Thought to be some of the early Focke

Wulf Fw 190A production, the second

machine shows the standard type of

fuselage markings for a manufacturer's

prototype which used four letters.

situation soon realised by enemy crews, or at

least that is what we have been led to believe
from captured crews, having crashed in the
UK.
Operationally it would appear that the RLM
did not want to obliterate the blue sides if it
could be helped. A machine so painted was not
easy to pick out at altitude. The fuselage cross
showed up well in combat but did not

compromise the overall camouflage, so it

would seem that the units were advised to
soften or tone down in some way, the rather
sharp demarcation between the rather dense

greens

of the fuselage decking and

the

offending blue-grey lower down.

.ie:If.

Evidence from several downed Me 109 airframes during September 1940 showed that the
fuselage black-green, RLM 70, had been overpainted with 02, possibly as a first instruction
to break up the dark decking. Not so long after
this change was noticed, an extension of the

a further unit applied effort in

which feather edged patches of 02 had been
daubed over the upper portion of blue area to
make a transition from the green to blue, in
what might be described as a mottle effect.
That scheme applied whether 70/'71 or 71/02,
scheme was

had. been used

:sts:1t::;sr

.;+:*tTT)i*

on the fuselage decking.

Luftwaffe fighter-bombers for the period

were reported to have either 70 or 7l paiirted

over with 02, with evidently no specific require.

ment as to which should have been overpainted.
However, the wording of the actual
instruction passed to units was obviously open
to interpretation in several different ways, as
the feather edged blobs were sometimes applied
in much smaller more dense patches, extending

i1

further down the sides, or as criss-cross bands

of the fuselage side and
certainly not a common pattern,
Nor it seemed was the method of application. Some machines' were sprayed. Others
were. strippled, spattered or daubed with a
brush, whilst others had been patted with a soft
pad dipped in the paint.
Now whatever the changed instructions were
they did not appear to have been introduced at
factory level. The same splinter scheme continued to be the ex-works finish.

along the length

]ANBIil$NEilI
Notes on German World War 2
aircraft colou rs
THERE is always a build-up of correspondence
on this subject, so this month an emptying of
the in try is necessary.
FIGHTER MOTTLE
To start

off this subject G. Lange of Houston,

Texas, is one of several readers generally

wanting to know why the fighter fuselage
mottle was added from late 1940 and how was

it

applied?

Well it seems evident that the mid Battle of

Britain scheme of the splinter colours of RLM
70/71, or 7l/02 for the upper surfaces and
fuselage sides down to the top longeron
location below which RLM 65 took over, was
very effective for aircraft at fighting altitudes

of

15,000-20,000

ft or so.

But at lower altitudes or when seen from low

level attacking Allied fighters with Lufrwaffe
aircraft on the ground, the swathe of pale blue
for the lower fuselage surfaces was an instant

focus

of attention through a gunsight,

tI

::r :::::1:::r::i

An example of a Messerschmitt Bf 109E

during the Battle of France shows it to
belong to JG 26. lt has the upper surface
RLM 70/71 greens with the light blue RLM
65 on the remainder of the fuselage.
272

in

s FL{ Niis iq\ir^rE

:::::;r.-..',.1
i61

rii,riia$r

Ai i;ii

i,i

THE CHANGES OF MID-1941

Again from observation, by the start of the
summer of that year, it seemed that two greys
were issued for the upper surfaces of wing and
as a soft edged spray demarcation.

tail, applied

German airctalt, during their test flight

period, were often left in a basic primer.

This one. possibly the Fw 190 V27

prototype, appears to be in RLM 02, a
greyish-green colour. lt has no other
markings apart f rom '27' on the cockpit
surround and cowling.

3. Destroyers: RLNI 7 4/7 5/'76/65.

4. Bombers: RLM 70/71/65.
5. High altitude: RLM 66165.
6. Transports: RLM'70/7 /65.
7. Tropical (Desert): RLM 78179/80.
8. Trainers: any single, or double colour,
1

except RLM 0l (aluminium).

Navy types
9. Maritime: RL}d 72/73 / 65, alsoSl / 82/ 65.
10. Trainers: RLl{ 72/73/65, as a basic
scheme, though any single or double colour
except

RLM 0l and RLM 04 (yeilow).

Earlier colours such as RLN4 6l/62/63, erc

were withdrawn.
On the fuselage the greens remained, still with
the mottle oversprayed. The greys were RLM
74/75. A further change was that RLM 65 was
retained purely as a transition colour, blending
the upper fuselage colours to a new side and
undersurface colour of RLM 76.
After three or four months or more of that
scheme there was a final change to the two
greys for all upper surfaces including the
fuselage decking. The mottles continued to be
applied as a final overspray.
Many readers may have had some difficulty
in the past of not appreciating how paint was
applied to an airframe, judging by various
letters received.
To spray too many coats of colour one over
the other to achieve a scheme, would not only
be a waste of time, materials and labour, but it
would add far too much weight to the airframe. Where possible colours are applied

separately, only overlapping slightly

two colours met.

at

the

edges where

With most more complicated, multi-

coloured schemes, the main colours would first

have to go down separately and anything else

A pre-war Heinkel He

111F

displaying the

cancelled three-tone upper surface

colours of RLM 61, 62 and 63 being a dark

chocolate brown, dark slate green and

pale greenish grey. On the undersides
would be RLM 65 light blue.

would have to be as a local overspray.

So the main two colours of the RLM upper
surface scheme would be applied to specific
areas, as separate coats. The only overlapping
would take place narrowly on the demarcation
lines. The undersurface colour would also be
applied as a separate coat to designated areas
and would only overlap narrowly at the demarcation between upper and lower colours.
Any overspray or mottle would be applied
thinly as an additional second coat, locally over
the previous colourings.

THE NOVEMBER 1941 CHANGES

The Luftwaffe colour schemes were considerably simplified both in pattern, in addition to
colour changes born of operational experience.
Details probably passed along similar routes
and by similar documents as those used by the
RAF, certainly there were manuals dealing
with the subject listing the various colours,
patterns and types of finish available. Such
manuals were complete with at least two pages

of specimen colours.
A litteral translation

L.Dv. 521/2 showed:

Air Force types

of the list

given in

For guidance long lists of colours and their

various uses were often appended to RLM
camouflage notes. For example:
Grundfarben (primers). A whole series of

primers for fabric, wood, metal, etc. and for

specific areas on an airframe.
00 clear. Colour-free; usually nitro-cellulose

varnish, often as a protective coat for

aluminium alloys.
01 silver. Internal and external finish and or
primer. High gloss marine anti-fouling.
02 grey. (A grey-green) in various mediums,
matt or smooth. General internal primer, i.e.
wheel wells and undercarriage legs, inside of
flaps, etc. Also for some external camouflage
and mottle effects. Overall colour for training
aircraft and some maritime roles.
03 silver. Semi-matt, lightweight nitrocellulose for fabric use.
04 yellow. Grouped were several yellows. A
chrome yellow (04) as an 05 ident colour.
Rudder, engine cowling and wingtips, for units
operating over the UK and Russia. Some
special markings uses. Also several sailplane

enamels (05)

of various lighter yellow

tints

including a pearl-white, namely a very light

1. Day fighters: RLM74/75/76/65.

2. Night fighters: RLM74/75/76/65, or

GENERAL TABLE FOOTNOTES

(covering the period up to 1945)

any

other suitable combination, including RLM

8l/82/76.

silver-grey.
21 white. A basic ident colour. In gloss for a
sailplane finish. Semi-matt for a white winter
scheme. Also rudder, wingtip and rear fuselage

;ili

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L:A

rx-ts#i*fi;#J;f
if,ail#,,ti-;i':+

273

This picture, thought to have been taken

in 1941 shows a Messerschmitt Bf 109F

which used the mottle technique over the
lower f uselage sides. The unusual thing is
the camouflage separations on the wings
which although they are probably RLM
7O/71 have saw tooth edges to the dividing
line.

RLM reference number alongside each area.

It

is worth reminding readers that Luftwaffe

in a variety of surface

paints were made

finishes, i.e. matt to smooth, according to their

eventual use. The smooth (to the touch) finish

of

exterior colours, provided little drag and

very little shine and were very much in advance

of British and US thinking of 1939 in the
matter of aircraft paints.
Early 1940 and following examination of

downed German aircraft, the (British) Air

Ministry were to rapidly change away from the
then much favoured matt and proposed supermatt paints, to Type 'S', smooth paints, the
first to emerge being the legendary sky.

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GERMAN REGISTRATION MARKINGS

t9t9-1945

P.

of Leicester writes in a similar

to several other Luftwaffe buffs, as to

Wallace

request

the complicated changes that took place in the

band for Middle East operations.
22 black. A basic ident colour. Early night
camouflage.
23 red. A basic ident colour.
24 dark blue. A basic ident colour. Also for
some camouflage schemes.
25 light green. A basic ident colour.
26 brown. A basic ident colour. Fuel, oil and
other markings.
27 yellow, A ochre-yellow, a basic ident
colour and for fuel, oil and other markings.
2E dark red. A basic ident colour, mainly for
lines, warnings and instructions on airframes,
etc.

31 primers.

series mainly

for fabric

use.

Clear and red-brown, etc.

41 dark grey. An instrument .panel matt

colour.

42 light grey, An acid resisting enamel for

battery compartments.

51 primers. A series mainly for wood, plywood and metals.

6l/62/63/64, Pre-war colours. Cancelled.
65 light blue. A blue-grey for undersurfaces.
66 very dark grey. A later instrument panel

colour and internal cockpit colour. Also for

some night schemes.
70 black green. General upper surface colour
with 71. Also included spinners and propeller
blades.
71 dark green. General upper surface colour
with 70.

72 dark green. A dark yellow-green for

maritime upper surfaces with 73.

73 dark green. A dark

grey-green for

maritime upper surfaces with 72.

74 green. A slate-grey for fighters, usually

with 75.
75 dark grey. A dark blue-grey for fighters,
usually with 74.
76 pale grey.

A very

pale bluish-white, for

fighter undersurfaces.
77 pale giey. A true light grey, usually as an
ident colour.

A bright sky-blue, for

undersurfaces.
79 sand. A brownish-sand, for
7E blue.

tropical
tropical

uppersurfaces.

Luftwaffe handbooks only refer to RLM

84 pale green. A very pale yellowish-green

for fighter undersurfaces.

of civil and military

aircraft over this period.
The matter of the alphabetical series, in

registration markings

which different blocks of letters

applied
according to the size of the aircraft and seating

QUICK REFERENCE LIST

Perhaps as an aid to the uses of colours they
were grouped under simple titles, as follows:
Ident colours: 04 /21 / 22 /23 /24 / 25.
Theatre markings: 04/21.
Unit colours and markings: 2l/22/23/24.
Instruction/warnings, etc: 2l /22/23 /24/25/
26/27.
Fuel/oillpressures, etc: 26/27 /28. External
airframe markings.

Further colours related to internal pipes,

cables, control rods, etc. e.g. Kraftstoff

capacity has been dealt with

in detail in

previous column, but for this current column,

just the basic outline of the changes will be
explained.

In l9l9 the Allied Control

decided

Commission

that Germany eould only build civil

aircraft and so all aircraft should be marked in

an easily recognised registration scheme, under
which form it would be relatively easy to see
just how many machines had been built at any

All paint hues were related to the then

current DIN list of standard hues, the German
equivalent of the British Standard (BS) and US

in an alphanumerical scheme, whereby the national letter

would be 'D' followed by consecutive numbering starting with 'l'. Thus in 1920 the first
registration appeared as D-1, as marked on a
Junkers F.13.
By the time the seven nation peace talks had
taken place at Locarno on 16 October 1925 and
the occupying forces started a withdrawal by
Christmas of that year, the number of types
had already reached above D-700. There were
those individuals in the United Kingdom who
ascerted that with the German aircraft industry
spreading into other European countries, as
well as Sweden and Russia, that not all the
machines built were civil and hidden under
other foreign registrations, there could well be
more than 700 aircraft so far constructed.
Briefly at the time of the Weimar Republic,
the 'D' was temporarily replaced with 'WL',
indicating Weimer Luft, however, the marking
was fairly short lived.
The'D' series had reached above D-3500 by
1933 when the Nazi party came into being and
probably from the point of view that numerals
appeared more of a military marking than civil,
the registration was changed to a completely
alphabetical one (D-AAAA, etc.) and more to
the German point of view by splitting up the
system into blocks. It was extremely difficult to
keep an accurate reference as to the numbers

references.

evidence

(petrol): Gelb Nr 2099 (RLM 27); Schmierstoff

(lubricant): Braun

Nr

2181 (RLM

26);

Kuhlstoff (coolant): Grun Nr 2183 (RLM 25);

Feurerloschanlange (fire extinguisher): Rot Nr
7150 (RLM 23); Luft (air): Blau Nr 6686 (RLM

u).

Home defence banding: 04/21 /22/23 /24/25

(rear fuselage).

EXAMPLES FOUND ON DRAWINGS

Almost the same basic RAF method of identification of finishes from a works point of view

could be found on contractors drawings. To

quote Messerschmitt:
Hoheitszeichen (national identity markings).

Avionorm* Rot Nr 7150 (RLM 23)

Avionorm Schwarz Nr 1730 (RLM 22)

Avionorm Weiss Grund V18 (undercoat)

Avionorm Weiss Nr 1959 (RLM 21)
Instrumentenbrett (instrument panel):

Avionorm Decklack Nr 70213850, Grau-

matt (RLM 66, matt dark grey).

*Paintmaker. (Others might be Atlas Ago

L.M., Ludicke & Co, Bayer A.G., Kellerman &

Co, etc.)

Federal Standard (FS) master colour

Each drawing showed the finishing details

given time. Their choice lay

built. The new system was very much

by

in

1934.

as

THE TIDE TURNS

colours up to 79. From there on only references

to colours in an 80 and 90 series can be found

a column of data headings, i.e. Under each

airframe assembly, was listed the type of
finish, colour number and number of coats,

After

colours appear ih both cellulose/synthetic and

for

whether brushed or sprayed, air or oven dried

and drying time, colour standard reference for
the medium in use with makers identification
reference and notes, etc. Also reference to any

building aircraft for military purposes, but

pretending they were civil. A year later on
Hitler's birthday in 1935, the Luftwaffe was

the

announced and what had been civil aircraft up

81 dark brown. A very dark red-brown for

fighter upper surfaces,
E2 dark green. A very dark spruce-green for
fighter upper surfaces.
E3 bright green. A bright yellow-green for
fighter upper surfaces.

aiframe.
Reference was made to a standard camouflage scheme diagram, in which the aircraft
type was illustrated in plan and elevation with
colour demarcations shown in hatch and crosshatch areas, together with the appropriate

breeding.
By that time Germany was doing its best to
frighten all their European neighbours, by pretending that the new Luftwaffe was much

on

in

manufacturqrs drawings. The 80 series

distemper form, giving slightly differing

hues in each case.

E0 dark green. A very dark khaki-green
fighter upper surfaces.

274

markings required

to be placed upon

1933

it

became more than obvious that

all along designing and

Germany had been

until then, suddenly showed their military

bigger than

it

really was. The so called civil

Pre-war German civil registrations used

the initial letter'D' followed by a number

up to 3500, but after 1933 the number

system was abandoned and all-letter
registrations used from then onwards.
This picture shows a Dornier Do X
registered D-1929, not as some have
assumed, the date of its manufacture.

Old numerical registrations were changed in

many cases to the alphabetical scheme, just to
add to the confusion. The birthday bombshell
also saw the introduction of the Swastika anci

the Greek cross national marking on

all
military aircraft and within a matter of months
a coded registration scheme was evolved of the
form 2l-A37, 05-821, etc., or set either side of

the fuselage cross

registration scheme continued with nonconsecutive bookings. Small blocks of

registrations were left out, either to De tlilecl
later on or ignored totally.

33

+ C17.

By early 1937 a simplified works scheme of

marking aircraft with letters AB + CD,
BA+CD, etc. appeared. Once handed over to
the Luftwaffe unit the letters were wiped off

and replaced with a simplified four character

AB. As a practical example an early

Heinkel He lllF-l (Werke Nummer 1526)
when in pre-war use with KG 253. was coded
33+C25 but when raken over by KC 4, rhe
General Weaver unit, it was coded 5J + CN.
With somq slight variations, according to
code, 5F +

role (e.g. trainers took the form 56 + C56), that

form of registration was to remain for the rest
ol.the war period. Exceptions were fighrer

units who evolved a complex systeri ol

coloured numerals and geomttric sirapes, by

the time the attack on Poland had commenced.