[Eric Larger]

Hello again again,

My point of view is strickly based on Focke Wulf Fw 190D and Ta 152 production , I do not know enough about other machines to pretend to be able to write something concistent about their painting scheme and to wonder about the reasons to apply such or such paints .

The camouflage study cannot be separated from the production of the machine itself , it is a part of the industrial process .

The ratio, between production time , amount of raw material, and lifetime of a machine has to be taken in account too .

German do not build machines to be used for years(or they will be dangerous with so much wooden parts on such basic airfields) , but for at least months , and more often for just hours .

The production situation

Some sentences extracted from an American report done in May 1945 and issued in September 1945 ,about Focke Wulf Bremen ...

" ...By 1945 , conditions became chaotic as a result of plant bombing, non-delivery of components parts and the collapse of the german transportation system. Production fell 66 percent , a denial of 795 aircraft, during the first three months and production virtually ceased by March , when only 30 aircraft were delivered . "

" However , the choice of final assembly and flight hangars as target was not as damaging to production as would have been the jig manufacturing plant at Gassen" .

So the terms are clearly established , the problem the german plant at Bremen had to cope with , are the components for the aircrafts , raw materials and their supply , the term of performance is far far behind .

Production of Fw 190D-9

Now back to Fw 190 . Focke Wulf , since 1943, try to simplify as far as possible the production of this machine , try to save as many raw materials as possible , and try to split the production into many small plants not easy to detect and destroy .

This of course produced a problem , the gathering of all components .

On the other way simplification , enables the production of components to be maintained at a certain level with less skilled workers .(to simplify)

Concerning FW 190D , this can be observed in the Ersartzteilliste istself , where optional parts are mentionned like :

Fuselage access door , 2 main variants one in metal one in wood , the same for radio access hatch, or flaps ....

We can divide the main airframe in 4 major components , all of them composed of several sub-components (I choose the one having an influence on camouflage )

1) engine : including engine cowling not produced by focke wulf and delivered painted
2 ) fuselage : windscreen and blown canoy often delivered perpainted
3) tail unit at least 5 sub components indentified , top of the fin (wood or metal) , rudder, extension part , tail
itself and horizontal stabilizators
4) wings at least 9 sub components , 2 wing tips , 2 flaps (wood or metal) , 2 landing gear doors (wood or
metal) , the wing themselves, and 2 ailerons .

All sub-components were probably delivered at the sub-assembles assembly location ( for exemple the 9 sub components for the wings) , still painted .

Focke Wulf issued also painting directives for Ta 152 A (abandonned) , that may have been used for Fw 190D-9 , where it is clearly mentionned that the undersurfaces should not be painted.

Camouflage is the visible result of all these simplifications and changes in the production process and of the supply problems

first effect

- the general painting process was revised , no putty , no primer , less paint

- on several wrecks recovered the camouflage paint was applied simply on bare alluminium (some produced at Fall 1944)
- No putty can be seen on FW 190D .
- Avoid to paint the surfaces that do not need to be painted ,undersurfaces and interiors (except cockpit)



As you said you need a certain skill to apply correctly and quickly fast putty on a wing, but on the other hand you do not need to have any skill to handle a spray-gun .

Second effect ,

the use of the advantage of having pre_painted components , for instance the engine cowling was often left in his delivery paint , we call it factory painting scheme (RLM83 or RLM71 and Rlm76) , or often the ailerons can be seen in one solid colour .

Third effect

The application of the "official" painting scheme produced by the manufacturer . Unpainted under surfaces , the scheme was revised ( for the reasons exposed in a previous post) , application of more defensive paints as RLM81 /RLM82 and RLM83 . The colour were probalbly not availabe at the same time explaining why some intermedaite painting scheme existed .

Other manufacturers and aircrafts

Why this scheme was not applied on other aircrafts is good question , but Me 262 and Bf 109 G-10 ot bf 109K-4 are known to have unpainted under surfaces . perhaps someone could explain it to us .


So it is clearly visible that the question of the performances and top speed was not to the first purpose , don't forget also that Fw 190D-9 was an intermediate solution , before producing in mass Ta 152. Would it be also important when in March- April 1945 the fighters were often used for ground attack ?

Camouflage do not take the advantage on performances , this took his place , in the industrial process of building a war machine , concidering the war and industrial situation.

German were not producing Formula 1 , they were producing consumable war machines in mass . This is not really the same production and purposes and also not he same workers required.

I may wish that other luftwaffe enthusiasts could discuss about other late war machines , it will be very interesting to read their conclusions or observations .

All the best

Eric Larger