Bf109F-4 mediterranean camou

Did the luftwaffe have a special camou scheme or colors for the aircraft based in Sicily? Specifically I’m looking at 1942 and with regards to II./JG 53 and its Stab as well as I./JG 77. On
Urban Fredriksson’s Color Reference Charts I did find RLM 72/73/65 listed for sea scheme but only used for seaplanes.

All that I could find is a color profile in “Hitler’s Luftwaffe” by Tony Wood/Bill Gunston. It is of a Bf 109F-2/Trop of I/JG77 at Comiso, Sicily during the summer of 1942.

This aircraft is in the standard RLM 74/75/76 scheme with a relatively heavy mottle of 02/70/74 on the fusilage sides running all the way down. It has white lower wing tips, a white fusilage band just touching the after edge of the Balkenkreuz, and a large white number nine just forward of the cross. There is also what appears to be a red and white gruppe emblem just forward of the
windscreen. I can’t make out what it is, it is mostly hidden by the wing.

I hope that this is of some small help. I also hope that you do not plan to build the 1/72 Italeri kit. If so, you are in for trouble. What a bow wow! The engine cover panels are too large, the landing gear legs are too long, and the wheels are much too large.[xx(] Good luck.

Pete

hi Pete, thanks for the input…the kit I plan to build is Hasegawa 1/48…oh yes, what was the nose color in that profile you were referring to?

No separate color on the nose except the spinner appears to be 3/4 black and 1/4 white. There are also no kill or other markings on the tail or rudder except for the swastika.

All of the canopy framing is RLM 74 gray-green and this aircraft dons a tropical filter. All in all, this is an attractive, workman like scheme.

I might be considered strange, but I like to build aircraft depicting the every day, front line workhorses rather than those of the super aces that the rest of the world builds.
This is a good one, if you can find the decals.

Pete

hey Pete, if you have a scanner would you be able to email me a copy of that profile? thanks again

Jack

Most BF109f-4 II./JG 53 planes had the basic 79/78 desert color scheme with dark green (71) sprayed in any number of camo patterns.

“The white nose, fuselage band and wingtips were mediterranean theatre markings first introduced by I./JG 27 on its arrival in libya in 1941.”

I got this in a book/magazine called ‘Wings of Fame’ Volume 11 copyright 1998.

I hope I was able to help.

Small correction - the green used for blotches or patterns over RLM79 desert camo was usually RLM80 olive.

Jack -
Sorry, I do not have a scanner. Maybe one of the other airplane guys on this forum would have both the book and a scanner, although it would be a pretty long shot if someone did. Maybe you could find a copy in a library. Here is what you would need to find a copy of this old book (1977):

Title: Hitler’s Luftwaffe - A pictoral history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler’s air power in World War II
Authors: Tony Wood/Bill Gunston
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 77-89611
Publisher: Crescent Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc. by arrangement with Salamander Books Ltd.

Crescent Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc.
One Park Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10016
ISBN 0-517-22477-1

Salamander Books Ltd. 1977
27 Old Gloucester Street
London WC1N 3AF

There is also a note that this book is not to be sold outside of the United States and Canada. You might get lucky.

Pete