[stephen f. polyak]

Another wonderful picture! It clearly shows the outline where the main plate was (just aft of the firewall, just above the upper wing joint line; it appears as if both rivets remain there. The outline formed by the (green) paint reflects the compact six-sided plate shape I showed earlier. It also seems that the area beneath the plate was painted RLM grey (primer) or was simply unpainted aluminum skin. The airframe top coat camouflage color(s) came later.

Back to the paint work speculation . . . wouldn't a hands on, careful examination of the fuselage numbers (i.e., the associated paint layers) positively reveal the order of application? Is that possible via the owner?