Flip-Flopping National Markings

[EricGoedkoop]

This continues from the thread on the Roumanian Nieuports, but it's heading in a different direction.

Early on, Roumania used a roundel that was, starting from the center, yellow-blue-red. In 1915, it was changed to blue-yellow-red. Photographs indicate that Roumanian Nieuports remained in their French scheme with only the white of the French markings overpainted in yellow. Italy, as we all know, used two different roundels: either red-white-green or green-white red.

My question is this: was the Roumanian roundel changed because it was easier to only have to overpaint ONE color on the French markings of the aircraft it received? For the Italians, are the green-white-red roundels found on aircraft that were built in France and does that color order appear on those particular birds for the same reason, i.e. it was easier to just overpaint the blue with green than it was to repaint the whole marking? Was the red-white-green version found on aircraft built in Italy (Maachi Nieuports, for example) that would NOT have received French roundels and stripes at the factory?

[JohnMacG]

OK, the following is just my opinion; if you want to know about the Rumanian roundel for certain go over to Denes Bernad's website and ask him -
http://disc.server.com/Indices/181285.html
I don't think the Rumanian roundel ever had a yellow centre; I think it was always blue centre. I suspect what you're taking for a yellow centre spot is actually the blue centre-spot photographed on old-style blue sensitive orthochromatic film. This is the kind of film that makes yellow look black on B&W photos and makes blue look light - the 'purer' the blue the lighter the reproduction, even going to almost white.
As for the Italian roundels - no idea. Sorry.
HTH

[EricGoedkoop]

Thanks, John - I posted on the site you suggested.

[EricGoedkoop]

According to Mr. Bernad, there never was a yellow-centered roundel. The roundel was introduced to Roumania along with the French aircraft it received, and since they simply overpainted the white portion, Roumanian roundels were blue-yellow-red right from the beginning.

So what about the Italians?