Hi there, (sorry about the typo in the title...)

This is an appeal to the Camouflage Gurus out there...

I'm buiding a Bf109E-3 for the Battle of Britain Campaign. I'm trying to portray an a/c flown by Adolf Galland with unusual, low contrast, mottled upper surfaces (wings and tail included).

My reference is Classic Colours Jagdwaffe Vol 2, Section 2, Pages 114 & 115.

These are the only photos I've ever seen of the a/c, and the publishers suggest the colours are "locally manufactured" greys over standard RLM 65 undersurfaces. {They also mention a brown and green scheme that looked too British - which suggests stripes or large patches of colour.)

Does anyone have any other references or confirmation for the grey scheme? At the moment I'm planning on captured French grey and RLM 02, which seems feasible at least, but I just want to check that no-one's found "proof" that the "real" colour was pink with lilac spots, or something equally weird!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Porky.
By the time of the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe fighters generaly used the following camo:
Uppersurfaces of fuselage and wings: RLM 02 & RLM 71
Undersurfaces: RLM 65
Both sides of fuselage and tail: mottle of RLM 02 & RLM 70 (not always, check the reference for your airplane).

What type and brand of paint are you using ?

Hi there CSCH

Thanks for answering my post.

This plane is a REAL weirdo! It's definitely not in a standard 1940 Luftwaffe finish. I wonder whether Galland was trying out schemes along the lines of the He51s he flew in the Spanish Civil War. Apparently his squadron-mates were worried that he'd end up getting shot down by his own side because the scheme was so non-regulation!

I haven't decided what brands of paint to use yet. I keep mixing and matching. There's so much debate on whose paints are most accurate, that I try to go by paint-chips wherever possible - trouble is they don't agree either!

I know this scheme will raise a few eyebrows and I'm sure someone will say it's all wrong! The beauty of it is... they'll probably be right! That's the fun of modelling isn't it - learning a little bit more with everything we build.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan:

If you give me the brand & kit number I can help you in searching in my profiles and information about that Galland ME 109.
Did you tried Model Master Enamels, they have developed the RLM colours so you don´t have to mix to obtain the desired tone, I think they match very well.

:-) Hi Porky,
This was one of the 3 aircraft I built for the Luftwaffe group build. My only reference was the Hasegawa kit instructions, an article in Fine Scale Modeller and my memory. No I'm not that old I remembererd reading that Adolf Galland trialed what became the later war grey scheme. I think it's likely that the undersurfaces could be RLM 65. I did mine RLM 76, based on the article, the writer seamed to know what he was talking about (Hasegawa gave the option) My scheme therefore is RLM 74/75 uppers, 76 unders. I have absolutely no proof whatsoever for this scheme, but it seems to make sense :-)
There are pictures in the gallery, as well as the other 2 109s. They are not the best (Bryan has altered them? for site purposes, I guess) if you would like me to re-post the pics, to show the scheme better, I can do :-) In the meantime a sample:

Mal
PS I didn't include the cigar lighter

I dont know if this helps or adds to the confusion. I have a drawing which shows a 109E when Galland was Kommander III/JG.26 but with no date.

It shows a scheme very similar to Mals model except for the following;-
- Fuselage carries a double chevron with no black horizontal line through cross.
- The entire rudder is yellow with the kills in black.
- The yellow on the nose is only on the lower cowling, it does not extend above the exhaust.
- The spinner is in three equal bands of yellow white and black with the black nearest the engine.
The rest of the scheme is as per Mals very nice example.

Rehgards Dave

:-) Dave,
I believe what you are describing is the same aircraft but at an earlier time :-)
Mal

Hello Rowan:

I searched in my profiles and refrences and I don´t found nothing similar for an Adolf Galland´s BF 109 E3. The thing that dispite me more is that mottling in the upper surfaces of the wings. What Holdfast said about the RLM 74-75-76 scheme sounds very reasonable thinking in the very low contrast that you talk about. (In the photograph posted there´s no mottling in the wings). This scheme was introduced by the turn of 1940 and formalized in th orders contained L.Dv 521 of November 1941.
I found a profile of a BF 109 of Adolf Galland when he was Oberstleutenant of the JG 26, the colours are RLM 74-75-76 whith yelow nose and tail, but it´s an E4N.
If I find something I´ll let you know.