Field Command · Author’s Note No. 09 · The Tank Coating That Solved a Problem Nobody Had
Reporting to the Field Command,
Zimmerit, maybe you’ve seen it or heard about it sometimes. Or maybe you wondered when looking at a Tiger I picture, what are those ridges on the tank’s armor? Without giving it a second thought, you maybe even asked Google, what is that on a Tiger I tank? Answer Zimmerit. Alright, Zimmerit, moving on.
But what is Zimmerit and why was it even used? That’s what I wondered to be completely honest. And I was sure other people must wonder this as well sometimes. So I set out to write a short article on it. And your guess is right, there isn’t even that much information about it. It’s because its kind of a forgotten detail from World War II. It did nothing meaningful, it didn’t prevent any losses for the German army. In essence, it just increased the German production times when all they needed was an increasingly quicker way to produce the armored vehicles.
On the other hand, it was actually quite innovative and well thought out. For its intended purpose it actually worked well. The thing is, the German adversaries didn’t actually use the type of weapons that the Zimmerit protected the vehicles from.
I also see the irony in it, which I shared directly in the article itself. I do wonder, what does the Field Command think of Zimmerit. Maybe I’m completely wrong and it should get more credit.
Anyway, I wrote this article, because I love to write about World War II history and these small details that most people have long forgotten by now. As far as I’m concerned it all matters when writing about World War II and when writing to preserve World War II history. Even Zimmerit.
Until the next dispatch,
Carry on!
Nick
