[Graham Boak]

In the colour chips I have seen (Reis, Kookaburra, and the recent Merrick), and in various high-quality reproductions of original colour photos, it does not look at all green to me. Those who have seen many original examples of the colour on surviving parts, or have studied recent colour mixes to original formulae, say that it does not look at all green to them, except perhaps only very slightly when new. The colour has also been referred to more simply as Dunkelgrau, but never (to my knowledge) as Dunkelgrun. My point was, and is, that the title has mislead others into picturing it as a definite green.

As for accepting what is told by authority - that I bounce straight back. What outside of "authority" supports your apparent belief in a green appearance? Certainly nothing of what I have seen, or what has been put forward by people whose judgement I have come to respect over many years.

Yes, a neutral grey will take on a blue tinge when photographed under a blue sky. You write as though this idea is new to you? If so, I regret I can claim no originality in the suggestion, as it has been noticed since colour photography began, as just one of the ways that ambient light can distort colour reproduction - or, perhaps, mislead the casual observer. I mentioned it to show how an observer could be misled from photographs into assuming a blue scheme where none existed, but this would be unlikely to influence an observer of a crashed aircraft. If the RAF Intelligence reports speak of blue uppersurfaces, as they do, then they are unlikely to be reporting the standard versions of 74 and 75. However greenish these may have been.