Hs 123 camouflage diagram

[Pilot]

Well... source?

[ChrisS]

It is true to say that the earlier scheme did linger far later on the Hs 123 than other machines, and perhaps, in many cases, was never repainted, there are also many photos that do show the application of the darker and more uniform almost monotone colour that is almost certainly the 70/71 scheme. On these aircraft the lack of 63 Hellgrau light grey which is so characteristic of the earlier scheme and stands out so well on photographs is noted by being clearly absent.

Cheers

Chris

[Modeldad]

Originally Posted by Pilot

Well... source?

No one has come up with a 70/71 pattern for the Hs 123 (then again they are lacking for the Bf 110 also).

Looking at pictures after pictures, I have not come up with a single one that can be said to be 70/71.

IIRC, production of the Hs 123 stopped by fall 1938, and was supplanted by the Ju 87A, which was in the four color scheme. The Hs 123 appears not to have continued in production long enough for 70/71 on a dive bomber.

Many Hs 123s remained in the four color scheme for a long time. others receive a repaint of "green".

[Graham Boak]

We are all-too-familiar with the simple - and proven wrong - assumption that many Luftwaffe aircraft, particularly on the eastern Front, were in a single green. So doubt that this was the case for the Hs123 is entirely understandable, particularly in the lack of good clear photos of the type. Why should it be true?

Is it true that all types out of production before the introduction of the 70/71 scheme never received this scheme? This does sound like a possible mechanism by which the apparently unique colour scheme of a single green could have been created. I suspect that some aircraft, such as the Fw56 perhaps, will disprove this, but I'm unsure of its production run.

[Pilot]

It is good to hear everybody opinion with additional sources and documents. I could not imagine that Hs 123 is not known subject...

Cheers .)

[Modeldad]

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

We are all-too-familiar with the simple - and proven wrong - assumption that many Luftwaffe aircraft, particularly on the eastern Front, were in a single green. So doubt that this was the case for the Hs123 is entirely understandable, particularly in the lack of good clear photos of the type. Why should it be true?

Is it true that all types out of production before the introduction of the 70/71 scheme never received this scheme? This does sound like a possible mechanism by which the apparently unique colour scheme of a single green could have been created. I suspect that some aircraft, such as the Fw56 perhaps, will disprove this, but I'm unsure of its production run.

Graham you do need to keep an open mind about deviations from an "assumed spec". Other than the canard about fuzzy pix, there has been nothing to show that the 70/71 was on a Hs 123. It is often the fuzzy pictures that are used to show 70/71. The single green on the Hs 123 has not been proven wrong. Can you offer the proof? The point is that there is no proof that 70/71 was ever applied at the factory.

The only evidence of 70/71 is in questionable profiles.

[piero]

Hi all,
here two examples of monochrome Hs123 from my private collection

HTH

piero

[Pilot]

Nice images Piero First look like very fresh paint work and the another is wash out and no precise info. From first image it look that single coat was on planes. Any two tone Hs123 on top side? I somehow believe that two tone could be somewhere there, it look like impossible that so many people have made profiles without proof. Or that was a mistake repeated for years?

[Graham Boak]

Steve, you need to be more open-minded, with an eye to experience. There have been many photos of "monochrome" Luftwaffe aircraft that later turned out to be nothing of the kind. Hs129s, Ju87s, Bf109s....

The available photos of Hs123s are generally of fairly poor definition, the kind that lead to just this mistake. It is fair to point out that, after some time in service, 71 faded to provide much more contrast with 70 than when new, and it would be reasonable to expect some Hs123 photos to show this. To that extent, it is understandable that many people believe the aircraft was unique in having a single green uppercoat as standard, particularly in the lack of a 70/71 pattern for the type. This is not the same thing as proven, which I think most people realise.

[Dénes Bernád]

I have a "soft spot" for the Hs 123, and I managed to collect a couple of hundred of original photos of this sturdy biplane.

I just checked them, and found none that clearly shows the "classic" two-tone RLM 70/71 camouflage scheme.

On a very few photos one may see a demarkation line on the upper paint job, but I believe those are the early four-colour camo overpainted in large areas by a new coat of dark paint, possibly green.

Therefore, I am also still waiting for the ultimate proof for the RLM 70/71 camouflage scheme being worn by any Hs 123.