Wing Camo on Stropp Albatros

[whodareswins]

Hello all,

*I have read with interest a previous thread about the Stropp Albatros.
I am now to understand it had mauve/green wings.
Do any of you chaps know the colour sequence (ie mauve/green/mauve or green / mauve/ green) where (at which wing ribs) and the angles of this camo ?

* *Cheers,

* * * * *David

[PeterL]

David, the wings are from at least two different aircraft and the fuselage from a third. In the Smithsonian book of the restoration there are pictures of it on display after the war with Balken Kreuz on the wings and Eiserns Kreuz on the fuselage which emphasise the point. It is a composite put to-gether by the French for shipment to the US. If I ever build one it will be as presently displayed.

[whodareswins]

Thank you Peter for your reply.

* *I have the National Air and Space Museum book on this aircraft, but after reading the Stropp thread I believe an American bloke said this aircraft originally had a yellow spinner and wheels and the original wings that went with D.7161/17 were mauve and green. This was all new to me.
* *I was hoping someone might know a little more about the camo pattern used on the original or for that matter on that production run. * *
Doing a model with mauve / green wings would make it an interesting conversation piece.
* *
* * * * *cheers,
* * * * *
* * * * * * * *David
* *

[JASTA75]

Hi David,

I have studied the Stropp Albatros for some years now. I was fortunate to obtain some of the original fabric from this machine. I had correspondance with Robert Mikesh, the then curator of the museum, as early as 1981 telling him that I felt that the aircraft should have green/mauve camouflage, as opposed to the lozenge pattern. There is a picture in the Smithsonian book on this aircraft of another Albatros DVa, D.7352. The page number escapes me but the important fact is that this aircraft is from the same production run as D.7161 ordered in Oct. 1917.

This aircraft has the green/mauve camouflage. I believe that the top wing pattern was mauve/green/mauve, the bottom port wing (left to right, pilot's view) was green/mauve, with the bottom starboard wing mauve/green . The borders between this colors were angled to the right ( m / g / m),
(g / m) and ( m / g).

I derived this from studying this photo. Granted, there were a few variations of this pattern, so I am not 100% assured that the Stropp DVa had this same pattern. Maybe someone else can give you exactly what camouflage pattern it had. This may be difficult, as the aircraft arrived here in the U.S. with substitute wings. Maybe Dan or Greg can help us.

Regards,

JASTA75

[whodareswins]

Thank you Jasta 75,

* I found the photo you mentioned. You have a very good eye. I remember the Aeromaster decal sheet with this airplane *D.7352/17 on it and they showed the wings in lozenge. Aeromaster got it wrong . I see you are right. *Did you ever get an answer as to why they didn't want to restore the aircraft to the way D.7161/17 looked when it served with Jasta 46?
* Thank you again for the information.

* * * * * *Cheers,
* * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *David
* * * * * * *

[StephenLawson]

Whodareswins:

Dan would answer you himself but he's having puter problems so I will pass on what he gave me in my study of 7161/17.

First understand that the wing camouflage patterns were alternated on the Albatros fighters every 50 or so machines in a 50 a/c batch or run. *50 with lozenge, 50 with two toned spary camoflage leaning to the right, 50 in Lozenge, 50 with two toned leaning to the left. *Please understand this was only a tendancy not anything we have written in stone. *Dan's study on Albatros fighters is phenominal. *Dan's own drawings have the colours for the top wing *looking down on the aircraft from plan view with the nose at due north. Dk grn/Mauve/ Dk grn. *The lower port wing from tip mauve/Dk grn to Fuselage. *The lower starboard wing from the Fuselage Dk grn / Mauve to tip. *This say's Dan is the typical rendition from the aircraft in the D.7150/17 to 7199/17 batch. *He (Dan-San Abbott) has seen just about every Albatros photo that exists and he has plotted the camouflage patterns for the known example by series and Prod. batch. *The tail unit by the way was originally L-R top plan view Mauve/Dk grn to tail unit then again Dkgrn / Mauve to right tip. *Contact him as soon as he gets back online and he'll elaborate. See also the ComSam pub. Model Aircraft Monthly Vol 1 #2 Feb. 2002 and you see Stropp done in two tone camouflage in an article on the D.V/Va models. Good Luck STL

[JASTA75]

Hi again,

I have the letter before me, inwhich I have not looked at in almost 20 years! Mr. Mikesh stated in his leter that my observations are certainly valid and if the restoration team did not have lozenge camouflage fabric available at the time of restoration, they probably would have elected the easier course of action and painted the wings green/mauve. He said that their decision was based upon what they felt was the most original for the aircraft. He only wished that he could have a more positive answer for me. ::) ::) ::)

Regards,

JASTA75

[whodareswins]

Thanks to all.

* * *Cheers,

* * * * * *David

[stephen]

Hey, I've got a question. Several years ago some guy was selling some very nice drawings of the Stropp Albatros, with pieces of original fabric (saved during the restoration process) affixed to the print. I thought it was cool so I bought one.

If I took a photo and posted it here, do you think you guys can help me identify what part of the plane it came from and what era Albatros it was originally on? Its only a very small piece of a single color. Maybe 1 or 2 inches square. I'm sure its genuine original fabric, but I'd like to know as much about it as possible. Thanks.

[StephenLawson]

Hey Stephen!
No luck on the Fry photos yet but I'm still looking. *On the fabric the best you can come close to is,that the color will tell you where on the airframe it came from. *If it is one of the Lozenge colors then it came from the wing. *(Does it match the upper or lower shades.) *If it is painted Dark grn or Yellow it came from the Horizontal Tail unit. *The original rudder was unbleached linen. *Sorry, I know its not much.
Best Regards Stephen.

[stephen]

Actually, that is something to go on. I think I have a piece of the tail section from the sound of it. I just found out I'm leaving tommorow morning for several days so I'll have to resume the conversation when I get back. But many thanks... and good to hear from you again!

[David_Layton]

:)
At the 1996 OTF seminar in DC, Greg Van Wyngarten (I apologize for the spelling.) and I had a discussion about Stropp while in the WWI wing at NASM. He mentioned that one of the senior OTF members had a piece of the original yellow and green tail fabric and flicked a bit away to reveal underside blue paint! This would be direct evidence that the plane left the factory in painted camoflage.

Other corrections:

1. Shade of the green used ont he metal bits;
2. A stain that would be darker, more yellow than the current.


As for the balkenkreuze underneath, these were originally added in a WPA restoration in the 1930's. Guess it was easier than cutting out eisernkreuze stencils.