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Copyright © 1980byMonogram Aviation Publications

Other titles:Monogram Close-Up series

1. JUNKERS 2872. JUNKERS 2883. JUNKERS 2904. BUZZ BOMB /"5. TAIFUN6. GUSTAV-PI. 17. GUSTAV-Pt. 28. FOCKE-WULF 190F'9. JUNKERS 388'

10. AMERIKA BOMBER'11. VOLKSJAGER'12. JUNKERS 252/352'13. AICHI M6A1 SEI RAN14. JAPANESE COCKPITS-Pt. 115. JAPANESE COCKPITS-PI. 216. Bfl09K17. MESSERSCHMITI 262-PI. l'18. MESSERSCHMITI 262-PI. 2'19. KIKKA20. FOCKE-WULF 190 D'21. DORNIER 335'22. FOCKE-WULF Ta 154'23. ARADO 234'24. FOCKE-WULF Ta 152'

JET PLANES of the THIRD REICH'GERMANY'S LUFTWAFFE IN SWEDEN'GERMAN AIRCRAFT INTERIORS'LIGHT PLANES of the THIRD REICH*

tlNat yet published

AGENCY CREDITS

BUNDESARCHIV: 88B, 26T; CANADIANWAR MUSEUM: 48; DORNIER AG: 42B:IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM: lOT, 50T, 60B,62M, 90M, 93T, 112B, 123B, 132B;M ESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM:29T; NATIONAL ARCHIVES: 113B;SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: 62B, 65,88M, 100M, 114M, 128, 135M; TEKNISKAMUSEET: 142T; UNITED STATES ARMY:lOR, 58T, 114T, 134T, 144; UNITEDSTATES AIR FORCE: lOB, 34M, 36B,38B, 40T, 41, 43TL, 50B, 53, 56B, 58T,58B, 66, 68M, 70B, 71M, 83, 96M, 104M,109B, 113T, 125T, 127B, 129, 131, 132T,133, 1418, 142B and the WEHRBER­EICHSKOMMANDQ for their invaluableassistance with original documentation.For the above credits, T = top, M = mid­dle and B = bottom. All color drawingsare by Thomas H. Hitchcock.

Published by Monogram Aviation Publications, 625 Edgebrook Drive,. Boylston, Massachusetts, 01505

All rights reserved

ISBN 0-914144-29-4Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-80846

Printed in the United States of America

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PUBLISHER'S PREFACEAt the risk of "gilding the lilly," it is our contentionthat this pUblication brings to the modeler and histo­rian alike, the most authoritative and complete recordof paint samples and related material yet published. Itwas our intention from the beginning to allow the au­thors considerable latitude in the presentation ofmaterial. By so doing, we might present you with areference source par excellence. To this end theprocess of collecting, collating and evaluating datahas not been instantaneous nor easy. The road waspaved with obstacles, and more than once the au­thors felt hopelessly bogged down in very conflictingmaterial. Reconstructing what was done, often inhaste, more than forty years ago or even thirty-fiveyears-ago was a formidable task.

As will be noted, in several instances we have pub­lished the conflicting material exactly as we have itwithout dogmatism in our approach to color identifi­cation. The reader is, therefore, free to make his ownassociations, and draw his own conclusions. In thelast analysis this allows for as complete an under­standing as is possible. Although this approach maybe dismissed by some as incomplete research orlacking in objectivity, we feel that it is exceedinglyimportant to guide the reader through the maze with­out undue prejudice.

On the other hand, both authors recognized the needto be controversial where data warranted. They alsofelt a sense of obligation to bring as much new in­sight into focus as possible. There can be no doubtthat much remains to be deciphered, or at the veryleast clarified.

The cornerstone to this book is the color fidelity ofour paint samples. It must be appreciated that everyeffort was made to ensure that our samples werethoroughly matched with originals. Our paint chipswere professionally matched using both the latesttechnology and human perception. This has guaran­teed perfect matches to the originals in both colorand finish.

Given the fact that there are more than 6,000 shadesof color distinguishable by the human eye, nearly halfof them in bl ues and browns, it becomes even moreapparent that direct observations can often vary. TheBritish Color Council has cataloged an astonishing1,400 shades of blue, 1,375 browns, 1,000 reds, 820greens, 550 oranges, 500 grays, 360 violets and 12whites. With these statistics in mind there can be littledoubt that deviations due to human error do occur.When we compound the process of color identifica­tion by adding the effects of weathering, paint appli­cation and field expedience, we begin to see why somany variations exist for so-called standard colors.

Nevertheless, using multiple observations under ideallight conditions, the authors have beeQ remarkablysuccessful. All of the paint chips contained in thisbook were matched to actual aircraft, aircraft parts orcomponents, original German color card samplesand independent com parisons.For the modeler who is building a replica of a particu­lar aircraft in a scale below the original machine, wehave included an essay on the scale effect of color.This section speaks for itself. Our only observationrests with the order in which aircraft camouflagepaints were applied. Unlike the rules of classicalpainting, where one is taught to begin light and workgradually toward darker colors, the application ofcamouflage paint was the reverse. Hence, we see thatthe light blue of the underside would have beenapplied last and, in the German national insignia,black would preceed white. Translated into the scalemodel, this procedure can have a profound effect onthe final result, particularly in the application of mot­tling. Of course, there are limits to this principal. Inthe case of the spotted camouflage of the Heinkel219, (see page 10) it would be illogical to assume thathundreds of gray-violet spots preceeded the lightblue background.

For the sake of better understanding the complex na­ture of German wartime camouflage and markings,the authors have directed your attention to relevantpassages in two' previously published works:LUFTWAFFE COLORS Volumes 1, 2, and 3, andGERMAN AIRCRAFT MARKINGS, hereafter respec­tively identified as LC/1, 2 or 3 and GAM. Kenneth A.Merrick has written Volume 1, of LUFTWAFFE COL­ORS (Area, 1973) and GERMAN AIRCRAFT MARK­INGS (Ian Allen and Sky Books Press 1977). Theformer series was published in Australia under thefitle LUFTWAFFE CAMOUFLAGE AND MARKINGSby Kookaburra Technical Publications. Subsequently,Volumes 2 and 3 of LUFTWAFFE COLORS were pUb­lished in the U.S.A. by Monogram Aviation Publica­tions.

We wish to acknowledge the invaluable service per­formed by Messers J. Richard Smith and John D. Gal­laspy, coauthors of LC/2 and LC/3 for their immensecontributions. The thoroughness of their researchhas stood the test of time, and in addition, has proveninvaluable in the preparation of this work.

Finally, in order to better understand and appreciatethe prot>lems of aircraft restoration, color photo­graphs of ten outstanding restorations have been in­cluded in this work. Some restorations have beenmore successful than others, but we applaud andoffer encouragement to the many dedicated restora­tion teams around the world.

FORWARDtions to prepare paints carefully so that all pigmenta­tion is activated. Clearly, variation due to human errorwas anticipated; and clearly it inevitably occurred. Inaddition, it is well known that weathering took its tollon colors.

While it is not possible to refute or substantiate eachand every report, we can categorically state thesecolors are not in any way directly associated withLight Blue 76. The samples we present on pages 41and 69 are typical. Our samples were obtained fromactual aircraft parts preserved since the war.

Since the RLM apparently failed to publish a coloratlas for colors beyond number 80 before the war'send, we are left with samples taken from aircraft. Inretrospect perhaps this will prove the more valuableof the two alternatives. The many samples we haveincluded for late war colors are authentic German­applied. Postwar restoration color samples are notincluded. We have listed a number of colors forwhich no known identifying RLM designator or man­ufacturer's number can be found. Additionally, wehave included samples of the so-called sky greencolor often cited in official reports and observed incolor photographs from the late war era. The com­ment has been made that these sky colors are in factonly deviations of Light Blue 76. Indeed, some criticshave dismissed these colors as the result of oxidationor of thinly applied paint.

The authors are eternally gratefUl to the followingpersons for their respective contributions: RobertAiello, Robert Andonian, Nils Arne-Neilson, Bernd Di­eter Barbas, R. M. Bascom, Dana Bell, Greg Bell, Ro­land R. Belling, F. Birch, Peter M. Bowers, RobertBracken, David Carpenter, Christian Cichorius, DesCormack, Eddie Creek, James V. Crow, Nigel Daw,Martin Deskau, Patrick Donahue, Jeffery L. Ethell,John D. Gallaspy, Frank Hartman, Rainer Haufschild,William Hesz, Anthony R. Hnilica, Stuart Howe,Ferenc Kovacs, Marian Krzyian, Ralph Leonardo,Robert D. Migliardi, Robert C. Mikesh, Leo C. Moon,Heinz J. Nowarra, Hans Obert, Geoffery G. Pentland,Peter Petrick, Varge C. Pfuehler, Ian Primer, GunterSengfelder, Steve Shellin, Frank Smith, J. RichardSmith, Erich K. Sommer, Jay P. Spenser, WilliamSwisher. Harold Thiele, John Vasco, David J. Vincent,Hank Volker, Harold E. Watson, Bo Widfeldt, ElmarWilczek and Franz Zimmermann. Finally a very spe­cial word of thanks must surely go to William Berge,Austin Brown and Ralph W. "Jack" Woolner for theirconfidence and significant contributions. Our wives,Rae and Sally, deserve special recognition for theirpatience, enthusiasm and everlasting support.

Thomas H. HitchcockBoylstonUSA

Kenneth A. MerrickHighburyAustralia

Since the publication 01 LUFTWAFFE COLORS andGERMAN AIRCRAFT MARKINGS, new informationhas made revision necessary to certain sections deal­ing with the early and mid years of the war. However,it is in that enigmatic period between mid 1944 andMay 1945 that the most significant finds of new in­formation occur. The color chip samples we presentrepresent the latest finds, the most comprehensiveand inclusive listings yet undertaken. For comparisonpurposes, we have even provided paint samples ofItalian and American colors where appropriate. TheGerman colors chosen have been carefully selectedfrom a wide variety of sources. Official air ministrycolor cards were, of course, used wherever possible.Variation colors have been fUlly authenticated andidentified as such. The reader is cautioned, however,that even within the German paint industry, and fromone official color card to another, first-hand observa­tions reveal variations.

In 1973 Monogram Aviation Publications brought toits readers MESSERSCHMITT 'O-NINE' GALLERYwhich included an authentic set of camouflage colorchips augmented by a concise text. The success ofthis title underscored the need to create a broaderspectrum. In 1973 a new series of three volumes waslaunched by Kookaburra Technical Publicationswhich, for the English speaking world, was the firstserious venture into this complex area. Followingpublication of the second volume of LUFTWAFFECOLORS, ideas were formulated and work was be­gun, now culminating in this work.

The authors have chosen quite deliberately, to pre­sent their material in distinctive categories and timeperiods which serve as a concise yardstick of histori­cal development. As model builders themselves, theauthors planned this approach both as an overallperspective and to satisfy the need for easy access toan exceedingly complex subject.

To be sure, the variations are often subtle and slight.but the fact remains that they are testimony to the in­consistancies one encounters. As applied to aircraft,the reasons for this are not as complex as might beimagined. Contained within the official painting di­rectives and procedural guides are repeated exhorta-

Publication of this work is, for the authors, the reali­zation of a dream that first crept into the consciousabout nine years ago.. In the intervening years a greatdeal of material has been published specifically onthe subject of German aircraft camouflage and mark­ings employed during the war years. A good deal ofthis material has been exceedingly helpful to theserious model builder. Publishers, model manufac­turers and world-wide enthusiasts' organizationshave been instrumental in generating considerablepUblic interest in this fascinating sUbject.

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CONTENTSSCALE EFFECTMARKING COLORSINTERIORSDAY FIGHTERS 1935-1937DAY FIGHTERS 1937-1940DAY FIGHTERS 1940-1944DAY FIGHTERS 1944-1945ROCKET INTERCEPTORSNIGHT FIGHTERSCLOSE-SUPPORTPREWAR BOMBERSEXPORT COLORSBOMBERS 1938-1945MARITIME AIRCRAFTNORTH AFRICAN THEATERTRANSPORTSRECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFTFOREIGN AIRCRAFTSPECIAL PURPOSEHELICOPTERSTRAINERSLIAISONLIGHT PLANESRESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTMISSILESPROTECTIVE PAINTS

68

121418243248546672808294110112120130132133134136139141142143

SCALE EFFECTThe superb model of the Mes­serschmitt Me 263, shown above,built by master modeler GunterSengfelder, is ample evidence ofwhat can be achieved. An area oftenoverlooked concerns the applicationof paint to scale. Color expert Pat­rick Donahue, has made availablehis experience which surely will aidmodelers of all levels. The questionis asked: "Should compensation bemade for the scale effect in modelpaints?" To answer this question wemust recognize that models are rep­licas of real things. It is a matter ofperspective. For example, a 1/32ndscale model, if viewed from 1 footaway, would be the same size inyour vision as the actual aircraft 32feet away. Correspondingly, a 1/48thscale model and a 1/72nd scalemodel when viewed one foot distant,would appear as the actual aircraft ifviewed from 48 and 72 feet respec­tively.

On any given day the light imageswe receive are reflected back to oureyes giving us a visual impression ofsize, distance and color. Viewingfamiliar objects over large distancegives the impression such objectshave somehow changed their colors.This effect is known as aeromatic oratmosphflric perspective. Americanand English landscape painters likeJohn Constable and Winslow Homerbecame famous for their incredibleuse of color to achieve distance.

What Turner, Homer and Constableknew so well was the fact that theatmosphere is not wholly transpar­ent. We see things looking througha filter, as it were. Objects viewed

6

from far away are not sharp andclear. As applied to aircraft, thesmaller the scale, the further awaythe aircraft appears. The smaller thescale, such as 1/44th, the more at­mospheric perspective would con­tribute to the deintensification ofcolor. In larger scales such as1/24th, the reverse would be true.What must be understood has to dowith paint intensity or chroma. Basi­cally, intensity or chroma is theamount of gray in a color. Thechroma of a color such as red, canextend from pure red on the intenseend to a redish gray on the least in­tense end. To the purist, in workingto reduce the intensity of a givencolor, gray would be added. How­ever, if one is working to reduce theintensity of a subtle color like LightBlue 76, the addition of gray wouldtend to destroy the delicate balanceand possibly alter the hue. It mustbe appreciated that there exist sev­eral kinds of gray and that anyoneof these would also render a differ­ing effect. The problem is best re­solved by using white as a deintensi­fication medium. At first glance itseems likely that by adding whiteyou would alter the value (lightnessor darkness) and not the chroma,thus not really deintensifying thecolor. This is a possibility. However,with camouflage colors, which havea very low chroma, they are on theleast intense (grayed out) side of thescale. For example, most of thecamouflage colors employed by theLuftwaffe have a chroma of 1 or 2which is on the low end of the scale.The highest found was 4. Chromanotations extend to different inten­sities depending upon the color,some may reach as high 14.

Basically, what this means is thatmost camouflage colors are alreadyon the gray end of the scale, someon the very bottom. Therefore, add­ing gray is not the answer to dein­tensification. The full scale color isalready heavily grayed.

By adding white instead of gray, weadd to the gray already present toproduce a lighter shade of gray,which in turn reduces the chroma ofa color. The addition of white doesnot change the actual color (hue).The white does reduce the value ofthe color but this is to advantage.We know that large areas of color indaylight tend to look lighter thansmall color chips of the same colorbecause of the larger areas reflect­ing light. All of these factors tend towork to advantage in scale color.The amount of white necessary toachieve the desired result may varyfrom person to person. Experimentsshow that it is not unreasonable toadd 25% white to a given color toachieve the necessary scale effectfor aircraft to 1/48th scale. Since25% is about 1/2 the numerical valueof the scale, 15% reduction wouldyield satisfactory results for 1/32ndscale while 36% reduction wouldprovide for 1/72nd scale. Recogniz­ing that the above examples pertainmainly to camouflage colors, wemust address marking colors likeYellow 04, Red 23 or White 21.

White may be used directly withoutchange. Due to juxtaposition, lightcolors will appear somewhat darkerwhen placed next to dark colors. Ifone were to paint an entire modelairplane white, as an example, itwould be desirable to break up the

82 Dark Green82 Dunkel Grun

75 Gray-Violet75 Grau-violett

76 Light Blue76 Licht Blau

whites with gray added here andthere. Otherwise a monotone finishwill result that may be technicallycorrect but optically unrewarding.The same situation applies toaluminum surfaces. And like theexample given above for an all-white

1/32 Scale Dark Green 82

1/32 Scale Gray-Violet 75

1/32 Scale Light Blue 76

aircraft, adding gray to the alumi­num will give better results thanwhite. Other than these two exam­ples, all other colors may be safelydeintensified by the addition ofwhite.

1/72 Scale Dark Green 82

1/72 Scale Gray-Violet 75

1/72 Scale Light Blue 76

The paint chips found on this pageare designed to serve as a practicalguide. The modeler is advised toconduct tests prior to actual applica­tion of paint.

7

MARKING COLORS

,

Unlike the flat finish colors used forcamouflage and tactical markings,paints used for Balkenkreuz 1 andHakenkreuz 2 markings had a distinc­tive sheen which produced a slighthighlight. Application of these mark­ings at the point of manufacture wasusually done with stencils, a solidcross of black being spray paintedfirst, with the smaller, white outlinemarking oversprayed. A straightedge and brush were then used totrim the edges and apply the thinblack outer edge. A late weir paintingguide makes reference to a specificrivet head being colored red at theprimer coat stage, and later used fora center datum. The Hakenkreuzmarking was applied using the samemethods.

Prewar permanent black was usedto mark man ufactu rers' fou r-Ietterregistrations and unit codes on allclasses of aircraft. The registrationmarkings applied at the point ofmanufacture had to be overpaintedat unit level, with permanent color­ing to match the particular back­ground paintwork, codes were thenapplied in permanent black. Thiswas augmented with permanentwhite after the introduction of 70/71camouflage, and with permanentred, yellow, blue and green on theeve of war. (GAM 45, 46.)

In 1942 a new type of paint, tempo­rary black, was introduced at thepoint of manufacture for all aircraftintended for front line duties. Thispaint, which had a slight sheen,

8

could be removed by scraping, thussaving both time and materials whenunit codes were applied. (GAM 105.)

The constructor's airframe serialnumber (Werk Nummer) wasapplied in varying forms and stylesthroughout the 1935-45 period. Itwas normally applied in small num­erals on the fin, and in a contrastingcolor to the background. Prewar itwas normally applied in small nu­merals on the fin, and in a contrast­ing color to the background. Prewarit was often repeated in large whitenumerals on the fuselage to aididentification during the deliverystage. (LC/1, 20, 21, 79, 80.) Thepractice diminished after the out­break of war, although many ·aircraftused for second line duties con­tinued the practice and retained themarking, often reduced to the lasttwo or three numerals. (LC/1, 136,140, LC/3 105.)

During the late 1930's and into theearly part of the war, serial numbersusing only three digits were by nomeans uncommon but the majorityof aircraft produced during the earlywar years utilized a four or five digitnumber. In 1944 a new unifying sys­tem was introduced whereby a sixdigit serial number was assigned toall new aircraft. The first two orthree numbers usually identified theassembly point for particular air­craft, something which was not pre­viously taken into consideration bythe industry. There also existed se­rial numbers for front-line aircraft

using an eight digit number al­though these examples were rare.Some older four digit numbers wereexpanded by the prefix addition oftwo new digits to conform with the1944 regulations. An example of theeight digit number was W.Nr.63801022 fou nd on a Fw 190 F-8/R 1while W.Nr. 0189, allocated to the4th Ju 290 A-7, was expanded in1944 to become W.Nr. 110 189.

Other than the gradual disappear­ance of the prefix letters after 1942,the application of the number re­mained fairly consistent until late1944 when marked variations beganto occur between aircraft of thesame type, e.g., duplication of thenumber on the fin or repetition ofthe number on the front of the en­gine cowling ring or elsewhere onthe airframe. In some instances thenumber was applied to the rudderinstead of the fin, rather odd in viewof the replacement factor. Produc­tion Ar 234 aircraft exhibited a varia­tion within the number itself, thefirst three numbers being half thesize of the remaining three, a rever­sal of approved practice. A furthervariation common to late war Sf109s' was the repetition of the lastthree digits, applied roughly bybrush or spray on the rear of the

1. German National Insignia

2. SwastikaContinued on p. 11

Top: Splendid restoration of a Bf 109 G-6 incolors 74/75/76 with regulation markings.Fuselage mottle is, perhaps, incomplete sincecolors 02/70/74 were officially specified, notcolor 75 shown here.

Top left: Insignia of 2./JG 400, a unit which employed the remarkablerocket-propelled Me 163 B-1. Inscription reads, "Like a flea but ohl" Seepage 49 for another view of this Komer. Top right: Close-up of JG 7'sinsignia. This emblem inexplicably differs slightly from the one paintedon the starboard side of the Me 262 A-l aiR, W.Nr. 500491, shown below.Below: Perfect restorations are not impossible. This superb example,completed on March 20, 1979, by the National Air and Space Museum, isa faithful restoration throughout. Blue and Red tail bands, associatedwith JG 7, are modified by a vertical bar indicating the 3rd Gruppe while

the yellow number 7 identifies this aircraft as the 7th machine of the11 th Staffel within Jagdgeschwader 7. Individual aircraft numbersemployed by the Me 262s in addition to yellow (for the 3rd, 7th and 11thStaffeln), could have been white (for the 1st, 5th and 9th Staffeln), red (forthe 2nd, 6th and 10th Staffeln), and blue (for the 4th, 8th and 12thStaffeln). Aircraft operated by Staff Flights usually were green.

9--.-------~--

Top: Close-up of a Me 262 A-la brought down by machine gun fire onApril 21,1945, near Klotze. Regulations stipulated that Halkenkreuzemarkings for the Me 262 were to be 400 mm wide surrounded by a 15mm narrow white trim. Left: One of the twin vertical tailplanes of a He219 A-7 shows the entire surface to be covered with a mottle of Color 75,Gray-Violet over a base of Light Blue 76. The Halkenkreuz conforms tothe simplified style common after August 15, 1944. Small "IV" above theserial number identifies this night fighter as having SN-2 type 0 radarwith altered frequency. Below: German airfields were littered withcountless wrecks following demolition by retreating personnel, likethese remains from a Ju 88G. Beneath the serial number atop the fin, isthe inscription in white: VOIR, referring to radar equipment. Barelyvisible ahead of the simplified Balkenkreuz is the code 3C, identifyingthis aircraft as having served with NJG 4, while the two blue letters aft ofthe cross tell us that this aircraft was the 4th machine in the Staff flightof the 1st Gruppe. Overall color was 76 with a mottle of 75. Note theradar probe beneath the swastika has been striped with white and redbands as cautionary warning to ground personnel.

10

fuselage, aft of the Balkenkreuzmarking and approximately half theheight of the latter. Given time, thispractice may have developed intoroutine production. Some Sf 109scarried this abbreviated duplicationin carefully stenciled numbers.

Internal piping was color coded formaintenance purposes, using thecolors yellow (04), white (21), black(22), red (23), blue (24), green (25)and brown (26). (GAM 169.) Where

04 Yellow04 Gelb

23 Red23 Rot

26 Brown26 Braun

services terminated at an externalpoint, the relevant coloring wasused to identify the specific service.Additionally, instructions and sym­'bols relating to maintenance werepai nted externally on the ai rframe.(LC/3158.)

Aircraft allocated to specific theatersof operation usually wore tacticalmarkings applied in either of thepermanent colors 04 or 21. However,tactical situations within a specific

21 White21 Weiss

24 Dark Blue24 Dunkelblau

27 Yellow27 Gelb

theater of operation often requiredtemporary tactical markings whichwere applied using glyptal-resinbased paint. (GAM 74-76.)

Reichsverteidigung 3 markings were,technically, a tactical marking andfi rst appeared in 1943 as a si ng Ie,red fuselage band marking appliedin permanent 23. This augmentedthe existing tactical marking of a 21colored fin and rudder. (GAM 120.)

3. Reichs Defense Units

22 Black22 Schwarz

25 Lig ht Green25 HellgrOn

28 Wine Red28 Weinrot

11

INTERIORSPrior to the introduction of strictstandardization in 1936, aircraftinteriors were varied in coloring, de­pendent upon the nature of thematerial used. (LC/3 154.) The reis­sue of L.Dv.521 in November 1941stipulated that all cockpit areas orcrew areas visible through a glazedcovering were to be painted Black­Gray 66, principally as an antiglaremeasure. The remainder of the inter­ior, including weapons bays and un­dercarriage housings, were to befinished in Green-Gray 02. Instru­ment panels were to be Gray 41 withindividual instrument locations iden­tified by a letter/number combina­tion, usually hand painted, in either04 or 21. Certain equipment packswere painted in other shades of

12

gray, e.g., battery housing in Gray42. (GAM 168.)

Interior areas such as wings andtailplanes were given an electro­plated finish which produced a veryhigh quality anticorrosive surface, agolden metalic sheen very similar tothat seen inside some processedfood cans. Interior wooden compo­nents were painted with a specialfinish which had an identifying colorof pale Yellow-Green 99 when usedwith one paint formula, and a verypale yellow tinge when used withanother paint formula. (GAM 169.)(LC/3 156.) Prewar the interior of theengine cowlings was finished insilver as were internal frameworkand all connecting rods between thecockpit and engine. The firewall wasleft unpainted on the engine side,but was painted 02 on the cockpit

side as were the fuel, oil and coolanttanks. Pipelines for fuel, oil, coolant,air and fire extinguisher system werepainted, respectively, yellow, brown,green, blue and red. Around 1937color 02 was used inside the enginebay, but the firewall remained un­painted. Engine serial numbers usu­ally appeared in large white or yel­low numbers along the upper verti­cal surfaces of inline engines and onthe front face of radial engines.

Above: Beneath the Revi C/12D reflector gunsight of this Bf 109 G-6, may be clearly seenthe flight (to the left) and engine instruments.Note the yellow fuel line which passes from therear fuselage through the cockpit and into theengine compartment. A portion of the line wasglass which afforded positive assurance theengine was getting fuel. Right: Like the Bf 109above, the interior of the Me 262 A-1 a cockpitwas universally Black-Gray 66. Flight andengine instruments essentially were similar inboth aircraft, but it will be noted that those ofthe jet Me 262 were additionally color coded.

02 RLM Gray02 RLM Grau

41 Gray41 Grau

,

,

66 Black-Gray66 Schwarzgrau

13

DAY FIGHTERS 1935-1937

\

Between 1933 and 1935 the em­bryonic Luftwaffe had at its disposala number of paramilitary aircrafttypes bearing a variety of externalfinishes. Depending upon their con­struction, many had lacquered woodand fabric, while others were oper­ated in the natural aluminum finishin which they were delivered.Camouflage in those early days wasnot a serious consideration. How­ever, by 1935 the aviation industry inGermany had made great strides onmany levels, with an ever increasingnumber of new aircraft being madeavailable to the still untoutedLuftwaffe. Almost all of the newwarplanes then appearing in theskies over Germany were finished incolors not unlike those beingapplied strictly to c'ivil and generalaviation types. Thus, for a period oftime between 1935 and 1938, newfig hter types often were seen in thecivil Light Gray (Hellgrau) completewith black civil registration letterson the wings and fuselage. Acrossthe vertical tail plane were the colorsof the state (black, white and red) onthe right side, while the swastikamotif of the NSDAp4 appeared onthe left side. (LC/1 13,18.)

The use of the swastika motif onboth sides of the vertical tailplanewas made mandatory in June 1936.Although the Light Gray previouslymentioned was to be found on bothcivil and military types, a new colorwas introduced at about the same

14

time in 1935, and from the outset itwas considered camouflage. Offi­cially known as GrOngrau (Green­Gray) 63, this shade of gra.y differedfrom the civil gray in hue and inten­sity. Green Gray 63 was used on awide range of military aircraft andwas to be seen as primary camou­flage up to Autumn 1938 on variousfighter types.

Research into newly discoveredprewar documentation is revealingwith respect to the true character ofGreen-Gray 63. It has now been es­tablished conclusively that Green­Gray 63 and RLM Gray 02 are identi­cal colors. The reason for this seem­ing anomaly rests with the prewarRLM system of paint color identifica­tion numbers which was introducedin 1936. Paint suppliers to the Ger­man aircraft industry previously hadused their individual companycatalog numbers to identify specificcolors. The RLM revised this systemand, accordingly, issued a single setof identification numbers commonto all suppliers and the industry ingeneral.

In 1937 a comprehensive listing ofall paints then in use was issued.This was cross-referenced to thenew RLM system and to existingcompany catalog numbers. (GAM161-164.) The transition was not in­stantaneous due to obvious prob­lems of remarking existing stockheld in store as well as that in use. In

addition, the very comprehensivepainting schedules in use needed tobe either replaced or amended. Thelatter method was used initially, aprocess that is seen in survivingwartime painting documents.

The painting schedule for the He51 C and D (LC/1 54-59) is an exam­ple of an interim document that hasbeen partly amended. The final ex­ternal finish specified is a combina­tion of the existi ng company paintcatalog numbers plus a suffix iden­tifying the paint by the new RLMnumber and paint description, i.e.,Cellesta-N-Flugzeug. Ubz. L.Nr.2000GrOngrau 63. The RLM cross­referenced listing of 1937 shows thesame restrictions for its use, i.e., ex­ternal application over wood andfabric. (GAM 162.)

The existing GrOngrau overall color­ing adopted as standard externalfinish on military aircraft was quiteadequate as a sky camouflage be­cause of its relatively neutral color­ing. The Luftwaffe had no need, atthat time, of a passive ground staticcamouflage. When the initial lessonsof the Spanish conflict began to be

4. National Socialist German Workers Party

Continued on p. 16

Top: A He 51 C-2 is shown here in themarkings of a typical fighter training school.Overall finish is Color 63 Green-Gray.

I ? I {', 'rll

63 Light Gray63 Lichtgrau

63 Green-Gray63 Grungrau

;.,' j

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

The very first Me 109, Bf 109 V1 (initially known as the Bf 109a), is shownhere undergoing tests at Rechlin. It was painted in the civil Light Grayover all surfaces except the lower portion of the fuselage which wasdecorated in blue. Beneath the red band of the fin/rudder device, can beseen the typical data block which lists vital information including thefield to which the aircraft belonged and its telephone number. The B1

registration appeared above and below tt\e wings in addition to bothsides of the fuselage. Other early prototypes of the Bf 109 were paintedin Green-Gray 63 overall without distinctive trim colors.

15

analyzed, the passive camouflageaspect for larger aircraft was quicklyappreciated and the splinter patternin colors 61, 62 and 63 was intro­duced in late 1936. This availabilityof paint stocks, in turn, lead to unitapplications of camouflage for bothfighter and reconnaissance aircraftoperating on the Iber.ian front. Ini­tially, combinations of 61, 62 and 63were used on some of the He 51 air­craft while 61 and 62 were used onsome Bf 109s. The final supplies ofBf 109s were camouflaged in a morestandard manner with 62 on upperand side surfaces and 65 on lowersu rfaces.

It should be noted that the coloridentifier, GrUngrau 63, was addedonly to paint identification numberswhere such paint was destined for

final external finish, i.e., camouflage.Where the same GrUngrau coloringwas used as pigment for internallyapplied paints, the official color des­ignation became RLM Grau 02.

It should be remembered that duringthis time RLM color identificationnumbers below 60 were intended foreither internal or minor externalmarkings. The use of 61, 62 and 63as camouflage was relatively brief,being abolished for use on any typeof aircraft, other than bombers, inthe Spring of 1938.

The painting schedule for a typicalmixed construction fighter of theperiod was three coats of redprimer, two coats of 63 plus a spe­cial additive, one coat of plain 63,and finally a coat composed of five

A line up of Arado 68 F-O fighters in the officialcolor scheme of 63 overall with theBalkenkreuz markings introduced in mid-1936.Coloring on the engine cowling and fuselageconsisted of traditional colors bestowed to sixJagdgeschwadern. Lack of unit codes indicatethe aircraft are newly delivered.

Completed early in 1936, the third prototype ofthe Heinkel 112, He 112 V3, W.Nr. 1292, isshown here in its initial form with open cockpitand overall 63 color scheme. Small emblematop the fin is the Heinkel logo: a winged H.

16

The Arado aD V3, which was retained by Aradoas a flying test-bed, is seen here in typical 1937markings and coloring. Overall finish was 63with black 81 registration letters.

Hardly resembling the early prototypes of theseries, this particular machine is the muchrefined He 112 V12 which appeared in mid1939. Finished similarly to other prototypes ofthe series, it was overall 63 Green-Gray.

I

parts 63, two parts colorless water­proofi ng lacq uer and one part spe­cial additive. (LC/1 54-59.) Thewaterproofing lacquer, necessarybecause of the fabric surfaces of theperiod, produced a glossy finishwhich disappeared when metal-skinclad aircraft were introduced.

A military emblem, the Balkenkreuz,was introduced in the Spring 1936,and in June the Hakenkreuz markingsuperseded the black, white and redfin and rudder horizontal striping.Five part military codes, and forsome fighter units traditional color­ing, were added in the same month.Fighter codes, however, were re­scinded in July 1936 and replaced bynumerals and a system of symbols,(GAM 13-15, 18-21.)

Finally, mention mu'st be made ofone other permanent marking thatfrequently appeared on fighters ofthis period. On the rear section ofthe fuselage, usually only on theport side, a data block was stencil­led which listed basic informationabout the aircraft such as: name andaddress of the owner, the emptyweight, the payload, the maximumweight, maximum number of per­sons to be carried, including thecrew and the date of the last majorinspection. This information wasapplied in characters 25 mm tall in acolor contrasting with thebackground.

17

DAY FIGHTERS 1937-1940During the summer of 1937 with ten­sions on the rise in Europe, the newGerman Luftwaffe was still undergo­ing growth and !lot yet prepared forwar. In full ~ognition of this, a new

,passiver:nouflage system wasbeing introduced into the ranks ofthe fighter force. Two colors, used inunison over all uppersurfaces,began to appear o~ several aircrafttypes. The two new colors, BlackGreen 70 and Dark Green 71 (re­spectively: Schwarzgron and Dun-

. kelgrOn) were accompanied by LightBlue 65 (Hellblau) as the official un­dersurface camouflage color.

Civil registrations for military aircrafton delivery flights were rescinded inMarch 1938 and replaced by a fourletter registration applied at thepoint of manufacture. In August thered band and white disc backgroundto the Hakenkreuz were deleted, andsoon after, the four letter registra­tion markings (GAM 39-40.) Fightercodes and symbols were finallyrationalized just prior to the out­break of war, and fighter identifica­tion numeral size was officially set at6/10ths of the height of the fuselageBalkenkreuz. (GAM 45.)

The use of 63/02 as primary camou­flagewas finally discontinued in theautumn of 1938, but its potential asa camouflage color began to re­emerge a year later when field ex­periments were carried out byfighter units in France. It was then,however, referred to as 02 since theidentification numbers and descrip­tions 61, 62 and 63 had been discon­tinued.

18

The initial fighting in Poland pro­duced a field modification to theBalkenkreuz markings on Bf 109s,the size being radically increased.

During the 1939-40 winter, Bf 109sof JG 53 were recorded wearingupper surface camouflage of con­trasting colors. Field tests werebei ng carried out with varying com­binations of 70/02 and 71/02 andeven 70/71/02. The resulting camou­flage effects prod uced a disruptivepattern better suited for air to aircombat. The motivation behind thiscamouflage change clearly under­lined the successes of the Polishcampaign and the lack of initiativeby the British and French in particu­lar. This was reflected in an order torestrict camouflage for single­engined fighter aircraft to the ex­treme plan view, 65 coloring beingextended up the fuselage sides.

Implementation of this order hadbegun when fighting once morebroke out. By the conclusion of theFrench campaign, in May 1940, anofficial order had been issued to theaircraft industry simplifying the orig­inal upper surface splinter patternand repositioned ·the Hakenkreuzmarking on the fin area. In addition,those Jagdf]eschwadern 5 serving inFrance were to receive replacementaircraft camouflaged in the newlyapproved RLM scheme of 70/02/65.

Retrospectively supplies of 02 wereused to modify existing examples in71102/65. This variation is usually de­tectable by comparing the tonevalue of the propeller blades with

the darker camouflage color, 70being stipulated for metal propellersblades throughout the war years.

A further line of camouflage ex­perimentation and field tests wasbeing carried out with a new set ofcolors during this period, the pur­pose being to produce a pure air­to-air camouflage. The recent recov­ery of a Bfl09 C-l of 11 (N) ./JG 2from Norwegian waters, and a de­tailed examination by Herr WilliamBerge has determined that the air­craft was painted in the simplifiedpattern but using the colors 74/75/76. The aircraft was repainted overits existing 70/71/65 scheme duringthe unit's relatively brief stay atVaernes in May 1940. It sub­sequently ditched near Lindesnes onJune 2. Herr Berge's research hasalso located an eyewitness reportfrom the person who captured thepilot of a Bf 109E, when Red 14, of5./JG 77 made a forced landing atMandai (about 20 miles from Kris­tiansand) on April 11, 1940. Camou­flage colors were recorded as grays,and photographs of the machineshow clearly the very pale coloringtypical of 76 camouflaged side sur­faces.

5. Fighter Groups

Continued on p. 22

Top: A Bf 109 B-1 in regulation standard70/71/65 camouflage and markings,photographed in the early summer of 1937.Note cockpit interior was, at this time, RLMGray 02. Wing walk area is outlined in WineRed 28

70 Black-Green70 SchwarzgrOn

71 Dark Green71 DunkelgrOn

1'f.)I~C "'J)..}

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3, W.Nr. 1304, of I./JG 76 (later II./JG 54), isshown above in its original camouflage of 70/71/65. This Emil had thedistinction of being the first example captured by the Allies when itlanded behind French lines on November 22,1939. The RAF acquired iton May 2,1940, and by June 1940 its French insignia (shown below) wasreplaced by British markings and RAF number AE 479. On April 7, 1942,

it was shipped to the U.S.A., arriving at Wri~t Field on May 14, 1942.During the last half of 1944, it was located at AAF Depot Kearns, Utah,where it remained (as Class 26 Inactive Foreign Aircraft) up toSeptember 1945, thereafter failing to appear on Army Air Forceequipment rosters. Its ultimate fate is unknown.

19

20

This February 1937 factory camouflage pattern was also applicable to the Bf 109 C-1and D-1 series. Spinners were sometimes RLM 02, while metal propeller blades wereusually Color 70. Wooden Schwarz props fitted to early production Bf 109 B-1s, alongwith their spinners, were RLM 02. Some Bf 109 0-1s were produced with polishedmetal propeller blades having matt black rear surfaces. Main wheel hubs were black,while tail wheel hubs were unpainted.

Messerschmitt 8f 109 8·1

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

o

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3

The February 1937 factory camouflage scheme continued for the Sf 109 Emil series upto the early part of 1940. It was typical for early production Sf 109 E-1, E-2', E-3 fight­ers as well as Sf 109 E-O preproduction and test aircraft. Spinners and metal propellerblades were almost always Color 70, apart from early test aircraft which had polishedmetal prop blades. National insignia size, style and placement varied with respect tochanging directives.

'Sf 109 E-2 entered limited production and was only employed by II./JG 27.

21

In view of the official RLM order di­recting the introduction of a revisedcamouflage scheme of 70/02/65,specifically for fighter units engagedon the only active battle front, itseems probable that the 74/75/76scheme was still in its early teststages. Significantly, the two unitsidentified with these tests were bothoperating in an area well removedfrom the main battle front. The 70/02/65 scheme was introduced at thepoint of manufacture with the phas­ing in of the Bf 109 E-4 model in May1940. A further addition to the pro­duction paint scheme was the intro­duction of spray gun, soft-edgemottling in color 02 on the fuselagesides. This occurred circa August1940, reflecting the battle-dictatedfield modifications of the front lineunits.Despite an exhaustive search ofboth official intelligence reports,private notes and many contempor­ary photographs, not one singleconclusive example has been foundof a Bf 109E operating over Britainwearing an RLM camouflagescheme of 74/75/76 for this period.Grays certainly existed and wereused during the period of the day­Iig ht ai r war over Britain in 1940.Most, if not all, appear to have beenunit-mixed paints. Recorded de­scriptions are ambiguous enough tobe interpreted as identifying one ofthe two new grays, 74 or 75. The firstreports of grays appear during Au­gust 1940, but usually in conjunctionwith other known or hybrid colorsand obviously unit-applied. An JG 2veteran recalled mixing stocks of thestandard greens with 65. Black-Gray66 mixed with 65, produced a varietyof grays. However, the undiluted 66is probably the true identification ofthe black mottling sometimes re-

22

corded. The 66/65 mixture may alsoaccount for various references to adirty blue color quoted with variousgray applications.

More positive descriptions of twotone gray schemes appear in Sep­tember 1940. Again the reader iscautioned that such references as" ... cloudy gray on fuselage", " ...wings battleship gray", or " ... twoshades of gray on upper surfaces"or " ... gray dappled black" do notsubstantiate the use of an RLMscheme of 74/75/76. It is possiblethat small stocks of the new graycolors were made available, eithertogether or singly, to some front lineunits. However, the high attritionrate suffered by the fighter units andthe maintenance pressures onground staff during the period underdiscussion make it unlikely that timewas available to repaint entire air­craft. A point often overlooked isthat the Luftwaffe was operatingfrom former French military airfieldswhich, like any other military airfield,had stocks of aircraft camouflagepaints. In view of the foregoing itwould be totally misleading to inferthe use of an approved RLMcamouflage scheme of 74/75/76 byfighter aircraft of the front line unitsoperating over Britain during thisperiod.

The heavy fighters, Bf 11 Os, retainedtheir 70/71 upper surface camou­flaged with 65 restricted to the lowersurfaces. However, their role was tochange du ring the weeks of the bat­tle. The fi rst example of a revisedcamouflage scheme occurred in lateJuly 1940, when a Bf 110 was cap­tured wearing a 71/02/65 scheme. Ithad a raised demarcation line be­tween upper and lower colors and

heavy mottling on the side surfaces.Its photo-reconnaissance role mayaccount for its being camouflaged ina manner that was still compara­tively rare for the type and wouldremain so for some weeks to come.

The opening phase of the air battleover Britain was fought withoutfurther variation to fighter camou­flage and markings. Not until theheavy reversals of Aug ust 1940 didthe German fighter force begin arange of unit modifications tocamouflage and markings.

The rapid succession unit-modifiedcamouflage for the Bf 109s was in­troduced using a soft mottling instandard upper surface colors, thentemporary yellow (04) tactical mark­ings for wing tips and tailplane tipsand rudder, and lastly the enginecowlings. On August 30, 1940, theyellow was replaced by white, whichon the Bf 110 was confined to thenose section. Mottling became morevaried and extensive during thesame period. Most significantlythough was the adoption of unit­mixed camouflage colors in a widevariety of blues, blue-grays, grays,gray-greens, yellow-green andblue-greens. These were appliedover all upper and side surfaces,down to the original 1939 style lowerfuselage demarcation line. Addition­ally, the fuselage Balkenkreuz mark­ing was often modified to reduce thewhite area.

Top: A Sf 109 E-1 in the new offensive schemeintroduced during the early months of 1940,utilizes 70/71 on the uppermost decking of thefuselage, with 65 over the rest of the airframe.Top surfaces of the wings were still 70/71, butthe light blue undersurface color had extendedover the leading edges. Individual number wasin red outlined by a thin black line.

70 Black-Green70 SchwarzgrOn

02 RLM Gray02 RLM Grau

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

Top: Bf 109 E-4s at their point of manufacture. Nearest is W.Nr. 2782 in the revisedcolor scheme of 70/02/65, introduced with this model in May 1940. This particularaircraft was shot down over Biggin Hill on August 30,1940, while flying with III./JG2. It is the earliest known photographic evidence of mottling applied at the point ofmanufacture. Right: A propaganda photo showing the limited production He 100D-1s "in active service", finished in 70/71/65 during the spring of 1940. Below:Another propaganda photo from the same period shows the Bf 109 V11 and V12ostensibly being made ready for operational duties.

23

DAY FIGHTERS 1940~1944

The question of the introduction ofan RLM approved camouflagescheme incorporating the new col­ors 74, 75, and 76, remains enigma­tic for this period. Contemporaryphotographs of Bf 109Es show awide range of camouflage schemes,many clearly being the hybridschemes of the previous autumn. JG54's use of grays extended even tothe upper surfaces of the wings.They used a combination of the twolow contrast grays 74 and 75,coupled with a high contrast colorthat may have been 65. From thisevidence alone, and in the absenceof confirmatory RLM documenta­tion, it appears that stocks of thenew paints were available at unitlevel.

The first Bf 109 F-2s ach'leved opera­tional status with JG 2 in March1941. The few photographs extantshow a low contrast camouflageconsistent with 74 and 75, plus aheavy overspray of one or both col­ors taken down the fuselage sides tothe lowest point. This appears to beunit-applied as there is little evi­dence of consistency of applicationbetween various aircraft. The first ofthe new Fw 190 A-1s, which enteredserv,ice with JG 26 in June 1941, alsoshowed a consistency of camouf­lage in low contrast colors but withfar less mottling on their fuselageside surfaces. An RLM order, datedJune 24, 1941, is believed to haveratified the changeover to an officialRLM camouflage scheme incor­porating the new colors 74, 75 and76 in conjunction with 65. By August

24

15,1941, Messerschmitt had setforth its new painting chart for theBf 109 F calling for camouflage col­ors 74/75/76 with a fuselage mottleof 02/70/74. (See page 27) Althoughexceptions occu rred even after re­lease of th is chart, it remai ned theofficially prescribed painting docu­ment for the Bf 109 F. As the newBf109 G series appeared in March1942, it too was painted accordingto th is chart.

The reissue of L.Dv.521/1 and 2 inNovember 1941, incorporated allamendments that had occurredsince the 1938 issue. Upper surfacecamouflage of 74, 75 and 76 wasstipulated for all single-engined andtwin-engined fighter aircraft, butlower surface coloring was to re­main 65. The 74/75 combination wasconfined to the upper plan view with76 for fuselage side surfaces grad­ing into the 65 colored lower sur­faces. (GAM 83.) Additionally, allsingle-engined fighter aircraft leav­ing the point of manufacture were tohave their spinners painted in 70with one-third in White 21. Someskepticism exists regarding the va­lidity of the four color scheme of74/75/76/65 for fighters and Zer­storer 6 types. Page 5 of directiveL.Dv. 521/1 clearly states the camou­flage colors approved for all classesof aircraft, but in each instance therelevant lower surface color isomitted. However, the camouflagelisting is again repeated on page 29of this important document for allaircraft classes, this time with theaddition of lower surface coloring

data. The argument that 65 waslisted merely as an alternative for 76receives no substantiation anywherein this highly detailed and com­prehensive 52 page document.

As the most .skeptical of the criticshas pointed out, other thanL.Dv.521/1, no known factorycamouflage drawing or official di­rective has been located showingthe use of a 74/75/76/65 scheme. Thesame remark applies to thehypothesis of a 74/75/65 scheme, butwithout the support of a singledocu ment. However, the RLMdocument HM-Anweisung Nr. 7/42,dated May 18, 1942, refers in part toa simplified painting schedule forFw 190 aircraft, the colors beinglisted as 74/75/76. It was known thatthe four color scheme for the Fw 190was eventually discarded anddocument HM-Anweisung Nr. 7/42confirms this.

It is noteworthy that despite the off i­cia.! scheme of grays, some of theaircraft of the chan nel-based unitscontinued to display modificationsto thei r camouflage.

6. Heavy Fighters

Top: This well restored Bf 109 E-3/B, W.Nr.4101, is representative of the late 1940 period.This particular machine was acquired onNovember 27, 1940, when its pilot, LtWolfgang Teumer, made a forced landing atManston following combat with three Spitfire~.

74 Gray-Green74 GraugrUn

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

r-<>-------------------r----.,--'------~\

Camouflaged in the standard 74/75/76 colors this Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 carries a relatively dense mottle of 02/70/74. This particular machine,possibly of IV.lJG 51, is shown grounded in Russia. It carries the rarelyseen marking of the 4th 'Squadron, a narrow black cross outlined inwhite. The fuselage is also adorned with the yellow (Color 27) tacticaltheater band common to aircraft operating on the Eastern Front. The Bf

109 F-2 was powered by DB 601 N and armed with a 20 mm MG 151/20engine cannon augmented by two synchronized cowl 7.92 mm MG 17s.Faintly visible around the black 2 are traces of the factory call letterswhich were applied with temporary washable paint. Upon delivery to anoperational fighter unit, these call letters were usually removed.

25

Above: Hauptmann Diethelm v.Eichel-Streiber, Commander of I./JG 27,is shown flying escort in his Bf 109G-6/R6 during September 1944.Camouflaged in 74/75/76 with blackchevrons, this Gustav carries a 900 mmgreen RVT rear fuselage band. Both thespinner and prop were 70 overall, whilethe simplified fuselage cross is appliedover Gray-Green 74. Left: Hf 109 G-1sare shown here during the summer of1942 in 74/75/76, with a fuselage moilleof 02/70/74. Spinners have been paintedin three colors; 21/70/76. Alsonoteworthy are the two styles of wingcrosses indicating this was thetransition period encompassingsimplified national insignia. Below:Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Leesmann,Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 52, runsup his Bf 109 F-2, W.Nr. 8155, on theEastern Front during the summer of1941. Camouflage was 74/75/76 with theregulation triple fuselage moille. Therudder, cowl and undersurface of thewing tips were Yellow 27, while 22victory bars were applied to the fin.Obit. Leesmann was awarded theKnights Cross on July 23,1941.

26

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6

,;

Color 74Gray-Green

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76Light Blue

This August 15, 1941, factory camouflage pattern was established for the Bf 109F-series. Later it was approved for the Bf 109 G-series as the Oberflachenschutzliste 8Os 109 FuG. Although color separation on the wing uppersurfaces is usually shown bystraight demarcation lines, the actual directive states the separation edge betweencolors was to be ragged, with a depth of 199 mm (314 in). Fuselage mottle was com­posed of three colors: 02/70/74. Spinners were frequently Color 70 and metal propblades were always 70. However, as set forth in the directive, he spinners were paintedin three colors: 76/21/70. National markings varied according to directives. However,size and placement usually were consistent within a specific series. Dimensions were:Wing Top: 1000 mm; Wing Bottom: 900 mm; Fuselage: 900 mm; Swastika: 300 mm.

27

28

Top: A Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-1, VC-rOP,carrying the standard Zerstorer camouflageof 74/75/76 with a fuselage mottle of02/70/74. Middle Left: Serving with 5./SKG210, this Bf 110 C-4 conforms to the twogray uppersurface scheme, with Light Blue65 lower surfaces. An interesting deviationin the fuselage cross design features across with disproportionately wide centersrelative to the narrow white outline. Above:Two Bf 1100-1 s of III.IZG 26 in 74/75/76 onpatrol. Left: Another Bf 1100-3 of ZG 26shows well the fuselage mottle of 02/70/74The unit's emblem carries the initials ofHorst Wessel, a Storm Trooper martyred inthe 1930s.

Above: The promising Me 209 V5,SP+LJ, photographed late in 1943, iscamouflaged 74/75/76 with a densemottle of 02/70/74 along the fuselagesides and vertical tailplane. Note theyellow and white GM 1 powerboostmarking next to the fuselage cross.Both spinner and prop were 70. Right:A standard Me 210 A-1, VN +AT, W,Nr.182, is seen here during the summer of1942 wearing a Zerstorer camouflagescheme of 74/75/76 with a mottle of02/70/74 along the fuselage and verticaltail plane. Like the Bf 109 F and G, thespinners were often segmented inWhite and Black-Green. Below:Although the contrast appears slight inthis photograph taken during thesummer of 1942, camouflage colors onthe Me 309 V1 were 74/75/76 with02/70/74 softly mottled along thefuselage and vertical tailplane.Propeller and spinner wereBlack-Green 70.

29

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8

~==T(-:-tL~r--------j

30

This factory camouflage scheme was common to the Fw 190 A-1 through A-8 series aswell as various subtypes of the F and G-series produced up to mid 1944. Variationsexisted both in pattern and application. Fuselage mottle was usually Color 74 but oc­casionally employed a combination of Colors 02/74. Spinners and metal props wereusually Color 70 but were occasionally segmented by a '/3rd panel of Color 21. Al­though insignia style varied, size and placement did not vary significantly. Pitot tubetips were left in natural brass and wheel hubs were always black.

Color 74Gray-Green

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76Light Blue

Right: This Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-1/U1carries 74/75/76 camouflage with amottle of Gray-Green 74 along thefuselage and vertical tailplane. Thespinner was one-third White 21 andtwo-thirds Black-Green 70. VOMpropeller blades were also Black-Green70. The fuselage mottle, applied to mostFw 190s, was usually composed of twocolors, while the use of three colors, asfound on the contemporary Bf 109s,appears to have been somewhat rare.

Middle: Captured by U.S. Forces nearSt. Trend, this Fw 190 A-8, W. Nr. 681437, "White 11 ", of 5./JG 4, carries thedistinctive RVO tail bands of JG 4.Camouflage was standard grays onupper surfaces, with Light Blue 76 onlower portions. The pilot of thisparticular machine was GefreiterWagner who was taken prisoner.

/

Right: A derelict Fw 190 G-3 in standardcamouflage. Unlike Messerschmitt,Focke-Wulf persisted in using obsoletefuselage crosses which were generallyphased-out of service by the fighterforce in 1942. Such inconsistencymakes it difficult to date this particularaircraft. Continued use of the factorycall letters was more common amongaircraft attached to fighter-bomberunits.

31

DAY FIGHTERS 1944-1945The long awaited introduction of thenew colors 81 and 82 occurred offi­cially on July 1, 1944, the change­over to take place at the point ofmanufacture. (LC/3 95,96.) While thisorder did not immediately affectfighter aircraft, it was to do so by theend of the year when declining for­tunes pushed the Luftwaffe moreand more onto the defensive. Ofmore direct influence upon fightercamouflage was the order of Aug ust15, 1944, which withdrew from gen­eral use the colors 65,70,71 and 74.The use of four letter registrations atthe point of manufacture was alsoforbidden. In addition to the with­drawal of the four colors listedabove, this document also men­tioned a new color, 83, the wordingclearly indicating that this color wasalready known to production cen­ters. Unfortunately, the RLM failedto identify the nature of colors 81/82/83 either in descriptive terms orby color card standards. The earliestknown attempt to label these colorsoccurred late in November 1944,when the Dornier company definedboth 81 an<;l 82 as Dark Green. Threemonths later the Messerschmitt firmidentified these two colors asBrown-Violet and Light Green (re­spectively 81/82). In the absence ofadditional documents, one can onlyspeculate as to the official RLM de­scriptions for 81/82/83. As evidentfrom our many genuine samples,there existed considerable variationfor Color 81; these ranging fromDark Green to an Olive Brown­Violet. Color 82 is similarily difficult

32

to precisely define. Depending uponthe source, it could have been eitherDark Green or Light Green. Regret­tably, Color 83 remains an enigma.Not a single document recoveredspecifies its true color. Therefore,pending official documentation tothe contrary, we have provisionallyidentified 81 as Brown-Violet, 82 asDark Green and 83 as Light Green.These descriptions would be consis­tent with previous practices.

Additionally, many fighters used theolder camouflage colors with thenew. Thus we see the appearance of75 used in conjunction with 82 onmany of the Luftwaffe's late warfighters. Moreover, many aircraft re­ceived the new sky-greens in varyingcombinations.

During this period the national in­signia were also the subject of re­vised orders and the black edgingand interior of both the Balkenkreuzand Halkenkreuz markings wereeliminated. The darkest of the uppersurface camouflage colors was to beused for the center coloring of theBalkenkreuz marking. Some lateproduction Fw 190s exhibited baremetal centers to the fuselage Bal­kenkreuz marking. (LC/3 125.) Thispractice may be, in part, related tothe officially authorized experimenton a production test group of 50 Fw190s which were to be producedwithout any undersurface camou­flage. The intent was to save bothstrategic materials and man hours.Late in 1944 a fu rther order was is-

sued clearly aimed at conservingmaterials and labor. On Iy steel andwooden parts were to be painted onundersurfaces, all aluminum panelswere to be left bare. Compliancewith these regulations seems irregu­lar. Because of decentralization,many aircraft produced during thelast months of the war were oftenreported with widely differingcamouflage schemes on the sameairframe. On July 20, 1944, a com­prehensive order was issued relatingto all classes of aircraft operating inGermany, France and Italy. Specificreference was made to spinner col­oring on fighter aircraft. It was to beblack with a white spiral. (LC/3 129.)No precise date has been verified forthe introduction of officially ap­proved Reichsverteidigung mark­ings. They are known to have beenin use from December 1944. Initially,red was used as the Defense of theReich color as early as 1943. How­ever, an order dated February 20,1945, attempted to establish somedegree of order by assigning certaincolors to specific units. (LC/3 113.)These colorful tail bands were 900mm wide which could be split intotwo 450 mm or three 300 mm bandsdepending on the individual colorcombinations allocated.

Top: This restored Heinkel He 162 A-2, W.Nr.120227, originally was acquired at Leek.Although some exampies may have had theirjets adorned with the Staffel color, most didnot. Since the forward cowling was part of theengine and not the airframe, it was often leftnatural aluminum.

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

82 Dark Green82 Dunkelgrun

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

The Messerschmitt Sf 109 K-4, W.Nr. 334 176, "Yellow 1", ofUnteroffizier Martin Deskau while attached to 11./JG3 based at Pasewalkin April 1945. Camouflage colors, verified by Herr Deskau, werecomposed of the semidefensive camouflage scheme of 82/75 whileundersurfaces were 76. Although not well defined, the underwing crosswas unusual without its white trim elements. It was becoming common

practice to paint the last three digits of the serial number on both sidesof the rear fuselage. In this instance, Uffz. Deskau's machine carries thenumber 176 which is partly covered by a vertical bar denoting the 3rdGruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 (11./JG3). The light colored vertical stripenext to the rear fuselage tie-down aperture is not a unit marking butmerely a trestle locating point.

33

Above: A photo-reconn MesserschmittBf 109 G-10/R2, W.Nr. 770 269, "Black12" of 2./NAG 14. Camouflage wasessentially 74/75/76 with a dense mottleof 02 and 74. Prop blades andtwo-thirds of the spinner were 70 withone-third 21. A red cap, fitted over theaperture, indicated the engine-mountedweapon was not fitted. The MW 50powerboost fuel triangle was red andwhite with yellow trim. The rear yellowand white triangle identified thelocation of the engine fuel primer tank.Left: Photographed at Messerschmitt'sAugsburg plant in May 1945, this Bf 109G-14, W.Nr. 165545, carries aninteresting camouflage of Gray-Green74 and Gray-Violet 75 over Light Blue76. The significance of yellow tail bandsat this juncture in the war is unclear,but it is believed to have indicated thatthe aircraft operated on instruments.Below: The remains of a Bf 109 G-6,found by U.S. troops followingdemolition by retreating Luftwaffepersonnel. Compare this fighter trainerwith the one at the bottom of page 43.

34

Brown-VioletField applied color

74 Gray-Green74 GraugrOn

81 Brown-Violet81 Brunviolett

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

82 Dark Green82 DunkelgrOn

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

GraySee p. 43

35

Above: Meticulous examination andrecording techniques employed by theexperts at Silver Hill, Maryland,guaranteed precise recreation of allcamouflage and markings of this Me262 A-1a/R, W.Nr. 500491, of 11./JG 7.Left: Do 335 A-02, W.Nr. 240 102,VG+PH, in' its original uppersurfacecamouflage of dark and light green.The lower surfaces were finished inColor 76, while both propellers andspinners were Black Green 70. Thesecolors were established conclusively atSilver Hill prior to the aircraft beingreturned to Dornier for restoration.Below: Camouflaged in Dark Olive 81and Dark Green 71 (in lieu of 81/82)uppersurfaces, with lower surfaces in76 except for the gear doors andunderwing areas (these being in 65).This He 162 A-2, W.Nr. 120230 (Britishswapped original tailplane for that from120222), is an excellent example ofcamouflage being applied to variousparts of the aircraft. This machine,formerly of 1./JG 1, awaits restoration atSilver Hill. At least two confirmedvictories were scored by the He 162during the closing weeks of the war.

36

81 Brown-Violet81 Brunviolett

81 Dark Green81 Dunkelgrun

81 Brown-Violet81 Brunviolett

82 Light Green82 Hellgrun

82 Dark Green82 Dunkelgrun

82 Dark Green82 Dunkelgrun

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

37

-----~--------------

Above: Photographed at FOrth, thisFocke-Wulf Fw 190 0-9, W.Nr. 500 571,"Black 12" belonged to the 2nd Gruppeof an unknown fighter group. Uppersurface of the cowl was 82. Theremainder of the fuselage waspredomi nantly 75. Lower portions ofthe cowling, fuselage and wing,including the landing gear covers, arepainted in a color similar to the "SkyGreen" found on page 41Uppersurfaces of the wings wereundoubtedly 82/75. Note the Light Blue65 rudder with a mottle of 75. Left: Thisview of the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 C-O/Rll,W.Nr. 110007, CI +XM, shows themachine to be camouflaged inaccordance with directives dictatingsimplified markings. Uppersurfaceswere a combination of 82/75 with 76 onall lower surfaces. Below: Formerlyattached to Stab/JG 301, this Ta 152H-l, "Green 4", displays camouflageconsistent with the Fw 190 0-9 above,except for the undersurfaces whichwere uniformly 76. Visible beneath thethin layer of British paint is theyellow-red RVO tail band adopted by JG301.

38

Color 82Dark Green

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76Light Blue

This factory camouflage scheme was common to most production versions of the Doraseries. Some early production examples were delivered with fuselage uppersurfacessolid Color 75. Wing uppersurfaces also could have been solid 75 or a combination of75 and 02. Fuselage mottle was Color 82 and/or 75. Frequently spinners were Color 70,although many were delivered with the Color 21/22 spiral motif. Wooden propellerblades were usually Color 71, but some were Dark Blue-Gray. Although the black orwhite fuselage cross size was reduced in 1945, wing and rudder national insignia re­main fairly consistent. With the introduction of the new late-war colors in 1944, specificparts of the airframe were camouflaged prior to final assembly. This resulted in somecamouflage schemes being quite different from those aircraft camouflage after assem­bly.

39

Above: Newly completed Focke-WulfFw 190 A-9s at Ago's Oscherslebenfacility. The entire uppersurfaces werepainted Gray-Violet 75 with fuselageundersurfaces and side portions inLight Blue 76. A soft mottle ofBrown-Violet 81 and Dark Green 82 wascarried along the length of the fuselage.Like the Fw 190 0-9 shown at the top ofpage 38, the rudders were Light Blue 65mottled with 75. Note that the color ofthe undercarriage covers (andpresumably the wing undersurface) isnearly identical to the "Sky Gray"shown on page 41. Left: Althoughcamouflage of this Fw 190 A-9, "Red 5",is similar to the ones above, thefuselage sides appear to be RLM Gray02. Bottom: A high magnificationphotographic blow-up reveals a nearperfect Fw 1900-9 (right) onceoperated by the 2nd Squadron'sTechnical Officer. Uppersurface are82/75/76 with a mottle of 82. Althoughnot distinct in this blow-up, the remainsof a Sf 109 K-4 may be seen to thelower left undeniably camouflaged incolors 75/82/76 with a narrow yellow tailband.

40

During the last months of the war,the Luftwaffe began to employ anew series of sky colors. The sam­ples shown below (plus the one onpage 69) are representative. The air­craft from which these samples wereobtained varied, but all were opera­tional during the last months of thewar. Some sources dismiss thesecolors as oxidized or chemically al­tered Light Blue 65 or 76. Thoroughanalysis of our genuine samplesconclusively rules this explanation

Gray-BlueGraublau

invalid. Could these colors havebeen local mixes applied by dis­persed factory personnel? The pos­sibility exists, but the frequency withwhich the colors have been re­corded would rule against this ex­planation. Therefore, pending offi­cial confirmation, we are left withthe conclusion that these so-calledsky colors were quite intentionallyemployed by the industry and werequite distinct from previous under­su rface colors.

Green-BlueGrunblau

Brig. General George C. McDonald poses nextto a Fw 190 0-9 once operated by JG 26's 2ndGruppe staff flight (Stab II./JG 26). Barelyvisible to the extreme right is the horizontal barused in conjunction with a chevron to denotethe Geschwader 1A staff element. Both the barand chevron were applied ahead of thefuselage cross, while the bar aft of the crossindicated the 2nd Gruppe. The black and whiteRVD tail band has been unusually detailed with c

additional trim. Camouflage was, in allprobability, 82/75/76 with a fuselage mottle of82.

Gray-BlueGraublau

41

Above: This Me 262 A-1 a, W.Nr. 501232, "Yellow 5" is believed to havebeen operated by 3./ISS 1 (IndustrieSchutz Schwarm 1), a factoryprotection unit based at Lechfeld.Camouflage was consistent with otherMe 262s but the checkered tail bands(almost certainly in Blue 24 and Green25) are unusual. Left: Almost all of theHeinkel He 162 A-2s produced byHeinkel-Nord Marienehe, haddistinctive red arrows painted towardtheir noses like W.Nr. 120028, "White3", shown here. Below: The seventhpreproduction Dornier Do 335 A-O,W.Nr. 240 107, is shown here followingcompletion. This machine, and otherslike it, were camouflaged Dark Greenand Light Green on all uppersurfaceswith Light Blue lowersurfaces. Spinnersand propellers were Black-Green. Allmarkings were of the simplified outlinevariety except for the underwingcrosses.

42

The two color photos to the right show the rudderof Maj. Friedrich-Karl Muller's Bf 109 G-l O. MajorMuller was commander of I./NJG 11 fromNovember 1944 until the end of the war. Heaccumulated a total of 30 night victories flyingsingle engine fighters. The fully defensive colors ofBrown-Violet 81 and Dark Green 82 wereemployed with a lower color similar to RLM 02(See p. 35). The Bf 109 K-4, shown above, displaysa pattern almost identical to Maj. Muller's aircraft.Yet because of the relatively high contrast of thetwo colors, it is almost certain that the colors were75/82/76. Another example of the semidefensivecolors is the Bf 109 G-l0 flown by Uffz. Karl Mullerof 6./JG 77 shown to the left. The fully defensivescheme is again evident in the photograph below.Destroyed by retreating German personnel, this Bf109 G-6 clearly shows an upper surfacecamouflage of Brown-Violet and Dark Green withLight Blue lower surfaces. The three digit number,479, indicates that this aircraft was employed by aschool for final operational flight training.Compare the color of these numbers with the Redon page 69.

43

44

This November 1944 factory camouflage scheme is depicted as applied to the A-series.This scheme is inconsistent with RLM directives with respect to the undersurfacecolor: Color 65. Light Blue 65 was authorized only until existing stocks wereexhausted. Thereafter Color 76 was to be used. Both uppersurface colors were iden­tified by Dornier as Dark Green, yet the sale surviving Do 335, thoroughly examinedprior to restoration, carried Dark Green and Light Green with Light Blue 76 lower sur­faces. This ambiguity cannot be fully explained. However, it must be assumed thateither the Dornier company revised its designation of Color 82 from Dark Green to·Light Green, or the RLM amended its description of Color 82. In its current form, fol­lowing complete restoratior., colors similar to Brown-Violet and Light Green have beenapplied.

Dornier Do 335 A-1Pfeil/Arrow

Color 81Oark Green

Color 82Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Color 70Black-Green

Color 81

Color 82

Heinkel He 162 A-2Spatz/Sparrow

This January 18, 1945, factory camouflage'scheme called for the He 162 to be paintedin parts. Color descriptions were not given and the undersurface color was un­specified. Captured examples suggest occasional compliance, but the majority pro­duced during 1945 were either overall Dark or Light Green or combinations of theseapplied to parts of the airframe. Undersurfaces were usually Color 76, although 65 wasfrequently used underwing and on landing gear doors. Additionally, many were com­pleted without any protective camouflage to their fuselage lower surfaces, while othersemployed combinations of 71 with 81 or 70 with 82. Forward cowl rings of the BMWengine were quite frequently left natural aluminum, since these components were partof the engine and not the airframe.

45

Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1 aBlitzbomber/Lightning Bomber

(from 17 June 1944 to 26 November 1944)

o

This factory devised camouflage scheme using grays was relatively short lived. It wasconfined to early production models of the Me 262 A-1a including most of the earlyprototypes. Aircraft with serial numbers close to 110 604 were, in all probability,painted in grays. Size and placement of the national insignia did not vary considerably,but the styles employed changed according to directives. Dimensions were: Wing Top:630 mm; Wing Bottom: 800 mm; Fuselage: 800 mm; Swastika: 430 mm.

Color 74Gray-Green

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76Light Blue

46

o

Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1aSturmvogel/Stormbird(from 26 November 1944)

Color 81Brown-Violet

Color 82Light Green

Color 76Light Blue

This February 23, 1945, factory camouflage pattern is depicted as applied to the Me262 A-1a series. Numerous variations occurred including irregular wing uppersurfacedemarcation lines, a solid single color over all uppersur1aces, and mottling variationsto the vertical tail assembly. Apart from the wooden gear doors, metal RATO panel andjet engines which were painted Color 76, undersurfaces were to be left unpainted. Inspite of this directive, most aircraft routinely were camouflaged Color 76 on all under­surfaces. Some examples carried light gray (see p. 143) fuselage sides and vertical tailassemblies. Undersurface areas of the fuselage and wing were sometimes initiallypainted light gray over which various stencil data was applied. All undersurfaces werethen sprayed Light Blue 76 excepting the stencil data which was carefully avoided.Wing crosses are shown in their common positions. However, official specificationscalled for their alignment to be parallel to the line of flight. Dimensions were Wing Top:630 mm, Wing Bottom: 800 mm (810 mm NASM 262), Fuselage: 800 mm, Swastika: 430mm.

47

ROCKET INTERCEPTORS

Top: Me 163 B-la, W.Nr. 191916, "Yellow 26", beautifully restored in Canada and bearing thecrest of Baron MOnchhausen astride a cannon ball. This insignia was frequently used by Kometsof l./JG 400. Above: The next step in rocket interceptors would have been the Me 263. The Me 263Vl, W.Nr. 381001, DV+PA, shown above was undoubtedly camouflaged in colors 81/82/76. Inkeeping with directives, upper surface colors were separated by parts of the aircraft rather than byareas.

The only rocket interceptor to reachproduction status and to becomeoperational was the famous Me 163Komel. Although relatively fewmachines were produced, theyexhibited a variety of finishes. Theseare given below. Unless otherwisestated, upper and lower surface de­marcation terminated at the horizon­tal center line of the fuselage.

a) 74/75 segmented pattern onwings and fuselage including finand rudder. Lower surfaces 76.

b) 02 overall with large, soft-edgedpatches of 83 over all the fuse­lage including fin and rudder.Wing upper surfaces in 81/82

c) 74/75 on wings and fuselage with76 lower surfaces. Mottling onthe forward fuselage in 74 and 02with soft-edged ripple pattern of74 on the 76 colored vertical tailsurfaces.

d) 81/82 on wings and upper fuse­lage with 74 and 75 sprayed inlarge mottles over the vertical tailsurfaces and lower fuselage for­ward and aft of the wings.

e) 81/82 on wings and fuselage with76 colored fin, rudder and lowersurfaces. 82 faintly sprayed inlarge soft-edged patches on thefin and rudder.

Like most prototypes and prepro­duction aircraft, the Me 163A serieswas painted in 02 overall, a colorthat was initially carried over to veryearly deliveries of the B series.

48

The Bachem Ba 349 also achievedservice status, albeit in extremelylimited numbers. It was never usedoperationally.so far as is known.Early test program machines werefinished in 05 overall or given afurther coat of plain 02. The lastphase of testing was done using arudimentary form of camouflage. 75coloring was brush applied in ascribble pattern over a base color of76. Bottom fuselage surfaces, fromwing trailing edge to nose cone tip,were divided in half along the air­craft center line and painted 22 toport and 21 to starboard.

The operational Natter (Adder), asthe Ba 349 was known, is thought tohave been camouflaged in Gray­Violet 75 on all surfaces with an op­tional random mottle of Light Blue76 overall. Apart from prototype des­ignation numbers painted on thewings of test machines, no othermarkings were applied. In keepingwith the aircraft's role as a pilotedmissile, no nationality markingswere applied. The example broughtto the U.S.A. after the war and exhib­ited at various functions beforebeing returned to the National Airand Space Museum's Silver Hillfacility, was given spurious markingsand camouflage by U.S. authorities.

81 Brown-Violet81 Braunviolett

74 Gray-Green74 GraugrUn

82 Dark Green82 DunkelgrUn

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

76 Light Blau76 Lichtblau

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

This English restoration of a Me 163 B-1 a, W.Nr. 191 904, carries thecrest of 2.1JG 400 on its nose. Both the Canadian and Englishrestorations were based on actual Komet camouflage colors. Bothschemes, although highly attractive, are incorrect in several respects.

The fuselage Balkenkreuz of the machine below, for example, is in thewrong proportions, while the vertical tailplane mottle of the CanadianKomet is a little too heavy.

49

Above: Photographed in Britain afterthe war, this Komet carries a mix ofGerman and RAF colors. Uppersurfacesof the wings, and undersurfaces havebeen repainted, leaving only the rudderand fuselage top in originalcamouflage, probably 81/82/76. Left:Two Komets with either 13. or 14.Statte/n. The two training units carrieddistinctive unit crests. The machine tothe right is noteworthy on two points.First, it is unusual in not having a nosegenerator propeller; and second, theshape of the side window is quitedifferent from most production Komets.Both of these aircraft subsequentlywere brought to the U.S.

Bottom: This Me 163 B-1a, W.Nr. 191301, is currently on limited display atthe Silver Hill facility operated by theNASM. Shown here followingreassembly at Freeman Field, Indiana, itis still in its original camouflagebelieved to be nearly identical to theAustralian Komet shown in color to theright.

50

Until recently, this Kamel, stored at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia, wasthe last example still in its original wartime camouflage shown here.Bearing W.Nr. 191907, this Me 163 B-1a was camouflaged in colorsBrown-Violet 81, Dark Green 82 and Light Blue 76. The effect ofsoft-spraying various densities of the 81 and 82 coloring is well depictedin these two photographs. The reddish-brown patches are standardprimer (see p. 143). The semigloss finish, visible where the light catchescurvatures of the airframe, is produced by a sealing coat of colorless

lacquer, a not uncommon feature of Luftwaffe high speed aircraft CDf. thelate war period. Note the unusual use of the older style upper wing crosson this Kamel as well as on W.Nr. 191 301 shown on page 50 Bottom.

51

Messerschmitt Me 163 8-1aKomet/Comet

This factory camouflage scheme was evolved for the Me 163 8-1 using the late-warcolors 81/82/76. The fuselage and vertical tailplane were usually mottled with 81 and/or82. However, some examples were delivered with solid color fin/rudder assemblies.Still others had only their vertical tailplanes mottled, the fuselage being painted in solidcamouflage colors. National markings for the wings were often of the older style, whilefuselage and fin insignia were usually the simplified outline variety.

52

Color 81Brown-Violet

Color 82Dark Green

Color 76Light Blue

05 Cream05 Lasur

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

Right: The Bachem Ba 349 M23 is being readied for the first piloted flight onFebruary 28, 1945. Camouflage coloring consisted of Light Blue 76 over alluppersurfaces with a dense mottle of Gray-Violet 75. Undersurfaces wereBlack and White 21 which were divided longitudinally. Prototype numbersapplied to the wings were also in black. Above and Below: Found near 51.Leonhard, Austria, these newly completed" NaIlers" lack wood sealants orcamouflage. The application of national insignia was forbidden on allexpendable aircraft, including the Ba 349.

53

NIGHT FIGHTERSInitially camouflage was a standardday fighter scheme of 70/71/65 plusa special code. The letter N wasapplied to the left of the fuselageBalkenkreuz marking with an iden­tifying number to the right.

Not until the winter of 1940/41 didany known variation to camouflagetake place. All black upper and sidesurfaces were introduced on Bf110s. Lower su rfaces remained in 65and were overpainted with blackwhen required. Possibly temporary,Black 7120.22 was used initially butthis would have been superseded bythe permanent Black 7124.22 andpermanent Light Blue 7125.65 allow­ing rapid change from night to dayduties. (GAM 78, 84, 85.) Thisscheme had a very lim ited life andby March 1941 an overall blackscheme had been adopted. The Ncode also had been replaced bystandard coding in Light Gray 77.

Interestingly, the November 1941reissue of L.Dv. 521/1 made nospecific reference to night fightercamouflage schemes, although theall black scheme continued untilearly 1943 in some instances. Pre­cise dating is not possible at presentbut a major changeover to a revisedscheme of 76 overall with 75 mot­tling over the plan view area tookplace in late 1942/early 1943. (LC/3108.)

The last of the new breed of nightfighters to enter service, the He 219,

54

used the same general two-colorscheme. The mottling, however, wasdone in hundreds of small spotsclosely spaced, a scheme also seenon some late production Ju 88 nightfighters. Very late production Bf110s also displayed a fu rther varia­tion, the 75 coloring being appliedas a solid application over the strictplan view of the aircraft.

Black, a color not used for night in­terception duties since early theprevious year, reappeared in 1944on early He 219s, some Bf 11 Os and,occasionally, Ju 88s. Its use was re­stricted to the starboard wing lowersurface and usually did not includeengine lower surfaces projectingbeyond the wing edges. The Balken­kreuz marking was left unpainted,the white areas contrasting mar­kedly with the black background. In­troduced around April 1944, it wasreputedly an identification aid forflak and searchlight crews defend­ing metropolitan areas. Interestinglyappearance of this scheme coin­cided with the diversion of the RAFheavy bombing force to softening upraids against French targets prior tothe invasion of Europe. Bombing ofGerman targets fell almost exclu­sively to the twin-engined Mosquitosof the Light Night Striking Force es­corted by Mosquito night fighters.The final stages of night fighter in­terceptions were done visually andthe use of an illusionary effect of asingle-winged aircraft would havebeen a very positive form of identifi­cation. The night sky was rarely

pitch black.

l-ate war greens also made their ap­pearance on some night fighters.More specifically two of the few Me262 B-1a/U1 aircraft used by 10./NJG11 during the closing weeks of thewar survived (W.Nr. 110305 "Red 8"and W.Nr. 111980 "Red 12"). Thefuselage and undersurfaces origi­nally were finished in the uniden­tified grayish-green over which alltop and side surfaces were given adense mottle of 81 and 83, while theupper surfaces of the wings andtailplane were finished in a solid ap­plication of 83. The tops of the en­gine nacelles, forward of the wings,were painted a very dark green, un­doubtedly 82. Undersurfaces and thesides of the engine nacelles wereoverpainted with a black lacquerand not the old matt temporary dis­temper. (It is possible that this was7124.22). The neat stencilling overthe black undersurface areas andthe similarity in mottling betweenthe two aircraft indicate that thecamouflage scheme was applied atthe point of manufacture rather thanin the field.

Top: A Messerschmitt Sf 110 G-4 once withNJG 5. Painting the underside of the right wingblack distinguished the aircraft to flak crews.Uppersurfaces and unit code were 75, whileunderside of the port wing and fuselage sideswere 76.

22 Black22 Schwarz

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

77 Light Gray77 Hellgrau

Another splendid RAF restoration is this Junkers Ju 88 R-1, W.Nr. 360043, which once flew with 10./NJG 3 as D5+EV. Camouflage was 70/71with 65 lower surfaces. Note the "England Blitz" emblem common tomany night fighters.

70 Black-Green70 SchwarzgrUn

71 Dark Green71 DunkelgrUn

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

55

Above: Two Bf 110 G-4s found abandoned at St. Dizier du ring August1944. The machine in the foreground, C9+AK, of 2./NJG 5, has beenrepainted prior to its forced landing. The code letter A is red outlined in .black. Camouflage of both machines appears to be 75/76.

Below: Camouflaged overall Light Blue 76 with Gray-Violet 75uppersurfaces, this Bf 110 G-4, A.Nr. 160128, G9+HT was operationalwith 9./NJG 1. Captured at Fritzlar in early April 1945, this machine wasequipped with 300 Liter drop tanks.

56

Above: The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 V1, W.Nr. 0001, TE+FE, Kurt Tank'splywood night fighter, is shown here in mid-1943. The camouflage isreputed to have been 02/74/76. Generally, colors 74 and 75 would havebeen of much lower contrast than we see in this view. Lower:Camouflage for the seventh prototype, the Ta 154 V7, W.Nr. 0007,TE+FK, had been refined to the scheme adopted for full productionmachines. They employed a base of Light Blue 76, with upper surfacescovered by a random application of Gray-Violet 75 spots. Spinners wereBlack-Green 70, while the wooden Junkers VS 11 prop blades were Dark

. Green 71.

57

Above: This Junkers Ju 88 G-1, W,Nr.714811, PW+BC, photographed in May1945 at Bad Abling, carries Light Blue76 as a base color with Gray-Violet 75mottle over uppersurfaces, It issomewhat unusual that the factorycall-letters have not been removed ormodified by a unit code, Left: AnotherJu 88 G-1, D9+NL, of 3./NJG 7 based atVaerlose, Denmark, Camouflage isLight Blue 76 overall with a soft mottleof Light Green 83, Underside of thefuselage is Biack 22 and the individualletter "N" was in yellow, Below: This Ju88 G-6, W7 +IH, formerly operated by1./NJG 100, is shown here withimprovised American markings on thefin and fuselage, The pilot had justarrived at Lechfeld on May 7, 1945,following a flight from Czechoslovakia,Camouflage consisted of Light Green83 and Olive Green 81 uppersurfaces,with Light Blue 76 lower surfaces, Notethe FuG 218 Neptun VIR with combinedAI tail radar antennae,

58

22 Black22 Schwarz

83 Light Green83 Lichtgrun

81 Brown-Violet81 Brunviolett

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

83 Light Green83 Lichtgrun

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

22 Black22 Schwarz

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

59

Three camouflage schemes were employed by the Dornler Do 217Nseries. Left: Banking steeply, this Do 217 N-1 is entirely black withsimplified white outline crosses, a pattern closely followed by the earlierDo 217 J-2 night fighters. Following the decision to abandon the allblack camouflage, night fighters switched to a variety of schemesusualiy evolved by the manufacturer and approved by the RLM. Lowerright middle: The second scheme employed is illustrated by the Do 217N-1, GG+YG. Uppersurfaces were segmented into distinct patterns ofGray-Green 74 and Gray-Violet 75, with undersurfaces of Light Blue 76.The fuselage and engine sides were mottled in patches of 74/75.Spinners and props were the usual Black-Green 70. All nationalmarkings were of the outline type except for the underwing cross whichwas of the older style. Immediately below: Although of poor quality, thisview of a Do 217 N-1 is interesting insofar as the fuselage cross isconcerned, it being of the style formerly reserved for upper wingpositions. Camouflage appears to be generally consistent with the74/75/76 scheme. Bottom: A newly completed Do 217 N-2, PE+AW,carries a camouflage of Light Blue 76 overall with an interlockingpattern of Gray-Vioiet 75 over all top surfaces inclUding the inboardsides of the vertical tail planes. This, the third pattern, was principallyemployed by the improved Do 217 N-2 series.

-

60

Dornier Do 217 N-1

Color 74Gray-Green

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76/02Light Blue orRLM Gray

Color 70Black-Green

This February 1943 factory camouflage scheme assigned to the Do 217 N-1 specified asplinter pattern of Colors 74/75 over all uppersurfaces. Metal propellers and their spin­ners were Color 70, while the entire undersurface was Color 76 or, alternatively, 02.The fuselage sides, engine nacells, and vertical tailplanes received an alternating pat­tern in 74 and 75 spots. Later, this scheme was simplified to restrict the entire upper­surfaces including the vertical tailplane to only Color 75, while the lower surfaces andfuselage sides were solid 76. The fuselage Balkenkreuz was similar in style to those onthe wing uppersurfaces.

61

Left: The Heinkel He 219 V3, VG+LW,which flew in late December 1942, isshown here during evaluation early in1943. Overall finish was Black 22 withregistration code letters in Gray 77.Middle Left: Photographed in August1945, this He 219 A-7, W.Nr. 310 189,formerly D5+CL of 3rd Staffel, I./NJG 3,was camouflaged Light Blue 76 overallincluding the spinners, with a soft-edgemottle of Gray-Violet 75 over all topsurfaces. The small "VI" near the footstep beneath the canopy indicates thatthe aircraft was fitted with FuG 220dradar with Streuwelle VI (dispersalwaveband). Aircraft code letters,D5+CL were most likely Gray-Violetwith the exception of "C" which wasyellow. Lower: Another He 219 A-7,W.Nr. 190176, is shown here followingcapture by Col. Watson's special groupat Lechfeld, June 1945. Note this "Uhu"has been victimized and is lacking thelower radar antenna elements andforward windscreen. Minor camouflagevariations appear even within the He219's approved scheme. Note that thisexample's props and spinners weresolid Black-Green 70. The placement ofthe serial number is aJso noteworthy.

62

Color 75Gray-Violet

Color 76Light Blue

Heinkel He 219 A-7Uhu/Owl

This official factory camouflage pattern for the He 219A called for the entire airframe tobe painted Color 76, with a spotted mottle of 75 over all upper surfaces including thevertical tail plane. Spinners and metal propellers received ttie usual Color 70, but someexamples were delivered with spinners in Color 76. Still other He 219s were camouf­laged overall Color 22 with a mottle of 02 and 75. National markings were almost al­ways the specified late-war outline variety.

63

Design and development of the Ju 388 J-1 was tied to the mistaken belief thatthe Allies soon were to introduce over the Reich high altitude night bomberssuch as the anticipated B-29. Fitted with a pressurized cockpit andturbosuperscharged engines, the Ju 388 J-1fV2, W.Nr. 500002, PE+IB, shownabove, was completed in early 1944, camouflaged in colors 70/71/65. Spinnersand props were Black-Green 70. Fitted with FuG 220 radar and only mockups ofthe projected weapons, it was extensively tested at Rechlin. When it becameobvious that the B-29s were not to be deployed in Europe, the role of the Ju 388J shifted to low level operations.

Left: The second J-series prototype to be completed, the Ju 388 J-1fV4, PE+ID,is shown in this photo camouflaged RLM Gray 02 overall.

Below: The final J-series prototype, the Ju 388 J-1fV5, PE+IE, is shown herefollowing a landing gear collapse on July 31,1944. Camouflaged 70/71/65, andcarrying typical insignia for the type, the aircraft proved disappointing. Thetroublesome BMW 801 TJ engines were never developed to a reliable state andeven though production was planned during January 1945 the program wascanceled in February.

64

-'

Above: Lacking its rudder, this Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a/U1, W.Nr.110 635, "Red 10" shown here at Dizier was one of the two-seat nightfighters acquired by Col. Watson's crew at the close of the war.Although carrying RAF roundels and fin flash, the rear fuselage bearsthe inscription "USA 1". Most of the two-seat conversions were carriedout by Blohm & Voss and their camouflage was fairly consistent fromone aircraft to another, being Light Blue 76 over top surfaces with amottle of Gray-Violet 75. Red 1a's wing uppersurface was similar to thefuselage mottle, this being applied in a random pattern of serpentineGray-Violet lines. The simplified black outline cross was applied to thefuselage and upper wing surfaces. The fin carried a simple solid black

swastika which clearly had been stencil-applied, the four central armsand the outer arms being fractured. Undersides were finished in Black22 with white outline simplified ,crosses.

Below: This Me 262 B-1 a/U1, W.Nr. 110 306, like the aircraft above, wasformerly employed by 10.lNJG 11. Photographed at Scheleswig, andbearing the inscription "USA 2", this particular aircraft became FE-610upon arrival in the United States. CamOUflage and markings were similarto "Red 10" apart from the upper surfaces of the wings and horizontaltail plane which were solid Gray-Violet 75.

65

CLOSE-SUPPORTPrewar the only specific type de­signed for close support dutieswhich was in operational use wasthe Hs 123. It used standard bombercamouflage of the period, 61/62/63/65. Later, most Hs 123s were even­tually camouflaged in 70/71/65.

The Hs 129 proved it could performwell in Russia. In this theater it ex­celled while camouflaged in 70/71/65. Operations undertaken in NorthAfrica were less satisfactory wherethe majority of Henschels werecamouflaged in the desert colors of78/79/80.

Some lesser known types were toeventually find themselves drawninto this role. Amongst the lesserknown adaptations was the Bf 110.After its apparent failure as a heavyfighter in the air battles of 1940,production was initially allowed todecline and many of the existing Bf110s were diverted to other rolesranging from fast bomber to glidertug. A few also served with theStu.kageschwadern, but their useappears to have been limited in bothnumbers and duration.

In late December 1942 a specialnight ground attack force (whoseindividual units were initially titledSt6r.kampfstaffeln 7 but were laterexpanded into Nachtschlachtgrup­pen 8 ) was formed for use on theEastern front. Limited to night oper­ations, the force was composed ofobsolete aircraft types, i.e., Ar 66s,Go 145s, He 45s and He 50s.

The first of the Stor.kampfstaffeln

66

were initially equipped rather hur­riedly with aircraft from second lineunits, often retaining their equallyobsolete camouflage schemes.Some of the He 46Fs were still inthei r prewar 61/62/63/65 camouflage.Little was done to them other thanto repaint the lower and fuselageside surfaces in permanent black7124.22. The vertical tail surfaceswere either treated similarily oroversprayed with elongated mottlingin either of the two Greens 70 or 71.Later batches of aircraft appear tohave been processed through a re­furbishing center where standardcamouflage in 70/71/22 was appliedin uniform manner.

A fuselage identification symbol, ablack equilateral triangle, had beenintroduced in August 1940 for thoseunits with the specific SchlachtGeschwader designation. On Oc­tober 5, 1943, an order was issuedamalgamating all ground attack,dive bomber and fast bomber unitsinto a single ground attack force.From this date onwards the triangleemblem officially ceased to exist.(GAM 135.)

For winter operations all upper sur­faces were recamouflaged with tem­porary White 7126.21. This paint wasa vast improvement on the originaltemporary White 7120.21 with whichthe Luftwaffe commenced the war.Normal application of 7120.21 wasdone with hand brushes. Because ofits limited life, eight days, it wasnecessary to remove and restore thiscolor frequently. This was done bymeans of wooden scrapers, metal

type being forbidden as these wouldhave damaged the paintwork under­neath.

While the Do 335 was intended as afighter bomber, none achieved op­erational status, initial preproduc­tion aircraft being finished in 70/71/65.

In the close support role theubiquitous Ju 87 flew on until thelast day of the war. Camouflage re­mained standard 70/71/65 for manyof the older machines, production ofthis type ceasing just as the newcolors 81 and 82 were being offi­cially introduced onto the produc­tion lines.

Late production Fw 190s used in theground assault role were in time tomake use of the late war camouflagecolors. Some highly modifiedschemes have been recorded show­ing these colors being used in largepatches or even long segments simi­lar to RAF style camouflageschemes.

As with the Ju 87s, quite often thenational markings were oversprayedin part or completely obliterated, thecamouflaqe effect taking prece­dence over all other considerations.

7. Night Harassment Flights

8. Night Attack Squadrons

Top: This Henschel Hs 129 B-2 was repaintedafter capture. Consequently, only theundersides, props and spinners are shown inoriginal camouflage. Prior to application ofForeign Equipment numbers, the aircraft boreU.S. Army Evaluation Branch number 105.

Henschel Hs 129 B-2

Color 70Black·Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

This official factory camouflage scheme called for Colors 70/71/65. Aircraft which op­erated in the Mediterranean were finished in the so-called tropical colors of 78/79/80.National insignia was comprised of a wing and fuselage crosses of 1000 mm diameterand a fin-mounted swastika measuring 420 mm. Uppersurface crosses were positioned2000 mm from the wing tips, while the fuselage cross was centered equally distantfrom the wing's trailing edge to the horizontal stabilizer's leading edge. The swastikawas centered 360 mm from the rudder leading edge. Spinners and props were Color70.

67

Left: Photographed following the war, thisFocke-Wulf Fw 190 F-9, W.Nr. 347763, wasthe mount of the Technical Officer of 2Staffel as indicated by the horizontal rearfuselage bar and circle with chevron. Thesemarkings undoubtedly were painted Green25 and thinly outlined in black. Camouflagewas quite likely similar to the colorillustration shown opposite on page 69 butwith a yellow rudder and a black-and-whitespiral motif on the spinner. Middle: This Fw190 F-8 carries the correct style ofsimplified markings on all positions. Thewhite bar and number 5 indicate that thismachine was attached to the 5th Flight ofan unknown unit. Camouflage is in allprobability 82/75/76 with a rather heavymottle of 82.

- L _

,~'..{:

I

68

Left: This Fw 190 F-8/R1 serving with SG 2,taxies into takeoff position in Hungary earlyin 1945. Note the tactical "V" markingunder the port wing which is identical tothe aircraft on page 69. The "V" motifoverlaps the top surface, extending for 56cm on the outboard side and 38 cm on theinboard side. This marking also wasemployed by Oberstltn Rudel of StabII./SG2. Undoubtedly camouflage wassimilar to the color illustration on page 69.

Above: This Ju 87 0-3 trop, W.Nr. 2883,(originally RI+JK), is shown here forfilm purposes in fictitious unitmarkings. It has subsequently beenrepainted to represent an aircraftattached to 10. (Pz)/SG 1. There isevidence that this aircraft was at onetime modified to Ju 87 G-l standards.Right: This Ju 87 0-7, found nearInnsbruck, Austria in May 1945, wascamouflaged in 70/71/76 with a densepattern of 76 overall uppersurfaces.Note lack of underwing insignia. Thespinner has a one-third panel in white,while the aircraft's individual letter, G,has been repeated on the wheel cover.Below: Several Bf 110 F-ls attached toStab I./SG 1, operational in the Eastduring 1941. Both aircraft, A5+HB andA5+EB, carry the standard 70/02/65camouflage with their individual letters(i.e. E and H) in green, denoting theirstaff positions. Note the stylized blueand white bird emblem on the nose ofthe closest machine.

71

PREWAR BOMBERSRevelation of the existence of theLuftwaffe in March 1935 coincidedwith the first production batch of Do23 bombers which were delivered tothe new mil itary force in an overallfinish of silver. The service life ofthese aircraft was brief due to theirdisappointing performance. Nonewas prod uced after 1935. TheLuftwaffe's other bomber type, theJu 52/3m g3e, wore an overall finishof the new Green-Gray 63 with blacktrim where exhaust fouling oc­curred.

In late 1936 a straight-edged seg­mented fou r-color camouflagescheme was introduced using flatcolors of 61/62/63 for upper and sidesurfaces, with 65 for all lower sur­faces. The pattern was a complexone and allowed six variations. Allthree upper surface colors were in­terchangeable in given sequences,producing three schemes whichwere also available as a mirrorimage of each. A grid system wasused to plot the scheme for a par­ticular aircraft type. The basic pat­tern was laid out in the specificpainting guide only as a plan viewprojected on a grid system. Areas ofcamouflage, outside the strict planview of the aircraft, were projectedonto the fuselage side areas down toa predetermined demarcation line.In effect, the excess camouflage pat­tern was "wrapped" around thefuselage sides. In doing so the vary­ing cross-sectional area of the fusel­age produced a natural realignmentof the relationship between the vari-

72

ous color areas. The actual projec­tion of the areas of camouflage ap­pears to have been left to the indi­vidual production centers, for vari­ations have been noted.

In most instances the pattern did notvary from type to type. One notableexception was the He 111 whichutilized a consistent minor variationto the camouflage pattern for therear portion of the fuselage. It wasdisplaced aft by one grid square.This occurred just forward of thetail plane and was done, presumably,to more effectively break up the rela­tively large area of the tailplane it­self. This may also be the reason forthe very minor variations to colorsequences, but still within the pre­scri bed pattern areas, seen on someaircraft, e.g., He 111B and Do 17F,was the result of their relative prop­ortions and not due to any change instandard pattern.

Some minor variations, between air­craft of the same type, occurred be­tween production centers. This in­volved the actual positioning of thepattern, some being set forward onlya matter of inches, but sufficient tocause a noticeable difference to thecareful observer. More pronouncedwas the common variation, of thetype mentioned previously, on theport side of some Ju 86s. This re­sulted from a simplification of theconcertina-shaped pattern on therear portion of the fuselage as

shown in the accompanying dia­gram.

Following the Munich crisis of Sep­tem ber 1938, the 61/62/63 upper andside surface camouflage schemewas finally superseded. All heavybombers leaving production lines inthe future were being painted in thesimplified two color upper surfacescheme of 70/71/65 was retained forall lower surfaces. Bomber aircraftalready in service were to retaintheir existing schemes until re­placed. The red tail band and whitedisc marking to the Hakenkreuz wasalso deleted by overpainting in 61,the Hakenkreuz marking remainingat the center line of the fin and rud­der assembly. (GAM 42.)

The 70/71/65 scheme had alreadybeen introduced for dive bombers,e.g., the Ju 87, during the Spring of1938. A grid pattern was againemployed to layout the two uppersurface colors in a straight-edgedpattern, but this time only four varia­tions were available by interchang­ing the two colors and using a mir­ror image. This practice of variationwas discarded once war broke out.

Top: This Dornier Do 17 E-1, operated by 5./KG155 is typical of bombers of the prewar era,and is camouflaged in colors 61/62/63/65 withthe black, white and red colors of the NSDAPacross both vertical tailplanes.

61 Dark Brown61 Dunkelbraun

63 Light Gray63 Lichtgrau

62 Green62 Grun

63 Green-Gray(variation)

63 Green-Gray63 Grungrau

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

Workman complete final assembly of the Henschel Hs 123 A-1. Here it iscamouflaged in the three uppersurface colors of Dark Brown 61, Green62 and Green-Gray 63, with Light Blue 65 undersurfaces. The Hs 123served on the Eastern Front well into the 1940s, usually camouflaged in70/71/65.

73

Junkers Ju 86 A-1

~ ~

This was a standard A2a scheme for the Ju 86 A-1 and D-1 series. The three uppersur­face colors were not only interchangeable with one another, but the entire patterncould have been a mirror image also with three interchangeable colors. The Balken­kreuz marking for the port wing upper surface has been omitted for clarity of thecamouflage pattern. The inside face of both the port and starboard fin and rudder ispainted 61 overall. The outside face of each is 62. Some production aircraft had theircamouflage patterns simplified on the port side as shown in the scrap view.

Color 61Dark Brown

Color 62Green

Color 63Green-Gray

Color 65Light Blue

74

Junkers Ju 87 A-1

Color 61Dark Brown

Color 62Green

Color 63Green-Gray

Color 65Light Blue

This was a standard A scheme for the Ju 87 A-1 and A-2 series. Six camouflage varia­tions were possible by interchanging the three upper surface colors with one another,plus a mirror image of each. Following delivery to the Luftwaffe, national markingswere added to the wings and fuselage in a style and placement similar to the Ju 86shown on page 74.

75

~"iF

Dornier Do 17 E-1

76

This standard A scheme was the camouflage pattern for the Do 17 E-1, E-2 and E-3series as well as the Do 17 F-1 and P-1. The inside face of both the port and starboardfin and rudder were 61 overall, while the outside face of each was 62. Propeller bladeswere 63. Aircraft which were shipped to Spain were left in their Luftwaffe colors butcarried Spanish Nationalist insignia.

Color 61Dark Brown

Color 62Green

Color 63Green-Gray

Color 65Light Blue

Color 61Dark Brown

Color 62Green

Color 63Green-Gray

Color 65Light Blue

Henschel Hs 123 A-1

This standard A scheme incorporated the mOdifications to the top surface of the upperwing as detailed in the text. Interplane struts normally were left in Color 65, but the un­dercarriage spats were generally camouflaged as shown. The fuselage Balkenkreuzmarkings were offset to allow sufficient spacing for the five part code application. Themetal propeller was frequently polished metal with matt black rear surfaces but latermodels had their blades painted on both sides.

77

78

Heinkel He 111 E-1

This was standard camouflage scheme A2a for the He 111 E-1. It was also applicable tothe He 111 Band D-series .. The port side elevation Balkenkreuz was omitted for clarityof camouflage pattern. The Halkenkreuz emblem has also been omitted for the samereason. This camouflage pattern incorporates the standard modification as set forth inthe text.

Color 61Dark Brown

Color 62Green

Color 63Green-Gray

Color 65Light Blue

Above: This view of the 12th productionJunkers Ju 87 A-1, O-IEAU, illustratesthe splinter pattern of 61/62/63 overuppersurfaces. At least one Ju 87 A-1continued flying until 1945 in its prewarcamouflage and bearing theregistration SI+AU. Right: Anotherprewar scheme of 61/62/63/65 appearson this Heinkel He 111 E-3. Absence ofthe early style fin-rudder marking, datesthis photograph as post September1938. The unit code, 56+E12, revealsthat it was aircraft E of the 2nd Staffe/, IGruppe, of the 6th Geschwader ofLuftkreiskommando H.Q. at Miinchen(Munich). Below: A Junkers Ju 86 A-1 in61/62/63/65 camouflage, coded 33+024of II./KG 253, is shown here circa early1937. It is not generally recognized, butthese triple camouflage color schemescould result in six differing variations.The positions of the three colors wereinterchangeable. Each of these patternscould be applied in a mirror imageadding an additional threearrangements.

79

EXPORT COLORSThe German aircraft industry wasextremely active prewar and a widerange of military aircraft were soldto selected governments, principallythose who were sympathetic toGermany.

Where aircraft were handed over toforeign governments after use byGerman forces, e.g., in Spain, thestandard Luftwaffe camouflage ofthat time and place was generally re­tained. However, where orders wereplaced and aircraft delivered directlyfrom German aircraft manufacturers,a special set of camouflage colorswas specified for their finish.

It has not been possible to verifythese four colors against an irrefu­table RLM source, such as a coloratlas, but careful matching has beendone against surviving photographicevidence. The colors appear to havebeen Dark Olive Green (67), LightOlive Green (68), and a Light Tancolor (69), all three of which wereused for upper and side surfaceswhile a Light Blue (64) was appliedto the lower surfaces. The threeupper surface colors were applied ina soft-edged random pattern qUitedisti nct from the Luftwaffe camou­flage style of the period.

As with its Luftwaffe counterpart,there appears to have been a seriesof camouflage schemes available.Several of these are discernablefrom a study of Ju 86 aircraftsupplied to Sweden and Hungary.

80

These show an interchange of col­ors consistent with the prewarLuftwaffe scheme, but with the addi­tion of variable styles not possiblewith the RLM grid system. One wasa soft-edged pattern in long blocksof color while the other used a'jigsaw'-edge style to separate thecolor blocks. In contrast, the Ju 86E-2s purchased by Austria appear tohave used either an overall naturalmetal finish, no doubt sealed with aclear lacquer finish, or an overall 63finish.

More consistent with the Luftwaffe'sprewar style of application was thescheme displayed on the Ju 87 B-1displayed at the Paris Air Salon in1939. Fi nished in the expo rt colors67/68/69/64, it used a relativelystraight-edged segmented patternon both the wings and the fuselage.It is not known for certain whetherthese colors were actually used onany of the Ju 87Bs exported to Ger­many's allies. Those supplied to Italywere repainted in standard darkgreen bomber camouflage while lit­tle photographic evidence has sur­vived of those supplied to Bulgaria,Rumania and Hungary. However, thefew photographs extant of these air­craft in service with the Hungarianforces show a color scheme verysimilar to the original Luftwaffe ex­port colors.

In addition to Dornier and Junkersanother prominent manufacturEl'r,Heinkel, also delivered aircraft to

foreign air arms. Colors and patternswere quite distinct from thosesupplied to the Luftwaffe. Examplesinclude the He 45, He 46, He 51, He70 and He 112. Working from surviv­ing black & white photography, it isalmost impossible to determine be­yond doubt exactly what colors wereemployed by these aircraft. It is pos­sible that certain specific aircraft re­ceived a mix of standard Luftwaffecolors in conjunction with one ormore of the so-called export paints.Such factors as local terrain and op­erational needs of the foreign airarm would, of course, have figuredin the final colors selected once theaircraft were received and allocatedto front line units. Additionally, theGerman colors would have beensubject to modification or perhapsreplacement with one or more indi­ginous colors available to theforeign air force.

After the outbreak of war, export or­ders virtually ceased to noncombat­ant countries except for fighter air­craft supplied to Spain and Switzer­land. These were delivered in thestandard Luftwaffe finish of theperiod.

The Junkers Ju 86 K-5, export bomber shownabove, was the last German-built version of 38ordered and delivered to Sweden in 1937. Thecamouflage of these and the ones destined forHungary were similar.

67 Dark Olive Green67 DunkelolivgrOn

68 Light Olive Green68 HellolivgrOn

69 Light Tan69 Lichtlohfarbe

64 Light Blue64 Lichtblau

Above: The first prototype of the Dornier 215, the Do 215, V1, D-AIIB,was actually a Do 17 Z-O used for demonstration purposes to interestedforeign governments. It is shown here in the camouflage evolved forexport models. Below: Another demonstration aircraft was the JunkersJu 86 E-O, D-ALOH, shown here in mid-1937. Unlike the standard

Luftwaffe splinter camouflage pattern, the export schemes wer-e lessangular and more flowing in design. The Ju 86 E-series wasmanufactured in limited numbers with many also operated by theLuftwaffe primarily as advanced trainers.

81

BOMBERS 1938-1945The majority of bomber aircraft usedin the opening phase of the waragainst Poland were finished in 70/71/65, although a few older aircraftstill retained both the 61/62/63/65scheme as well as the prewar fivepart alpha-numeric code applica­tion. The latter had been supersededby a four part code which remainedin force for the rest of the WEn. (GAM46.)

This new camouflage scheme could,technically, be applied in four varia­tions based on a simple interchangeof the two colors 70 and 71 plus amirror image of both schemes. Inpractice, however, all available evi­dence points to only a mirror imageof the primary pattern being used asan alternative. Minor variations oc­curred between various manufactur­ing centers, principally in relation tothe demarcation line between upperand lower surface coloring. A morespecific instance is the horizontalv-shaped pattern on one side of therudder. On some He 111 s th is wassimplified at the point of manufac­ture by painting that entire side ofthe rudder in one color. Overall,however, German bombers of theearly to mid-war period displayed aremarkable consistency of camou­flage application.

In September 1940 concentratedmassed daylight attacks were under­taken by the Luftwaffe. At this timetactical markings were introduced inthe form of broad stripes of color,i.e., white, yellow and red (actually

82

salmon pink). (GAM 74-76.) The useof glyptal resin-based temporarypaints became more widespreadwith the opening of the nightbomber offensive against Britain.Removable temporary black dis­temper was another in the 7120paint group. (GAM 166.) It wasapplied to the lower and side sur­faces of aircraft up to the line of thetop edge of the Balkenkreuz mark­ing. Wing and tail undersurfaceswere coated, the black paint over­lapping the leading edge top sur­faces by 50 cm. The white areas ofthe national markings were over­painted with another color from thispaint group 7120.77, Light Gray.

A revised scheme was introduced in1941 when the war situation dictatedmore intensive night bombing oper­ations. Permanent black was intro­duced for those areas subjected toconstant maintenance due toweathering. The .undersurfaces ofthe wings for approximately thecenter third of the total span, plusthe fuselage area between the wingroots, the undersurfaces of the en­gine nacelles and the leading edgeof both wings, and the tail planewere painted in permanent black7124.22. Temporary black 7120.22was applied to all these areas as wellas the remainder of the undersur­faces.

The wide scale introduction of7124.22 was accompanied by thesimilar permanent paint, 7125.65 al­lowing the permanent 7124.22 areas

to be overpainted with a permanentfinish In late 1943 a revised schemewas introduced for Ju 88, Ju 188s,Do 217Ks and He 177s engaged innight raids over Britain. Permanentblack lower and side surfaces wasused with 76 uppersurfaces, over­sprayed with a scribble or mottlepattern of 74 or 75. With the intro­duction of the Ju 88S in early 1944,an overall scheme of 74 was usedwith soft-sprayed, continuous linesof 76 on all su rfaces.

The official directive of August 15,1944, announced the replacement of712565 with 7126.76 (another in thesingle coat paint range) for use with7124.22. (LC/3 95.)

On JUly 1, 1944, the colors 81 and 82were officially introduced to replace70 and 71. However, existing stocksof 70 and 71 were to be used up;and where supply of one color ranout, combinations of 82/70 and 81/71were permitted. By an official orderdated August 15, 1944, colors 74 and65 were also withdrawn from use.Obviously, though, existing stockswere also used up, particularly of 65before 76 was substituted for it.(LC/3 95, 96.) These revisions had lit­tle effect upon the bomber force asit was largely disbanded in late 1944.

Top: This Heinkel He 111 H-6, A1 +BE, of theStaff Squadron of the 4th Flight of BomberGroup 53 (Stab IV./KG 53), was fitted withflame dampening exhaust stacks for nightoperations.

70 Black-Green70 SchwarzgrOn

BrownBraun

71 Dark Green71 DunkelgrOn

76 Light Blue76 Lichtblau

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

26 Brown26 Braun

Captured by Col. Watsons' group near Munich, this He 111 H-16, W.Nr.8433, is shown here in its original camouflage represented by the threecolor chips above. The brown code letters "DC" and number "4" areunusual. One would have expected the letter "D" to be in green, torepresent an aircraft belonging to the staff flight of the 2nd squadron.

The absence of a unit code ahead of the Balkenkreuz, is also unusual.Later, this aircraft was assigned Foreign Equipment number FE-1600.Unfortunately, only fragments of the aircraft survive today.

83

Above: Camouflaged in the standard 70/71/65 colors, this Junkers Ju 88A-5, was attached to the Staff of the 1st Gruppe of KG 51 (Stab I./KG 51).Below the cockpit may be seen the blue shield with a white edelweiss.Below: As in the photograph above, this Junkers Ju 87 B-2, wasoperational on the Eastern Front as indicated by the yellow tactical

fuselage bands. This particular machine was flown by the 7th Staffel ofStuka Group 77 (7./St.G.77). and was coded Fl +AR with the letter "A"and prop spinner in white. The standard 70/71/65 camouflage andmarkings were carried by this Stuka.

84

Junkers Ju 87 B-2

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

This standard camouflage pattern used Colors 70/71/65 for the Ju 87 B-1, B-2, R-1, R-2,R-3 and R-4 series. Spinner and metal prop blades were the usual Color 70. Germannational markings were remarkably consistent in size, style and placement. Aircraft op­erated in North Africa were camouflaged in Colors 78/79/80, in accordance withLuftwaffe directives governing the so-called tropen flugzeug.

85

86

This standard camouflage pattern for the Ju 88 A-series (A-1 through A-17) used Colors70/71/65 with spinners in 70. Early production versions such as the A-1 and A-5 seriesreceived metal props which were painted Color 70. However the Ju 88 A-4, and sub­sequent models, received wooden props painted Color 71. National markings werequite constant in style, position and application.

Junkers Ju 88 A-4

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Heinkel He 111 H-2

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

This standard early to mid-war camouflage for the He 111 H-2 was also applicable toother models of the P and H-series. The port side elevation view shows the Balken­kreuz in the regulation position. However, the starboard side elevation shows the mostcommon application midway between the tailplane leading edge and the wing fillet.Series production models after the H-2 mark standardized the half way position. Simi­larily, the bottom view shows the regulation position (port) and the common position(starboard) which later became standard. Dimensions were: Wing Top: 1000 mm, WingBottom: 2000 mm, Fuselage: 1800 mm (later 1400 mm), Swastika: 710 mm (later 650mm). Spinners and metal props were 70 while wooden prop models were 71.

87

Left: The Heinkel He 177 V8, W.Nr. 00008,SF+TC, is shown here at Rechlin late in1941, camouflaged 70/71 uppersu rfaceswith fuselage sides and vertical tailplane in02. Undersurfaces were the usual 65. Thevery large Halkenkreuz and narrow widthfuselage Balkenkreuz were not uncommonto early production models. This was thelast machine completed from the outset asa prototype. It was intended primarily forengine tests. Middle: This captured He 177A-5/R6 was once operated by KG 40 and isshown here in French insignia which, inturn, was overpainted with British roundelsand fin flash. Camouflage was standard70/71 over uppersurfaces with 70 propellerblades and white spinners. The entirevertical tailplane, fuselage below the topdecking, and undersides of the wings andhorizontal tail plane were RLM Gray 02 withirregular spots of Light Blue 65. The unitcode, F8, may be seen just ahead of thefuselage roundel. The remaining two unitcode letters are unknown.

88

Left: Another He 177 A-5/R6, but in quitedifferent camouflage. This example,6N+JM, of 4.1KG 100 was camouflaged in anovel pattern of RLM Gray 02 over allsurfaces of the aircraft, combined withDark Green 71 applied in a random flowingpattern over all uppersurfaces. Otheraircraft within this unit were similarilycamouflaged; however, some had LightBlue 76 lower surfaces extending only upto the beginning of the fuselage sidecurvature. In this photograph, the crewmembers obscure the aircraft serialnumber which began with a small "0"followed by two larger numbers, the firstdigit of which was "3". Despite the type'squestionable reputation, it was still quitepopular with its crews who wereenthusiastic about its flight qualities.

Color 70Black·Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Color 02RLM Gray

Heinkel He 177 A-5

This depicts standard day camouflage pattern for the He 177 A-5. Fuselage sides weremottled with Colors 02 and 70 over a base of 65. Numerous variations existed. Spinnersand metal propellers were Color 70. Serial numbers were frequently represented by thelast three digits appl ied beneath the nose. The first digit was half the size of the re­maining two. Dimensions of national insignia were: Wing Top: 1000 mm (later 900mm); Wing Bottom: 1900 mm; Fuselage: 1600 mm (later 1500 mm); Swastika: 1000 mm(later 810 mm). Unlike the more common narrow type shown above, under wing andfuselage crosses could have had wide white elements with black trim arms.

89

Left: Captured at Kassel, this Junkers Ju188 A-2 had its 70/71 uppersurfacesdensely mottled with a close spray of 76Light Blue. Undersurfaces were the usualLight Blue 65 while spinners were blackwith a white spiral. The Junkers VS 11wooden prop blades were Dark Green 71.Although the unit code is obscured, theindividual aircraft letter, R, was red with awhite outline followed by a black letter M.This is an instance where the Gruppe color(red) was combined with the Staffel color(white).

Below: The camouflage of this Ju 188 E-1,W.Nr. 10001, was standard 70/71/65throughout. All insignia, apart from theunderwing crosses, were of the whiteoutline variety. The spinners and metalVDM prop blades were Black-Green 70. Thefactory registration code is difficult todistinguish, but appears to be GB+GE.

90

Left: This war-weary Ju 188 A-2, W.Nr. 160078, has received several replacement partsduring its service career, but the basic70/71/65 scheme seems to dominate. Therudder may well have been covered with amarking color, such as yellow; but mostlikely it is merely a replacement itempainted RLM Gray 02. Note the duplicationof the serial number on the fuselage inaddition to the model number immediatelyabove the center of the fuselage simplifiedblack outline cross.

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Junkers Ju 188 E-lRacher/Avenger

This depicts the August 5,1942, standard camouflage pattern B for the Ju 188 A, 0, Eand F-series. Spinners and propellers were Color 70. Some variations existed particu­larly in the area of the lower cockpit demarcation line between upper and lower colors.Style, placement and size of national insignia did not vary greatly. In October 1944 itwas specified that the Ju 1880-2 series was to continue using 70/71 camouflage colorsuntil stocks were exhausted, or until the type ceased production in January 1945.

91

Above: The advanced Junkers Ju 288V103, DE+ZZ, prototype for the Ju 288C-1, was completed in the Spring of1943 in colors 70/71/65.

Left: The remarkable Arado Ar 234 B-2,T9+HH, of 1./0bdL being readied foranother mission in colors 81 and 82,with 76 on all lower surfaces. Note thered and white striped retractable footstep.

Below: This Me 262 A-2a, 9K+YH, of1./KG 51, carries the Squadron color(white) on top of the tail, the nose coneand the individual letter "Y", with allthree being outlined by a narrow blackline. Camouflage consisted of LightBlue 76 undersurfaces, merging withthe two uppersurface colorsBrown-Violet 81 and Light Green 82.The mottle applied to the fuselage sidesand vertical tail were an equal blend of81 and 82. In 1945 th is version wasdiscontinued in favor of the Me 262A-1 a fitted with bomb pylons asRilsts!Jtz equipment.

92

The high performance Junkers Ju 388 K-1N6, W.Nr. 500006, PE+IF,prototype for the Ju 388 K-1 series, was completed during the summer of1944. Captured intact by British Forces, it was shipped to England forevaluation. Camouflage in all probability was 70/71/65. Ultimately,however, the new colors, 81/82/76, would have been employed. Germannational markings, except for the underwing crosses, were the usualsimplified white outline variety. The white number six applied to therudder denotes prototype number 6.

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MARITIME AIRCRAFTInitially an overall silver finish wasused for seaborn aircraft, but thiswas changed in 1935 to 63 overallcoloring on multiseat floatplanessuch as the He 59 and He 60. Floatswere finished in Silver 01 with 00clear protective finish. Alternatively,floats were sometimes painted in 02coloring with a 00 clear finish. Thisscheme appears to have been in theminority.

The He 51 single-seat floatplaneused the 63 overall coloring appli­cable to its land plane counterpart,the floats being finished in 01 with a00 clear finish.

Do 18 seaplanes used an overallfinish of 63 for all surfaces above thewater line, the lower hull and spon­son surfaces being finished in 01with 00 clear protective finish. A 3mm water dividing line was appliedin Wine-Red 28. This marking colorwas also used for the propellersafety line found on the upper sur­face of each float of types, such asthe He 59 and He 60 floatplanes.(LC/1 48, 50.)

In late 1939 all front line seaborneai rcraft converted to camouflage ofGreen 72 and Green 73 on all upperand side surfaces with Light Blue 65coloring for the lower surfaces. Thisscheme remained in force, virtuallyunchanged, throughout the remain­der of the war. (LC/1 70.)

The haste to comply with the Oc­tober 1939 order calling for the revi-

94

sion of wing Balkenkreuz markings,produced the same spate of incor­rect applications. Just as occurredon some bomber aircraft, some Do18s initially reappeared wearing lit­erally enormous - approximately 14feet across - Balkenkreuz markingson the wing upper, and some timeslower, surface at about the mid-wingposition. Often the original markingsnear each wing tip were retained.Such aberrations were, however,relatively short lived.

In the arctic regions ice flows werepresent for many months of eachyear and seaplanes operating inthose regions, principally He 115sand Bv 138s, had their camouflagemodified. Large white areas,7126.21, were created, using softbrooms or brushes.

During 1943 the process was re­versed, a continuous snaking line of65 being sprayed over all upper sur­faces, thus blending the two mark­edly contrasting areas of camou­flage. The same year, revised colorschemes using 74, 75 and 76 ofwidely differing patterns were intro­duced for the Do 217 and He 177units operating over the Bay of Bis­cay.With the introduction of the Do 217Kseries onto antishipping duties, thegray camouflage scheme was aban­doned. For night operations mostunits had originally used temporaryblack distemper. But, as the warprogressed and the Allies gainedaerial supremacy, antishipping op-

erations became more dependentupon the cover of night for successand survival. Permanent nightcamouflage of single coat 7124.22replaced the old glyptal resin basedmaterial, this having the advantageof being easily converted back to adaylight scheme if orders should sodemand. Principally, it saved an al­most permanent cycle of strippingand refurbishing, plus the advantageof less drag. (GAM 166.)

Late production Do 217K-2s weredelivered from their point of man­ufacture in a 72/73/22 camouflagescheme. The last of these were re­ceived by the Luftwaffe in May 1944after which time the type was rapidlyphased out of service in the an­tishipping role. Several hybridschemes were used by specific unitsbut one special color requires men­tion. An unidentified blue-green wasseen in use by a Bv222 as an overallfinish. (GAM 123.) This same colorhas been positively identified in useby Fw 190s of JG 5 based in Norwayfor coastal patrol work. No officialdocumentation has been found togive this color an RLM paint identifi­cation number but its use has beenestabl ished beyond doubt.

Top: One of the more unusual floatplanes wasthe large Blohm & Voss Ha 139 BIMS, W.Nr.217, P5+GH, employed by SonderstaffelTransozean as a mine sweeper in colors72/73/65.

72 Green72 Grun

73 Green73 Grun

65 Light Blue65 Hellblau

Above: It is not possible to say with certainty that the Ju 52/3m (See) wascamouflaged in the maritime colors, since the floatplane was amodification of the standard land transport. Undoubtedly, the large twinfloats were painted in colors 72/73/65. These aircraft of L.Tr.St. (See) 1,are shown early in 1944 with tactical rudder markings. Fuselage code

was 8A+AJ with the letter A in yellow. Below: The Blohm & Voss BV 142V2/U1, T5+CB (originally PC+BC), was one of two conversionscompleted for the maritime reconnaissance role in colors 72/73/65, andoperated by Stab I./Aufkl. Gr. ObdL.

95

Left: This air-sea rescue Dornier Do 18 G-1,RZ+AT, was camouflaged 72/73/65. Notethe red, yellow and blue prop tips and bowemblem. Spinners and most of the propblades were the usual Black-Green 70.

Below: A standard Domier Do 24 T-2,VH +SM, in the prescribed colors of72/73/65 with a yellow tail band and wingtips. Note the simplified white fuselagecross anc fin swastika.

96

Left: Like the BV 142 V2/U1 shown on page95, the Dornier Do 26 V6, P5+DH, wasoperated by the First Squadron of theReconnaissance Group of the Air ForceHigh Command (I./AufkI.Gr. ObdL) in colors72/73/65. The sixth prototype, shown here,was at the same time one of the D-seriespreproduction machines, i.e., a Do 26 0-0.

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Dornier Do 18 G-1

This depicts the standard camouflage pattern for the Do 18 0, G and H-series. Littledeviation existed and most machines carried standard national markings. The yellowtail band frequently was omitted, but many examples did carry colorful unit emblemson their bows or forward engine cowlings. Spinners and propellers were the usualColor 70.

97

98

This drawing depicts the standard camouflage pattern for the Do 24 T-1, T-2 and T-3series employing the basic maritime colors. Spinners and propellers were Color 70,while unit emblems frequently were applied to both sides of the bow.

Dornier Do 24 T-1

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Oornier Do 26 0-0

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

This was the factory camouflage pattern assigned to the six Do 26 D-O machinesemployed by the Luftwaffe. Originally designed as civil transatlantic mail planes, theywere modified for military duties with standard maritime colors. All four spinners andprops were Color 70.

99

Left: This Blohm & Voss BV 138 C-l,K6+BK, of 2./Ku. FI.Gr. 406, rests at itsmooring with others operating fromNorwegian waters. Camouflage was72/73/65 with all spinners and propblades of the center engine being 70.Props of the other two engines were 71.The individual aircraft letter, B, was red.

Below: Delivered to the Luftwaffe's LTSSee 222 on October 26, 1942, the BV222 V8, W.Nr. 0008, X4+HH, was thelast A-series machine completed. It iscamouflaged in colors 72/73/65, with awhite tail band and diagonal rudderstripe. Atop the rudder, one above theother, was the code S8 in white. OnDecember 10,1942, while on anunescorted flight with the first andfourth prototypes, this machine wasshot down by RAF Beaufighters.

100

Left: With a wing span of 197 ft. 4V4 in.,the BV 238 Vl, RO+EZ, was a very largeflying boat completed in early 1944 formaritime transport and patrol duties.Camouflage colors were standard72/73/65, with the simplified whiteoutline insignia at all positions exceptfor the outboard underwing crosses.Prior to the completion of flight trials, itwas sunk at its mooring on Lake Schaalby American P-51s.

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Blohm & Voss BV 138 C-1

This was the standard maritime camouflage pattern established for the BV 138 BandC-series. With the B-series ail three spinners and props were Color 70. However, withthe introduction of the C-series, the center engines propeilers were wooden and there­fore painted in Color 71. Some aircraft carried the huil undersurface color up to thewaterline, while others used the pattern shown above. Yeilow tail bands also were fre­quently applied to both tail booms.

101

Blohm &Voss BV 222 A-OWikinglViking

This was the maritime camouflage pattern evolved for the BV 222C which was alsoapplicable to the A-series. All six spinners and propellers were Color 70. The large BV238 V1, illustrated on page 100, was camouflaged in a similar pattern but adequatelycompensated for its increased size.

102

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Above: Three newly completed HeinkelHe 114 A-2s in standard 72/73/65camouflage. Their service life with theLuftwaffe was quite short sinceperformance and handling qualities leftmuch to be desired. Right: Close-up ofa He 115 B-2, PP+AX, involved in crewtraining exercises shows this machineto be painted in the camouflage colorsof maritime aircraft except for thespinners and props which wereBlack-Green 70. Below: The highlysuccessful Arado Ar 196 A-5, whichappeared early in 1943, is shown herenear the main gate of the Willow GroveNAS, Pennsylvania with traces of itsoriginal camouflage of 72/73/65 andblack fuselage code, TW+SH, stillvisible. In addition to the white tailband, the sea horse emblem of Bordfl.Staffel1./196, may be seen immediatelyaft of the cowl flaps.

103

104

Above: Produced in 1941, this DornierDo 217 E-3/R2, W.Nr. 44, TC+-R, hasjust returned from a trial flightcamouflaged in the maritime colors of72/73/65. This model was fitted withunderwing racks for two SC 250 bombs.

Middle left: This Do 217 K-1, W.Nr.4406, RD+JE, is somewhat unusualsince most production models of theK-series were delivered with blackundersurfaces which completelyeliminated the Light Blue 65. The topsurfaces were still camouflaged in a72/73 splinter pattern associated withthe E-series. In addition to Heinkel, theDornier firm also employed the narrowwidth fuselage cross on a number of itsDo 217 Es and Ks.

Lower left: Camouflage of this DornierDo 217 M-1, W.Nr. 6158, was composedof Green 72 and Green 73uppersurfaces with Black 22 lower andside surfaces. Light Blue 76 wasapplied in a serpentine line networkover all top and side surfaces excludingthe engine nacelles. Spinners andpropellers were the usual Black Green70. All markings were of the simplifiedwhite outline variety.

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Dornier Do 217 E-4

This standard factory camouflage was evolved for the Do 217 E-1 to E-3. It was alsoapplicable to the E-4 and E-5 series. This pattern's colors were interchangeable. Addi­tionally, a mirror image of each was possible making up to 4 variations. Spinners andprops were the standard Color 70. The Do 217 K and M-series also used this camouf­lage pattern, incorporating a much higher undersurface coior demarcation line. Fusel­age Balkenkreuz markings varied in style with the E-4 model to include both wide andnarrow width styles. National insignia dimensions were: Wing Top: 1000 mm; WingBottom: 1750 mm'; Fuselage: 1250 mm; Swastika: 420 mm.

105

106

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 C-3Condor

This was standard factory camouflage pattern for the Fw 200 C-series except thoseselect few which were modified for VIP transport duties, those being painted in colors70/71/65 using the same camouflage pattern. Spinners and props of all models werethe usual Color 70. Size and placement of national insignia remained constant, how­ever, fuselage crosses were subject to field modification to reduce the white areas tominimums.

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Right: Close-up of the nose of aFocke-Wulf Fw 200 C-3/U2, clearly showsthe two maritime colors Green 72 andGreen 73 used in conjunction with LightBlue 65. Props and spinners were the usualBlack-Green 70. The Condor's camouflagedid not vary appreciably during its longservice career. However, after the type waswithdrawn from maritime operations,land-based camouflage colors were usuallysubstituted.

Below: This factory fresh Condor, a Fw 200C-3, KE+IJ, awaits delivery to anoperational unit.

Right: Crew members prepare to board thisFw 200 C-3/U2, F8+AH, of 1./KG 40 foranother mission. Camouflage colors were72/73/65 in the standard positions. It isinteresting to note that the fuselageBalkenkreuz has been modified, at unitlevel, by increasing the area of the centralblack cross, thus reducing the effectiverange at which the white cross markingcould be recognized.

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108

Junkers Ju 290 A-7See Adler/Sea Eagle

This standard factory camouflage pattern was employed by the Ju 290 A-3, A-4, A-5 andA-7 series of maritime aircraft. Spinners and metal propellers were Color 70, whilethose Ju 290 A-7s with wooden props were painted Color 71 or a dark blue-gray (see p.143). While the aircraft were employed in the maritime role the size, placement andstyle of national markings did not vary from the established format.

=------

(

Color 72Green

Color 73Green

Color 65Light Blue

Right: Based at Mont de Marsan, southof Bordeaux, the large Junkers Ju 290A-2, W.Nr. 0158, 9V+AH (formerlySB+QH), was operated by I./FAG 5.Camouflage was the standard 72/73/65with props and spinners in Black-Green70. A white tail band was appliedaround the rear fuselage. Only threeexamples of the A-2 series were builtand these aircraft were the first 290sassigned to the maritimereconnaissance role. Below: This newlycompleted Ju 290 A-7, W.Nr. 0187,KR+LR, illustrates the camouflagescheme first adopted by the A-3 series.Colors 72/73/65 were standard for the"Sea Eagle" but those machines withwooden props had their blades paintedDark Green 71. The last two digits ofthe serial number were repeated nearthe top of each fin. Late in 1944, whenmaritime reconnaissance roles weretaken over by other aircraft, most 290swere reassigned to night transportduties.

Right: An interesting find at Salsburg isthis Ju 290 A-3, still fitted with its FuG200 maritime search radar. Thestandard maritime camouflage of72/73/65 has been modified by afuselage mottle of Black Green 70,which was also the color of the propsand spinners. Although positiveidentification is not possible, it isbelieved this machine carried the unitcode A3+FK, since the red letter "F"may be seen midway up the fuselage inline with the propeller. It is known that2./KG 200 (which is identified by theremainder of the code), a secretivespecial mission unit, operated the Ju290 on a number of highly classifiedflights during the final weeks of thewar. Abandoned aircraft in theforeground is a Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr.13156, "Black 63".

109

NORTH AFRICAN THEATERAxis operations in the Middle East in1941 prod uced an additional rangeof camouflage colors. Initial arrivalsof fighter aircraft were recamou­flaged in colors appropriate to theirdesert habitat. (GAM 94-107.) (LC/326-50.)

There is a clear discrepancy be­tween the yellow used on these earlyarrivals as compared with later de­liveries in factory finish tropicalcamouflage. It is now thought thatItalian paints were used initially, thedarker shade, RLM Sand Yellow 79,appearing on the first stocks offighter aircraft delivered directlyfrom the manufacturers. The colordifference between the green 80 andthe Italian green is less easily dis­cerned and is nearly impossible todetermine from contemporary blackand white or color photographs.

Thus, three new RLM colors were in­troduced for tropical use, 78 LightBlue, 79 Sand Yellow and 80 Olive­Green. These were promulgated inthe November 1941 edition ofL.Dv.521/1 and evidence points tothe introduction of these colors intoNorth Africa before the close of theyear. Equally in evidence is the factthat both color schemes remained inuse for much of the North Africancampaign. However, many aircraftretained their original Europeancamouflage, particularly later arri­vals.

110

Initial application of the colors va­ried with Ju 88s and He 111 s pi us Bf110s favoring an overall coat of 79with 65 colored lower surfaces. Afew Ju 87s also used this schemebut most adopted a combination ofthe Sand Yellow and Olive-Green onupper and side surfaces, a widerange of individualistic styles beingused.

Bf 109Es were the first single­engined fighter aircraft to arrive.They received a mottled applicationof green over yellow on their upperand side surfaces, a style similar tothat used by the Italian fighters.However, with the arrival of the Bf109F model, an overall finish of 79was used on upper and side sur­faces with 78 colored lower sur­faces. This was again revised whenfurther supplies of Bf 109Fs arrivedwearing a raised demarcation linebetween upper and lower surfacecoloring, this now occurring at ap­proximately the horizontal centerline of the fuselage. A similarscheme also appeared on some Bf110s and, since both were productsof the same parent firm, this stylemay have been an individualisticmanufactu rer's format.

The inevitable support aircraft, e.g.,Fi 156, Bf 108, initially paralleled theapplications of the main force withoverall yellow or soft-sprayed greenover yellow on all upper and side

surfaces. This was to change in re­spect to late arrivals which used theofficial RLM colors. Later in thecampaign a more intensive form ofcamouflage was seen both on Fw58s and Fi 156s - a solid base colorof 80 with a closely patterned snak­ing line of 79 over all upper and sidesurfaces, undersurfaces beingfinished in 78. Occasionally someaircraft had their upper surface col­ors reversed with 80 as the basecolor.

Permanent tactical markings inwhite were used by all categories ofaircraft operating in the Mediterra­nean area, a white fuselage bandand white wing tips being commonto most types. (GAM 94-107.)

Top: Abandoned in the Libyan desert, thisHenschel Hs 126 A-1, 5F+JK, was operated by2./AufkI.Gr. (F) 14. Basic camouflage was SandYellow 79 over all uppersurfaces with arandom overspray pallern of Olive Green BO.The engine cowl is curiously painted inreverse. BO is the base color, oversprayed with79. SpinnEl,r was 70 and props were 71. Aliundersurfaces were Light Blue 7B. Theindividual aircraft leller, J, was repeated underboth wing tips. In its fuselage position the "J"could have been painted in the Staffel color(red).

78 Light Blue78 Hellblau

Italian Sky Gray

79 Sand Yellow79 Sandgelb

Italian Sand Yellow

80 Olive Green80 OlivgrOn

Italian Mottle Green

Following damage from antiaircraft fire, the pilot of this Bf 109 F-4/tropforce-landed near EI Alamein on August 14, 1942. It is camouflaged in78/79. It has a white spinner, forward cowl, wing tips and tail band. Propblades were Black-Green 70, while the individual number 5 and [). \horizontal bar of the 2nd Squadron are yellow outlined in black. Cl:', .

-

111

TRANSPORTSThe Luftwaffe entered the war withthe ubiquitous Ju 52/3m whichproved to be the mai nstay of generaltransport duties for the entire war.Camouflage was initially RLM Gray63, but by late 1936, this had givenway to 61/62/63 on upper surfaceswith 65 on lower portions. Thisscheme then gave way to colors 70and 71 on all top surfaces with 65lower.

The initial impact of the war causedthe RLM to issue a specification fora new transport. Subsequently, theArado firm gained a production con­tract for its Ar 232, but only a few ofthese promising transports wereever completed. All of these aircraftreceived the standard 70/71/65camouflage. Meanwhile, the succes­sor to the Ju 52, the Ju 252, was un-

dergoing numerous required revi­sions considerably hindering its op­erational debut. The few that werecompleted and delivered werefinished 70/71/65. A redesign of theJu 252, using largely nonstrategicmaterials in its construction, re­sulted in the Ju 352, appearing inlate 1943. Thes~ transports, like theprevious machines, were finished in70/71/65. Meanwhile the shortage oftransports was offset by impressinginto service the Fw 2008s ofDeutsche Lufthansa. These werehanded over to K.Gr. z.b.V. 105which operated resupply missions toGerman forces in Norway. Other Fw200Bs went directly from the p ro­duction line to this unit as well asthe first four Fw 200Cs. Camouflagefor all of these aircraft was 70/71/65.The Luftwaffe also impressed DLH'sJu 90s for transport duties insideGermany. As promising as many ofthe new types were, the RLM soughtadditional troop transport require-

ment solutions in very large glidersand powered gliders. Aircraft likethe huge Me 321 and Me 323 wereintroduced carrying standard 70/71/65 camouflage. Smaller types likethe Go 242 and Go 244 also werefinished in 70/71/65. Many were alsogiven a soft mottle along the fusel­age. One of the smaller troop glidersto see operational duties was theDFS 230. Most of these gliders werefinished in the standard 70/71/65scheme, however, many had Color65 Light Blue carried up the side offuselage ending in a soft edge mid­way. Occasionally, this side coloringwas accomplished with RLM Gray02, and in both cases, the mottlewas 70 sometimes augmented with71 or 74.

The Arado 232 V1, GH + - -. above. and the Ar232 B-O, A3+RB, (7./KG 200) below, werecamouflaged 70/71/65. The latter aircraft hasreceived a dense mottle of 02 over the top ofthe fuselage. Note the winged elephantemblem near the nose, and the red and whiteprop warning arc on the forward entry door.

112

01 Silver01 Silber

70 Black-Green70 SchwarzgrOn

71 Dark Green71 DunkelgrOn

Above: A few Heinkel He 111 H-2s were converted as VIP high speedtransports like this example, D-ACLQ, captured intact by Americantroops in Algeria late in 1943. Uppersurface color was RLM Gray 02 withundersurfaces in color 65. The vertical tail carries the prewar red, whiteand black insignia. Below: The large Ju 290 A-7, W.Nr. 110196, PJ+PS,glides over the Indiana countryside following its record breakingtransatlantic flight by Col. Watson. Camouflage was Gray-Violet 75uppersurfaces, with Dark Green 82 mottle. Undersurfaces were Black 22,

while the original registration (removed by the Americans) PJ+PS,appeared in Gray 77 on the fuselage. In its new role as night transport,the maritime radar and other related equipment were removed.

113

Above: This Ju 52/3m g5e, W.Nr. 7279,4V+BP (originally TG+ES) was one of apair which force-landed on January 22,1945, southwest of Asselborn,Luxembourg. Fitted with flame dampersfor night operations, the standard70/71/65 has been altered by the liberalapplication of white overuppersurfaces, while the outer portionof the wing's undersurface was inyellow. Reportedly, this machine wason strength with III./TG 2. Left: Logicalsuccessor for the Ju 52 would havebeen the Ju 252, but only 25 were built.This example, Ju 252 V5, DF+BQ, wasin 70/71/65, with a yellow tail band. Itwas operational with LTSt. 290 based atBerlin's Tempelhof airfield early in1943. All 25 examples of the "Herkules"were considered prototypes beingretained for special missions and VIPtransports. Below: This Ju 352 A-l,Nl +CX, originally attached toGrossraumtransp. st. based at Tutow,was captu red after the war and used bythe RAF for various ferry missions asAM 18. Camouflage was 70/71/65.

114

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Junkers Ju 52/3m

This standard factory camouflage pattern evolved for most versions of the Ju 52/3mproduced after the Ju 52/3m g4e model and up to the Ju 52/3m g14e. It is unclear if thevarious models eligible to receive the twin float assembly (g4e up to the g8e, g10e andg14e) received the maritime colors or retained their land-based colors. Size, placementand style of the national markings did not significantly change during the war years.Those employed as ambulance aircraft had their markings modified to accommodatethe red and white Red Cross emblem along the fuselage.

115

..........

Above: Resting on its tail skid, this Me321 A-1 is camouflaged in 70/71/65 inmuch the same pattern as employed bythe powered version. With a wing spanof over 180 ft., the Gigant was capableof carrying 120 troops. Left: Close-up ofa Me 323 D-1 gives some impressionof its size. Camouflaged in colors70/71/65 this example still retains itsfactory code letters. Below: The Me 323V2, W9+SA, during the summer of1942. The undersurface demarcationline running along the fuselage variedfrom one production batch to another.Some had sharp separation lines, asbelow, while others employed a softermottle between the Light Blue 65 andthe upper surface greens. Just under200 of these large 28 ton transportswere completed and most weredelivered to Transportgeschwader 5.

116

!

Messerschmitt Me 323 0-1Gigant/Giant

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

This standard factory camouflage pattern evolved for the Me 3230 and E-series. It wassimilar to the one employed by the Me 321A and B-series. Its principal variation occur­red during placement of the demarcation line between undersurface color and theupper surface colors. In some cases the dividing line between the two was rather hardedged, but on others a more soft merger was sprayed applied. Size, placement andstyle of the German national insignia remained fairly constant with few deviations.

Color 65Light Blue

117

Siebel Si 204 0-1

Standard factory camouflage for the Si 204 D-1 remained with the type throughoutmost of its service career although some examples were recorded with an overall coatof RLM 02. Additionally, the Si 204 A-1 series with a stepped cockpit, also carried th.epattern shown above with certain concessions to its longer nose. Size, placement andstyle of national markings did not vary significantly.

118

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

Above: Technically not a transport but atrainer, many Siebel Si 204 O-Is werepressed into VIP transport duties. Thisexample, KJ+RN, was camouflaged in70/71/65 with yellow fuselage bandsdenoting aircraft of blind flying schools.The undersurface of the wing tips andengine cowlings were also yellow, whilethe last two code letters, RN, were red.This machine reluctantly wassurrendered at FOrth carrying a VIP andhis family. Right: Camouflaged in70/7t/65 with a soft mottle of 02/70, thisGo 242 A-1 carries a yellow rearfuselage band. Below: The pilot of thisGo 244 B- t prepares to run-up hisengines at Stendal. Like the gliderversion, shown above, the poweredtroop carrier was camouflaged in70/71/65 with a soft fuselage mottle of02/70. Both the unpowered andpowered versions often carried colorfuland varied camouflage patterns. Mostof their radius of action was confined tothe Eastern Front where they sawconsiderable action.

119

\

t\

RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFTPrewar two classes of aircraft weredeveloped for this duty: the shortrange He 46 which equipped theNahaufklarungstaffeln,9 and the He45 for the long range operations ofthe Fernaufklarungstaffeln,1O Bothtypes wore an overall finish of 63,pi us standard marki ngs and codes.

The passive reconnaissance rolewas altered with the introduction ofthe reconnaissance-bomber type,which role was initially filled by theHe70F-1

In the short-range role the He 46 wassuperceded by the Hs 126, initial de-

liveries of which wore 61/62/63/65camouflage. However, most aircraftleft the production lines wearing thenewly introd uced standard fi n ish of70/71/65. The He 70F-1 had, mean­while, been supplanted by the Do17F-1, a pure long-range reconnais­sance model which entered serviceearly in 1937 wearing standard 61/62/63/65 camouflage. The Do 17Peventually replaced the F-1 model.Initial deliveries retained the sametype of camouflage as the earliermodel, but later deliveries wore thethen standard 70/71/65 camouflage.scheme.

Intelligence requirements fell en­ti rely to the Fernaufklarungsstaffelnwhose Do 17Ps were supplementedby a small number of Do 215 B-O andB-1 aircraft. Camouflage for all ofthem was 70/71/65, although the Do17Ps were later to adopt a heavy,soft-edged mottling of 70 or 71 overthe side and under surfaces of boththe fuselage and the engine na­celles.

9. Short Range Reconn Flights

10. Long Range Reconn Flights

Top: A Heinkel He 46 C-1, BB+CK, is overallRLM Gray 02. Below: This Hs 126 A-1 is in61/62/63/65. However, the majority of the A andB-series were delivered in 70/71/65.

120

oHenschel Hs 126 A-1

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

The factory camouflage pattern shown above replaced the four color (61/62/63/65)scheme abandoned in 1938. It remained in force until the type was finally withdrawnfrom service. The style and placement of national insignia kept pace with changingLuftwaffe directives, but within these guidelines there existed little deviation from regu­lations.

Color 65Light Blue

121

During the early summer the first ofthe new Bf 110C-5 recon naissanceaircraft entered service over Eng­land. Initially these were operatedalongside the Do 17Ps and the com­paratively rare Do 17Z-3 bomber­reconnaissance model. One of theBf 110C-5s fell into British handsshortly after the type entered serv­ice. Its camouflage was found to bequite different, being 71102/65 with ahigh demarcation line along thefuselage and heavy mottling in bothupper surface colors down thefuselage sides.

An oth er cl ass of reco nnaissan ceaircraft had also appeared in May

1940, when the Bf 109 E-5 recon­naissance fighter entered service. Incamouflage of 70/02/65, it was thefi rst of several variants of the Bf 109to fulfill this role.

It had been intended to replace theHs 126 with a newer design, but thefirst of these, the Bv 141, failed toachieve service status. Preproduc­tion aircraft were finished in 70/71/65 camouflage. The other design,the Fw 189, began to reach opera­tional units in mid-1942 and gener­ally wore standard 70/71/65 camou­flage. The principal exceptions werethe few Fw 189s serving alongsidesome Bf 110s with an Au-

fklarungstaffel 11 in North Africa.Camouflage for both types was 79upper and side surfaces with 78lower surfaces although some of theFw 189s are thought to have beenfinished in a more elaboratescheme: a base coat of 80 on upperand side surfaces, oversprayed witha continuous snaking line of 79, andwith 78 on the lower surfaces. Asmall number of Hs 126s servingwith 2.(H)/14 were finished in thesimplified 79/78 scheme althoughagain a few were seen wearing a softrandom mottle of 80 over a basecoat of 79 with 78 lower surfaces.

11. Reconnaissance Flights

122

Opposite top: A factory fresh OornierDo 17 F-1 wears standard prewar61/62/63/65. Opposite below: A Do 17P-1 attached to 3. (H)/15 in a differingcombination of 61/62/63/65. Thefin-rudder insignia has been altered bypainting out the red band and whitedisc. Above: An unusual visual effect isseen in this Ju 88 0-2/trop of Aufkl. Gr.123. The standard 70/71/65 has beenmodified by adding flowing areas ofRLM Gray 02 with the whole dappledwith a tight network of Light Blue 65brush lines. The Letter "E" was red,outlined in white. Right: Initially paintedLight Blue 65 overall, the six He 116B-Os intended for strategicreconnaissance, were later painted70171/65 for less ambitious missions.Below: This Ju 188 0-2,. W.Nr. 0608,G2+BR, attached to 7. (F)/124, andother machines were captured atKirkenes, Norway, in standard 70/71/65,with serpentine lines of Light Blue 65over uppersurfaces. The letter, "B",trimmed in yellow, indicates the 2ndSquadron.

123

o

,IB\,5

I2

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-1

This 1941 factory camouflage scheme was adopted for the Fw 189 A and F-series. Latein 1941 a North African camouflage scheme was approved consisting of Color 78which replaced 65 on all undersurfaces, Color 80 over all upper surfaces followed witha serpentine line network of Color 79. The German national insignia remained relativelyunchanged throughout its service career.

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

124

...

Above: A somewhat rare version of a ubiquitous reconnaissance aircraftis this Focke-Wulf Fw 189 F-1, 5H+RK, captured by American Forces atSalsburg. Flown by Aufkl.Gr. (H}/14, the camouflage was standard. Thisphotograph, originally in color, has badly sepiad over the years.Nevertheless, the yellow tactical rudders, engine cowls and wing tips arestill clearly recognizable. The individual aircraft letter, "R", is red (Staffelcolor), outlined in white (Gruppe color). Below: One of the more originalreconnaissance aircraft designs to appear during the Second World Warwas the asymmetric creation of Dr. Richard Vogt, the BV 141.Camouflaged in standard 70/71/65 colors, the BV 141 V11 (B-03), W.Nr.

10003, NC+RB, was an aircraft with considerable developmental bugs,resulting in a general lack of serviceability. In the end, the BV 141 neversaw operations.

125

\

The Me 210 which was to have re­placed the Bf 110 was unsuccessfulin both its role as a fighter and a re­connaissance machine. Its succes­sor, the Me 410, was an improve­ment and the Me 41 OA-1 /U 1 versionwent to the same reconnaissanceunit 2.1F)/Aufkl. Gr 122 based onSardinia. Despite Mediterranean de­ployment they retained their stan­dard fighter finish of 74/75/76 al­though the harsh sun temperaturestended to fade these colors. Theyalso wore the requisite white tacticalmarking band around the rear fuse­lage.

With the phasing out of the bomberversion of the Ju 188 in May 1944, a

changeover was made to a recon­naissance model. The, Ju 188D wasmade in two forms: the D-1 and D-2,the latter being for maritime recon­naissance. Camouflage was 70/71/65, but the 70/71 areas were brokenup with a continuous line of 65applied in random fashion.

Extreme high altitude reconnais­sance had been carried out from1940 to 1943 by specially mod ifiedJu 86 P-2 aircraft. These aircraft re­tained their standard 70/71/65camouflage.' During August 1942,Hohenflugkommando Beauvais flewat great height over the British Islesin three Ju 86 R-1s (T5+QM, T5+RMand T5+SM). All three were camou-

flaged 76 uppersurfaces with 65 onall lower sides. Yellow 04 were oper­ational markings applied to theunderside of cowlings, wing tips andrear fuselage band.

A better equipped successor was theAr 234B which began high altitudereconnaissance missions over Brit­ain in September 1944 and con­tinued in this role for the remainderof the war. Camouflage remainedthe same as for the bomber version.81/82/76.

Top: A newly completed Ju 86 P-2camouflaged in colors 70/71/65. Below: This Ju86 R-1, BO+BJ, is shown during its acceptanceflight painted 65 overall.

126

Above: This high altitude reconnaissance milchine, Ju 388 L-1, W.Nr. 560049, was captured at ATG's Merseburg plant by Col. Watson's group andlater shipped to the United States for evaluation. It is shown here atMerseburg on May 20,1945 in its original camouflage. All uppersurfaceswere Gray-Violet 75 with Light Blue 76 on lower and side surfaces. Alight mottle of Color 75 was applied to the vertical tail plane. Spinnersand propellers were the usual Black-Green 70. The Halkenkruz applied tothe fin as well as the upper wing and fuselage Balkenkreuz markingswere of the simplified outline variety. The fin and fuselage insignia wereBlack 22 while the upper wing crosses were White 21. The underwingBalkenkreuz marking was of the older black and white variety but

without trim elements. Subsequently this aircraft received the American~valuation code, FE-4010, while at Wright Field. It is currently in storagefor the National Air and Space Museum.

Below: The remains of numerous Ju 388 L-1s found at Leipzig-Mockauillustrate similarities with the aircraft above. These aircraft carry serialnumbers in the 340 000 block. The last three digits are repeated belowthe cockpit. Unlike the swastika originally applied to the machine above,these examples carry the solid black variety in addition to black outlinefuselage crosses.

127

Above: Several reconnaissance models of the Me 262 were recovered byCol. Watson's group immediately following the war. This Me 262A-1a/U3, "White 25", like most of the others captured, exhibits acamouflage pattern composed of a densely applied mottle of 81/82 overa base of 76. Like the 262 found on page 36, it is possible that thefuselage sides were not 76 but a light gray as shown by our documentedsample on page 143. This aircraft, "Connie The Sharp Article", wasflown by Lt. Roy W. Brown to Melun and Cherbourg. It is shown here atLechfeld during June 1945. Aircraft number 30 is immediately behind thelead machine.

Below: Another Me 262 A-1a/U3, "White 33', has suffered a nose gearfailure at Lechfeld. Camouflage is similar to the machine above but the

fuselage mottle is more dense. Other reconn Me 262 A-1a/U3s carriedindividual numbers in the range 27, 29 and 34.

128

--'--,

Above: Photographed in the United States after the war, this was one ofthree examples of the Blitz (Lightning) acquired by General Watson inNorway. This Arado Ar 234 B-2, W.Nr. 140312, carries the transitioncolors 71/81/76 with the rear portion of each turbojet in black. Thanks tolarge stocks of the older paints, color 71 was authorized for use with 81,while 70 was approved for use with 82 on uppersurfaces. This aircraftlater became FE-l0l0 and still survives as part of the collection at SilverHill, Maryland.

Below: Once operational with 2. (F)/FAG 122 in the Mediterranean area,this Me 410 A-3, W.Nr. 10 018, F6+WK, is a classic example of howcamouflage should work. Painted in colors 74/75/76, with 65 spinnersand 70 prop blades, this Hornisse (Hornet) was brought to the UnitedStates for evaluation as FE-499. It is now in storage at Silver Hill,Maryland.

129

FOREIGN AIRCRAFTA wide range of foreign ai rcraft sawservice with the Luftwaffe, the bulkof them bei ng operated by the trai n­ing establishments and the secondline transport units. In addition, cap­tured Allied aircraft were evaluatedand sometimes, for special duties,operated by the Luftwaffe in a clan­destine manner. Normally, capturedaircraft were left in their originalcamouflage, only their nationalitymarkings being replaced. However,where aircraft were put into use astraining aids for tactics they wereoften repai nted in one of the stan­dard Luftwaffe colors. This was par­ticularly so with Allied fighter air-

craft which were repainted in either74 or 75 on all upper and side sur­faces, lower surfaces being re­painted Yellow 04 which was ex­tended to the entire tail unit as afurther safety aid against friendlyfighters.Foreign aircraft used operationallyon first or second line duties, (therewere a considerable number of Ital­ian aircraft used for transport dutiesfollowing Italy's capitulation), weresubject to a special directive issuedon July 20, 1944. Black and whitespiral markings on spinners wererequired for aircraft on first lineduties but for second line work the

underside of the wings were to bepainted yellow equal to one third ofthe span. Civil aircraft pressed intoservice were required to have thefuselage undersurface, the entireengine nacelles and rudder paintedyellow. This order applied to Ger­many, France and Italy, virtually allthat remained of the Axis domina­tion of Europe. (GAM 139.) (LC/3129.) As the war prog ressed into itsfourth year, more and more flyableAllied aircraft fell into German handsin addition to those that were as­sembled from several wrecks.

Top: Former USAAF P-51 D with yellowundersurfaces and tail assembly. Below:French Dewoitine D-520 near Brussels.Camouflage was dark brown and light blue.

130

75 Gray-Violet75 Grauviolett

04 Yellow04 Gelb

American ANA Standard613 Olive Drab

Above and Below: This Republic P-47 D-20 Thunderbolt was recovered atGottingen bearing the Luftwaffe code T9+EK, indicating the aircraft was flownby 2/Versuchsverband OKL, a unit operated by the Luftwaffe High Command.Uppersurface camouflage colors applied by the Germans consisted of aBrown-Violet similar to the sample found on page 83. The entire lower surfacesand tail assembly were in Yellow 04. Right: This Consolidated B-24 D-1, SerialNumber 41-23641, was camouflaged in colors similar to the Thunderbolt. Whilesome captured Allied aircraft were operated with minimal repainting, most wereroutinely recamouflaged using German paints. A sample of U.S. Army OliveDrab 613 is included on this page for comparison purposes only.

131

SPECIAL PURPOSEThe RLM projected a variety of air­craft for special purposes but only afew designs actually were built.Fewer still reached operationalstatus. The well-known Mistel proj­ects involved the use of two aircrafteach having the same powerplant.The Mistel S3C, shown above, is typ­ical of the camouflage found onboth the control fighter and thelower explosive carrier.

This particular setup illustrates thetrainer model. The operational ver­sion would have been similar apartfrom the nose configuration of thelower component. Atop is a standardFw 190 A-9 wearing a style of

camouflage typical of the lastmonths of the war, namely DarkGreen 82 and Gray-Violet 75 overuppersurfaces, with a sky gray coloron all lower surfaces. The lowercomponent, a Ju 88 G-10, is camou­flaged 76 overall with Light Green 83mottle spots over the upper sur­faces. On other Ju 88G lower com­ponent aircraft, a combination ofGray-Violet 75 and Light Blue 76were to be seen.

Another special purpose type pro­duced, but not operationally used,was the Fi 103 A-1/Re 4 piloted ver­sion of the V1 "Buzz Bomb". Theone hundred and fifty of these pi-

loted missiles completed borecamouflage similar to their un­manned cousins: top surfaces inYellow-Green 99 with Light Graylower surfaces. Examples with DarkGreen 82 upper surfaces and LightBlue 76 undersurfaces have alsobeen identified. The warhead wasconstructed of semimouldedplywood, and as such was sealedwith a protective clear sealant priorto the application of camouflage.

Top: The Mistel S3C (Fw 190 A-9, W.Nr. 961243 and Ju 88 G-10, W.Nr. 460 066) composite.The last three digits of the Ju 88's serialnu mber are repeated near the Fw 190'sfuselage cross. Below: This Fi 103 A-1/Re4 wasdisplayed with the nose from a nonpilotedbomb.

132

-_.. __ ...-

HELICOPTERSTwo advanced German helicopterdesigns actually reached productionduring WW II, the Flettner FI 282Kolibri (Hummingbird) and theFocke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache(Kite). The former, an airbornemaritime reconnaissance and obser­vation craft and was the onlyhelicopter to be used operationallyduring the war. The production runfor the FI 282 was only about twodozen, although, plans were madefor upwards of 1,000 machines. Theearly prototypes of the FI 282 wereeither left unpainted or werecamouflaged in the maritime colorsof Green 72 or Green 73 on top sur-

faces with Light Blue 65 under thefuselage and tailplane. The sixthprototype, the FI 282 V6, was flownoperationally for convoy protectionduties in the Aegean Sea. Thishelicopter was painted Light Blue 65overall with black factory code let­ters (GF+YF). The seventh and allremaining "Hummingbirds" werecamouflaged in either Black Green70 or Dark Green 71, with Light Blueon lower sections of the fuselageand tailplane. Factory registrationletters were applied to the fuselageand under the short stubby horizon­tal tailplane in black, beginning withCI + TG (for the V7 al ias A-03) andending with CI + TX (for the V24 aliasA-020). The rotor blades were con­sidered su rfaces, al beit flyi ng su r-

faces, and as such were painted inthe same camouflage colors as theairframe. The second helicopter de­sign to enter production was theFocke-Achgelis Fa 223. Total pro­duction of the Fa 223 amounted tono more than 15 machines, in spiteof the fact that tooling-up for 400per month had been put in motion.All completed Fa 223s were camou­flaged Black Green 70 or Dark Green71 on all uppersurfaces includingthe rotors. The underside of thefuselage and horizontal tailplanewere painted Light Blue 65.

Top: This Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 E-015 was in70/71/65. Below: The Flettner F1 282 A-019(V23), CI +TW, with counter-rotating,intermeshing rotors.

133

TRAINERSBasic airmanship instruction wasdone using gliders which retainedthe prewar finish of Cream 05. How­ever, the directive issued on July 1,1944, specified the immediate paint­ing of all sailplanes and gliders witha mottled application of 81 and 82.Solid coloring was not to be used.(LC/39.)

Ab initio training prewar were usu­ally painted Silver 01 overall withblack trim on struts and wheel hubs.The 01 coloring was superseded byRLM Gray02 in 1941.

Advanced training aircraft, such asthe Fw 58 and BCi 133, had also hadtheir Light Gray coloring replaced by63 overall since the open declarationof the Luftwaffe in 1935. However, aswith the primary training force, war­time pressures saw a transition tocamouflage. The Munich crisis had

brought the Luftwaffe onto a fullalert. All obsolete aircraft availablein an emergency for use on frontline duties, were hastily cqmou­flaged in 70/71/65. Some receivedthe correct camouflage pattern,others were subjected to more hasteand less conformity. They remainedin daily use at their relative trainingestablishment. In order to identifythem, a broad white band approxi­mately one meter wide was paintedaround the rear of the fuselage. Inaddition, the wing top surface centersection on biplanes was also paintedwhite and a large black identifyingnumber painted on both white areas.Standard Balkenkreuze markingswere applied in all six positions.These and the white fuselage bandobliterated most of the existingD-registration marking which had, inmost cases, been carefully retainedwhen the camouflage was applied.Obsolete ai rcraft seconded for thefinal stage of training. This includedall categories: bomber, fighter, re-

connaissance and transport. Theywere generally left in their existingcamouflage until a major overhaulwas necessitated. This was stipu­lated in the November 1941 issue ofL.Dv.521/1. The order remained inforce for the duration of the war.Fighter trainers produced during thewar were usually fully camouflagedat the point of manufacture.

All aircraft used for advanced train­ing duties wore a combination ofdistinctive yellow markings on wingsand fuselage, e.g., for blind flyingtraining two yellow bands aroundthe rear portion of the fuselage im­mediately aft of the wings; forbomber br fighter finishing coursesa single yellow fuselage band andyellow beneath the wing tips.

Top: Originally these two Grunau Baby IIgliders, captured at Moebach in early April1945, were Cream 05 overall, but only theglider to the left has been repainted in aspecified mottle of 81/82. Below: A Focke-WulfFw 56 A-1, W.Nr. 823, in standard 70/71/65.

134

Right: This two-seat Fw 190 S-8, W.Nr.388047, was a trainer conversion fromthe standard A-8 fighter. This particularexample was most likely camouflagedin the standard Fw 190A colors of 75/76with a vertical tail mottle of 75, while allnational markings were of thesimplified outline variety.

Below: German mechanics assistAmerican personnel in making this Me262 B-1 a, W.Nr. 110639, "White 35",ready for flight. Camouflage wasundoubtedly 81/82 over alluppersurfaces with 76 undersurfaces.However, it is quite likely that thefuselage sides were sprayed initiallyLight Gray prior to the application ofthe two-color mottle. The jet cowls havebeen left in their natural aluminum, anot uncommon practice. It is interestingto note that the starboard wing tip hasbeen painted white on what appears tobe both surfaces. This particularaircraft is now on outside display atNAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

Right: Shown here upon its arrival atNeubieburg, this Do 335 A-12, W.Nr. 240112, was camouflaged in the late warcolors of 81/82/76 as described onpages 36, 42 and 44. Flown in by acivilian crew, it was flown out a fewdays later by an RAF team.Subsequently, this machine crashedduring a routine test flight on January18, 1946, when a rear engine fireburned through the elevator controlcables.

135

LIAISONLiaison duties were fulfilled princi­pally by the Fi 156 and Bf 108, thebulk of the work being done by theformer, although a wide range ofother types were pressed into use inthis role, such as Junkers W 34, Fw58, Si 204, KI 35 and Go 145.Camouflage, or often the lack of. it,depended upon the theater of opera­tions where the aircraft were usedduring the early to midwar period.However, as the war progressed andAllied air supremacy became more

RIBBII

established, camouflage becamenecessary. For larger aircraft suchas the Ju 52 postal couriers, or oneof the special bomber conversionsused for VIP flights, standard 70/71/65 camouflage was used. Smallertypes such as the KI 35 and Go 145were often repainted in the field,using stocks of paint available to theparent unit. Late productionmachines, however, including theBO 181 left the point of manufactureprepainted, even to the extent of tac­tical markings for their intendedtheater of use.

Both the KI 35 and the Go 145 werepopular as unit hacks and in suchcircumstances more elaboratecamouflage was often applied, com­plete with unit and Staffel emblems.Photog raphs of several exam pies ofJG 54 hacks show that the camou­flage was applied at unit level andeven extended to personal markingswhere ownership was by a senior of­ficer.

Above: Bf 108 D-1, W.Nr. 3059, restored inCharlottesville, Virginia during 1968. Below: Fi156 D-1 (MS 500 cln 340) restored inNewburyport, Massachusetts during 1973.

136

Fieseler Fi 156 C·2Storch/Stork

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65light Blue

This standard factory camouflage pattern was employed by the Fi 156 C and D-series,remaining unchanged dUr(,ng the war years. The desert model, employed in North Af­rica, was similar to the photograph on page 136. However, the serpentine line networkwould have been Color 80 and not the dark gray shown. Additionally, the typical fac­tory delivery code letters would have had smooth edges in place of the angularAmerican-style shown in this restoration. German national insignia also remained con­sistent in size, placement and style throughout the war years.

137

Messerschmitt 8f 108 8-1Taifun/Thypoon

This was the July 19, 1940, official factory camouflage pattern for the Bf 108 B-1 seriesbut was also applicable to the B-2 and D-1 series. In the last year of the war, some re­painted examples were camouflaged in the new late-war colors with upper surfaces ofmedium Brown-Violet and a soft mottle of Dark Green 82. North African machines wereusually 78/79180, although some examples dispensed with the Olive Green 80. Germannational markings were fairly consistent in their application. Dimensions were: WingTop: 900 mm; Wing Bottom: 800 mm; Fuselage: 800 mm (Later 750 mm); Swastika: 300mm.

138

Color 70Black-Green

Color 71Dark Green

Color 65Light Blue

LIGHT PLANESUnquestionably, the Fieseler 156"StOrch" (Stork) and Messerschmitt108 "Taifun" (Typhoon) were out­standing examples of light planesand, not surprisingly, many exam­ples of these two aircraft are still tobe seen in Europe and NorthAmerica. Like many other lightplanes produced prior to the war inEurope, the Storch and Taifun wereimpressed by the Luftwaffe for mili­tary liaison duties. However, betweenthe years 1935 and 1940 most of thelight planes produced were stillwithin the general aviation sectorand bore paint schemes and mark­ings associated with this category.In the main, there were three basiccolor schemes employed by lightplanes during the last half of the1930s. The color chips below repre­sent the three principal colors whichwere applied over all external sur-

r

05 Cream05 Lasur

faces of the aircraft. Initially, almostall light planes were finished in acream color generally associatedwith wooden and fabric surfaces.Later, the cream color became for­malized as RLM Color 05. By 1937,cream had given way to a Light Graywhich was to be seen on a variety ofairplanes incl'uding paramilitarytypes still thinly disguised as civilaircraft. Often, a second decorativecolor was applied to the nose andcarried gracefully to the rear of thefuselage in a gradually diminishingtrim line. This second color wasusually blue, but black also wasused on occasion. About mid-1938 aparamilitary color was introduced. Itwas applied to various single engineaircraft. The Taifun illustrated at thetop of this page is typical of thisscheme. Various other aircraft in­cluding Ar 68s and some Fw 44salso were to be seen in this DarkBlue-Gray which, at this time, isotherwise unidentified by number

Light GrayLichtgrau

code. With the outbreak of war inSeptember 1939, general aviation inGermany was curtailed and fewmanufacturers ventured to introducenew light planes into the market. Itwas hoped that the war wouldquickly be over and that the politicalclimate would once again permitlight planes a place in the sky. Asevents progressed and the war con­tinued, several light plane typesbegan to appear in outright militarycolors. Notable were the Arado Ar 96trainers which were often seen inRLM Gray 02 overall. (LC/3 11.)(GAM 40.) Black Green 70 and DarkGreen 71 were also widely used withundersurfaces in Light Blue 65.

Top: Painted Dark Blue-Gray, this Bf 108 B-1,0-11 PY, carries the Messerschmitt logo andregistration letters in Cream 05. Theblack-white-red swastika tail insignia appearedon both sides after June 1936. Canopy framingwas left natural plated metal.

Dark Blue-GrayDunkelblaugrau

139

Top: Photographed at Schweinfurt in June1945, this Klemm K1 35 B-1 was the officiallight plane of Der Deutsche Sportflieger, aprominent German pUblication. Left:Painted 05 overall with blue trim andadorned with the Arado logo on its cowl,this Ar 79 A-1 was produced in limitednumbers in 1938. Below: The personalaircraft of Graf Hagenburg, this Bucker BU133 C-1 was finished in 05 overall with blueand white trim, and an aluminum enginecowl. This Jungmeister was photographedin Cleveland during September 1938 whereit participated in the National Air Races.

140

;'

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTWith only a few exceptions, allLuftwaffe aircraft which were solelyintended as research and develop­ment, were painted according totheir ultimate roles. Apart from theuniqueness of a particular design,there was often little to distinguishthe R&D machine from productiontypes. The Goppingen Go 9, an R&Daircraft, built by Schemp-Hirth ofWusterberg for testi ng the rear en­gine and propellor' concept lateradopted by the Do 335, was mainlybuilt of wood and fabric. This R&Daircraft was painted in color 05 gen­erally associated with wood and fab­ric, and carried the black civil regis-

tration D-EBYW. Another R&Dmachine, the FGP 227, was createdto test the capabilities of the hugeBV 238 six-engined flying boat (Seep. 100) and was camouflaged in themaritime colors of 72 and 73 over alluppersurfaces with 65 on all lowersurfaces.

Another R&D design was the jetHeinkel He 280 V7, shown above,which was transferred to the DFSfacility in April 1943 for variousaerodynamic research programs.The jet engines normally underslungbeneath each wing were removed,

since the prototype was flown as aglider, it being towed aloft by a He111 H-6. As shown here, the camou­flage consisted of RLM Gray 02overall with fuselage crosses in thesize and proportion of those onceseen on prewar He 51s. All other in­signia and registration letters appearto conform to regulation size andposition specifications.

Above: The He 280 V7, minus its jets, isfinished in RLM Gray 02 overall. Below: During1944 the unusual forward swept winged Ju 287V1, RS+RA, was built from components ofthree different aircraft to expedite flight testsof the new wing form. Overall color was DarkGreen 71 top surfaces, with Light Blue 65undersurfaces. Traces of 02 may be seen onthe engines and rudder.

141

MISSILESDuring the war the German aviationindustry succeeded in producing awide range of missiles, many ofwhich were operationally deployed.Besides the better known "BuzzBomb", the Germans produced ahost of air-to-ground, air-to-air, andground-to-air missiles. In the formercategory were the Ruhrstahl PC1400X controlled trajectory bomb,the Henschel Hs 293A radio controlbomb and the Blohm & Voss BV 246Hagelkorn (Hailstone) glider bomb.In the air-to-air category were theRuhrstahl X4, while the latter cate­gory were represented. by theHenschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (But­terfly), the Messerschmitt Enzian(Gentian) and the Rheinmetall­Borsig Rheintochter (Rhine Maiden).

With the exception of the Bv 246,most of the above mentioned mis­siles were not camouflaged in theusual manner. The upper surfaces ofthe BV 246 were in Dark Green withLight Blue lower surfaces. Henschel293A bombs were usually Light Blue65 overall, as were the PC 1400Xmissiles. The best known of theground-to-ground missiles was, ofcourse, the V1 Hbllenhund (Hell­hound). Initially, most of thesebombs were camouflaged with asingle uppersurface color of eitherBlack Green 70, Dark Green 71 oreither of the two maritime greens, 72and/or 73. There are also recordedinstances of bombs in Gray Green74, Gray-Violet 75 over uppersur­faces. The lower portions were usu­ally in 65 Light Blue (for greens) and76 Light Blue (for grays). The solid

application of paint later gave way toa mottle effect while still others in­corporated a mix of styles due todecentralization in manufacturing ofparts. The bombs uncovered by theU.S. Army at the large Dannenbergcomplex in April 1945 were paintedin a thin coat of Yellow-Green 99over uppersurfaces, with Light Grayunderneath. Warheads were in DarkGreen 82. This is a case where theprotective primer paint (99) alsoserved as adequate camouflagecovering. Traces of Light Blue wereobserved on certain small undersidecomponents on many of thesebombs such as fillets and controlcovers.

Top: This Fieseler Fi 103 A-1 was Dark Greenover uppersurfaces which extended beneaththe bomb's fuselage. Below: This Henschel Hs293 A-1 was overall Light Blue 65.

142

I.'

02 RLM Gray02 RLM Grau

Blue-Gray(wooden propellers)

Light GrayHellgrau

00 Clear00 Wasserhell

..

99 Yellow-Green99 Gelb/Grun

Wood/Fabric Sealer

PROTECTIVE PAINTSEssentially, protective pai nts wereappl ied to su rfaces subject to expo­sure from the elements, chemicalsor as primer paints for additionaltreatment. During the prewar years,a light gray primer, probably not un­like our specimen above, was usedfor metal panels and tubing. Corres­pondingly, a reddish-brown primer,shown above, was applied to all fab­ric and wooden surfaces. This, or asimilar reddish-brown primer, wasalso applied to certain internal metalequipment boxes. The light graypri mer was, for the most part, su per­seded by RLM Gray 02, shownabove, for metal parts by the timewar broke out.

A variety of colorless finishes, to dif­ferent chemical specifications, wereused both internally and externallyon wooden, metal and fabric sur­faces. Flying boats and float planeshad their hulls and floats finishedwith a colorless anticorrosive paintthrough which the normal camou­flage paint could be seen. A special

protective dip, used for waterproof­ing light metal parts on ocean goingaircraft, had a distinguishing bluetinge to identify parts so treated.(GAM 165, 167.)

These clear protective fin ishes usu­ally did not produce a glossy outerfinish. Contrasted with this is a clearpaint identified as Light Water (Was­serhell) 00, shown above as anempty block.'

The blue-gray sample shown aboveis listed here as a protective paintbut we cannot be completely sure ofits composition. This color wasfound on wooden VS 9 and VS 111propellors during the closingmonths of the war.

Another protective color serving adual role was Yellow-Green (GelblGrDn) 99 shown above. Th is protec­tive paint appeared as a primer on avariety of metal surfaces such asprops and spinners and also ascamouflage during the last weeks ofthe war.

An example of the later practicewas, until recently, still to be seenon the Fieseler Fi 103 A-1 (alias theV1) on display at the Imperial WarMuseum in London. This particular"Buzz Bomb", W.Nr. 477 663, fittedwith a yellow nose (exclUding the82/76 colored nose cone) denotingits training role, was finished inColor 99 over all upper surfaces in­cluding the Argus pulse jet. Thebomb's lower surfaces were entirelya light gray, very similar to the LightGray shown above. The fin-rudderassembly was light gray with 99 as aone-pass spray, horizontally posi­tioned across both the fin and rud­der.

Another example of possible dualpurpose paint can be seen .in oursample of Light Gray above. Thisparticular color was uncoveredalong the entire fuselage side of theMe 262 A-1a/R1 (see pages 9 and 36)restored by the NASM. The under­side color, 76 Light Blue, met thelight gray at the turn-up point, butextended no farther up the fuselageside.

143

PHOTOGRAPHIC INDEX

AR'~C'O

0&F ~6

79'1 140eOV 17i95A 1032~~v 112?32~ 1122348 92 '-;:. i

BACtiEM. ~; i92

BL':-;"'HI: ~ ·;.OSS;$~.:;

,,<:3:;13

T.-'-'.!42V

.. ~,~~~.~ , ~:~-'. -

dUCKER133C

DORNIER17E17F17P18G24T26V215V217E217K217M217N335A

FOCKE-ACHGELIS2?'iE

FIESi'i..ER;103A'155G.:

FOCKE-~~,jLF';

·5i3A·152C152H154V

100'94~25

140

72122122969696811041041046036.42,135

133

'32,142

134383857

189F190A190D190F190G1905200C

FLETTNEfl282ft. '

GOTHA242A24413

HEINKEL46C·

100DlllEl11H112V114A1151311613162A177A219V219A280V

HENSCHEL123A126A12913293A

JUNKERS52/3m86A86E86K86P86R87A871387D87G88A

12531,40,13238,40,416831135107

133

1 !9.19

120,14.,237982,83,113,16,1710310312332,36,42,144886210,62141

73110,12066142

95,1147981801261267984,110717084

88D8SG88R188A188D188E252V287V288V290A352A388J388K388L

KLEMM3513

MESSERSCHMITT108131080109V10913109E109F109G109K110C1100110F110G16313209V210A262A26213 :263V309V321A323V3230410A

SIEBEL 204DGRUNAU Baby 2CONSOLIDATED B-24DNO, AMERICAN P-51DREPUBLIC P-47DDEWOITINE D-520

123'10,58,13255901239011414192109,1131146493127

140

13913615,2318,2319,22,23,2425,26,1118,26,34,4333,4028287154,569,48,49,50,5129299,10,13,36,42,92,12865,1356,4829116116116129

119134131130131130

During the lasllwo months of the war, many .aircraft received only afraction ofit~::: attQ.'1tion to detail durina their construction and finalfinis,hing' ~hc:}~a(iier,p'roctucti(,;f"f('Oo"'i:.once enjoyed. A good exampleis this He 162 A-2, W.Nr. 30062'1, being examined by S/Sgt. ROQert S.Boyle at the Junl<Elrs factory field blitween Stassfurt and Bernburg onApril 16, 1945. Parts such as the gear covers, wings, engine covers,horizontal stabilizer, r~ar fuselage upper decking and parts of the finhave been painted in camouflage colors while the remainder of theairframe, excluding the nose cone, was left natural aluminum. The

144

formed wooden nose cone has been primed but not painted. Asmentioned elsewhere, the application of camouflage during the finalmonths ofAhewar was, in many.cases, greatly simplified. The painting ofparts (as opposed to areas) afforde<;1 a degree of production timesavings which'resLilted in ,so'me interesting and unusual camouflagepatterns, Wing and fuselage crosses have been applied but notswastikas, Damage to the canopy and engine were inflicted by Germanpersonnel prior to their withdrawal.

\