Why did the Germans use zimmerit?

There was concern that the Allies would copy this weapon, so Zimmerit, a paste applied to German tanks and assault guns, was devised as a countermeasure. Although it was not fully anti-magnetic, the thickness of the paste and its patterned application was meant to reduce a magnet’s ability to stick to the tank.

When did Germans stop using zimmerit?

9th of September 1944
Zimmerit was officially discontinued for factory application from the 9th of September 1944, however, there must have been quantities shipped out to units, as it was not ordered discontinued for field application (which would include foreign maintenance depots and even factories) until the 7th of October.

Why did German tanks have ridges?

These ridges were meant to increase the distance between the metal surface and the mine without further increasing the thickness of the coating. An explosive device would come in contact only with the top of these ridges.

Did jagdpanther have zimmerit?

Some later G1 models had ‘hybrid’ G2 features such as the larger G2 mantlet as changes to the design were implemented. Zimmerit was applied to G1s up to September 1944, then was withdrawn to decrease production time. Early Jagdpanthers had two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one.

How was Zimmerit applied?

It was applied to the vehicle, usually at the factory, patterned, and then hardened with blow torches. There were many variations seen in application designs, from the regular ridge-shaped pattern, to a less common waffle-shaped pattern. In general, vehicles already in service were not coated with Zimmerit.

Did Panzer IV have Zimmerit?

Application of Zimmerit started in the fall of 1943. Different factories began applying Zimmerit at different times, with Tiger application beginning in August, and Pz Kpfw IV and Panther application beginning in September.

How was zimmerit applied?