To help quickly identify vehicles during combat, German armored vehicles were painted with Balkenkreuze (bar crosses). The style of the crosses changed during the war. In addition, individual units sometimes diverted from the official system. These descriptions should therefore only be seen as a general guide.

Sd Kfz 222 and Sd Kfz 223 with solid Balkenkreuze.
Pz Kpfw II with Balkenkreuze in its turret.

The German Balkenkreuz national marking originated during the First World War, and continues to be used by the Bundeswehr today.

July 1939 guidelines

The 21 July 1939 edition of the German Army News Bulletin, Inspektorat 6 (the inspectorate responsible for motor vehicles) contained an order dated 13 July 1939 that a white Balkenkreuz should be applied to all armored vehicles.

Recognition markings for German armored vehicles

All German armored vehicles (tanks, command tanks, armored reconnaissance cars, and armored radio cars) are to be recognized by a white bar cross (see drawing) on all four sides.

Solid, white cross on a cross-hatched background. The length and width of the arms are identical

Tanks and command tanks will also receive a white chalk line on a suitable area of their rear deck as a recognition marking for friendly aircraft.

Implementation provisions will be provided to the relevant units with order O.K.H. AHA/In 6 (I.Kav./IV) Nr. 3003/39 g.

Armored vehicles that do not have this bar cross must be considered enemy armored vehicles.

A chart of the German armored vehicles is currently being printed and will, once completed, be distributed to the troops without the need for requisitions (at first only to the anti-tank units).

On 15 July 1939, Inspectorate 6 issued a more detailed description that was distributed to all major armored and cavalry units:

Markings for our own armored vehicles

All tanks, command tanks, armored reconnaissance vehicles, and armored radio vehicles are to be immediately painted with white bar crosses as recognition markings for our own troops.

Application: White, sturdy oil-based colors. Large and place on tanks (command tanks) according to appendix 1, on armored reconnaissance vehicles (armored radio vehicles) according to appendix 2.

To allow them to be recognized by our own aircraft, all tanks (command tanks) must immediately receive a white chalk drawing on their rear deck.

Rectangle identified as being 1000 millimeters wide and 500 millimeters tall.

The marking is to be placed at approximately the center of the rear armor deck such a way that it is broken up as little as possible by uneven parts or fittings (gratings, hinges, etc.)

A swastika pennant with the measurements 200 by 300 millimeters is introduced as a recognition sign for those of our troops who are unfamiliar with the bar cross.

Swastika pennants are to be acquired commercially as motor vehicle equipment.

The command pennant as per army manual 470/3a appendix 2, manual 613/1 appendix 2, etc. are discontinued.

Cover leafs are issued as soon as possible.

The size, shape, and location was specified in the two appendices of the order as follow. The drawings below are drawn to the same scale:

Vehicle Drawing Width Location
Full Arm
Pz Kpfw I
White bar cross on gray background.
 270 mm 100 mm Front: Driver's front plate at the centerline of the turret.
White bar cross on gray background.
 360 mm 100 mm Sides: Turret sides centered on vision port.
Rear: Turret rear on turret centerline.
kl Pz Bef Wg
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Front: Upper right corner of superstructure touching the top and right edges.
Left side: Horizontally centered on superstructure hatches and touching the top of hatches.
Right side: Upper right corner of superstructure touching the top edge and right bar covering corner plate.
Rear: Horizontally centered between top left corner and vision port and touching the top edge.
Pz Kpfw II
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Front: Horizontally centered on gun mantlet between cannon and machine gun and top touching top edge of gun mantlet.
Sides: 80 millimeters in front of vision port and vertically centered on vision port center.
Rear: Upper left corner of turret touching the top and left edges.
Pz Kpfw 35 (t)
White bar cross on gray background.
 330 mm 100 mm Front: Right side of turret front touching the top and right edges.
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Sides: Vertically centered on turret side and horizontally centered along commander's cupola centerline.
Rear: Centered on turret rear.
  • Pz Kpfw III Ausf. A, B, C, D and E
  • Pz Bef Wg
White bar cross on gray background.
 340 mm 100 mm Front: Centered on driver's front plate.
Sides: In front of vision port touching the front edge of the vision port and bottom edge of inclined edge.
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Rear: 100 mm from bottom edge of turret and horizontally centered on commander's cupola centerline.
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. A
White bar cross on gray background.
 340 mm 100 mm Front: Right edge of driver's front plate.
Sides: In front of vision port touching the front edge of the vision port and bottom edge of inclined edge.
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Rear: 100 mm from bottom edge of turret and horizontally centered on commander's cupola centerline.
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. B and C
White bar cross on gray background.
 340 mm 100 mm Front: Center of driver's front plate.
Sides: In front of vision port touching the front edge of the vision port and bottom edge of inclined edge.
White bar cross on gray background.
 400 mm 100 mm Rear: 100 mm from bottom edge of turret and horizontally centered on commander's cupola centerline.
  • le Pz Sp Wg (M G) (Sd Kfz 221)
  • le Pz Sp Wg (2 cm) (Sd Kfz 222)
  • le Pz Sp Wg (Fu) (Sd Kfz 223)
White bar cross on gray background.
 350 mm 100 mm Front: On front engine armor plate.
Sides: On upper side armor plate along the radiator grille.
White bar cross on gray background.
 500 mm 100 mm Rear: On radiator grille.
  • s Pz Sp Wg (Sd Kfz 231) (6 Rad)
  • s Pz Sp Wg (Fu) (Sd Kfz 232) (6 Rad)
White bar cross on gray background.
 550 mm 100 mm Front: On radiator grille.
Rear: On the spare wheel protective cover.
Pz Fu Wg (Sd Kfz 263) (6 Rad)
White bar cross on gray background.
 350 mm 100 mm Sides: Along the driver's front cupola.
  • s Pz Sp Wg (Sd Kfz 231) (8 Rad)
  • s Pz Sp Wg (Fu) (Sd Kfz 232) (8 Rad)
  • Pz Fu Wg (Sd Kfz 263) (8 Rad)
White bar cross on gray background.
 450 mm 100 mm Front: On front engine armor plate.
Rear: On radiator grille.
White bar cross on gray background.
 500 mm 100 mm Sides: Along the rear turret hatch across the upper and lower armor plate.
Tatra light armored reconnaissance vehicle
White bar cross on gray background.
 350 mm 100 mm Front: On front engine armor plate.
Sides: On the side doors.
Rear: On the rear door.

October 1939 guidelines

Sd Kfz 231 in April 1940.

Following the invasion of Poland Inspectorate 6 changed the design and placement in an order dated 26 October 1939 to no longer use the solid white Balkenkreuz.

Recognition markings for German armored vehicles

Changing the 1939 Army bulletin order number 525 on page 230, the white bar crosses on the front of all armored vehicles are to be removed.

The recognition markings remaining on both sides and the rear are to be changed to the open bar crosses (see drawing), similar to the markings on German aircraft.

Black narrow cross on a white, wider cross. The arms of the black cross reaches the border of the arms of the white cross. The sides of the arms of the cross are outlined in black.

Bar width approximately 2,5 centimeters.

These bar crosses are not to be painted on the turrets like previously, but only on the superstructure.

The second order and drawing appears to have been interpreted differently by different units. Some units only painted their vehicles with the white part, others adding the central, black cross, and others still also including the thin, black outline on the sides of the arms of the cross. It is not clear from the order or drawing whether the cross was intended to have a thin outline, or whether this was only to make the drawing clearer.

The most common variants used during the war were the four white corners without a filled-in center and the white corners with a black inner cross. For both variants, the thickness and length of the bars varied from unit to unit.

1944 guidelines

On 18 August 1944, the Inspector General of the Armored Forces issued the following order for bar crosses to be outlined in red rather than white:

Bar crosses

Are to remain on tanks, armored cars, and assault guns. They are to cease on all other armored vehicles.

Appearance: Black core (as today), red border (in the corners) (in place of white).

While there are rare examples of such red bar crosses, the majority of German tanks appear to have continued to use white borders.

Sources

  1. Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen : Sechster Jahrgang 1939. Berlin : Oberkommando des Heeres, 1939. 429 p. BArch RH 1/162.
  2. Kennzeichnung eigener Panzerfahrzeuge. Berlin : AHA/In 6, 1939. 11 p. Oberkommando des Heeres AHA/In 6 (I(Kav)/IV) - Nr. 3003/39 geheim. DHI 500-12464-9.
  3. Balkenkreuz und taktische Nummern an Panzern und gep. Fahrzeugen. Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen, 1944. 2 p. Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen - Abt. Ausb. - Ia - Nr. 4940/44 g.IV.Ang. BArch NS 33/148.