Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Krusty on October 21, 2005, 11:32:52 AM
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Does anybody know anything about this paint scheme? Looks like it's operational (in the field), but I can't tell what unit or even what front it's on. All I can tell is that it's a G6 based on the canopy (E4 style canopy but with clear headrest armor -- it's a '43 G-6 if I'm right).
http://airwar.hihome.com/gwp/bf109/part3/gwp-109g-pilot.jpg
Please click I don't want to steal more bandwidth from that site than I have to.
Second image:
http://airwar.hihome.com/gwp/bf109/part3/gwp-109g-6-canopy.jpg
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(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1129913953_lastscan.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=25726)
Hi All,
This aircraft, of 2./NAG 12, is that of Oblt. Heino Emmerstopher, Gruppen Technical Officer. The photo series was taken somewhere in Albania in 1944. Years ago, Dave Wadman and I studied the 20+ photos of this Bf 109 G-8 aircraft sent to us by Jean-Yves Lorant for comments on its identity and camouflage. I have reviewed these again to make the following comments.
The various features seen in the photos reveal the aircraft was a WNF-built Bf 109 G-6 trop as the mounting points for the supercharger intake sand filter are visible, though no clip holders under the canopy for the umbrella are present – bit of a hybrid. It was fitted with the “Gallandpanzer” head armour, but retains the older frame-type canopy, old-style fin and rudder as well as the small canopy-mounted antenna mast. Since there are no clear views of its underside, it is not known if it was fitted with the Rb50/30 combination (G-6/R2) or the Rb75/30 (G-6/R3). When converted to a G-8, mounting of the two cameras would require the D/F loop to be repositioned from between frames 2 and 3 to under the rear fuselage near the tail (though this portion of the aircraft is not visible in any of the photos). Taken together, I believe that these attributes point to an aircraft completed sometime in the summer of 1943, originally completed as a G-6 trop and converted on the WNF assembly line to a G-8/R2 or G-8/R3.
Close inspection reveals that there were three camouflage colours applied. In my opinion, the undersides and gear legs were finished in 78 Himmelblau, uppersurfaces an overall coat of 76 Graublau and finished with a spraygun-applied zig-zag pattern of 79 Sandgelb. In several photos of the wing leading edge, the demarcation line between the upper and lower colours is clearly visible. The 79 appears in the black and white images as a warm tone and not cool as would be expected with Graugrün 74. The windscreen and main canopy are darker and I believe that these were left in 74, while the rear canopy, where it attaches to the fuselage, did get a coat of 76 and 79. This was also a unit-applied scheme as the aircraft data plate, clearly seen in one of the photos, is overpainted.
This 76/79/78 camouflage is unique but makes perfect sense given the geographic region it was operating in. The use 74 would not be ideal here where brown-coloured landforms predominate. In the Italian portion of the Med, Bf 109s camouflaged in the then-current grey 74/75/76 scheme were a bit more reflective of the operational terrain. Interestingly, the NASM aircraft came from the south of France but was hastily painted in green and brown tones.
Regarding White 14's markings, the national markings on the fuselage, underwing and tail were clearly masked prior to receiving this new scheme. The upperwing balkenkreuze was not and was overpainted. The '14' was then applied and thinly outlined in black. Unfortunately, the aircraft's Werknummer was overpainted. The spinner was divided into four quarters of alternation black and white portions with the white applied over the black. There is no evidence of the white Med theatre marking applied as a tailband or white wing tips.
Cheers,
David
From this thread (http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=467) from LEMB (http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/)
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Ahhh, You're a life saver! Thanks!
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Wow was I off. :)