Thanks Keith,
Now for some wing lozenge application notes:
1. On the lower wing panels the application went chordqwise from the wing root to the tip.
2. On the upper wing the center section was covered seperately chordwise.
3. On the upper wing panels were also covered chordwise from their wing root out to the tip.
4. On the ailerons they were covered separately spanwise.
5. Rib tapes were strips of 5 colour upper surface loz.
Historian Dan San Abbott states
"There were a considerable number of Pfalz D.IIIa in the January 1918 order for 340 D.IIIa machines, serial numbers D.8000/17 to D8339/17 that were covered with the intermediate dark 5 color printed fabric on the upper surfaces of both wings, elevator and rudder.
The ribs on the wings, ailerons, elevator and rudder were taped with cut strips of the five color intermediate dark pattern approximately 25 mm wide. The photo on page 27 is Pfalz D.IIIa 8052/17 is covered with five color fabric intermediate dark pattern, with matching rib tapes. . .The 1918 order for 120 Pfalz D.IIIa serial numbers D1250/18 to 1369/18 were covered on the upper surface the same way, however, some had the lower surfaces of the wings and elevator with plain unprinted unbleached linen fabric. The under surfaces were were over painted lt. blue, Pfalz D.IIIa 1284/18 is an example. See photos on page 20 of the Pfalz D.IIIa Datafile 21.. . .
I believe the center-section of the upper wing was covered with fabric. . . .On page 20, these two photos I think were taken at the Pfalz Flugzeugwerke, these photos are of Pfalz D.IIIa 1284/18 and this machine is unfinished. The fuselage and rudder crosses lack the white borders and the spinner has not been installed. There is a man in the bottom photo in a suit, white shirt and tie in the back ground. the strut end fitting are probably a black japaned finish. This was a fairly common method of finishing metal parts.
On page 27, is operational Pfalz D.IIIa 8052/17, with a dark band and a white E. The lower wing shows the five color fabric, the fuselage, struts were, wheel covers and axle-bar were finished in aluminum paint/dope. The upper wing faintly shows a lozenge, just forward of the trailing edge cut out, this is on on the plywood area of the upper wing center section."
