Battle of the Bulge Movie Tanks

Close up of a German Tiger tank.

The Germans captured a number of American halftracks in WWII and often repainted and remarked them and used them in their own army.  The .50 caliber machine gun was often retained.

The US Army M47 tank was about the same size of the Tiger II.  The M47 was only three feet shorter, one foot narrower, and almost as tall as the Tiger II.

So painted in WWII paint and markings it made a reasonable German tank for the movies in the 1960s, given that there were no operational Tiger tanks available for movie use in those days.

In the movie the Battle of the Bulge the Spanish Army rented out about three dozen or more M47 tanks that were repainted and remarked for the movie.  I have never found evidence of the Tiger II having been painted in Panzer Gray but for movie goers in the 1960s it was a easy way for them to recognize the German vehicles.

 The movie also used an American halftrack as the towing vehicle for a command van.

 

I got three Roco M47 tanks that were partially converted in a collection I purchased about 20 years ago.  The previous owner used what appears to have been Roco Tiger II barrels with the second muzzle baffle cut off, then glued on in place of the original M47 gun barrel.  The models were not painted.  Since I had no M47 replacement barrels, and it seemed kind of a fun project, I finished the job by painting them Tamiya German Gray and adding the decals and tank commanders.  The halftrack is a Roco M3 and the command trailer is a European made resin kit, perhaps ArsenalM but I am not sure.

The movie is very exciting and for 1965 has excellent special effects.  Don't expect a history lesson, the historical accuracy of the movie is limited.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIVqFQ4fhFg