Buddecke's Fokker E.III

PrzemoL · 28 March 2008, 03:18 AM

I am planning to build Eduard's E.III in 1/72. In Windsock Datafile No15 there is a photo of the Buddecke's mount showing it in dark colour. The colour profile therein wants it in red brown finish also mentioning a possibility that it was dark green or grey. Has anyone any more information or guess how it might have been in reality? I like red brown very much but a confrmation would be most welcome. Thanks in advance for any help.

Kirk R. Lowry · 29 March 2008, 08:14 AM

Bonjour PrzemoL

I do not believe that confirmation of a colour has been established ... both frustrating and liberating. That Fokker E.III flown by

Hans-Joachim Buddecke would appear to have been painted over in a dark shade. I recommend that a purchase of

Early German Aces of World War 1, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 73, by Greg vanWyngarden be purchased as some information and a profile illustration of the subject are included ... and it is an excellent book all 'round!

Salut!
Kirk

Dan_San_Abbott · 29 March 2008, 10:44 PM

przemol"
Hptm. Hans J. Buddecke's Fok.E.III 96/15 was in standard Fokker Factory finish of clear doped unbleached linen fabric, with a clear varnish top coat to waterproof the fabric. the fabric surfaces were beige in color. The Iron Crosses and white cross field were over painted black leaving a 50 mm wide white square border in all six places, On the rudder the cross was over painted black forming a square. This was with Fliegerabteilung 5, located at Smyrna Airfield, Turkey, around April 1916. I have a color drawing of this machine.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Ronny Bar · 30 March 2008, 07:24 AM

Dan San...

Was this plane's Bestell Nr 96/15..? I always thought it was 345/15...

PrzemoL

This plane has been depicted many time as finished Dark Brown overall, but this is wrong... I think it was exactly as Dan-San describes it...
Looking at a well-known picture of this machine, you can see here a classic example of misinterpretation of old orthochromatic B&W photographs, in which yellow appears much darker than it really is...
Otherwise, the man standing by the plane would have been closer to Louis Armstrong than the teutonic Buddecke..! Or maybe the Turkish sun was so strong and old Hansi spent more time sunbathing at Smyrna than fighting..? I don't think so.

Ronny

Capt.Albert-Ball · 30 March 2008, 07:49 AM

I'm looking at a picture of it in a book that says he called it his "yellow wonder" so i would think that it would be yellow and then there is another picture saying that he repainted it darker so i would think it might be a darker.I have also found a model of one that is brown/reddish with some light black or dark blue on the wings of it. Heres the link to it:

Album:Fokker models

Zabu · 30 March 2008, 09:44 AM

Hi there PrzemoL. In the Early German Aces of WW1 book (great book) there are two color profiles about the Turkish Fokkers flown by Buddecke, one is the 96/15 serial number and the other with an unknown serial number "painted in an unknown overall dark colour" depicted as dark brown one, although I must agree with Ronny Bar. In page 27 of the same book, and about Fokker E.III 96/15 it is written that Buddeke refers to his aircraft in his book El Schahin as " my yellow bird with the black threatening eyes". Sorry if I can´t be more helpful. Cheers

Dan_San_Abbott · 30 March 2008, 07:18 PM

PrzemoL:
Fok.E.III 96/16 was the machine when Hptm. Hans j. Buddecke was awarded Pour le Merite. I am working on a series of machines in which the was awarded the Pour le Merite. Accompaning the colored drawing is few pages describing the events leading the the award of the Pour le Merite. ( I wish we had symbols in the bar above. I hate to leave them out. Scott maybe??). Beige is a light brown. If brown was a ten, beige would be a 5.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

PrzemoL · 31 March 2008, 01:15 AM

Many thanks to all of you for your interest and help. Especially to Dan San and Ronny Bar. Your explanation is more than convincing, the comparison of airplane colour and Buddecke's carnation did not come to my mind.

Anyway it is a pity this E.III was not dark, I wanted to have something unusual in my collection. Now just Turkish markings will have to do on the plain Fokker finish.