Purchase these Items

Products mentioned in this Article

--None--
 

 

Changing A Tigers Stripes: Part One Changing A Tiger's Stripes: Part One
An Alternative Paint Scheme For The Tiger in Mid-war
with Blake Coster

When the Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 reached the shores of Tunisia at the end of 1942 the fortunes of war had begun to turn in favour of the Allies. The British had driven the Afrika Korps across Libya and Egypt and with the success of Operation Torch, a combined Allied army was now threatening Tunisia.
The climate in Tunisia was far more forgiving than the arid conditions of the Libyan desert. So much so, that is forced the Afrika Korps to adjust their vehicle colour schemes. This change was brought about by the spring rains and the amount of greenery that accompanied it, particularly in the north of the country.

This contrast in conditions persuaded the Germans to switch from the light sand-brown colour used in the desert to an olive-green colour in an attempt to better blend in with the new environment. Only new vehicles were painted this way, and the olive-green paint actually used was sourced from the Italian Air Force. 
So what does this mean? Simply put, it's a chance to paint your Tiger for Mid-war in an alternate colour scheme than the standard desert colour scheme.

But what shade of green to use? This is a very good question. It wasn't until 1941 that the Italian Air Force standardised the paint colour it used to camouflage its aircraft. Up until then, paint colours were determined by the factory and would vary depending on the location where each aircraft was built.

Right: Evan's Tunisian Tiger.
Changing A Tigers Stripes: Part One
The new standardised paint colours were the distributed to the paint suppliers in the form of colour chips. The three new colours were: 
Nocciola Chiaro 4 (Light Hazel)
Federal Standard 30219
Verde Oliva Scuro 2 (Dark Olive Green)
Federal Standard 34052
Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 (Gray Light Blue)
Federal Standard 36307
Therefore, it is most likely that this dark olive green, Verde Oliva Scuro 2 was indeed the colour used by the Germans to repaint the Tigers and their escort tanks (the Panzer III). Below is a graphical representation of the Tiger finished in Verde Oliva Scuro 2.

Verde Oliva Scuro 2 (Dark Olive Green)

The closest match in the Colours Of War range to Verde Oliva Scuro 2 is Heer Green (CWP340). As you can see, Heer Green (CWP340) a touch too light.
Heer Green (CWP340)
For comparison, I included more examples of the Tiger finished in the various shades of green found in the Colours Of War range.
Firefly Green (CWP348)
GI Green (CWP347)
Afrika Green (CWP346)
Army Green (CWP342)
Tankovy Green (CWP341)
Not all Tigers and escort tanks were repainted green. And, because there is no way of being certain of the true historical colour, for argument's sake you are well within your rights to paint your Tiger in one of these other shades of green, supposing that it was whatever leftover paint the Italian Air Force happened to have on hand before the colour standardisation came into effect.

For for part two, I'll demonstrate how to paint the Tiger and a Panzer III escort tank for Tunisia (using Heer Green). 

~ Blake.


Last Updated On Sunday, May 7, 2017 by Chris at Battlefront