tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167417363114721594.post7053849748457430137..comments2022-03-31T19:33:38.386+08:00Comments on Barbarossa to Berlog: Panthers at KurskMitch Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14692138354674511017noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167417363114721594.post-22467579986095470252017-08-18T16:25:02.111+08:002017-08-18T16:25:02.111+08:00P.S. David E Brown on Missing-Lynx has proposed th...P.S. David E Brown on Missing-Lynx has proposed this explanation:<br /><br />I think that if the Stab.Pz.Abt.52 decided to not follow protocol (for whatever reason of its commander), the natural progression would be to use the number ‘9’ to identify vehicles from the Abteilungstabskompanie; a ninth unit within the Abteilung. This leads me to think that your idea of it separately identifying its Nachrichtenzug and Aufklarungzug vehicles has an elegant simplicity. <br /><br />Thus for Pz.Abt.52’s Stabskompanie: <br />• Nachrichtenzug: II01, II02, & II03 (3 Panthers) <br />• Aufklärungzug: 911, 912, 913, 914, & 915 (5 Panthers). <br /><br />Seems plausible to me, especially as he points out that so far no photo has emerged with turret numbers in the II01 to II08 range.Neil Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15453744260747911733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167417363114721594.post-82325379167188694622017-08-18T04:42:32.223+08:002017-08-18T04:42:32.223+08:00The turret numbers outside the conventional compan...The turret numbers outside the conventional company system described in the Frontline book have been causing me some headscratching too Mitch. And while I agree with you that burnt out wrecks may have resulted in some transcribing errors by the Russians, it cannot be the whole story. Here's a very clear picture of 914 I have put in my Pinterest board on this topic. Very obviously taken during Zitadelle and hence 10 Pz.Bgde:<br /><br />https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/433330795387070400/<br /><br />I've seen discussion of this picture which posits possibly that 9 company numbers were used by the Abt staff of 52 Abt. Yet we have clear pics of R04 and I01 etc, so this suggests that Regimental and Battalion command staffs used the conventional system.<br /><br />A further intriguing detail from a Russian report in the book (p.65) is they claim to have recovered what they thought was a command vehicle carrying a globular muzzle brake (ie. as per early Pz.kpfw IV ausf. G and the first few Panther prototypes) and extra radios - and that these had a 'different design of turret with more room for the commander'.<br /><br />Since vehicles were in such short supply, I am wondering if almost everything in running condition was sent to maximise numbers even a few cobbled together from 'bits' and then allocated to staff units to to keep them out of the fiercest fire?<br /><br />Anyway 914 appears to be an entirely 'normal' early ausf. D...<br /><br />Neil Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15453744260747911733noreply@blogger.com