Hi All,

Without wanting to sound too stupid

I am looking for a book that covers DAK Tigers and the units associated with them. I have seen a book called Tiger 1 on the western front and wondered if anyone has had this book and if it gives me what I need. Also ( this is the stupid question ) what areas/countries does the western front cover ?

Basically I am going to paint my lads HL Tiger in the sand colors and need some info on where this color scheme was used etc.

Any advice at all would be appreciated,

Thanks,

Mark.

Mark,

There are two good books on the Tiger which include Afrika corps and cover colors and markings,

Tiger in Action; Squadron Signal pub. Armor 27
The tiger Tanks; Osprey Vanguard # 20
There are a number of books on the Afrika Korps, but most have only B&W photos.

Tamiya and Model Master both offer Afrika Korps Yellow paints, and don't be concerned about exact color matches. The paint was mixed by crews using whatever materials that were available, resulting in a variety of hues. Some were deliberately diluted or mixed to match the terrain. No so much in the Afrika Korps but in general, all German units.

The Western front includes all countries outside of the former Soviet block; France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Greece.
Eastern front would cover; Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia (the latter two can also come under either fronts, but generally considered Eastern).

Bill

See my posts in the war room on the subject.

Technically Tiger's did not belong to the DAK. The 501st was first to ship over with the 1 Kompanie from November '42 to January '43. Black and white photographs of Tiger 142 strongly suggest that she was painted green over grey (the color exposed between the white outline of her turret numbers). I posted the only color photographs known of Tigers in Afrika and the tanks in the photos were from the 1 Kompanie of the 501st. They were painted in RAL 8020, as were all of the DAK tanks in '42 and early '43. The 2 Kompanie began shipping over in January '43 these tanks are configured differently and were also painted in RAL8020. One of these tanks, the 712 was brought back to the USA and now sports the inaccurate turret number 112 in Germany.

The 1 Kompanie of the 504th came over in March '43 and one of these tanks is the 131 at Bovington. The 2 Kompanie Tigers were sent to Sicily. It appears that the 1 Kompanie Tigers were painted in RAL 8020 and the 2 Kompanie Sicily Tigers in RAL 7028 as they were built later, some as late as March '43 and had spare tracks on the turret sides.

Now, in March '43 the 501st Tigers were absorbed in the 10th Panzer Division's 7th Panzer Regiment in Kompanies 7 and 8. After the loss of 7 Tigers at Beja they were reorganized into a single company, the 7th and the 8 Kompanie tanks renumbered into 7xx series. Shortly after this, they came under the command of the 504th but kept their existing turret numbers until surrender in May '43.

I have Tiger's on the Western Front and it is an excellent book for reference. It covers all units that were assigned the Tiger I while they served between France in the west, east into Germany and south to Afrika.

James, you are amazing. reading your posts is an historical education in itself. Anytime I think I have read up and learned a lot about a tank (other than those I served on), I find there are many thing I have yet to learn. Maybe you should publish a comprehensive book on Tigers and their deployment. (You don't happen to have company rosters with assigned crew names do you???)

Bill

Bill and James, Thank you both so much, that was a massive help. I will look for those books mentioned Bill and also order the Tiger 1 on the Western Front.
James your history lesson confirmed exactly what I was buying the books for in the first place as to the 7xx Tigers and what company they were in at any point in time, the 504 in particular, wasn't that a Herman Goring unit or something ? If so then that's what I will base it on.

Again thank you both so much I really appreciate you taking the time to help me here.

Mark.

Ohh come on Bill, you've forgotton more then I'll ever know about tanks!

My best sources of information on the Tiger I have been the books by Jentz/Doyle/Sarson and Restayn. Also have one of those Russian books that has excellent photographs and diagrams of all the detailed changes made. I'm sure it says great things too but I don't read Rooskie!! There's also a chinese website called Legend of the Tiger that google translates.

7xx series tanks were from the 501st. The 504 tanks, there were only 8 supposedly were numbered 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142. Small red numbers and also had a unit insignia on the sides, some on the front. I think only one other 1 Kompanie tank had the foot support on the front of the tank like the 131. You'll see this in the book by Restayn. When the 501 tanks were absorbed into the 10th Panzer they put their unit insignia on the glacis plate above the drivers visor. You don't see that on tanks with the original numbers.

I really enjoy doing the research. I want to depict at least a couple of my Tigers as accurately as possible. It's my pleasure to share the information!

James, I am at home on the Easy 8 Sherman and M-26, 46, 47 and 48s and the M-41, but as a knuckle buster working on the beasts. I really enjoy working on models, and I guess that's the reason I like the 1;16 scale so much....there is so much one can do with the detailing, and I do tend to get very picky regarding authenticity and what was done on not done. Working on them, I do dig into historical info, based on what I have been been through in certain units. I haven't had too much time to dig into individual unit histories, and that's why I like reading your stuff. I pretty much know what numbers and markings to put on most tanks, but the Wehrmacht and SS, especially Tigers, had some pretty individual systems going, and reading your posts keeps me on track. Who publishes the books you mentioned? I'd like to pick up some.


Billl

Tiger I Heavy Tank by New Vanguard / Osprey - I have the older hardbound edition.



Tiger I On The Western Front by Jean Restayn published by Casemate

You can find them just about anywhere books are sold online.

I recomend the Western front book.. I have both that and the Eastern front and both are pretty much awesome.

Thanks to all of you for the input, it's really appreciated. These books can be quite expensive so it's always good to get opinions before purchasing.