Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Most interesting is the combination of a 4-digit WNr painted stencil-like on the fuselage connected with the Mtt production line Bodenwöhr-Michelsdorf-Charlottenhof. In contrary to the well-known 3-digit WNr painted free-hand on the fuselage. I always presumed markings like that are connected with the Mtt production line Altenhammer-Flossenbürg-Heringnohe-Schafhof.
This new photograph is an additional proof. Unclear are the markings for the Mtt production line Hagelstadt-Obertraubling.

Regards
RolandF

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Thanks for your insight RolandF !

Cheers
Marc

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Quite an exceptional photo for tonight: an original color slide of Bf 109 G-14/AS W.Nr. 782 104 (?) "Crni 4", flown by deserting pilot Vladimir Sandtner, I.Zrakoplovna Skupina. 2. Lovačko Jato, who landed it at Falconara, Italy, 16 April 1945.

Source: 57thbombwing.com.

Original link, with my thanks to Tomislav Grzetic, The Messerschmitt Fighters of WWII Group, FB, 13 september 2020: http://57thbombwing.com/GalleryV/57t...E109_color.jpg

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Just out of interest, here it is with the standard Photoshop "auto colour" and "auto tone" filters applied — the results aren't always this good!

To me the checkerboard on the tail looks quite irregular, by the way.

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Thanks Nick,

This is really outstanding. Of interest is possibly the white MTO fuselage band painted out in RLM 75, as is what seems to be a III. Gruppe bar rear of the Croatian Balkenkreuz.

Cheers
Marc

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

There are also signs of an overpainted Balkenkreuz overlapped by the "4", see attached (approximate) illustration.

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Nick, Marc,

I love this particular Bf 109 - on other shots, I _think_ you can see the remnants of an overpainted V under the port wing, which would mean a yellow band overpaint aft of the Balkenkreuz - it's difficult to spot on the underside, but I _think_ the overpaint on the leading edge can be seen on this shot (from your Flickr Marc):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28092068@N03/6262732731/

Anyone else see it, or is it just me?

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/pictur...&pictureid=709

Cheers,
Chris

[edited to add my photoshop interpretation]

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Gentlemen

I follow this thread with great interest and am delighted by this latest photo courtesy the 57th Bomb Wing. If it's not too much to ask, may I ask for your insights into the colours found on this aircraft?

I'm not expert in the way you are, so please forgive my possibly elementary questions.
1) Is it correct to assume this airframe started it's life in Luftwaffe service? Is the underlying camouflage one of the various manufacturer's normal schemes?
2) The blue/grey overpaint of the Balkenkreuz as Chris notes above - looks to my untrained eye bluer than 76? Or might that just be the resolution of the film or screens we view it through?
3) It looks to me (does it to you?) that the oil cooler, the vertical stabiliser, and the panels in front and behind the cockpit are possibly all from the same batch of 75 as the fuselage band?

Many thanks, regards Don

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

Dan,

Some, short/sort of, answers to your questions:
1) Maybe - it certainly wore Luftwaffe markings before the Croatian ones - photos of the upper wings show overpainted Balkenkreuz and it's camouflage matches that of other MTT Regensberg Bf 109G-14/ASs in the 78X XXX wnr block - see Marc's excellent Flickr repo for more: https://www.flickr.com/photos/280920...57625414158747
2) It's not RLM76, it's darker - it could just have been any grey they had available. The previously yellow(?) band in front of the empennage looks a good match for RLM74 seen elsewhere on the airframe.
3) Not sure what you're saying/asking here, but (under all the overpainting and yellow theatre markings) the airframe is in a (consistent for this batch of 109s) scheme of RLM74/75/76 with RLM 75/83 fin, again see Marc's flickr for more examples.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Re: Late war Bf 109 pictures source
 

83? Certainely not. RLM83 was a Dark Blue as demonstrated elsewhere.
Regards,
Franck.