[David E. Brown]

With regards to camouflage, "Black 10's" scheme, colours and national markings were the same as other late-production 500000-Werknummerseries Doras built by Mimmetal at Erfurt. The well known colour photograph of the 8./II./JG 6 Dora "Blue 12", WNr.500570 is an excellent benchmark against which photos of other aircarft from this production series can be compared and their camouflage scheme and colours deduced.

The colour photo of “Blue 12” indicates that its fuselage sides were painted the green-blue variation of 76, fuselage spine and engine cowling in 81 Braunviolett and with an 81 Hellgrün overspray over the 81 on the forward cowling and rear fuselage insert. The fuselage underside was left in natural metal from the wheel well back to the fuselage insert. Wing leading edges and the front underwing panel were probably 75 Mittelgrau with the remaining parts natural metal. The control surfaces would have been painted 76 as were underwing ammunition and other access panels that were probably made of laminated wood. The rudder appears to have been painted a light coat of standard 76 Lichtblau over a base coat of 75 Mittlegrau. Wing camouflage was a modified splinter pattern of 81 Braunviolett and the green-blue variation of 76.

A closer-produced aircraft is “White 16”, WNr.500636 of 1./I./JG 6 which is a sort of upper end book mark to Black 10, WNr. 500613 ("Blue 12, WNr.500570 being the lower). The single photo of White 16 is a fine view of the port fuselage side and wing uppersurfaces. It reveals that the uppersurface scheme is identical to that in the colour photo of Blue 12. The position of darker wing colour matches that on “Blue 12” and confirms that it was 81 Braunviolett. The lighter upperwing colour is a perfect match for the green-blue on the fuselage side. The same match can be made for the 82 Hellgrün on the rear of the fuselage spine and engine cowling.

This camouflage scheme is consistently recognized in photographs of all known aircraft from the upper end of the 500000-series Doras, and aircraft examples of the scheme include:

·WNr.500570 - 8./II./JG 6 - "Blue 12" - Surrendered at Furth. Ref: D.E. Brown & D. Wadman, "Experten Decals No.1" (7 photos).

·WNr.500613 - 10./III./JG 26 - "Black 10" - Found at Celle. Ref: C. Hildebrandt, "Broken Eagles 1 - Fw 190D" (4 photos).

·WNr.500618 - 10./III./JG 26 - "Black 10" - Found at Celle. Refs: A. Urbanke "Green Hearts: First in Combat with the Dora-9" (3 photos); J. Crandall, “Yellow 10” (photos).

·WNr.500638 - 5./II./JG301 - "White 12" - Found at Langensalza. Ref: J.V. Crow (6 photos).

·WNr.500645 - ?/.I./JG 2 - (Code unknown) - Discovered burnt out in northern Germany. Wooden Ta 152 tail. 08-05-45. Ref: Smith & Creek, Monogram Close Up-10 "Fw 190 D" (1 photo).

·WNr.500647 - 7./II./JG 26 - "Brown 4" - Found abandoned at Hustedt. Wooden Ta 152 tail. 08-05-45. Ref: A. Urbanke "Green Hearts: First in Combat with the Dora-9" (2 photos).

·WNr.500666 - 7./II./JG 301 - "Yellow 15" - Found at Straubing. Ref: C. Hildebrandt, "Broken Eagles 1 - Fw 190D", J.V. Crow (2 photos).

Most of these photos and a few new ones, along with a more detailed analysis, will appear in Eric and Mark's second volume on Dora camouflage and markings to be published by JaPo later this year.


Cheers,

David