"Reality Strikes" September - October, 1944
September 13, 1944
Oberflächenschutzliste 8 Os 155:
Released by Blohm & Voss and approved by the RLM, designating the 'green' 81/82 camouflage scheme to be applied to the BV 155. The colours were designated as "Olivbraun 81" and "Hellguen 82" (Hitchcock, 1990, inside front cover & p.19). The following is an exact translation of this document, courtesy of Kenneth Merrick:
Sch/01 Advance announcement B&V 13 Sept. 1944
Camouflage BV155
The E-stelle Travermuende authority provides the following:
The BV155 shall have on the uppersurface the colours 81 Olivebrown and 82 Light Green. The mottling spacing and placement should be similar to the Bf 109 camouflage scheme. The fuselage sides, side of the vertical tail and leading edge of the wing and horizontal stabilizer should be painted in colour 76 (no name given). Hereafter, except for the wing and horizontal stabilizer’s leading edge, the aircraft should be then in a cloudy overspray with colour tones 81 and 82. Also, we look ahead to simplify the paint schemes which we should know shortly and will publish. Afterwards, the above mentioned aircraft which will be used for day service, camouflage on the undersurfaces should be deleted.
With the mottle scheme, it should be applied on the aircraft sheet metal between the camouflage and its painted line. The pattern is to be soft flowing lines. The colour scheme is to be sprayed on at the present time.
In case of needed puttying, (aircraft putty 7270.99) it should be applied on bare metal beyond the border lines of the paint scheme and the bare metal should be polished in the usual way but no camouflage on top of the putty. The painting of the undersurface is being deleted to economize.
A/c materials test division for surface protection.
COMMENT: Here is what the author believes is a perfect example of a camouflage document typical of the period. It is important in that it is the first to describe the use of colours 81 and 82, and provides evidence that the descriptive names of these shades were assigned by the manufacturer. Significantly, such was the supply crisis that even at this early date it was ordered that the undersides of the aircraft were to remain unpainted. Another point to ponder: Could "Olivbraun" in fact be RLM 80 Olivgrün, which could have been inserted as a substitute from excess and redundant stocks for the as yet still officially un-described colour RLM 81
September 1944
Factory Camouflage Directive, Fw 190 A:
It is most probable that this document or a related order (possibly a document only and not an Oberflächenschutzliste), existed in some form and specified the 75/83 scheme for the Fw 190 D-9 as well (see above comments).
COMMENT: First operational use of the Dora took place in early October 1944 with III./JG 54 whose aircraft were camouflaged in the 75/83 scheme that is well documented with photographic evidence.(Smith and Creek, 1986, p.10). However, a change occurred in the camouflage colours used in early 1945, from the standard 75/83 scheme to the 81/82 combination, and it is most probable that a variety of transition schemes existed (e.g., 81/83, 82/83, 75/81, etc.) Furthermore, the seperate production and finishing of the Jumo 213 engines in RLM 83 (or possibly 71) would have also complicated the prescribed and transitional camouflaged schemes
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/luftcamdb_3.htmIn fact it is the opposite. Filled and Polished is more the standard while "primed and painted" is a substandard Luftwaffe A/C finish.
Makes sense. If you were an A/C company competing for design contracts wouldn't you want the greatest performance gains possible in your new design over the old one?
Crumpp
