I am no WWII guys. So I wonder why there are so many 200 liter barrels attached to models. Was this a common practice during wartime or only take from a few pics.
This article doesn’t mention it, but during the last year of the war in particular, with fuel supplies drastically cut, they were used often. Otto Carius’ “Tigers in the Mud” mentions it I think.
My $.02 is that it’s a current fad like chipping and excessive paint fading. Yes photos do show it occasionally, but not commonly. Obviously it’s not something you want when moving into combat or likely combat due to the greatly increased fire hazard. But for movement in rear areas when action is not likely or imminent, then it makes sense.
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http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Hauptseite_deutsch/Anhanger/1-achsige_Anhanger/Fasstransportanhanger_A_1/fasstransportanhanger_a_1.html
Also seen with rubber tires …
Hmmm. Now that people are talking about it, it doesn’t strike me as odd that something like that is on the back deck or back rack of a panzer, but I really only have clear memories of those on the back of Tigers. FWIW. I guess I think of photos of panzers on the eastern front stacked high with various kinds of stuff, and, agreeing with Stikpusher, not combat ready…
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@ HermannB
Out of my own curiosity, I did a google search by rephrasing your original question and here’s what I found… “Why are 200 liter barrels attached to WWII tanks?”
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The only pic of that I can recall is a column of Tigers racing through France to counter the D-Day landings. They were well behind the lines, and having fuel on the back deck made for quick replenishment with the minimum of support. No doubt the empties were jettisoned long before they entered combat!
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Another piece to this is that the sky’s were no longer friendly for them. Trucks were targets as well as horse drawn wagons. Supply became more hit and miss. If you had a couple barrels of fuel then you required less frequent supply by truck.
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Silly questions for anybody:
Last 2 photos, Panzer III and Stug III, did they have to open that whole big hatch for fuel?
Or are they getting coolant? One of the barrels has the white cross for water.
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My above pic must be fairly close to the front as the tank is being led by a captured Daimler Dingo.
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Good obs! On both those vehicles they are getting whatever fluid loaded into those side hatches closest to the cooling fan intake vents. Need to check a schematic view of the Stug/Panzer III engine deck area to see what is located there.
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