Ltn. Heinz Kustner, Fokker D.VII

Welcome everybody!

Yet again I require help from the gang.

I've just received through the post, decals for Ltn. Heinz Kustner's Fokker D.VII by Blue Rider, 1:72nd scale. What I'd like to know is, do any of you know if the wings on his aircraft were camouflaged or were they painted red? The instruction sheet is in black and white and there is no top view of the aircraft.

The other query I have is, did any Fokker D.VII's have a standard green and mauve camouflage scheme, as seen on the Fokker D.VI?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

Best Wishes, kenderoz. *;D

[StephenLawson]

Küstner's Fokker of Jasta 18 had red wings and forward fuselage. *(Raven & Mercedes star with black stripes on white Horizontal tail unit.) See Windsock Vol. 10 #2 Mar-Apr. 1994.

None of the 60 Fokker D.VI left the factory in two tone sprayed camouflage. *The image conjured up by K. Munson is ficticious. *One Fokker D.VI flown by the Hungarian Red Army is believed to be painted entirely dark to medium green.

The only photos of Fokker D.VII types with the two toned sprayed camouflage were in the Czechoslovakian Air Service 1919-22.

[Gregvan]

Hi Kenderoz,

I'd just like to second my friend Steve Lawson's posting on all counts. There were no Fokker D.VI's or D.VII's which left their German factories finished in two-tone sprayed camouflage. Some of the early Fokker-built D.VII's had streaked Fokker camouflage applied to their fuselages, but they still had lozenge-fabric wings. The OAW-built D.VII's featured mauve and green 'patch' camouflage but that was only on their metal engine cowlings, wheel covers and the axle sub-wing fairing; the other fabric-covered surfaces had lozenge fabric.

VBR,

Greg VanWyngarden

Welcome Forumites!

Many thanks Stephen and Greg for the valuable information. In my wisdom I forgot to ask, were the undersides of the wings lozenge-camouflaged? I was unable to find the Windsock publication and couldn't find any information on this, elsewhere on the 'net.

Best Wishes, kenderoz. *;D

[StephenLawson]

Kendroz: With the underside of the wings you could go either way. I tend to think that it was their goal to cover the whole machine in either red or white. There are photos that show some Jasta 18 aircraft with wings in lozenge undersurfaces and red upper surfaces. It may be that his was finished or not. It may be that the undersurface paint was translucent as there was a good deal of pink colouring on the undersurfaces. Greg may have more in this area.