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General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Serenity on October 31, 2008, 02:10:58 AM

Title: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Serenity on October 31, 2008, 02:10:58 AM
Alright, Im looking at doing a beautiful JG53 skin, but I find it rather suspect. Lets start with the BLARING problem that all I have to work from is a profile. But in that profile, three things bother me: The color of the Reich Defense Band, the overall colorscheme of the plane, and the fact that the changes in color are very poorly marked or not marked at all. Here are my questions:

The Reich Defense Band for JG53 was black. This bird has a yellow band. The plane was that of the Gruppenadjutant, II./JG53. The profile is labled as having flown in the Balkans in 1943. Now, this same Gruppe, from my limited knowledge, was in Sicily in July of 1943. Would they have moved to the Balkans later that year? Wikipedia says that I./JG53 was there, but was II./JG53?

Secondly, the overall color scheme. This aircraft seems to be done up in 65, 70, 71. All other JG53 aircraft I have seen from that same time period are done up in grey tones. Could this, like the yellow band, be the result of deployment in the Balkans?

Thank you in advance!
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Fencer51 on October 31, 2008, 07:42:33 AM
Remember that Yellow was a theater band for the Eastern Front as well.
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Serenity on October 31, 2008, 07:40:20 PM
Remember that Yellow was a theater band for the Eastern Front as well.

Yup. Im just unsure because I cannot find any solid references that say that II./JG53 was on the eastern front at all at that point in time. Unfortunately, being a BUFF-dweeb, I could find 3 books that tell me just how many rivets are in the nose of a B-17, but I havn't the foggiest where their fighter escorts were.
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Guppy35 on October 31, 2008, 11:59:59 PM
How bout posting the profile so maybe we can connect a photo to it?
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Serenity on November 01, 2008, 02:15:26 AM
How bout posting the profile so maybe we can connect a photo to it?

Yup.

(http://www.michael-reimer.com/CFS2/CFS2_Profiles/ETO_AXIS_Luftwaffe_JG53-Dateien/Messerschmitt%252520Bf%252520109G-6R-6_400x150_002.jpg)
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: RTHolmes on November 01, 2008, 08:33:01 AM
<--- wishes the RAF had such cool camo schemes :)
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Motherland on November 01, 2008, 11:56:12 AM
Hmm... for 1943, the camouflage colors seem unlikely, and if that is indeed supposed to be a theater band then the undersurfaces of the wingtips should also be yellow. I wouldn't trust this profile if I were you...
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Guppy35 on November 01, 2008, 12:00:17 PM
Agree with Motherland.  Betting it's an MTO bird and should be  white tail band.  The rest of the colors just as suspect I'm afraid.

Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Fencer51 on November 01, 2008, 01:12:06 PM
http://books.google.com/books?id=Olriuk3i2zkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=II+/+JG+53#PPP1,M1

Read the preview and maybe spend the <$20 on a good book, don't trust the internet.  Or any single source for that matter.
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Serenity on November 01, 2008, 01:16:29 PM
Hmm... for 1943, the camouflage colors seem unlikely, and if that is indeed supposed to be a theater band then the undersurfaces of the wingtips should also be yellow. I wouldn't trust this profile if I were you...

Exactly what I was thinking. Thanks!
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: jocko- on November 01, 2008, 02:09:39 PM
<--- wishes the RAF had such cool camo schemes :)

They did, for a very short time  ;)  After the Battle of Britain the RAF (through the Air Fighting Development Unit and the Royal Aircraft Establishment) did some experiments with different camo colours and styles on some Spits and Hurris.  It was assumed (until Barbarossa at least) that another BoB might take place in the summer of '41, but probably at higher altitudes where the Earth/Green camo scheme wasn't suitable.

(http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=47230&d=1096410199)

This one, scheme 'A', was an intentional copy of LW mottling ...I believe the caption should read 'Trials', not 'Trails'  :)

They eventually decided to keep the original camo pattern but changed the colours to grey/green and the day fighter scheme was born.
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: RTHolmes on November 01, 2008, 03:05:24 PM
interesting :aok
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Guppy35 on November 02, 2008, 12:00:41 AM
Might be the inspiration, or at least birds from the same unit.  Both point to white ID band however and MTO based 109s of JG53

found in three different books.  I make no claim to be a Luftwaffe expert however.

(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/JG531.jpg)

Image of another JG53 bird with the profile underneath it.  Caption explains it.
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Harder.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/jg532.jpg)
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: Serenity on November 02, 2008, 04:19:01 AM
Might be the inspiration, or at least birds from the same unit.  Both point to white ID band however and MTO based 109s of JG53

found in three different books.  I make no claim to be a Luftwaffe expert however.

(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/JG531.jpg)

Image of another JG53 bird with the profile underneath it.  Caption explains it.
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Harder.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/jg532.jpg)

Yeah, thats what I was thinking, I just dont have any books or images to back it up. Oh well, I guess im abandoning this project. Thanks all!
Title: Re: Need a confirmation from the walking-luftwaffe-libraries
Post by: fudgums on November 02, 2008, 06:44:44 AM
disregard