1942 panzer colour

[Red Sveta]

Here is this famous photo of German troops in Stalingrad and in the background is what looks like a stug in dunkel gelb. I think the photo must be pre October 42 because the troops don't have winter issue. So does this mean we can use our dunkel gelb models for games set 1942 onwards and be accurate?

[Truscott Trotter]

As it looks like a colourised photo I would not rely on it for accuracy in colour choice.

[bluewillow]

First issue of dunkelgelb RAL 7028 February 1943 and ausgabe 7028 August 1944
 
Panzer Colors : Camouflage of the German Panzer Forces 1939-45 Bruce Culver, Bill Murphy 1976


Cheers
Matt

[Westfalia Chris]

As it looks like a colourised photo I would not rely on it for accuracy in colour choice.

That, for starters. Given that the production run for F.8 StuGs commenced in early 1942 and thus overlapped with the transitional period for paint schemes which led to the factory switchover to Dunkelgelb in early 1943, it might be the case that this vehicle could be Gelbbraun (considered and used for some batches of vehicles earmarked for Africa), but for the eastern front, I would consider it dubious at the very least.

The image doesn't really match the usual tone of actual colour photos from that period, which usually have a more pronounced reddish or blueish tinge, depending on the film used, so I agree it might actually be colourised.

There are a number of colour photos showing vehicles in September 1942, which are recognisably grey, but very pale, and dust and debris might add to this.

Personally, I wouldn't use Dunkelgelb for anything pre-Charkov, and for pre-Kursk, very sparingly. My StuGs for Fall Blau and Stalingrad are all grey, and honestly, I think it also fits better to the grisly urban combat environment.

[Etranger]

The photo is colourised so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the tone. 'Panzer gray' covered with dust often looks pale in Black and White photographs.

There were apparently some vehicles in the 'Afrika' scheme diverted to the Eastern Front in late 1942 but convincing photographic evidence is lacking.

[FinnN]

Surprisingly it looks like it isn’t colourised:

https://www.akg-images.fr/CS.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQ54B4WHZ5#/SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQ54B4WHZ5&POPUPPN=15&POPUPIID=2UMDHUW6J6J6

[Etranger]

Surprisingly it looks like it isn’t colourised:

https://www.akg-images.fr/CS.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQ54B4WHZ5#/SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQ54B4WHZ5&POPUPPN=15&POPUPIID=2UMDHUW6J6J6

Good find. Interesting, as it isn't showing up in Google Images, not that it is definitive. Others from the photographer here. https://www.akg-images.fr/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2UMEBMK21HSI including this:



The Daily Mail presented a very similar series 'colourised' by Royston Leonard https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5345203/Stalingrad-brought-life-colour-75-years-later.html

There's some digital manipulation going on. This version has more vibrant colours, but cuts the L edge off.
The original from the OP is copied below. so which is genuine & which one  modified?

[JamesValentine]

Depends how overly serious you take your games with toy soldiers

[Red Sveta]

I have been pondering this photo for a long time now. Is it colourised or not . I can see that it stands out like a sore thumb in the urban terrain and I know some armour was diverted to Russia from Africa. From the other post by FinnN it seems it may be in yellow.
 I am interested in the period 1941-43 for my eastern front collection and use only grey vehicles but have found this photo very interesting for a long time and wondered what others thought about it.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Interesting finds.

The only thing I can think of to say is that the building behind the Stug appears to be the same colour as the Stug.

The difference in uniform colours is noticeable, even if we cannot know the actual colour. Something I will bear in mind.

[V]

The picture is not colourised, its Agfa transparency if I remember correctly and one of a series.

StuG abt. 244 and 245 were both destroyed at Stalingrad.

That StuG is in desert yellow. For a short period in 1942 in the run up to Operation Blau, Panzer IVF and StuG F received tropical camouflage at the factories so they could be sent to Africa or Southern Russia which was deemed in that region to be suitable for the 'tropical' camouflage. There are also Panzer IIis in the region that seem to be in similar yellow colouration at the time in Operation Blau though not confirmed by colour slide film. There are also images of crew camouflaged vehicles, using lighter colours over base grey, during the operation. 

This is different from redirected DAK vehicles seen on the Ost Front in desert colours earlier in the war when redirected to the east.

The StuGs were some that were issued in plain yellow from the factory and a couple may have had the green over spray as per tropical regulations at the time. Panzer Abteilung 60 had several vehicles in yellow at the time including Panzer III and IV and at least one Panzer II.

After Blau, in late 42 all production reverted to Panzer Grey for units in other areas of the Ost Front as seen on early Tigers in the Leningrad Front.

[Red Sveta]

Thank you V for that information I think it will send some rivet counters into a swoon . I plan on building a collection just for Stalingrad so it will give me something to think about.

[Etranger]

Yes, I've changed my mind having seen the others from the series. However, as I demonstrated, there's been some (presumably) digital changes made in some versions of the images, in saturation, highlighting and shading.

[V]

Yes, I've changed my mind having seen the others from the series. However, as I demonstrated, there's been some (presumably) digital changes made in some versions of the images, in saturation, highlighting and shading.

Very much so and it makes the recognition between colourised and original transparency film all the harder as they get better at colourisations.

There are some good restorers working on WW2 colour slide film and several show their work on Facebook.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

The picture is not colourised, its Agfa transparency if I remember correctly and one of a series.

All chemical films are however colour balanced, that is why the person in charge of the colour balance gets their name in the credits.

Possibly apocryphal story: when the first colour films of photographs taken at Peyto Lake in Canada were sent off for processing, they were returned with an apology that there was evidently an issue with the film, as they could not get a colour positive image with believable colours. This was due to the distinct and unnatural looking  turquoise colour of the water.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyto_Lake
And yes, it is that colour.