German Tanks
The German World War II army had many famous tanks that have gone down in history. Most of my models are for mid to late war but I have a few early war models to play against my French.
Pz Kpfw 38(t)
When German annexed Czechoslovakia, they orderd the completion of 150 LT Vz 38 tanks. This eventually led to the production of over 1000 tanks renamed Pz Kpfw 38(t). The Germans used the tank during the invasion of Poland and France. It proved to be a superior light tank to existing German ones.
As the war waged on, the reliable Pz Kpfw 38(t) chassis were used in conversions to a variety of self propelled guns.
These kits are 1:76 scale models from Fujimi and are finely detailed. The surface details meant that the model is put together by quite a number of seperate pieces.
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. C
I converted these Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. C from the Airfix Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. F model. You can see the conversion article here.
They are painted in dark brown and dark grey. This is opposed to the established view that early war tanks were in dark grey. Apparently, the completely dark grey colour scheme was ordered after the France campaign.
This paint scheme would not show up in black and white wartime photography, although some contemporary coloured photographs do show hints of it. I changed this photograph to greyscale in Photoshop, and the difference between the dark brown and dark grey disappears.
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. H and J
The Pz Kpfw IV has gone through the greatest transformation, starting as a poorly armoured support tank that had little armour piercing capabilities, it became the main battle tank in the middle of the war. It remained competitive against the main battle tanks of the Allies till the end of the war.
The Ausf. H and J have 80mm front armour and a 75mm KwK 40 L/48 gun. The Ausf. J lost its motor-driven turret mechanisms to make way for an additional fuel tank. This is an irony, because Germany was running out of fuel at this point in the war.
These Revell kits are perhaps the best 1:72 scale Pz Kpfw IV models around. The amount of detail is astonishing. The downside is that the machineguns are very fine and prone to breaking. The Ausf. H kit comes with Schutzen, but the Ausf. J kit mysteriously comes with the brackets but not plates.
Pz Kpfw V Panther
The Panther tank is probably the best tank in the German arsenal in this period. Its 75mm KwK42 L/70 had great armour piercing capabilities. It was fast and its sloped armour made it very survivable. However, it suffered from frequent break-downs and had no H.E. rounds.
This is an earlier Revell model and is listed with a lower Skill level. The machinegun is very thick and course and there are less detail and pieces for the kit. There are two kits, Ausf. D or A, and Ausf. G kits. They come with a variety of exhaust pipes, different mantlets, hull and engine deck details.
Pz Kpfw VI Tiger
Perhaps the most famous World War II German tank, if not the most famous tank in history. It had thick armour and a big gun. It totally outgunned all enemy tanks during the middle of the war. Its slow speed did not prevent it from becoming a legendary tank.
Another lower skill level Revell kit, although the machinegun on the Tiger kits is much finer than those on the Panthers. Sold in two different versions, Ausf. E and Ausf. H. The early kit comes with the early cupola and the Feifel air-cleaner system.
Pz Kpfw VI Ausf. B Tiger II
The Germans needed a tank that could mount the 88mm KwK43 L/71 gun and created this behemoth. It probably shares more features with the Panther than with the Tiger. Including the mechanical faults. While it was feared by Allied troops on both fronts, many were abandoned after breakdowns or when they ran out of fuel.
This model is a re-released ESCI kit by Italeri. The turret in the ESCI kit is too narrow but it is otherwise a servicable kit. It was my first attempt to paint the "Ambush" pattern camouflage.
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