1/3 Black/ Farbton70 and White Spinner on 109s

[Modeldad]

Is there information on the origin of the 1/3 White spinner and when it became incorporated into factory production. Or is there a monograph on all Luftwaffe spinners on all aircraft types?

The earliest I can find a reference to it is in the Summer of 1940. Reasons given are simply tactical marking. According to Ken Merrick there was directive issued in 1941 regarding the marling of spinner to put the 1/3 white into practice. But I cannot locate it. The next item I have is the painting guide for the Bf 109 G in 1943 which clearly shows the spinner as 1/3 white.

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[Nick Beale]

[quote=Modeldad;337487Reasons given are simply tactical marking.[/QUOTE]

If so, it would be useless once the engine was running, surely? You couldn't see it any longer and the same goes for the later spiral.

My guess is that it was a safety measure: if you could see the white segment (or the spiral) then the engine was stationary and you could safely approach. If you didn't see it, keep clear. The Germans never went in for yellow tips to their prop blades like the RAF and I'm guessing spinner segments or spirals were their alternative.

[Modeldad]

Thought that spiral was ground crew warning had been discounted long ago based on Ultra reports noting it as a mid-late war recognition for fighter aircraft. The DB601 had a drive reduction ratio of 14.9:1, so at the engine's max RPM of 2400, the propeller was spinning at a touch more than 160 RPM. Which gives lots of time for the spiral to be seen.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Modeldad

Thought that spiral was ground crew warning had been discounted long ago based on Ultra reports noting it as a mid-late war recognition for fighter aircraft.

The ULTRA decrypts that I found and put online can certainly be read that way:

http://www.ghostbombers.com/markings/inv1.html

http://www.ghostbombers.com/markings/inv2.html

Although it would be nice to have the original German wording, taken together the various messages seem to speak of 'additional' and 'recognition' markings pretty much in the same breath, in essence anything beyond national markings and a tactical number. I may be splitting hairs here but the fact that German aircraft are recognisable by a spiral spinner doesn't preclude the spiral being a safety feature peculiar to German aircraft.

[harrison987]

Not to mention, the engine was LOUD.

The theory that it was so you could tell whether or not the engine was running before you approached is a bit far fetched. Even at low speed, it is pretty obvious when the engine is running and the props are turning.

I do not know of any casualty reports showing ground crew who were constantly/accidently walking into spinning propellers, and as a result needed to paint them to save lives?

You would either have to be deaf or blind to run into one accidentally.

Some spinners did have yellow segments and even yellow tips/caps

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by harrison987

I do not know of any casualty reports showing ground crew who were constantly/accidently walking into spinning propellers, and as a result needed to paint them to save lives?

I have seen (but did not keep copies of, unfortunately) one or two death registration cards at Fold3.com where the cause of death was »Propellerschlag«.

You would either have to be deaf or blind to run into one accidentally

And yet people sometimes did. Conversely, a friend of mine who's now retired from civil aviation and still reads the Air Accident Investigation Board reports told me that he has never seen a single case of someone having the kind of accident that the mandatory hi-vis tabards are supposed to prevent. Does that show they are effective or unnecessary?