Different German camouflage schemes

[Volker_Nemsch]

Three modellers questions:

1.)
Have there been aircraft with blue/grey lower surfaces instead of Lozenge colours, while the upper surfaces had the Lozenge camouflage?

2.)
Was the blue/grey lower surface common in connection with the green/mauve or green/brown upper surface in 1917 (esp. Albatros fighters)?

3.)
Were there other manufacturers of aircraft than Roland and Pfalz using overall light grey colours?

Thanks in advance!
Volker Nemsch

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Volker:
I will endeavor to answer your questions concisely as possible.
1. There are some who suggest that the OAW built Fokker D.VII were painted sky blue on the under side of the wings and tailplane. I am not so sure about this, I have not found any photographs to support that supposition.
a. On the early Fokker built Fok. D.VIImachines to about s/n D.379/18, the wings were covered with 4 color lozenge fabric, dark on the top and light on the bottom surfaces with matching lozenge strips for rib tapes. The fuselage top and sides ant the top of the axle wing, tailplane and the forward half of the fin were painted in streaked camouflage with sky blue under surfaces on the fuselage, axle wing and tailplane.
b. Recently while making a study of the following aircraft, I discovered that the DFW C.V(Halb), and the early production of the Halb. Cl.II, Han.Cl.II, Pfalz D.III, and SSW.D.III were covered with the light 5 color lozenge pattern on the top surfaces and plain unprinted fabric on the lower surfaces. The fuselages of the DFW C.V(Halb), Halb.Cl.II, Han.Cl.II were camouflaged in matching colors. The Pfalz. D.III fuselage was aluminum, and the SSW.D.III were stained brown.
2. The sky blue under surfaces were most common with the painted camouflage, with a few exceptions, some DFW built DFW C.V had plain doped/varnished under surfaces on the wings and tailplanes. The sky under suface color varied from a very pale bluish white (Ru.C.IV) to a turquoise blue (Fok. DR.I, etc) You must research the individual aircraft, it would be too difficult to make a complete listing here. I am working on a book that will list the finish and markings of all German aircraft from 1914 through 1918, by manufacturer, license manufacturer, by type with illustrations. So far I have struggled through 1914, 1915 and 1916.
a. There were at least 5 basic paint schemes for the top and side surfaces,
i. Green and brown.
ii. Dark green, light green and brown.
iii. Dark green and light green.
iv. Dark green and lilac.
v. Dark green, light green and lilac.
3. Grey or aluminum-grey were used by LFG Roland and Pfalz primarily. For example the Roland built Han. Cl.II(Rol) had grey fuselages.
I hope I have been of help.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott

Dan-San,
I always wondered why Deutsches Museum in Munich restored their Rumpler C.IV with 'light lozenge' on top. ( For pics take a look at http://www.jastaboelcke.de/index2.htm)
Regrettably no information could be get from Deutsches Museum directly. Was it possible, too, that Rumpler used 'lower lozenge' for upper camo also? I always considered the paint job as somewhat funny. Also the combination of bordered Balkenkreuze with Lozenge was very rare, I think.

Correction! I wrote:
Also the combination of bordered Balkenkreuze with Lozenge was very rare, I think.

It has to be EISERNE KREUZE, of course!
( I'll never blame somebody again for the mix-up of Eiserne Kreuze, Balkenkreuze or Eisern Keruze or Balkankreutz) Sorry.
Hans

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hans:
I had not considered the possibility of the Ru.C.IV bein covered with the lower fabric. Could it be that was all the Museum had available when they restored the Ru.C.IV? However, I will look into the possibility.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Dan-San,
I have contacted the chief curator aerospace from the Deutsches Museum and asked for a 'Restaurierungsbericht', the common method to documend restaurations. Let us wait and see.

Hans