The questions surrounding the apparent use of a brown and grey camouflage scheme on Bf 109s during the Battle of Britain was examined in the April 2016 issue of SAM so it is not intended to go over the same ground again here. That said, following publication of that article and the comments made with regard to the possibility that some Bf 109s might have employed a single shade of very dark grey on their upper surfaces, the author’s attention was drawn to an article that appeared in Aircraft Illustrated Extra No.6, published circa 1970.
The article by Kenneth S. West was entitled ‘An 'Emil' Enigma Solved’ and concerned the Air Historical Branch's Bf 109E that in those pre-RAF Museum days was being held at Biggin Hill. Following an article that had appeared in an earlier edition of Aircraft Illustrated Extra, Mr West had been allowed to conduct what he described as 'a detailed inspection of the dismantled airframe' on the basis of which he made several comments about the colour scheme. Having identified the aircraft as being a Bf 109 E-3 W/Nr. 4101 of 2/JG 51, brought down on 27 November 1940, he went on to describe the original Luftwaffe colour scheme apart from the engine cowlings, which he described in more detail later in the article as being:
'Hellblau (65) on under surfaces and up to the fuselage top decking, with a single shade of dark grey, believed to be Schwarzgrau (66), on all upper surfaces. The change from (65) to (66) is not sharp and the latter is mottled over the former. There is no trace of either Schwarzgrun (70) or Dunkelgrun (71)...'
After noting that the rudder had traces of an identical 04 finish applied by brush over the Farbton 65 and 66 finish he described the markings on the rear fuselage as follows:
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Scale Aircraft Modelling.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Mustard
BAC's Low Speed Research Vehicle
KOVOZAVODY PROSTEJOV (KP) 1 Was Monty's Triple'
Brian Derbyshire
SPECIAL HOBBY SAAB J-21A Review
From the late 1930s and early 1940s, with thewar in Europe raging around them andedging ever closer to its borders, the Flygvapnet had ordered Seversky P-35A aircraft, alongside Vultee Vanguards, but only sixty of the former and none of the latter were received.
VFR MODELS Beagle B.121 Pup
This is the first 3D printed kit I have come across and it is really rather fine.
Hearts in the sky RIAT RETURNS
After a nearly three-year hiatus RIAT returned to our skies with a hot show in every sense of the word. SAM’s Mike Verier and Ray Ball were there.
Colour Conundrum
A Cancellation Conundrum - The RAF F-111s That Might Have Been Part 1
COPPER CAUDRON Caudron G.Ill in 1/32
Copper State Models have carved a name for themselves in the last few years producing high quality plastic kits of World War One subjects.
Academy RF-8A Crusader Conversion in 1/72
USMC squadron VMCJ-2 used six RF-8As during the Crisis (designation F8U-1P until September 1962), with others held in reserve, two flying out of Guantanamo Bay, and four out of NAS Key West.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Modelling US reconnaissance assets in 1/72 Part 2: The Nuclear Confrontation
UKRAINIAT striker
The Sukhoi Su-24 is an all-weather attack aircraft capable of supersonic speeds and characterised by its side-by-side pilot/navigator seating and its variable geometry wing.
