Two underside colors

[Sreiko]

On the back cover of the Over The Front magazine Volume 6, Number 4, winter 1991, is the color profile of Kellner built SPAD XIII C.1 serial number No. 7689. Famous Smith IV. Detail which I have note is that this plane is presented with the Gris metalise underside of wings and Ecru underside of fuselage. This mean two color on the underside. Any additional info about this pattern?

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by Sreiko

On the back cover of the Over The Front magazine Volume 6, Number 4, winter 1991, is the color profile of Kellner built SPAD XIII C.1 serial number No. 7689. Famous Smith IV. Detail which I have note is that this plane is presented with the Gris metalise underside of wings and Ecru underside of fuselage. This mean two color on the underside. Any additional info about this pattern?

Greetings Sreiko,

Check out this item.
French multi colour camouflage

The paint for the metal areas did not have any aluminum powder in its mix. The dope for the fabric was coloured and did have a bit of aluminum in it. I have Alan Toelle's study of Smith IV S7689 before its restoration. You will note that the top wing was not original to the airframe. It was a replacement for the damaged original. Ecru was more the colour description. The colour for the fabric areas were anm aproximation to the the Ecru. There were even factory recommendations for lt. blue grey but evidently never applied.

[Sreiko]

Thank you Stephen

[gilles]

Originally Posted by Stephe/nLawson

The pcolour for the fabric areas were anm aproximation to the the Ecru. There were even factory recommendations for lt. blue grey but evidently never applied.

Are there any evidence of ecru/light yellow undersides?

Even in "project butterfly" articles, the use of ecru is not obvious:
cross & cockade 9/1 page 1 :

On 28 october 1917, Major E.S. Gorrell wrote a letter to the Chief signal Officer, Washington, D.C., an extract of wich follows:
"Within the last three weeks there has taken place a great change in the method of doping French airplanes. All of the French airplanes are now doped a sort of silver gray
color underneath wich is exactly the same color you have seen in the Newport (sic) and the Voison (sic) types of airplanes. The sides and tops are camouflaged in a somewhat similar method as the camouflaging of the bessoneau hangars..."

To me it seems that Maj Gorrell is describing real camouflaged planes he actually saw and not factory drawings.

In C&C 13/2 page 154 and "Breguet 14" by A Toelle, Albatros publications, Report by Lieutenant Phillip Drinker of the Technical Department, US Air Service, on the manufacture and application of french dopes.
The colors listed by Drinker are khaki, light green, dark green, brown, black and dull grayish blue.
"Project Butterfly" authors comment :

All of the literature sources mention the bluish white color for the undersurfaces. However, thus far we have only been able to obtain actual samples of the light yellow color. It is not known if the two colors were interchangeable or if the light yellow superseded the bluish white

A camouflage drawing for Spad 13 issued by Spad company shows blue gray lacquer" for undersurfaces (reproduced in Windsock datafile)
A original drawing for the Mos AI in Windsock mindatafile shows aluminium undersides.

In C&C 13/4 page 329, Dr Feller comments the microscopic examination of light yellow fabric specimens:

The light yellow might be matched with.. raw umber. Was it ever intended to be a yellow or is it merely a discolored grey? A second look at the microscope slides suggest to me that the paint was intended to be yellow

mmh, far from definitive fact, isn't it?

Gilles

[StephenLawson]

Hello Gilles;
I understand your concerns. Even Alan Toelle has acknowleged the apparent contradiction. But Ecru is correct. Especially concerning the airframe under discussion.