> >arrogance (here I am come get me if you think your good enough) like the
> >red planes of von Richthofen?
> >Any thoughts?
> >Terry
[Terry,
Some thoughts: arogance is a term I'd hesitate to use in this
context 80); striking colours/colour schemes were usually used by
Stafferf"uhrer to enable instant recogition by Staffel members is a
dog-fight. Jasta 11's colour was red. Of course they were instantly
recognisable to the opposition as well.
The lozenge was meant precisely as a camoflage measure, superseding
the shadow-pattern green/violet, which superseded the older green/chestnut.
And it worked surprisingly well. There were other reasons as well, for which
see Bill Schazer's excellent post on the issue.]
>
> I've not seen any comprehensive article on the development of the lozenge
> fabric so the following is an amalgamation of several sources and some personal
> speculation.
I'll see what I can dig up.
> The lozenge was *not* an attempt to match terrain features like fields, etc.
> Witness the use of similar fabric (in blues and grays) by naval aircraft
> operating mainly over water and by Austro-Hungarian aircraft operating largely
> over the Alps and in the east.
I'd tend to argue that precisely the colours used in those schemes
would have tended to camo. an aircraft better under the above conditions.
Be that as it may, on a moving aircraft, the patches of colour tend to merge
and blur out, diffusing the outline, and making it difficult to hit/identify
an aircraft.
Good arguments to that end notwitstanding, most aircraft tended not
to eomploy lazenge camo overall anyway: to this we can add a lot of *very*
colourful personal and Staffel markings.
>
> I could expand on this if anyone is interested but this is too long already.
> If you want more, e-mail me - I can expound forever! <g)
>
Expound all you want, Bill, it's a subject dear to my heart 80)
You know where to find me.....
Cheers,
Mick.
-- --
Mick Fauchon | Internet: ulmjf@dewey.newcastle.edu.au
Reference Section, Auchmuty Library | Ph (intl+61+49) 215861
University of Newcastle, AUSTRALIA | Fax (intl+61+49) 215833
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