Anyone have ideas for the waffenfarbe for figures in a Panzer werkstatt company? Are they the support or admin color or the color of their parent Panzer Division. AFV club has a tow truck, Tamiya has the Famo with recovery trailer, the bergpanzers by several companies, the Miniart welders and the Werstatt Truck, all have figures and how do we paint them?
DAKjunkie
A Panzer Werkstatt Kompanie was part of the Panzer Regiment, so all personnel wore Rose Pink Waffenfarbe as per the tank crews (except, of course, for 24th Panzer, which wore yellow as a memorial to the fact they were converted from cavalry). They would not have worn the Black Panzer uniform, but standard field grey or overalls or WHY. Crews of ARVs such as Bergepanther could wear Panzer Uniform , but for obvious reasons were more likely to wear coveralls or denims.
However some of the kit mentioned, specifically the cranes as per the AFV Club Bussing NAG were also issued to the Instandsetzung Abteilung where you would also find welders and mechanics. However, I have been unable to find the Waffenfarbe for these troops listed specifically, not in the Bender/Davis Waffen SS series, B.L.Davis’s “German Army Uniforms and Insignia 1933-1945”, Andrew Mollo’s “German Uniforms of World War 2”, nor in his series on the SS; so I am at a bit of a loss as to what colour they wore. I suspect it was a light pink (slightly lighter than Rose Pink Panzer colour), as this was worn by Motor Technical troops and schools (Kraftfahrtruppen). The Light Blue people are so fond of was worn by Versorgungstruppen (transport and supply rather than technical and mechanics), although, of course, if a Versorgungsabteilung had a Werkstatt kompanie, they would have worn blue!
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Wow and thanks. I had not been able to find any specific mentions in my references, but I had guessed that the Waffenfarbe of the parent unit made the most sense. I have also assumed that they would not have made specific tropical overalls for use in North Africa, so kept them the continental color with a tropical field cap. I sincerely appreciate your thorough and researched reply and its rapidity. Once I get the SdAh 116 into it’s african livery and weathered, I hope to supply some pictures.
DAKjunkie
Maybe a read thru this may answer some questions:
Hope it helps,
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If Werkstatt is the same as Kraftfahrparktruppe (motor maintenance troops), their Waffenfarbe was pink - slightly darker than Panzertruppen, but definitely NOT red. Shoulder straps also had a “J” on them.
Does the “J” have a meaning in German? And would they have had a tropical version of such shoulder straps. It seems like many details of continental uniforms did not get translated into the uniforms for Africa.
DAKjunkie
The “J” is an older German rendering of “I” for “Instandsetzung” or maintenance. You often see it on vehicles too. Werkstatt units usually have an arm of service symbol (e.g. the rhomboid tank shape for panzer) and the letter “W” next to it.
Yes I looked at that too, hoping for clarity. You’ll notice that it lists “previously Kraftfahrtruppen” alongside the Panzer pink colour. Further down it shows Kraftfahrtruppen alongside pale blue. Take your pick!
Most likely a Gothic J, or I. In Gothic font they can look very similar.