late models had a two piece barrel (shared with the KT) for ease of barrel maintenance and flash supressor exhausts (to keep enemy AT crews from targeting their glowing exhaust pipe tips during night combat).

I could be wrong, so you might want to check this out for yourself.

Jeff489

My Feedback: (12)

Here's some pics of bolt on's and one of a weld on.

tac23

Cant say Ive seen any pictures of the bolt-on with zimmerit, but there may well have been some - the production date coincides more or less with the cessation of factory application of zimm, but the first few serial numbers of the later model could still have received it, and it was several weeks later before the general (late october/early november I believe) before the order went out to stop applying zimm in the field

Leo2A6 Owner

I believe the cut away JP in the imperial war museum London has Zimmerit and a bolt on mantlet. Its an early body. Any without the crew heater but with the bolt on mantlet are considered the "mid" production. Basically if you put the crew heater on dont put zimmerit on is the easiest way to remember it. I have the crew heater and zimmerit on mine but i wanted to do it this way plus who says a mid prod with zim didnt get a crew heater installed by bugging the maintenance crew at a later time.

csal

I was thinking about it and a mid production may have been changed to have a bolt on mantlet cover if it was damaged and repaired. I have seen this frequently on army vehicles currently. Use what you got approach. So I probably will go with that idea.