Camouflage colours on a Ju 87A

[Dénes Bernád]

I always knew there were three upper camouflage colours used on standard painted early German warplanes: RLM 61/62/63 (over RLM 65). However, on this official postcard I see four shades. What could be the explanation?

[RolandF]

The darkest colour tone can be found around the tail fin. It seems the red fin band was oversprayed with this colour (RLM 70 or 71?), leaving free the swastika together with a white trim. Maybe other areas received this overspray, too.

Regards

RolandF

[Clint Mitchell]

Or the RLM61/62/63 paints used to overspray the red band etc on the tail are fresher and less faded than the original RLM61/62/63 factory applied paints.

[Dénes Bernád]

This is how I see the four different shades:

[edNorth]

Front (3) is part created darker by exhaust stain.
Only only around codes is lighter paint (quite common)
and may not be different colour, just lighter shade,
created by hand painted (vs factory spray paint).
But agree to to total of four on topsides.

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by edNorth

Front (3) is part created darker by exhaust stain.

I don't believe the darkest shade is exhaust stain, but rather a camouflage colour (I assume brown). It goes around the fuel octane triangle right up to the front cockpit.

[Dénes Bernád]

Here is the official camo scheme scanned from Ullmann (Hikoki, 2002):

[Graham Boak]

Could the fuselage band and the rudder colours not just be bright (yellow?) markings added for identification?

Separately, although I think much of the darker colour on the lower fuselage aft of the exhausts is due to the exhaust stain, nonetheless there is a clear demarcation below the canopy framing.

[edNorth]

Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád

I don't believe the darkest shade is exhaust stain, but rather a camouflage colour (I assume brown). It goes around the fuel octane triangle right up to the front cockpit.

Seems many have tried interpret them colours.
Who´s right or who´s wrong is not my judging.
See below.

http://aircraftnut.blogspot.com/2014...n-service.html

-Ed

[Clint Mitchell]

Clearly there was a B scheme, which was common on the earlier pre-war splinter pattern and if what we are looking at in the Ullmann illustration is the A scheme, the RLM colour segments in the photo do not match the Ullmann illustration to a certain extent... The different components appear to be a mixture of the A and B scheme as the undercarriage fairings adhere to the A scheme? seen in the Ullmann illustration yet the main fuselage pattern is an alternative arrangement of the colours seen on the Ullmann splinter pattern...

Would it be reasonable to assume that the individual components where supplied pre-painted and assembled into the finished article?