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Old 11 August 2004, 01:47 PM   #1
Epee
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Hello all! About every ten years my latent interest in WW1 aviation flares up. This board is a contributing symptom of the latest bout. Allow me throw out a few questions;

Was it common/standard/regulation for pilots to carry sidearms once machineguns became the aerial weapon of choice? The only mention of such I can recall is Mannock and Luke.

Were personal and non-regulation unit markings really as bold and dense as modern profiles depict or were they thinner and more translucent like a wash?

In Osprey’s “Fokker Dr1 Aces” there is a picture of Jasta 11’s Dr’s in a line. The first craft in line has a light colored band with thin swastikas behind the cockpit. Studying the photo I noticed that on all the planes of which you can clearly see the noses, cowl to cockpit, are very dark, seemingly glossy, and very uniform, ending in a very straight, perpendicular line. I suppose the profiler’s think this is shadow as the color plates of the book don’t address this but I’m wondering if it’s not red paint. Any thoughts?

Thanks
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