Albatros DV of Boghol 4

[Brad Cancian]

Hi all – over on Aeroscale a couple of days ago, I asked Stephen Lawson about the markings and colours of an Albatros DV that was used by Boghol 4 as a SQN hack. Stephen described the aircraft as follows:

“Summarily, when the members of Bogohl 4 ( a bombing unit) moved to a new airfield they found a derelict Alb. D.V on the outer borders of the runway. They used 150 cigarettes to barter parts from a nearby Jasta and flew the machine as a unit hack in the summer months of 1918. I have two images of this machine during June - July 1918. The fellow that discussed the "hack" was a Vzfw or unteroffizier at the time. Herr Bartels gave his interview in an older Cross & Cockade USA issue. New components were landing gear and lower wing and one set of interplane "wing" struts. They evidently attempted to "black out" the previous owner's personal markings and early "Balken cross" on the fuselage. Why they painted two more successive "Balken crosses" where they did is beyond me but they did”.

Below is a photo of the aircraft as it appeared in May / June 1918.



The fuselage looks to be natural wood, including the vertical stabilizer (although there is no serial number present). I would surmise from this earlier photo that the aircraft had its pre-may 1918 crosses roughly overpainted in either a medium brown or perhaps a dark grey green, and a transitional cross painted over the fuselage band. The fuselage band appears to be lighter than the black of the cross and lighter than the overpainted cross, and looks quite neatly painted relative to the cross over-painting, so I suspect that this is a coloured band which was the original personal marking of the previous owner. From the colour, and taking orthochromatic film properties into account, I surmise that this aircraft had either a red, dark blue, green, brown, grey, purple, or even a yellow fuselage band. Struts and wheel covers appear to be grey, as do the engine cowling (although the cowling paint is fairly worn and is flaking). There also appears to be a black band around the nose, probably including the spinner. Lower wings appear to be lozenge, as does at least the port aileron, but the rest could be either lozenge or mauve/green. The horizontal stabilizer is either overpainted in a dark colour or is possibly mauve/green (it does not appear to be lozenge). The elevator could either be lozenge or mauve/green. The crosses are transitory in nature, having the thick May 1918 borders on the upper wing, and the cropped-end fuselage crosses. The aircraft also appears to have been un-armed.

The second photo (thanks Stephen!) is a later photo possibly taken around August 1918:



The aircraft has at least had its transitional fuselage crosses and tail crosses painted over and re-applied in the final cross style. I am guessing that the over paint of the transitional crosses was of a similar colour to the previous overpaint, and that the wing crosses were also overpainted in a similar style. Other points of note are that the port wheel has lost its cover or has been replaced (the starboard wheel may also have been replaced with one with a darker wheel cover?), and that either much more paint has flaked off the upper engine cowlings or they were replaced with un-painted or severely flaked spare parts. The lower nose cowl still looks to be black and the spinner may be black or possibly replaced (too hard to tell).

[Brad Cancian]

I have drawn some profiles of what this aircraft may have looked like in this second August 1918 photo.





Does any one have any more info about this aircraft? Any thoughts on what colour the band may have been? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

BC

[Sreiko]

Challenging topic. By the way- how did you make grey scale conversion of the color profile?

[StephenLawson]

Greetings Brad and all;

Along with the earlier information I can provide that the component unit of Bogohl IV that actually "owned" the Alb. D.V "hack" was FFA 223. They did not have a unit emblem or insignia but their dinner or party attire included a "green tie." With the German stand up collars this may be a reference to the piping on their "dress jackets". Translators were not clear on this point.

The black I chose for my original build (lo! those many years ago) an was attempt at a worn look with just a touch of grey. This attempt to void out the previous owners personal and national insignia on the fuselage may have been an attempt to nullify the bad luck associated with flying a previously wrecked machine. Pilots were a supersticous lot what with Gremlins and all. Good luck Brad I am sure your 1/72 build will be a beauty!

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Brad Cancian:
In reviewing these photos, I find the following:
1. The spinner,nose band, broad fuselage band, upper fin and stabilizer are all the same color. This color's grey value does not match the black of the cross. The grey value is slightly lighter. I think it might be red, it is not black.
2. The first photo was taken after 15 May 1918 and the second photo was taken after 4 June 1918.
Blue skies,
Dan-San