Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

Yes, on that particular photo it appears that there might be a dent on the left side of the fourth digit, but none on its right, which would exclude the digit being a 3

Um … you’ve lost me there A dent on the left side I would consider a good indicator of it possibly being a 3.

Edit: Wait, you mean there’s no small indentation on the right. Sorry, brain not working too well today But if the paint has flaked off, then a lack of an indentation on either side doesn’t mean anything: if it also took a bit of the underlying paint off, you can get a smooth outline when first there was an indentation.

Originally Posted by MicS

However, the dent on the left side is not visible on the first photo in my post #15 above:

I find it very hard to tell in that photo. The number is more a smear than anything resembling a digit, especially on the right-hand side.

Interestingly, the name also doesn’t seem to be visible at all in that photo.

Here’s another picture, with all the white gone:

Wolf of Badenoch WD-number.jpg

I still see an indent on the left side that I’d say likely points to a 3 or perhaps an 8.

Originally Posted by MicS

As for the dark colour of the digits, I think it's just the white paint ageing. The 'T' and first digit are still whitish, while the remaining digits have already turned dark. See also the white outline of turret #20 in post #2: part of it has turned dark.

Is this a phenomenon I’ve never heard of before? White paint turning yellow, yes, but that’s usually indoors when the paint isn’t in direct sunlight. That wouldn’t be the case here, but is there something about WWII-era paints that turns white paint dark after exposure to the elements, then?