why the yellow nose/cowlings on so many luftwaffe planes.

[spitfiremkv]

Most recognizable is the 109E, of course.

was it so ground crews didn't run into propellers?

[Guppy35]

For ID in the air.

MTO Allied aircraft had red noses for the same reason.

USAAF fighters in the med had a yellow ID band on the wing.

ETO USAAF fighters first had white ID bands then black when it went to natural metal

ETO Spits had yellow leading edge stripes and tail band, again for the same reason

IT was all about not shooting your own guys, yet it still happened often

Dan/CorkyJr

[spitfiremkv]

but it wasn't an universal practice.
plus I have a Spit I model which has a yellow spinner!

[GRUNHERZ]

Originally posted by spitfiremkv
Most recognizable is the 109E, of course.

 

What bastardized 109 model is that????

That's not a 109E...

[Guppy35]

It's a Buchon that was modified to look like an E with an accurate engine and nose cowling from an E model

Dan/CorkyJr

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by spitfiremkv
but it wasn't an universal practice.
plus I have a Spit I model which has a yellow spinner!

It depends on the time frame for the 109.  I'm sure the 109 fans can tell you better, but I know they started with just a yellow rudder tip during mid B of B and then went to the yellow nose and rudder/

This was also used in the Med at a certain point.

Seems like I recall the 109s and 190s had yellow under the cowl and a wider mid fuselage band in Russia.

You wouldn't find Spits with the entire engine cowl painted yellow.  Certainly there were Flight leader or  Squadron leader aircraft that might have individual colors on the nose,

But as a widespread officially sanctioned ID color, it wasn't done in the RAF outside the red noses in the MTO on all fighters, the yellow leading edge stripe on ETO RAF fighters, the sky tail band that lasted from 41 to 45 when they took it off again.  The Pac Spits had different IDs too.  RAAF Spits had a white leading edge and at one point an all white tail as an example.

Dan/CorkyJr

[Raptor]

Another good thing about the P38, it was easily Identified by allied bomber gunners

[StarOfAfrica2]

Originally posted by Guppy35
It's a Buchon that was modified to look like an E with an accurate engine and nose cowling from an E model

Dan/CorkyJr

Besides knowing already, how can you tell?  I cant.  It has wing guns, and as  you say the cowling looks right.  So what is there that visually says its not an E model?

Hoping to learn something

[Guppy35]

The later style canopy would be a giveaway.  It has the thicker bracing of the later 109 canopies.

I'm sure the 109 Experts could point out more.

Dan /CorkyJr

[GRUNHERZ]

CAnopy, wheel bumps, fairing of cowl to wing, wing to fuselage fairing, shape of fuselage top and on and on..

[Kurfürst]

The yellow paint on the under cowling, and also on the undersides of the wingtips and in a section of the fuselage and sometimes on the rudder was for ID purposes for the friendly FLAK gunners. I guess the yellow noses of the Emils served similiar purposes, it made ID easier in the air too. Guess the all-yellow scheme was withdrawn because it was bad for camo purposes.
In late 44/45, then camopaint got a priority over AA markings which disappeared. In Hungary, even the white in the balkenkreuz-like crosses was sprayed over with light grey, national tricolor was removed from the tail etc. All to make the plane harder to spot.

[frank3]

Indeed, the same reason why they painted this on:

[bob149]

Also looks like there are no bracing struts on the tail plane