German Lozenge Patterns

Hey all,

after reading many fine, and sometimes heated, posts dealing with the dates and colour of German Lozenges (sp?) i was wondering if anyone could provide a basic overview of the info. such as dates used, what aircraft types etc..

obviously individual machines/squadrons would be an extremely daunting/impossible?? task

if theres all ready a thread out there either in the archives or past posts, and you know the link it would be greatly apreciated.

tia,
jbs

[Dan_San_Abbott]

JBS:
* *Lozenge (actually a misnomer, lozenge is 4 sided diamond shape figures) printed was conceived in 1916 by a German artist working for Idflieg. The patent was held by Idflieg.
A telegram was sent on 27 October 1916 to all German aircraft manufacturers to advise them of a new colored (printed) cloth, and request the manufacturers to to inform Idflieg the amounts of cloth they had.
* * Two days later another telegram was sent to all manufacturers advising that the day aircraft would be covered with the dark pattern on the top and side surfaces and the light pattern on the bottom surface. On night aircraft were to be entirely covered with the dark pattern on all surfraces.
* *On 21April 1917, the aircraft manufacturers were directed to cover the aircraft in the new colored fabric from the Augsburger KattunFabric (Augusburg Cotton Factory) in Augsburg. *With specifics on how to cover the aircraft for Day And Night aircraft. Idflieg, who controlled the dyes for the inks used for the printing, and also the production of the fabric which was done at the Augsburger Kattunfabrik in Augsburg as the sole source for the printed fabric. Further Idflieg directed the aircraft manufacturers to cover the aircraft in the doped in the usual way. After the doping process was done, the surfaces were to be covered with 'matt' lacquer to be obtained from Cohn Berlin-Neukolln, another sole source. Lastly the telgram directed the manufacturers to paint the cowlings and struts in the same colors as the printed fabrics.
These two fabrics were the 5 color dark *and light patterns. In my research the Alb.D.V was the first aircraft to be covered with the 5 color printed fabric.
* *Somewhere around the beginning of 1918, the four color Day, light and dark pattern fabric emerged and covered the wings of the Fokker built Fok.D.VII aircraft. *I believe the 4 color fabric originated at the Fokker Flugzeugwerke. *I think this *was Fokker controlling his own destiny in an effort to have a vertical company.
* *The first upper 5 color fabric had three dark and two light colors, a second 5 color upper pattern emerged with one dark color and four light colors. I believe this occured in probably fall of 1917,
* * Lastly a very dark five night color pattern was developed in early 1918 of five very dark colors.
* *In all the linen fabrics the roll width was 1350 ±10mm. with a thread count of 50 to 55 threads per inch with a cloth weight of 3.5 to 4.0 oz/yd².
a selvage of 5 mm wide finished the edges. *I am sure the fabric was made to an Idflieg specification.
* *This gives you a thumb nail history of the printed fabrics.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Blue skies,
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dan-San

Dan-San,

Is there a reference for the Fokker 4 color scheme available on line?
thanks
Charlie

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Visaliaaviation:
Charlie, you might a search under printed aircraft fabrics, etc. I have not looked for it, I would be surprised it it was not there.
Blue skies,
Dan-San