DAK Anti Tank Guns

[holdfast]

Help please. Many of the accounts of the breakout from the minefield breach lanes at Alamein describe fierce resistance by German and Italian anti tank guns. Which calibre anti tank gun was the most common in October 1942?

[fred.]

From memory, I'd say 5cm ones.

I think they had some captured Russian 76.2mm ones as well.

[holdfast]

That sounds most helpful, thank you.
I see that the Germans inserted parachute battalions into their line next to some of the Italian units. Would they have been in a desert version of their para gear or would they have adopted the flipflops and shorts of the rest of the DAK? (This looks like a very deep rabbit hole that I dont want to descend very far).

[Orcs]

Looking at the BKC 2 lists

German
Pak 36  37mm
Pak 38  50mm

Limited numbers of:-

Pk 36 (r) 76mm Russian. Initially they used the Russian 76mm ammo, but were then converted to fire Pak 40 ammo
Pak 40  75mm - I expect these were limited in number
Flak 36  88mm

Italian

Mainly the 47mm A/T gun
You can use very very limited umbers of the 90mm A/T gun in all its guises. A/T Gun. Portee or SPG.
The SPG version should be accompanied by an L6/40 converted to an ammo carrier (with or without trailer) due to the limited number of shells on the SPG version.

SPG carried 8 Shells
L5/40 ammo vehicle 26 Shells
Trailer 40 Shells

In BKC L limit the 90mm Semovente SPG to either one round fire per turn or fire as normal but 3 x 1's on its fire dice it is out of ammo if on its own.
If it has an ammo carrier I allow it to fire as normal.
The other alternative I have tried is to allow it 

 

As for uniform of the fallshirmjager, they did have a tropical uniform.  However Uniform in the desert for any side appears to be anything but Uniform. With individuals using whatever they felt comfortable with from thier own side or captured stuff The Germans apparently really liked the 8th Army shorts. Add to this wear caused by sand and bleaching effect of the sun, almost anything goes

Also don't forget that it can be  freezing at night in the desert so woolly Jumpers and long trousers were also worn.     

[fred.]

I agree with Orcs on the uniform piece - I don't think there were any specific desert camouflage jump smocks - but some of the patterns where fairly pale brown base, with green and brown splodges (technical term).

The Luftwaffe did have sand coloured tropical uniforms (unlike the Heer, whose where a green shade - at least when new). And add in the use of captured or Italian stocks of equipment then sand coloured trousers would be seen. 

Helmets would be painted sand colours. 

And I think you could add in a few other DAK figures as well to scruffy up the units. 

[sultanbev]

There were no Italian Semovente 90/53 in the desert, first use was in Sicily 1943.

The vast majority of DAK anti-tank guns were 5cm PAK38, for example:
15th Panzer Division on 23/08/42 had: 70x PAK38, 3x PAK36r, 16x Marder III, 4x 6pdr, 8x 8.8cm Flak
21st Panzer Division had: 17x PAK38, 26x Marder III in it's divisional ATG battalion, yet to find number in its Motorised Regiment, much less than the 84 authorised! (51x PAK38, 27x 2.8cm sPzB41, 3x 3.7cm PAK35/36)
90th LD had 9x PAK36r and 32x PAK38, although the latter includes a few (3?) 2.8cm sPzB41
Ramcke Brigade had: 36x 3.7cm PAK35/36
164th Division: ? May have had a PAK40 platoon in its recce battalion, although it is thought that all PAK40 production in 1942 went to the Russian front.

[holdfast]

Wowsers a wealth of information and already a medium depth rabbit hole. Many thanks.
Having been in the Army I am very aware that for the Brits uniform meant anything but uniform. It drove our US chums to distraction.
Information on uniform colours gratefully received. Now I understand why a load of Germans I acquired about 5 years ago are in a greenish uniform.

[Orcs]

I have posted this before, but cannot find it.

Vallejo produced a North Africa paint set, but you can get them all considerably cheaper from Pendraken

The numbers in brackets are the Vallejo Paint numbers followed by their suggested use :- See my notes below

Black Grey (862) - Early Afrikakorps vehicles & painted metal

I find this to dark, particularly in 10mm.  For Early war I use German Grey (995) and then heavily drybrush with London Grey (836). You may wish to go even lighter grey than this. Also they would be well covered with dust/sand.

Buff (976) - Dust, highlight colour

Dark Sand (847) - 8th Army vehicles & painted metal
Desert Yellow (977) - Italian uniforms
Green Brown (879) - Afrikakorps vehicles '42
Green Ochre (914) - Italian vehicles, Bersaglieri helmets
Iraqi Sand (819) - Afrikakorps vehicles '43, dust & British uniforms
This is also very useful to lighten paint colour without the extreemness of white, for all theatres.

Khaki (988)-British uniform base colour.
This faded fairly quickly so used with Iraqi sand to produce a faded Khaki. Its also useful to add a splash of colour to figures, all my 9th army socks are Khaki.  Jumpers would be this colour initially

Olive Grey (888) - Italian Puttees, Italian uniform & tanks in Scily & Italy

Stone Grey (884) - British webbing, Afrikakorps webbing
This is very useful for doing canvas on vehicles
 
Tan Yellow (912) - Afrikakorps vehicles '42 late
Yellow Green (881) - Afrikakorps uniform, Italian webbing
DAK uniform faded very quickly,I add varying amounts of Iraqi Sand to the "Yellow Green" (881) to give show the fading of the DAK uniforms.

The DAK field caps faded to almost white. this often showed the wearer was a North Africa veteran, and consequently recruits often bleached their caps to imitate this

There are accounts of Black British Boots being Scrubbed white due to the abrasive action of the sand.

Add to the fact that all sides used whatever uniform bits they were comfortable with you can mix and match as much as you wish. The only exception seems to be Helmets. I suspect this is because it changes your silhouette so you are more easily mistaken as an enemy soldier.

Captured vehicles especially trucks were used extensively by all sides. Sometimes they were repainted, often they were not.
So your Transport for any side in north africa could use German British, French and Italian trucks  Reducing the need to have quite so many trucks in your collection. 


I find the Artisan painting Guides very useful
https://www.artizandesigns.com/painting-guides.php


A good Reference book is  Armour Camoflage and Marking North Africa 1940-1943 by George R Bradford. I varies greatly in price from £12 to £30+ so worth keeping an eye open for at sensible money.

https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/bradford-george-r/armour-camouflage-markings-north-africa-1940-1943/9780853682097?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpqaL5tmb9QIVjs13Ch3DCQElEAQYASABEgIXU_D_BwE

[holdfast]

That's very useful, thank you.
I will be concentrating on mid to late 1942.

[Raider4]

That's very useful, thank you.
I will be concentrating on mid to late 1942.

<pedant>
Although 'Afrika Korps' is a useful catch-all name for German forces in N. Africa, by late 1942 it was 'Panzerarmee Afrika'
</pedant>

[hammurabi70]

<pedant>
Although 'Afrika Korps' is a useful catch-all name for German forces in N. Africa, by late 1942 it was 'Panzerarmee Afrika'
</pedant>

<super-pedant>
Would 'Afrika Korps' not be the German component [DAK] while 'Panzerarmee Afrika' would include the Italian units: X, XX and XXI Corps?
</super-pedant>