does anyone know what scheme and colours the above two A7V were painted in?
I have seen a few illustrations and models online where 501 Gretchen is depicted in green with the lower part near the suspension in orange/amber, whereas 528 Hagen is depicted in cream, yellow and orange colours. I attached them below.
From what I have read, Gretchen was originally single colour and later in Buntfarbenanstrich and Hagen seems really odd to me in these light colours. Are these accurate in any way?
And can anyone tell me how these two are illustrated in Hundleby's and Strasheim's "The German A7V Tank" from 1990?
I think nobody alive today can really know it. Those who knew are long dead (and their recollections in old age often were kind of cranky). So, we're down to best guessing.
501: the scheme is based on two photographs showing 501 and 506 at the Monceau-sur-Sambre workshop after the mission on 21st March, 1918. There is a dark lower fringe on 501 which well may be a reddish tone (as red shows as black in monocrome pictures). With maintenance and repair, however, 501 also received a new coat of paint which it displayed in the next mission on April 24th, 1918.
528: these strange colours may be based on the painting discussed in the thread "Painting of 504 'Schnuck' or 528 'Hagen'?" below. This painting may well depict one of the two in captivity. A vehicle covered in dirt and summer dust may well look like that. But the camouflage scheme applied ought to have been a regular BAKP 20 mix of green, red-brown and clay-yellow - only obscured by dust now. Photographs of 528 after capture clearly show light (clay-yellow) and dark (red-brown) blotches over a medium (green?) primary colour.
I've looked at the photos and painting you mentioned again and will go with what you said; 501 as depicted with a darker lower fringe and 528 in B.A.K.P. 20 style camouflage.
