Udet's "DDN!!" Color Scheme Vote

[gipsymoth236k]

Udet "DDN!!" fans,

My talented friend (thank you Robert!) has "played around" with a photo of my 1/28 Fokker D.VII model (thank you Stephen!) of Udet's famous "Du Doch Nicht!!" . Here are two impressions of it, one "all red fuselage" and the other "black nose fuselage". I was wondering if anyone has a 'favorite' vote between the two "DDN!!" color schemes and also, why?

Thanks, Gary Sewall

[Troy Raines]

Nice model. I'm for the black nose because that was the Jasta marking and color.
T-roy

[redalb2253]

I like the red but the black was jasta color but if you go with the black nose go with black stripes on the wing also jasta colors

[Taz]

Gary- The nose was probably black and the stripes may have been black and white as well, copied from Hans Kirchstein's Dr.I 586/17. Udet inherited this Dr.I when Jasta 6 started receiving D.VIIs and then wrote it off when the engine came apart and severely damaged the aircraft. Multiple threads on this topic. Cicogne has video on an unpublished photo of DDN he is trying to clean up which shows a dark (presumably black) nose. Stripe colors are anybody's guess, except one set was undoubtedly white. Makes you wonder why nobody asked Udet during one of his frequent visits to the States.

Taz
Terry Phillips

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Gentlemen:
Aside from one D.VII flown by Oblt. Ernst Udet, all the aircraft he flew in Jasta 4 were painted red. No black noses and black stripes. His Fok.DR.I was red and blue stripes. DDN was red and white stripes on both sides of the upper wing and a red fuselage. His SSW D.III was all red with a white rudder. All the rest is someone's imagination. I will not argue this issue.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Taz]

Dan-San- There is still some disagreement on DDN, but nobody except you believes Udet's Dr.I was not just Kirchstein's 586/17 with LO! in red or some other dark color. I can see the dark nose in the video photograph of DDN. We have just so far been unable to get a good enough image to print.

Glad to see you are doing better. You had us worried.

Taz
Terry Phillips

[Southside Bucky]

Hi Gary.

Fancy a good read on the subject? Here ya go...

That elusive "Du doch nicht" 2nd photo...Any news?

Let us know what you think once you've been through it!

Regards.

Bucky.

[gipsymoth236k]

Not to sway the vote, BUT:

My vote here is really based on a personal 'esthetic' taste appeal, as I actually prefer the 'clean' look of the "all red fuselage" version, so therefore I would love to see Dan-San proven correct on all that he says about the "DDN!!" paint scheme, with all red fuselage, and red and white top wing stripes on both upper AND lower surfaces, just as my 1/28 "DDN!!" model scheme was painted originally.

I think the "black nose" version disturbs the 'clean' look, and adds a 'heavy and balky' appearance to me. I would be a bit disappointed if this scheme version is proven more historically 'correct' someday (or I get outvoted!).

My hope would be that someday, somehow, the scheme proves to look like this "DDN!!" model box art, with 'full' tail chevron, but also add the possibly 'correct' small white cross borders to the top wing's 'barely decrepit' crosses to make them stand out more, as in this close up of Steve Anderson's rendering of the "black and white" stripe version, however DO I prefer the "red and white" stripe version, esthetically at least.

But that's just my taste.

Regards, Gary Sewall

[gipsymoth236k]

Fabric experts!

Would the "DDN!!" lower wing have likely been covered either in '4' or '5' color lozenge fabric? Which one (perhaps 4)?

Also, do we believe it to be an OAW-built D.VII?

Regards, Gary Sewall

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Greg:
You put a photo on the Forman last year of two Fok.D.VII machines side by side. The near one had a illustration of Coq in a circle and Udet's in the background. Why don't you repost it and see if either has a black nose??
blue skies,
Dan