Bf110 repainting, 1940

[KennyK404]

Hello all When the Luftwaffe realised that a 70/71 scheme was no longer theater- appropriate, how were the changes handled?

Was the RLM 70 on the wings & tailplanes overpainted, or removed?

What about the fuselage mottling? From some pictures and sources, it *looks* like the RLM65 and mottle was applied over the existing splinter camo, which is why I can't assume that the wings were adjusted with thorough attention to aerodynamic detail.

Thanks!

[Clint Mitchell]

Compared to the Bf109, the Bf110 was quite late in getting an official standardised splinter pattern for use with the new RLM71/02/65 colours. The entire Bf109 fighter force started to be repainted in an official standard RLM splinter pattern devised especially for use with the new 71/02/65 colour scheme in the last weeks of 1939 possibly into the first weeks of 1940. During this period the factories also began finishing the Bf109s in the same official standard splinter pattern for use with the new 71/02/65 colour scheme. This new splinter pattern must have been planned and devised some weeks prior to the mass overpainting/factory changeover taking place.

Bf110s however were still leaving the factories painted in the old 70/71/65 scheme for some months well into 1940. The reason for this is unclear, but was likely because an official RLM 71/02/65 splinter pattern had not yet been devised for the Bf110 until much later in 1940.

What is clear is that some Bf110 units were starting to see the need for a new scheme before the official pattern had been devised. Possibly because they saw the effectiveness of the new scheme used on the Bf109 that were escorting/accompanying them on missions? Anyway, by late May 1940 some Bf110 units started to try and replicate what could be seen on the Bf109s without the guidance of an official standard RLM 71/02/65 splinter pattern diagram. These attempts looked very crude... They raised the RLM 65 demarcation line higher up the fuselage sides by lightly spraying over the existing RLM70/71 scheme. They may have left the spine in the existing 70/71 splinter or they may have used solid 71 or both depending on the application applied to that specific aircraft.

The existing photographic material does not allow us to say with any certainty how they treated the spines. It's the same story for the uppersurfaces of the wings. There is some evidence however that suggests they sprayed large blotches of RLM 02, or an overall light, misty application of RLM 02 over the existing RLM70/71 splinter pattern to break up the dark green uppersurfaces. There is evidence that suggests that on some aircraft they simply overpainted the upper surfaces in solid RLM71, but again the existing photographic evidence is not clear enough to allow us to say with any certainty that was the case.

There were no rules or set patterns with these crude repaints and the aircraft could look quite different from one another depending on the taste and skill of the painter.

Not all Bf110 units carried out these repaints and most retained the older 70/71 scheme applied to their existing aircraft throughout 1940 or until the aircraft moved on to training units and were replaced with new aircraft finished in the new standard RLM71/02/65 pattern/scheme.

It's not until around mid way through 1940 that we start to see Bf110s leaving some factories finished in an official standard RLM splinter pattern devised for use with the RLM71/02/65 colours. This meant there was a mixture of Bf110s on strength with units wearing both schemes at the same time. There is even strong photographic evidence that suggests that one particular ace's Bf110 left the factory painted in the new scheme, but was overpainted with solid RLM 70 at unit level so that it would fit in better with the other Bf110s in his unit which were still wearing the older dark green scheme...

So to conclude: The changeover of the camouflage schemes of the Bf110 from the RLM70/71/65 scheme to the new RLM71/02/65 scheme was a much more gradual affair taking place over the duration of 1940, rather unlike the Bf109s which were changed to the new pattern and scheme all within a few weeks to completion by early January 1940.

Any documents, diagrams or orders are yet to surface (may never...) which fully explain the situation with the change of schemes for the Bf109 and Bf110 during 1939 and 1940, but the available photographic evidence suggests that the above was almost certainly the case.

[KennyK404]

Thankyou very much for the info I had no idea the camo adoption was so patchy (literally)

Ok, painted over and not stripped and done "professionally" seems to be the "norm"

back to picture hunting I go!

Thanks again