[Laserlloyd]

Hi Hans:

I would like to go back to your original question.

The RCMI cross is from 425/17. I have looked at the photo posted here for a long time and pondered many questions myself. I then read Alan Toelle's article "Good-Bye To All That Red" in C&C (Vol.26 No.3 1995) this started me on my path on the finding the known 425/17 samples and studying the to see what we can learn from them.

I had contacted Alan on some questions I had to learn more on his endeavors in the studies of the 425/17 samples. Alan has studied and examined lots of the known samples and the one held at the RCMI was examined for six hours front and yes the back with the help of his microscope. Photos were taken, sketches were done and an 9 page report on his findings was made on this sample.

Here is a vary lose translation of what your seeing from photo to how the sample looks now. The way the RCMI sample looks today is not how it would of looked back in 1918. One of the factors in the red paint is called "Hiding Power" he has indicated that this sample has a poor hiding power or a low hiding power factor. He has indicated that when it has painted the hiding power would have started to take it's effect to what we know see in the RCMI sample.

1). 425/17 did have the Eisernes Kreuz with the white field. (Every Dr.I was done this way)

2). Sometime between late January to March 17 the first cross change was made. The white field was cut-down to a 50 mm border around the Eisernes Kreuz.

3).The second cross change was ordered by March 17, 1918 to the Balkenkreuz (the beam wide cross style)

4). The third cross change was then ordered to take effect on April 10 to the Balkenkreuz with a length-to-width ratio of 1:4 and a white border of 150mm. (the thinner beam cross style)

So 425/17 had "4" styles of cross on it and this is evident in the RCMI photo. In A.E. Ferko's Windsock Special "Richthofen" on page 44 had a vary good illustration that Rimell did showing the changes along with photos of three of the crosses.

The photo you posted with the guards around the plane would have had all of these changes on it. Remember that just because you can't see it in the photo means that the hiding power of the red paint was at it highest value because it was fairly new paint.

I believe if you were looking at it when the photo was taken you would be able to see these chances.

I would like to make one other point that I'm in the school of thought that the rudder was repaired so the fabric was replaced and would only have one cross pained on it.

Sorry to be a bit long....

Lloyd...