Camouflage and markings of Yugoslav Kingdom warplanes
Official directives gives general way for finishing of the aircraft but does not strictly recommend producer of color or make a central stock of paints, so aircraft producers, everyone for it self, provide painting material from abroad. As a result soon were appeared two charts of camouflage colors and that was founded as a problem.
In effort to replace foreigner paints, headquarter ordered a competition for Yugoslav producers of paint. Some sources state that trials were made in couple month before the war in 1941. Competition was held in the painting & finishing facilities of “DFA”. This factory was logical choose, as well, it had the best test lab for paints and very experienced personnel. Product of three domestic producer ( “Moster”, “Turum Beske” and “Nedeljkovic I sinovi”) were tested and results was disastrous for all of them. Test samples could not properly dry, they was fragile, not quality pliable to surface etc. German technician, representative of the German paint producer “IG- Farbe Industrie, who had watched complete trials, understand the meaning of the results. He react fast and offer “IG” colors, which was already in use on “DFA” produced and overhauled planes and excellent perform in service. Offer was for Yugoslav producers with instance that “DFA” will get free stock of paints enough for one year production. “DFA” in this moment had finished a series of 36 Do17Kb and prepare to start the production of new 40 bombers, for who had material already arrived from Germany. Offer for free stock was accepted but this delivery was never released because of the very close collapse of the Royal Yugoslavia in April war 1941.
The operational aviation of Royal Yugoslavia was the most colorful arm of whole Yugoslav aviation and there will be analyzed their planes. That aviation had divided its units into bombers, fighters and reconnaissance. Inside of their units were also added a number of other types, whose purpose were liaison, training etc. and they differ in many cases in camouflage pattern of the front line planes. In the following text they will be analyzed, type by type.
Dornier Do17K in its several versions was almost all of them served in 3. bomber regiment while one was in training squadron and two were in combat weapon school in Mostar. First were arrived in 1937. and became operational in 1939. Do17K were produced by Dornier and DFA and top surface of both had three color patterns of German export colors. Germans and first two blocks from DFA were silver on the underside while the last block from DFA featured grey underside. In total four camouflage pattern were used. Peacetime insignia were applied on all German purchase but DFA released only first block in this livery. On the fuselage were applied triangles and circles in red or light blue color, regarding to the units but that practice was not referred to the domestic built Do17K. Also to note that one sample was finished in silver color.
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I becomes operational in 1939. and this type equipped 1. and 8. bomber group and 11. recce group. Blenheim featured couple of pattern but two of them was most numbered, RAF continental and Yugoslav multi color. But some of them had a four color on the topside which possibly present modified original Dark Earth/ Dark Green pattern with two new colors added. Underside on the British delivery was Sky or anti- gunnery and Yugoslav built were left with Sky underside. Paints used in Yugoslav production were imported from UK. In one period Blenheim wore semi opaque white two digit numbers on the fuselage side.
From Italy were imported 45 Savoia Marcheti S.M. 79 bomber and they were deployed in 81. bomber group and 7. bomber regiment. All of them were finished in Italian mottle pattern which consisted of ochre base coat with dense mottle in maroon and green. Underside was in medium grey color. In later service some planes from 7. regiment begun to wear on the topside camouflage consisted of patches of ochre, green and brown colors. No precise details is available of this, only known details is hat colors were nitro based smooth and that the over paintings were done on the airfield.
Oldest type in service was fighter Hawker Fury which was operational since 1936. This type was testbed for various camouflage pattern trials and possibly the firs fighter in last period to be camouflage in new multi color pattern. There were two operational patterns- with three colors on topside (Zmaj overhauls) and two colors on topside ( Ikarus overhauls). Fury was operational within two fighter group in 5. fighter regiment. Groups wore two digits number on the fuselage side, one group had white while the other one had black colored numbers.
Main competitive type to the Fury was domestic fighter Ikarus IK-2. Produced in small number, IK-2 was operated by 4. fighter regiment. Originally delivered in natural metal/ silver, IK-2 was later over painted in camouflage from UK origin.
Rogozarski IK-3 became operational in 1939. It was the only type to wear proposed fighter overall grey scheme. Problem is that this color was hand mixed ( and hand brush painted) so paint were differ from plane to plane. When the Rogozarski received material from UK for licensed production of Hurricane fighters, IK-3 was over painted on top surface in new arrived colors. Insignia were changed from peacetime to wartime reduced visibility pattern. Sole operator of IK-3 was 6. fighter regiment.
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Tbank you so much for publishing this information. I am drawing plans for peanut scale (33 cm wing span) rubber powered IK-3 and IK-3 aircraft, and I was at a loss for a color scheme for both aircraft.
John Berryman