At the end of the war, the vast majority of German tanks went to the front painted red. It looked frankly strange, and today it will not be easy for many to guess what was the reason for this decision of the German command. Let's figure out what happened to the characteristic gray color of the Wehrmacht's military vehicles by 1945 and find out whether the tanks really went into battle in this form.
Everyone knows well from photographs of the Second World War, as well as from numerous works of artistic culture that German tanks of that period were painted in a characteristic grey colour. Actually this is not true. Only vehicles that took part in hostilities in Europe were painted gray. Tanks that fought in Africa, for example, were painted in a sandy color. Moreover, since 1942, the equipment that fought on the Eastern Front began to be painted by the Germans in green and "dirty" camouflage. This was because gray cars stood out against the backdrop of green landscapes.
With all this, by the end of the war, red tanks began to leave German factories. Strictly speaking, they were painted in red lead. Why was this done and where did the "branded" colors of the Wehrmacht's combat vehicles go?
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In fact, those tanks of the "red" color that have survived to this day or have ended up in old photographs are just unpainted vehicles. And red lead was used as a soil composition.
The fact is that in 1944 and 1945, the Allied aviation was engaged in very dense bombing of the industrial complex of Germany. Air attacks helped put pressure on German industry. As a result, warehouses with dyes suffered, as well as the factories that specialized in their production. Therefore, in 1945, the Germans no longer only lacked gunpowder, aluminum and steel, but even such a banal thing as paint.
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In contrast to the beginning of the war, the tanks from the factories left in only one "soil" and were sent to the front. In most cases, the cars were still painted, but this was done directly by the crews in their units. However, at the very end of the war, non-camouflaged tanks could be seen, including in battle.
Continuing the topic, you can read about what tricks did Soviet tankers use during the war.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/110220/53395/