Hello Gents,
Is there anyone with awesome PS skills who can make something visible from the turret number of this Panther? Photo taken in Debrecen, Hungary in 1944. The Panthers of 23th Pz.Div. were rolling through the town.
Thanks in advance,
So. I know that the 2. Abteilung of the 23. Pz.Regiment was equipped with Panthers in 1943.
This means the first digit can be 5, 6, 7, 8 and II.
The turret number of the Panthers of the 23.Pz.Reg. was on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th track on the side of the turret. This means the middle digit has a curved bottom, making it a 0 or a 3.
The third digit can be blank, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
I tried to play with the contrast in the picture. For me the middle digit is maybe a 3. The first one looks like a straight line. Maybe a 1? And I don’t see anything at the third digit…
What do you guys think and see?
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I can’t see anything that resembles a number. Is it painted on the spare tracks? I would’ve thought that they would’ve just put the spare tracks over the number and not repainted the numbers on the tracks. I do see some odd curved lighter parts on the tracks. Might that be it?
Yep, that must be the number. The 23th’s Panthers had the numbers painted on the spare tracks. Like this:
Or this:
So these red lines represent what I see on the turret as parts of the number. Not much…
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I think you may need to go with artistic licence with this one …unless you hunt for another image with the same background…that angle on your image is probably to much to see anything other than what you can already …
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I messed with it some, will try some other stuff as well, but it’s looking like a 10. The only thing the second number can represent is a 0, maybe a 6. It could also may be a 2, now that I look at it again. The first number kinda looks like a one. You should probably just take artistic license with this one.
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After messing with it some more, I can’t see any more out of the picture than is already there. You should just take artistic license and pick from the numbers that resemble it, i.e. 1,0,6,2,3
Thanks for your time trying to figure out the number.
I guess I should use artistic licence as you say but with a bit of logic. The first number on a Panther from 23th PzDiv must be R, II, 5, 6, 7 or 8. As we all see a straight line in the right it must be a II then, meaning it it the II. Battalion staff vehicle. (Unless the I. Battalion staff used Panthers while its companies used Pz IVs.) Being a staff vehicle means the second number cannot be anything else but a 0. For the third number you might be right it looks kinda like a 2.
Thus this might be the Battalion staff accompanying tank either I02 or II02.
Maybe… 
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Although I see no additional antennae which should be there for a Befehlspanzer…
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No problem! I look forward to seeing what comes of this.