Yugoslavia

VVKJ - 1938 Camouflage Scheme

By late 1937, officials of the Vazduhoplovstvo Vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije - VVKJ, began to show an interest to introduce new camouflage colour schemes better adapted to the modern war combat tactics than the ones previously used. A three-tone scheme comprising wavy segments of [Braon, Zelena and Oker] on the upper surfaces, and aluminium, grey or [British Sky] undersides was chosen to be applied as a general replacement for all land-based aircraft.

The choice of this new scheme could have been due to the influence of foreign experts. The first type to receive the three-tone camouflage scheme was the Dornier Do.17Ka-1, the first samples of which arrived in Yugoslavia in October 1937. They wore an export camouflage scheme originally developed by the Germans as a modification of the standard Luftwaffe 'Farbenanordnung A' pattern for the Do17E/F. The Yugoslav version, however, presented different colours and had no geometrical shape.

The VVKJ official directives included only general instructions about the finishing of aircraft, but failed to provide a standard chart of camouflage colours or to recommend a particular paint producer. As a result, aircraft manufacturers continued to purchase their painting material from abroad, namely from Germany and the UK. The use of so many different camouflage colours was soon perceived to be a logistic problem, but an attempted effort to standardize them in early 1941 was cut short by the outbreak of war in April.

Pompeianisch Braun

Zuggrun

Gelb

Hellgrau

Silber

Light Green Type 'S'

Red Brown Type 'S'

Mid Stone 'S'

Sky Type 'S'

Aluminium dope

Dornier Do 17Kb-1 (br.26?), 205. Eskadrila, 63. Grupa, 3. Bombarderski Puk Petrovac, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), summer 1940. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Ikarus IK-2 (No.2104), 107. Eskadrila, 34. Grupa, 4. Lovacki Puk Bosanski Alexandrovac, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzegovina), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Hawker Fury Mk.II ('White 13'), 35. Grupa, 5. Lovacki Puk, Kosancic Kosancic, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I (br.2347) Yugoslavia, April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Ikarus Orkan (prototype), Vazduhoplovno-Opitna Grupa Yugoslavia, March-April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Potez 631 (br.2072), 51. Grupa, 6. Lovacki Puk Belgrade-Zemun, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Messerschmitt Bf 108B-1 (S-07), 704. Escadrila, Vazdusna Mesovita Brigada Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), 1940. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Bristol Blenheim Mk.I ('89'), unit? location?, Yugoslavia, 1939. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Rogozarski IK-3 (br.4/'2154'), 51. Grupa, 6. Lovacki Puk Belgrade-Zemun, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Rogozarski IK-3 (br.unknown), 51. Grupa, 6. Lovacki Puk Belgrade-Zemun, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic

Rogozarski IK-3 (br.9/'2158'), 51. Grupa, 6. Lovacki Puk Belgrade-Zemun, Yugoslavia (now Serbia & Montenegro), April 1941. Artist: © Srecko Bradic