[veltro]

To me, what Roland wrote makes perfect (although frustrating) sense.

Unless a production list will came out, detailing which Werke Nummern were produced in which site, it is almost impossible to make sense of different details apparently suggesting separate production sites (e.g. The position where the Werke Nummern were painted on each late-Bf 109...).

Concerning Erla G-10s there was some visual difference between earlier and later examples, like the removal of the antenna mast in later examples or the presence of standard (i.e. short) tailwheel in earlier ones...

Even here however, we should be able to understand the chronology of production of the 15x.xxx series compared to the 490-491.xxx ones and to be sure of how many production sites Erla had, or even id the switch of placement of the W.Nr. From top tail to mid position (in the 490-491.xxx batches) was due to different production sites or to the time of production.

Last but not least, a short note about tail & rudders: it is extremely true that most of the cases of application of such elements delivered from subcontractors and painted differently from the factory's camouflage, occurred at MTT and this already from late Bf 109 G-6 production (several of the tall-ruddered examples of G-6s supplied to Finland and Italy shows clear examples of this as well of the hasty 76 overspray to tone down the difference).

It is also true, that the much fewer cases in which this happened to Erla aircraft there was no overspray applied.

It would be extremely interesting to ascertain how many of these subcontractors there were and how was divided their supply to the various factories. As much interesting as finding copy of the painting directives they had received, since their finish appears amazingly consistent from early 1944 up to the end of the war...

Maybe this is only a foolish wish, but I'm somehow sure that such informations do exist and that sooner or later could be found.