Bf 109 dessert colours

[sirbob]

This photo appears on page 30 of “Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean” by Jerry Scutts, in the Osprey Aircraft Of The Aces series. The caption says the aircraft in the foreground is a Bf 109F flown by the adjutant of III./JG 27.

Can anyone please shed any light on the very dark colour of the lower fuselage and upper wing ?

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...09GIIIJG27.jpg

[Graham Boak]

This is the later scheme of 78/79, which does sometimes appear to have a dark blue underside, depending upon film stock and filters, I suspect. The oil stains from the engine do exaggerate this, perhaps.

[Don Pearson]

I was thinking oil stains as well, but the chevron and "1" don't seem to be affected...

Don

[sirbob]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Surely the light/dark demarcation line is too sharp and straight for it to be oil/exhaust stains. Also, as Don points out, the number "1" is definitely painted OVER the dark colour. The cross and white band also. (Not too sure about the chevron, it looks touched up to me). And look at the aircraft at the top left behind the sand bags - it has the same paint scheme with the same sharp demarcation line.

IF it is a 78/79 scheme with a filter making the blue 78 look dark, what about the dark colour of the upper wings - surely this would be expected to appear the same as the UPPER fuselage, not lower?

[Graham Boak]

Not entirely oil/exhaust stains, no, just by the cockpit. I don't see the upper wing as dark as the lower fuselage - it is just a bit scruffy and the top of the fuselage is looking lighter because of glare. I think it a late 109F desert scheme.

[D.B. Andrus]

Panchromatic film + Red Filter = blue in the scene will appear dark in the print.

HTH

D.B.

[klemchen]

Hello,

the two 109s with a chevron are Gs (very probably G-2s), as can be seen by the canopy frames and by the small scoop aft of the spinner on White 1. For similar reasons White 4 in the background is an F. It looks like painted with 79 on its entire upper side. Since the light blue undersides appear dark on the photo, the cowling underside of White 1 seems to be yellow.

Regards,
klemchen

[Ruy Horta]

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

This is the later scheme of 78/79, which does sometimes appear to have a dark blue underside, depending upon film stock and filters, I suspect. The oil stains from the engine do exaggerate this, perhaps.

IMHO the leading edge is probably RLM 78 coming through the 79 layer, the top coat of 79 having been "sand" away and probably not having been a straight demarkation to start with. Agree on the yellow cowling as well.

The aircraft in the background is a little cleaner.

[Modeldad]

The filter most likely is in the yellow to orange to red range. Yellow and orange filters were and are used often in B&W photography to deepen a blue sky. Red radically alters the image and was used in B&W cinimatography to create night during the day by blackening the blue sky.

If it is in the yellow to orange range of filters, than White 1 may actually be Yellow 1. Yellow will be very light, near white. In fact, looking at the underside of the cowl and the white theater band, I'd say it is Yellow 1>.

[sirbob]

Thank you, everyone, for your helpful replies. I am totally satisfied that this has been resolved as far as I was asking.

I must say, however, that it has evolved into a very interesting thread concerning interpreting the effect of filters in black and white photography of the time.

I must especially thank Klenchen for sugesting that the aircraft was a G-2, as this was also my opinion but I did not wish to contradict the learned author of the book.

As for Graham Boak's sugestion that the upper wing is 79, I have now tested that idea by super-imposing a sample of the wing over the natural sand, and there is very little difference in contrast so I presume it to be correct. Thank you, Graham, for your assesment of this optical illusion.