Landships II

From the scarce photographic evidence it would seem that the German A7Vs (at least some of them) received some primer. Apparently, different colours were used to produce some gaudy schemes, that later do not appear on tanks in the field. Available primer colours in Germany were dark grey (anthrazite), light redbrown and light green. Examples are 501 and possibly 562 (which may also carry a regular colour camouflage scheme). Note that this is all guess work trying to interpret monochrome pictures.

On captured tanks (Mk.IVs) the chocolate brown British paint was usually overpainted and served as primer. British Mark IVs seem to have had a dark grey finish when leaving factory. The chocolate brown was applied later on. I've just found a report (in fact a kind of war correspondent article) dealing with Kaiser Wilhelm's visit to Le Cateau in December 1917 where he was shown the captured Mk.IV F.13. The tank is described as "dark grey". So possibly some tanks at Cambrai were sent forward before they could receive the chocolate brown cover.

Hello Mephisto!
Well aware that all available steel primers before 1960 were of poisonous or toxic character, the Surgeon General gave orders not to use them in wartime to avoid
additional infection of wound inflicted by "sparked-off" splinters in tanks or at the
back side of artillery shields.
Red-Brown Stuff was of PbMnO4 and derivates
light Grey Stuff was of KArNO3 type or derivates
Light Green Stuff was of ArCl2NO3 type or similar.This being so the decision
from the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut may be well understood. Pertinent information may be found in the ABC-Exhibition of the "Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung der Bundeswehr"
now based in Koblenz:
http://www.bwb.org/01DB022000000001/vwContentByKey/W26EJB3D868INFODE
On this grounds no further details are seriously available from the German parts in WW I and WWII.

Best regards,

Pody

Pody,
does that mean that the A7Vs did not have any internal painting?
Tony

I believe WW1 Era German Artillery might serve as a good indicator of how the German Army of the Era primed and painted their armored vehicles and other equipment.

In the restoration of at least eight German WW1 Era Foot, Field and Naval Guns I have constantly found  Red-Oxide Primer (dark reddish/reddish-Brown) in the unexposed parts like the interior of the recoil cradle and the underside of the barrel facing the recoil cradle.  Additionally, I found this same color primer on WW2 German Anti-Tank Guns.  

By the way, I have found WW2 Japanese primer to be Orange and US WW1 Primer to be Lime Green.

R/

Ralph Lovett
http://www.lovettartillery.com/index.html