What is the most colourful and ostentatious BF 109 that flew (Red Baron style) post your pics.

[Walter]

Here's some that I like, the more colour the better. they look like they are mainly pre 1943 from the quick look I've had so far.

 

 

[fubar57]

Jg. 54 had the best camo schemes

[Phas3e]

Unsure if it counts but alot of the captured ones ended up being very colourfull

[mahavelona]

How about the Romanian example included in Airfix's 48 boxing of the E Trop?

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

3 hours ago, Walter said:

 

 

 

Not sure I believe much of that to be honest. The relatively bright green wouldn't have been very bright if it were either RLM70, 71 or a mixture of both as suggested.

 

I'm not sure that a "replacement cowl panels in original 74/75/76 scheme" really hangs together either as the original schemes for 109Es tended to be 70/71/65 or 71/02/65.

 

Instinctively I'd have thought this aircraft more likely to have been in 70/71/65 which unlike most models was a minimum contrast scheme, and that the replacement panels came from a later 71/02/65 aircraft with a high demarcation line.

[Jure Miljevic]

There were Swiss Doras in red and white neutrality markings:

 

Messerschmitt Bf 109 V-14 here was in either red, either blue livery. I am inclining towards the latter (note the difference between overall colour and colour of the Nazi flag on the fin).

 

Then there was a Christmann's Bf 109 T-2:

However, on camouflage schemes I concur with fubar57. It seems that die schwarze Männer from JG 54 had had too much time on their hands during 1941 Channel scuffles and later during Balkan and Barbarossa campaigns. They certainly turned aircraft camouflage into a sort of art form. Here is a page with part of Avions article on Bf 109 and several photos of Lt. Steindl's distinctively painted Bf 109 E-4/B.

 

Also during Balkan campaign, LG 2 did not lag too far behind. Here is Japanese web page with a photo of Lt. Ihefeld's Emil and photo gallery of built Hasegawa model in his colours.

 

In 1943 white tails made fine canvases for more artistically inclined pilots and ground crew, although motives were limited mostly to various interpretations of Ritterkreuz and victory bars. Here is Oblt. Grislawski's Bf 109 G:

 

Cheers

Jure

[Crimea River]

Always thought that Hermann Graf's machines had that certain flair:

 

[Black Knight]

What about Ernst Udet's 109 V14? All red (a la the Baron) or all blue, depending on which resource you use and believe

 

[Antti_K]

How about this then? A Finnish Air Force post war example.

 

https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/cleaver/g/109/tcfing6.htm

 

Cheers,

Antti

[Walter]

20 hours ago, Black Knight said:

What about Ernst Udet's 109 V14? All red (a la the Baron) or all blue, depending on which resource you use and believe

 

That's what I'm talking about, that is awesome

[Walter]

I wonder if there were any pilots or ground crew that didn't give a care about RLM regulations. Perhaps to the point where they wanted to customise their planes, given the fact they were putting their butts on the line 24/7. It seams that JG 54 had a strong Esprit De Corps.

Edited November 25, 2019 by Walter

[Graham Boak]

JG54s experiments in Russia have been linked to experimental trials leading to the 8x series of paints, rather than unit exuberance.  The colours on their Fw190s have been identified as the prewar 6x series, which would not have been generally available on the steppes.

[Giorgio N]

15 minutes ago, Walter said:

I wonder if there were any pilots or ground crew that didn't give a care about RLM regulations. Perhaps to the point where they wanted to customise their planes, given the fact they were putting their butts on the line 24/7. It seams that JG 54 had a strong Esprit De Corps.

 

In the armed forces of every country, pilots and airmen will do what they are allowed to do. Not caring about orders is not really something well seen by whoever is in charge.

Luftwaffe units seemed to have had a certain degree of freedom when it came to camouflage, however all the various schemes that we may find unusual had only one reason for their existance: to improve the survivability of the aircraft in the air and/or on the ground.  Especially when pilots are constantly on the line, the first thing they want is to have every advantage as possible aganst the enemy, looking cool is way down the list.

 

[Black Knight]

Bf.109T-2, I/JG 77, Black 6 , Lista, Norway, Autumn-Winter 1941.

[Wm Blecky]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

 

... looking cool is way down the list.

 

I'd go further to say that it never even made "the list"...

[modelldoc]

I had made some Bf-109 E in unusual markings.

 

Here is my late war Bulgarian Messerschmitt:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/47447473222/in/dateposted/

 

More on flickr.

 

modelldoc

 

[Michou]

On 11/24/2019 at 2:51 PM, Black Knight said:

What about Ernst Udet's 109 V14? All red (a la the Baron) or all blue, depending on which resource you use and believe

 

Udet's machine was most definitely RED.  There is no need to guess the colour from a black and white photo when it is possible to read a contemporary newspaper report.  The Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 26 July 1937, had the following.  "Ist etwas passiert?  Wo ist Udet?  Doch da kommt die rote Maschine..."  Has something happened?  Where is Udet?  Ah, here comes the red machine...

 

Mike