[Larry Hickey]

Hello all,

I'm now comfortable that J9+AM is a Ju87B-1, and not a Ju87C, although some of the reference sources on the Stuka say that some of the C's originally destined for the aircraft carrier graf Zepplin served with 4./186 even after it became clear that the carrier wasn't going to be finished. However, it isn't clear how many and exactly when. It wouldn't surprise me if the StaKap had one of them, but unless someone else jumps in here with different evidence, I consider that part of my query settled.

Regarding my second question, I don't yet consider that settled. I've worked with interpreting color in WW II B&W film, both of US and European manufacture, for about 40 years, and I'm very familiar with the problems caused by the different sensitivities to color between panchromatic and orthochromatic film. That could be the explanation for what bothers me about these photos.

However, since we know that part of the initial complement of Ju87s assigned to 4./186 were from an a/c batch intended for use on the abortive German a/c carrier graf Zeppelin, it makes a lot more sense to me that these a/c would have initially been camouflaged in a standard maritime camouflage of 72/73 uppersurfaces (two shades of gray) with 65 blue undersurfaces, rather than the two shades of green (70/71 uppersurfaces with 65 blue undersurfaces), which would be more appropriate for a land-based a/c. Two shades of gray would be much better for ship-based aircraft which would likely be flying over water much of the time, and green camouflage would serve no camouflage purposes whatsoever on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Since the photos that I posted from this unit show unusually high-contrast uppersurface segments, is is possible that maritime camouflaged Ju87s in use with 4./TrGr186 were pressed into service for the Polish Campaign? Or could these photos have even been taken showing a 72/73 camouflage sometime prior to the PC? I have no doubt that all the Stukas in I./TrGr186 were in 70/71 camouflage after 4 Staffel was expanded to a full Gruppe immediately after the PC. The problem is all in the timing.

To answer the question by Mateusz K., the two photos probably don't show the same a/c, but probably show two a/c of the same unit showing this problematic (for me) camouflage during this same time period.

I'd like to hear what Adam Thompson, David Wadman or Chris Goss thinks about this issue.

Regards,