Germany (Nazi)

Luftwaffe - 1940 Fighter Scheme

Day fighter units were allowed much more initiative than other branches of the Luftwaffe in producing their own non-standard camouflage schemes to suit local combat conditions, and were not rigidly controlled from above in this respect. Initially, and up until after the invasion of Poland, most German fighters carried the standard camouflage scheme introduced in 1938, namely a splinter pattern of RLM 70 and RLM71 on the upper surfaces coming right down to the bottom of the fuselage sides, and RLM65 on the undersurfaces.

During the Polish campaign it became evident that while the RLM70/71/65 splinter pattern could be very efficient in concealing aircraft at low level, it was counterproductive in high altitude air combat. The dark green colours contrasted sharply against the sky colour and made it easier for the enemy to spot and follow the movement of German fighters in the air. To eliminate this tactical disadvantage, several fighter units began experimenting during the winter of 1939-1940 with alternative colour schemes that had a camouflage effect better suited for high altitude concealment.

Thus, the use of RLM02 on fighter aircraft, discontinued after the autumn of 1938, would re-emerge in late1939. Experimentation with the so-called RLM Grau, a good air superiority colour, aimed at creating a new improved camouflage pattern was conducted in the field in the period between the invasion of Poland and the beginning of the campaign in the West. Various combinations of RLM70/02/65, RLM71/02/65 and RLM70/71/02/65 were tried, eventually resulting in the official adoption of a simplified RLM71/02/65 splinter pattern optimised for air-to-air combat. At the same time, the demarcation line on the fuselage sides was heightened, painting much of fuselage in RLM65 and thus making the side profile much lighter and less conspicuous in the air. By May 1940, Jagdwaffe units in France began receiving their replacement aircraft factory-camouflaged in the newly approved RLM scheme of RLM71/02/65. This early offensive scheme would dominate the spring offensive of 1940, in particular the attack on the Low Countries and France and the early phases of the Battle of Britain.

Messerschmitt Me 109E-4 - 1940 Fighter Scheme

RLM71

RLM02

RLM65

During the course of the Battles of France and Battle of Britain the fighting Jagdgeschwaderen increasingly took to toning-down the conspicuous fuselage sides by painting them with various colours and patterns of mottling and stippling, each devised by the individual units. The aircraft of JG 2, for instance, received a unique type of stippled painting, applied by hand using either short-haired brushes or padded rags instead of the more usual spray gun mottling used by other units. This effect gave a much finer spotting of paint than the blotches achieved by spraying.

Messerschmitt Me 109E-4 ('Yellow 3') 3./JG 1, De Kooy, Netherlands, early 1941. Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl

Messerschmitt Me 109E-3 ('Yellow 1') 6./JG 51, location?, France, Autumn 1940 (Pilot: Staffelkapitan Josef 'Pips' Priller) Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl

Messerschmitt Me 109E-1 ('White 3') 7./JG 52, location?, Balkans, April 1941. Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl

Messerschmit Me 109E-4 (W.Nr.4148) Gruppenstab II./JG 27, Montreuil, France, September 1940 (Pilot: Hptm. Wolfgang Lippert, Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 27) Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl

Messechmitt Me 109E-4 (W.Nr.5344) Gruppenstab I./JG 2, location?, France, November 1940 (Pilot: Major Helmut Wick, Gruppenkommandeur I./JG 2) Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl

Messechmitt Me 109E-4 ('Red 1') 2./JG 51, location?, late 1940. Artist: © Chris Banyai-Riepl