Hello everybody

I have one question about Focke Wolf 190A Checkernose.
I already know that they had black and white noses,but on some profiles they have black and yellow,and black and red.
Does anybody have a photo of a black and yellow, or black and red noses?

Please help

Hi Srecko,

..another area of Luftwaffe colours that is a real can of worms..there was a very long thread over on the luftwaffe-experten forum on this subject. Unfortunately I don't have the link to hand but basically I'm not convinced that the colours were anything other than black/white.

Peter Rodeike covered this subject in an article in German magazine Jet & Prop (issue 4/03) and quoted ground crew testimony stating that no colour combination other than white/black was ever used on JG 1 Focke-Wulfs. He further states that information on yellow and red coloured chequers stem solely from archive film held by certain US 'experts'and authors. In Rodeike's article one can trace two possible sources of the claims of yellow and red used.

One is a b/w photograph of "White 1" (or "4") of Bernhard Kunze, 1./JG 1, WNr. 410055, showing an oil smeared cowling giving the impression of a shade darker than white, obviously (wrongly) understood as yellow. A 1./ JG 1 a/c would have had white as the Staffel colour.

Thomas A. Tullis has on the other hand published an article in "Defenders of the Reich Vol 2", by Erik Mombeeck arguing why 1./JG1 used yellow/black chequers. He suggests the black chequers had been painted on an already yellow nosed a/c or even that the "power egg (entire cowl/engine unit) could have been borrowed from a third Staffel aircraft due to engine problems". Both explanations seem quite unrealistic to me and seem only to serve the purpose of defending a preconceived idea. Note though that sister Geschwader JG 11 did have solid yellow cowls on some of their Fw 190s.

There are some stills taken from a film also published in b/w in "Defenders of the Reich Jagdgeschwader 1 Vol 2", by Mombeek. The colour version of the pictures are published in the Jet & Prop article and clearly show some undoubtedly white checkers, while others have a brown/red tone to them. Studying the photographs closely though you can see that areas of the grass and trees in the background are tainted brown, so for me this is pretty unreliable evidence..as you can see from this still shot I've added from the article..

Thank you very much One more thing. Can you please find the link to that thread and do you know where can I download Peter Rodeike`s article from? You can PM me that.

Tnx again for your effort

the link to the article on the LEMB is

http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1491&st=0&p=8630&hl=rodeike&fromsearch=1&#entry8630

you have to register to view posts on the LEMB though

hope this helps (and is suitably credited if used..)

Hi Neil

I've just read through the thread on LEMB and it's certainly fascinating. I should very much like to see the film that Jerry talks of, as those that have seem to think the Black Red is a possibility.

I'm not personally convinced on the Black/Yellow theory at all though.

It surely is an interesting subject which I hope to see proved or otherwise.

Howard

Hi Howard

I think its a question of 'yer pays yer money...etc '. Of course Peter Rodeike hasn't got any decal sheets to sell..
Rodeike though is the co-author of the definitive (German-language) three volume history of JG 1, so (for the moment) I'm on his side of the fence on this one (if there is such a thing !)

ps
BTW your Luftwaffe models are the bees knees !

Hi Neil

I'd certainly love to see the moving pictures because, on the basis of this still, it looks almost like a diagonal stain or crudely applied tint. As you say, it's on the trees in the background, and it also carries on in the wing underside and the cockpit area of the next aircraft in line...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Neil,
I see! I didn't realise Rodeike was a decal seller at all?

On a slightly different note I was talking to my fathers friend last night who is a bit of a luftwaffe engine buff and he was telling me about a man he used to work with that flew 190 A-9's over the eastern front. Sadly I've forgotten his name already but I shall write it down when he picks up his car later today. I shall post the information as I believe the pilot is no longer with us but it would be nice to find some history about him.

Thank you so much for the compliment on the models. I hope to get a few more done this year as I had a poor 2009 for modelling!

Howard

I compare white No. 1 and nose on this photo,and they don't look the same.Maybe oil or different angle or different color?