Camouflage Commentary 1:

One and the Same?

Fw 190 A-8 “Blue / Brown” 6, WNr.175140, 7. or 8./II./JG 26

David E. Brown

January 2010

This Focke-Wulf 190 A-8 is a well known aircraft having been extensively photographed after its capture, with many of these images published in books over the years.  For such a well-known aircraft, based on the oft-published Imperial War Museum photograph, it has nevertheless created no end of speculation and discussion as to its true identity.  Various reports and photos of it provide contradictory information on the colour of its markings, and thus its unit identity; either “Braun 9” or “Blau 9” of 7. or 8./JG 26 respectively. Hopefully, this modest investigation will offer compelling evidence to solve this mystery as well as reveal important information regarding its camouflage colours. In addition, it sports a rather unique camouflage scheme that supports the view that RLM colour 77 Hellgrau was systematically used as a complimentary colour to greys RLM 74 and 75 on mid and late war Bf 109s, Fw 190s and other aircraft.

BACKGROUND

Based on its werknummer, this Fw 190 A-8 was one of 300 aircraft (175001–175300) manufactured by Focke-Wulf at Cottbus, with this particular aircraft being completed sometime in mid-late August 1944 (Rodeike, 1998).  It obviously had a very short operational career as it was found abandoned on the airfield at Melsbroek (near Brussels), Belgium on September 4. Thus it served with II./JG 26 for about two weeks at best.  It appears to have suffered a “kopfstand” following its last flight and was left in that state when the Germans fled the airfield on September 3 after operating from it for only five days. Its pose naturally attracted many photographers thus creating a comprehensive photographic record.  It also attracted the interest of Allied intelligence as it was noted and briefly described in a Crashed Enemy Aircraft (CEA). It was later completely destroyed sometime in October 1944 when a booby-trapped 250 kg bomb buried under its motor exploded while it was being moved by American troops expanding the runway.

EVIDENCE

Information regarding this aircraft comes in several forms; documentary, photographic and artistic.  These are detailed below.

Documentary

A Crashed Enemy Aircraft Report 255, dated October 10, 1944, describes an aircraft as follows:  “Fw 190A-8, Melsbroek, Works No. 175140, 6 + – (Blue outlined in white), 87 (white on rudder). Burnt and looted.”

Photographic

There exist a number of photographs of this aircraft taken from the time of its capture that show its progressive deterioration at the hands of the elements and souvenir-hunters, and as such are presented in a chronological order.

Photo 1:  Front starboard-side view of WNr.175140 taken the from 2 o’clock position with two Canadian servicemen leaning against the wing-root’s leading edge.  This is the earliest known image of the aircraft as the frame of the ‘flat’ canopy is still in position (though the Perspex is missing) and the cowling dorsal panel is intact and in place.  It’s external belly tank is laying against the cowling on the left side. Both the number 6. and II. Gruppe balken have an intermediate grey tone and the black outline is visible.  (Photograph via Dave Wadman)

 

Photo 2:  An almost identical photograph to Photo 1. Note that the aircraft’s canopy and gun cowling have been removed, its external fuel tank moved to the front of the aircraft, and the windscreen shot out. Both the number ‘6’ and II. Gruppe balken appear light-coloured with black outlines.  (Photograph via Dave Wadman)

Photo 3:  This is the famous Imperial War Museum photo taken from the aircraft’s 2 o’clock position.  Note the ammunition box for the fuselage MG 131/13s. The number ‘6’ and II. Gruppe balken appear almost completely black and their black outline is just barely visible. The aircraft’s werknummer 175140 is visible on the top of the fin and was painted in the same position of the opposite side. A white-painted number ‘87’ – likely its ferry number – is just faintly visible on the lower part of the rudder. (Photograph via Imperial War Museum)

Photo 4:  Close-up front right view taken from the 1 o’clock position.  Two Canadian pilots are sitting in the cockpit and the fuselage markings remain visible.  The number ‘6’ and balken appear very dark, but the black outline is visible.  (Photograph via Dave Wadman)

Photo 5:  This side view taken the from 3 o’clock position and offers an excellent view of the aircraft’s wing undersides as well as the light-coloured code markings suggestion blown with a black outline. The external fuel tank is now located further behind the aircraft and the engine cowling is now missing. Interestingly, the right side rear flap is painted in dark grey, possibly RLM 74 Dunkelgrau, Grünlich. (Photograph via Don Caldwell)

Photo 6: This is an important photo taken of the aircraft’s left side.  Note that one of the prop blades has been sawed off and the remains of the canopy just behind the port wing. The external fuel tank is now missing altogether as is the wing root MG 151/20E barrel on the port wing. The aircraft’s number and II. Gruppe marking are light-coloured with a black outline like that for the other side. The source publication for this image is unknown, though a poorer quality version appears on page 341 of Caldwell (1998).

Artistic

A colour charcoal sketch of an aircraft coded “Blue 6” was done by Canadian war artist Adolphus George Blumfield at Melsbroek in the fall of 1944. Based on comparison with the extant photographs, there is no doubt that Blumfield’s subject was the same aircraft.  The original sketch resides in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Drawing 1: This pastel sketch by Canadian artist Adolphus George Blumfield  appears to represent the same aircraft as imaged in the previous six photographs. A comparison with these photos suggests that it was created at about the same time that Photo 2 was taken. However, there are noticeable differences: the dark slash in the fuselage between the balkenkreuz and ‘6’ is not seen in the last known photograph (Photo 6), and the number ‘6’ and II. Gruppe bar are coloured dark blue with a white outline (artistic license by Blumfield?). (Halliday, 1988)

INTERPRETATION

The available evidence would suggest that there were two Fw 190 A-8 aircraft at Melsbroek that shared the same werknummer and physical attributes but differed only in the colour of their numbers.  This cannot be correct and there must be an explanation for this dichotomy.

Looking at all the known images of this aircraft, one feature is obvious: The aircraft in the photos definitely does not have its number ‘6’ outlined in white but instead was in a dark colour, black.  Lighter coloured numbers are invariably outlined with a darker one to accentuate their colour and the number itself. Conversely, darker colours are outlined with lighter one, mostly white but occasionally yellow. Photographic evidence reveals that blue numbers, were mostly outlined with white.

It is known that JG 26’s II. Gruppe operated out of Melsbroek from 29 August to 3 September 1944.  Caldwell (1991, 1998) indicates that during the latter half of 1944, both the 7. and 8. Staffeln were ‘paired’ and operated as a team, invariably flying and operating from the same airfield over this period. It is also known, via lost listings, flight books and photographs, that within the  II. Gruppe the aircraft of its respective staffeln were identified with the following colours: 5. white, 6. black, 7. brown and 8. blue. Aircraft from the 5. and 8. Staffeln had their numbers outlined in white, while those of the 6. and 7. were outlined in black.

The earliest image of the Braun 6 was taken soon after the Melsbroek airfield was evacuated by II./JG 26 on 3 September 1944. Photo 1 was obtained by aviation researcher and author Dave Wadman from a local RCAF veteran. That this is the earliest known shot of the aircraft is confirmed by the fact that the frame of the ‘flat’ canopy is still in position (though the Perspex is missing) and the cowling dorsal panel is intact and in place. 

Shortly after this photo was taken, the aircraft was sketched in colour charcoal pastels by Canadian war artist Adolphus George Blumfield who was attached to 143 Wing RCAF.  The sketch was made from the aircraft’s port side and while no Werknummer is shown, the artist has coloured the number and balken as dark blue with white outlines in the identical style and dimensions as seen in the photos.  Furthermore, the remains of the canopy frame and dorsal cowling panel are in the same position as in the Wadman Photo 2, as are the open underwing gun panels, etc.  It is thus highly probably that the photo and sketch represent the same time period, most likely the second or third week of September 1944. The aircraft then began its inexorable disintegration at the hands of Allied soldiers and locals looking for souvenirs and any other useful items as Photos 2-6 confirm.

The next mention of this aircraft is in the CEA Report #255 of 10 October which described the aircraft with the same Werknummer as “Blue 6 + -“, and that it was “burnt-out and looted”.  Obviously there is a discrepancy here:  Two aircraft at the same location with the same Werknummer and codes, but the latter being in different colours.  It is only when considered in a chronological context is the answer revealed.

Photograph 5 is critical to unraveling this paradox based on what was written on the reverse: 

 “Members of 439 Squadron “City of Westmount” 143 Wing RCAF in Belgium 1944 standing beside [a] derelict Fw 190.  This aircraft had been bobby-trapped by the Germans.  They had buried a 551lb bomb under the nose, and when the aircraft was moved the bomb detonated causing casualties to men in an American squadron and destroying a number of US aircraft.”

It appears obvious that the aircraft’s destruction took place prior to the arrival of Allied Intelligence teams at Melsbroek.  This is not surprising, as the August-September period saw the rapid contraction of the German front lines east to the Reich followed by the Allies in hot pursuit.  It was only in late September that the front stabilized due to a combination of lengthening Allied overland supply lines and establishment of German defensive positions behind Meuse and other major rivers.  Thus the intelligence teams had a lot of ground to cover and wrecks to evaluate over this period.  This is also born out but the increasing brevity of the reports and paucity of details on individual aircraft.

What did the intelligence team find at Melsbroek?  I believe it was the remains of a blown-up, burnt-out and completely destroyed aircraft that was previously looted prior to its destruction.  What evidence they had probably consisted of the tail; the fuselage, cockpit and engine having been completely destroyed in the blast of the 250 kilogram bomb.  They must have been able to read the Werknummer from the more-or-less intact tail, but no other information could have been gleaned from its remains. Yet they noted its code as “Blue 6”.  From whence did this information come from?

The only plausible explanation is that the artist Blumfield must have been at the airfield at the same time as the Allied Intelligence team. Given that they had but fragments of the aircraft to evaluate, any additional information was appreciated, and thus the aircraft’s code was recorded as “Blue 6” as recorded by the sketch.  Yet why did Blumfield paint the number blue with a white outline, when the photographic evidence unequivocally show the aircraft’s number as being a light shade with a dark (black) outline?  The only explanation is that Blumfield decided to use artist license.  Simple as that. Nevertheless, the aircraft recorded by the various photographers and the artist were the same machine: Braun 6, WNr.175140 of 7./II./JG 26.

CAMOUFLAGE

I believe that Braun 6 is an excellent example of an aircraft wearing what I would term a transition scheme from greys to greens. As such, it wears a number of colours illustrating the using up of surplus stocks of colours 74 as promulgated by Sammelmitteilung Nr. 1 of 1 July 1944. My interpretation of this aircraft’s camouflage colours is shown in this image:

Photo 7. This is an annotated version of Photo 2 identifying the various camouflage colours Braun 6 was finished in: 74 Dunkelgrau, Grünlich, 75 Grauviolett, 76 Lichtblau, 77 Hellgrau, Note the low contrast between 74 and 75 on the fuselage and tailplane, and the significant contrast on the wings between 74 and 77.  The still lighter colour on the outer portion of the port wing matches well with the 76 on the engine cowling and wing leading edge. (Photograph via Dave Wadman)

The use of 77 is not surprising, as it was colour introduced with 74, 75, 76 in mid-1941 if memory serves. Colour 77 was created as a camouflage colour (hence is numeric designation) yet initially used as a marking colour for nightfighters. Yet it eventually was used as an uppersurface colour and in many instances is interpreted as a lighted 75. One sees this very bright shade on Bf 109 Gs and Ks, Bf 110s, Me 410s, Fw 190 As and D’s, etc. as early as mid 1943 right to the end of the war (Photos 8 & 9).

Photo 8. This Erla-built Bf 109 G-6 or G-14, along with nine other uncoded Bf 109 aircraft, was found  at the Reims, Champagne airport in the late summer of 1944. There is no doubt that there are four colours on that fuselage with three easy to identify: base coat of 76 and mottles of 74 and 75. That 74 was used would infer an aircraft likely completed prior to July 1944 when RLM 74 was ordered to be immediately withdrawn from use. But what of the third mottle colour, the grey lighter than 76 but darker than 75? It fits no others until one considers that it might be 77. Note the darker variation of 75 beneath the canopy, no doubt due to it being brush-painted. Whilst very faint in the original slide, the wing uppersurfaces are 75 and 77, with the former replacing 74 and the latter 75 for the prescribed 74/75 camouflage pattern. (James V. Crow Collection)

Photo 9. An excellent example of the use of RLM 77 Hellgrau in conjunction with known standard colours.  This Bf 109 G-6 “we.10” of 1./JG 52 was photographed at Kharkov-Rogan in the summer of 1943.  Clearly recognizable on the fuselage is the base of 76 with mottles of 02, 74 and 75.  The darker grey on the wing uppersurface with the bluish hue is clearly 75, yet the lighter grey is darker than the visible 76 and matches well with colour paint chips of 77 Hellgrau.  A photo illustrating the full side profile of the aircraft and other images can be found in Barbas (1985) and reveals the upper fuselage is painted in 74/75. (Barbas, 1985)

All authors (noted below) acknowledge that no original documents have been discovered that provide a descriptive name for colour 77, and for that matter all other sequential RLM colors (78-83). However, the vast majority of researchers provisionally termed it Hellgrau (light grey), which is an accurate description of the shade when their colour paint chip samples are compared to Federal Standard, RAL and Munsell colour standard charts:

• Hellgrau (Hitchcock 1973)*
• Hellgrau (Smith & Gallaspy 1976, 1977)
• Hellgrau (Merrick 1977)
• Hellgrau (Smith, Pentland & Lutz 1979)*
• Hellgrau (Merrick & Hitchcock 1980)*      
• Hellgrau (Eagle Editions 1999)*
• Hellgrau (Ullmann 2000)
• Hellgrau (Ullmann 2002)*
• Dunkelgrau (Merrick 2004, 2005)*

(* = Colour Paint Chart /samples)

Curiously, Merrick (2005) describes it as Dunkelgrau yet the colour chip in the associated paint charts matches very closely with those included with the other aforementioned publications.  Why this is is unknown but may be a simple editing error as he consistently identified it in his previous publications as Hellgrau.

Photo 10. A fabulous image of a Bf 109 K-4, WNr.334884, Weisse 8, possibly of 9./JG 3 found at the end of the war. RLM 77 is present on the fuselage below the canopy and in a section between the balkenkreuz and tail assembly. Note that the 75 on the tail has an obvious bluer cast. The green 83 on the tail is spot on but on the fuselage 83 has an olive cast to it. The cowling appears to have been finished in overall 75, though slightly lighter in tone than that applied on the tail. The 76 on the fuselage may be one of the faded shades of this colour as encountered in many late-war aircraft types Together, this Bf 109 K-4’s colours confirm and reflect the results of dispersed production and finishing of aircraft components, and what transpires when they are all put together at a central assembly facility. (Copyright P. Morse Collection, via Flickr)

CONCLUSION

Deductive reasoning and interpretation of the photographic, documentary and artistic the evidence reveal that this Fw 190 A-8 aircraft, WNr.175140, was an aircraft of 7./JG 26 coded “Braun 6”. Its camouflage consisted of RLM colours 74 and 75 on the fuselage spine and engine and 76 sides and undersides, and colours 74, 76 and 77 on the wing uppersurfaces with undersides of 76.

REFERENCES

Barbas, B., 1985: “Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces – Volume 1”. Kookaburra, Melbourne,

Caldwell, D.L., 1994:  “JG 26 – Photographic History of the Luftwaffe’s Top Guns”.  Motorbooks International, Osceola, 168 p. 

Caldwell, D.L., 1998:  “The JG 26 Combat Diary – Volume 2, 1943-1945”.  Grub Street, London, 416 p.

Caldwell, D.L., 1991:  “JG 26 – Top Guns of the Luftwaffe”.  Orion Books, New York, 440p.

Crashed Enemy Aircraft Report #255, 10 October 1944.

Eagle Editions, 1999: “Luftwaffe Color Chart”. Eagle Editions, Sedona, 6p.

Halliday, H.A., 1988: “Artist – Aldolphus George Blumfield”. Airforce Magazine, 15 June 1988.

Hitchcock, T.H., 1973: “Messerschmitt ‘O-Nine’ Gallery”. Monogram, Acton, 212p.

Merrick, K.A., 2005: “Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1933-1945 – Volume Two”. Classic, Hersham, 224p.

Merrick, K.A., 2004: “Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1933-1945 – Volume One”. Classic, Hersham, 224p.

Merrick, K.A., 1977: “German Aircraft Markings”. Sky Book, New York, 176p.

Merrick, K.A, and Hitchcock, T.H., 1980: “The Official Monogram Painting Guide to German Aircraft 1935-1945” Monogram, Boyleston, 144p.

Rodeike, P, 1998: “Focke-Wulf Fw Jagdflugzeug – Fw 190 A, Fw 190 ‘Dora’, Ta 152 H”. Struve-Druck, Eutin, 444p.

Smith, J.R. and Gallaspy, J.D., 1977: “Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1935-45 – Volume 3”. Kookaburra, Melbourne, 164p.

Smith, J.R. and Gallaspy, J.D., 1976: “Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1935-45–Volume 2”. Kookaburra, Melbourne, 164p.

Smith, J.R., Pentland, G.G., and Lutz, R.P., 1979: “The Modeller’s Luftwaffe Painting Guide with Colour Chart.” Kookaburra, Melbourne, 88p.

Ullmann, M., 2002: “Luftwaffe Colors 1935-1945”. Hikoki, Ottringham, 256p.

Ullmann, M., 2000: “Oberfläschenshutzverfahren und Anstrichstoffe der deutschen Luftfahrtindustrie und Luftwaffe”. Benrad & Graefe, Bonn, 296p.