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On Panthers and other vehicles (251's) did they put their number on both sides of the Turret or vehicle... I cannot seem to get a definitive answer and all photographs are one side or the other?

I understand it was on both sides. You do see a few pictures with the numbers on the back of the turret.

From everything I've seen, it was usually on both sides, and like DirtyJon said, sometimes on the back as well, although from photos I've seen I've gotten the impression that numbers on the back of the turret were less common.

Yes, on both sides. Panthers rarely had the number on the back of the turret as well. Half-tracks don't seem to have had tactical numbers as a rule, but if they did it was applied to both sides.

Tailgunner wrote:Yes, on both sides. Panthers rarely had the number on the back of the turret as well. Half-tracks don't seem to have had tactical numbers as a rule, but if they did it was applied to both sides.

Yeah, you're right, I forgot he was asking about Panthers specifically. I've mostly only seen numbers on the back of early war Panzer turrets, I can't recall seeing them on the back of Panther turrets very much.

I've also seen a few photos of half-tracks with numbers, but also many without numbers.

Hordini wrote:I've also seen a few photos of half-tracks with numbers, but also many without numbers.

Me too - almost invariably on the Ausf D, but more often than not they're largely unmarked. Tactical numbers seem to have been more common on the SdKfz 250 'Neu'.

Damn, gonna have to buy some more decals... lol

EDIT - Piers must be on Holiday, not one reply from him .

He posted in the thread about early war Panzers. Maybe he's scouring his archives for photos!

Didnt want to reply in case I get accused of being the devil incarnate again...

Tailgunner wrote:Half-tracks don't seem to have had tactical numbers as a rule, but if they did it was applied to both sides.

Well they did in some divisions, it seems to date from Kursk but the only official order I can find giving the use is from April 1944, the basic system was exactly the same as for a tank battalion but is became necessary to differentiate between the APC's of the recce bn, the armoured infantry bn and the armoured pioniers so the four figure numbers appeared. Lots of the Panzergrenadier battalions did use the three figure system, HJ in Normandy is a perfect example. As Tailgunner says the use varied by division and even within division.








With tanks, as the guys have said. It varies a bit on the time period and some local commanders at Kursk had the numbering only on the rear of turret bins of Panzer IIIs.

Tigers at Kursk would have the number repeated on the turret bin too.



Note the double rear balkankreuz was specific to a certain unit.

Cheers, I'm working through them all now and the varnish for the overcoat is drying. I've kind of cheated with the 251's as the PSC ones come with lots of gear you can put on the outside so I don't have much space (actually none) for putting on decals.

Heh - I knew you'd dig up some photos. I was seriously wondering if you'd find something that somehow showed turret numbers on both sides of the turret!

Those mangled half-tracks look sad, don't they.

One way of getting arround putting numbers on both sides is to put stowage on one side of the turret covering the number...well, more like spare track links than packs or beddings. That is how I did my Panthers.

I doubt they would place the numbering on the back of the panther as there is a hatch on the back of the turret.

Warlord Imp wrote:One way of getting arround putting numbers on both sides is to put stowage on one side of the turret covering the number...well, more like spare track links than packs or beddings. That is how I did my Panthers.

Spare track links became popular late in the war, although some Panther units painted the tactical numbers over the spare track links (this would often be quite crude, so you could hand-paint the numbers). It's going a bit OT, but stowage hides a multitude of sins - I used to put tarpaulins (tissue soaked in glue) over any mistakes. A couple of my early models ended up like washing lines!

I doubt they would place the numbering on the back of the panther as there is a hatch on the back of the turret.

Occasionally it was a smaller number beside or on the escape hatch. Manteuffel's Pzbfswg Panther Ausf A had a '0' on each side and on the rear. Sometimes they painted a full-sized number across the rear panel - 5 SS Panzer 'Wiking' did this, and again the numbers could be quite crude. I don't have Big P's amazing archive of photos on my computer (and photos scanned from books never come out very well), but here are a couple I found on the net: