Do 217

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Night Hunters of the Jagdwaffe

Part One - Dornier Do 217

Photographs Courtesy Charlie Swank

Text by Brett Green

Dornier Do 217Es Over Holland

These aircraft, probably of KG 2, appear to be camouflaged in 70/71 Green uppers, with Black distemper lower

surfaces. Note the engine instrument on the inside face of the port engine nacelle. This photograph was taken by

Sdf. Spieth on 1 July, 1942

Photo: Copyright © Charlie Swank 1998

Two More Images in the Text

More great wartime photos from Charlie Swank. This time, the subject is one of the Luftwaffe's less glamorous
aircraft which nevertheless served in a variety of roles from nightfighter to night bomber, to anti-maritime aircraft.

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Do 217

Part Two of theis series focuses on the colours of the

Heinkel He 219

.

When Luftwaffe aircraft are discussed today, names like Messerschmitt, Junkers, Focke-Wulf and Heinkel spring to
mind. Dornier's significant role between the wars, and in supplying some of the most important and innovative aircraft
designs of its era, is largely obscured by these more glamorous and numerous types.

Dipl. Ing Claudius Dornier made his name during World War One when he refined the capabilities of flying boats over a
number of progressive designs. Dornier continued to produce flying boat and conventional passenger aircraft during the
1920s and 1930s. These designs were critical in establishing the international reputation of Germany's aviation industry.
Many of Dornier's designs were exported or licensed for foreign manufacture. Japan was a major customer.

The Dornier Do 17 bomber represented a zenith of Dornier's influence. In the mid 1930s this "Flying Pencil" captured
the imagination of the world with its graceful lines, speed and maneuverability. This sleek aircraft was designed at a
time when it was believed that fast, light bombers could operate without escort - relying solely on their own high speed
as defence. Unfavorable British experiences with light bomber operations during 1939 and 1940 disproved this theory.
The Battle of Britain sealed the fate of the Dornier Do 17. It was phased out of production by June 1940..

The Dornier Do 217 was a scaled-up
development of the Do 17. This versatile
aircraft appeared with a variety of
powerplants during its career between 1940
and 1944. It served in a number of
groundbreaking roles, including nightfighter
and anti-shipping guided-missile platform.

KG 2 operated Dornier Do 217s along the Channel Coast, mainly operating against targets in southern England and
Allied shipping. The camouflage of these aircraft was as eclectic as their roles. Charlie Swank's photographs
demonstrate two of these interesting schemes. The title photo shows the more conventional scheme of RLM 70 Black-
Green and RLM 71 Dark Green with Black distemper lower surfaces (or possibly overall black). It is also known that
some of these aircraft wore maritime colours. These schemes were typical in the period of 1942 and 1943 when this
photograph was taken. National markings and even code letters were also frequently blacked out.

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Do 217

This fascinating Do 217K is also photographed in France. At first glance it appears to be in a scheme of black lines over
a light grey finish. However, note the light background behind the tail swastika. This indicates that the aircraft may have
originally worn a light-coloured maritime scheme prior to repainting. There is also a hint of splinter-camouflage
demarcation on the rear fuselage in the dark spaces between the lighter colour - it is possible that the camouflage is
actually a carefully applied pattern of a light colour (RLM 76 White-Blue perhaps) over regular upper surface day or
maritime camouflage.

Code letters "KR" are red outlined thinly in white.

Production of the Dornier Do 217 continued until June 1944. A total of 1905 Dornier Do 217 (all variants) were
produced.

Photographs Copyright © 1998 by

Charlie Swank

Text Copyright 1998 by

Brett Green

Page created on Sunday, August 23, 1998

This page last updated on Thursday, May 09, 2002

Back to The Reference Library

Back to HyperScale Home Page

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He 219

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Night Hunters of the Jagdwaffe

Part Two - Heinkel He 219

Model by Chris Wauchop

Photographs Courtesy Charlie Swank

Description by Brett Green

Heinkel He 219

I/NJG 1, May 1945, Germany

This short Reference Feature illustrates the main camouflage schemes found on Germany's best production night-
fighter, the Heinkel He 219.

Charlie Swank provides the original

wartime photographs,

and five more images of Chris Wauchop's He 219 in 1/48

scale may be found at the

bottom of the page

. Thanks also to Stephen M. Fochuk for his comments and corrections.

Part One of this series focuses on the

Dornier Do 217

.

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He 219

B a c k g r o u n d

The British night-bombing campaign over Germany was in full swing by mid-1943.

Germany's air defences used radar-based technology to counter this threat from the summer of 1941. These early tactics
involved ground-based radar guiding a fighter into a zone where it could then engage the enemy aircraft.

Swift improvements in technology soon allowed more sophisticated radar to be installed in night-fighter aircraft, permitting
more independent operations. However, the size, weight and additional workload imposed by the radar meant that the
aircraft needed to be fairly large and manned by at least two crew - a pilot and a radar operator. Consequently, the aircraft
used as night-fighters tended to be bomber or zerstörer types, adapted to the role out of expediency.

Although the Ju 88 was quite well suited to the role, other types were barely capable of keeping up with the bomber stream.

Heinkel commenced work on a purpose-built night fighter as early as January 1942. The Heinkel 219V1 flew for the first
time on 15 November, 1942. The road to production was plagued with supply problems and interference by the RLM. By
the end of 1944 only 320 He 219s had been delivered to Luftwaffe units.

Nevertheless, the aircraft was by far the best production night-fighter the Luftwaffe could field. Even equipped with its
massive offensive firepower of four 30mm MK 108 cannon, two 30mm MK 103 cannon and two 20mm MG 151 cannon, it
could still attain a top speed of 416mph. Its flight characteristics were forgiving, and it proved to be easy to maintain under
operational conditions.

I/NJG 1 was the only gruppe to be equipped with the He 219, although a small number of aircraft were attached to other
units on the western front, including NJG 3..

H e i n k e l 2 1 9 C a m o u f l a g e

Although photographs of the Luftwaffe's best operational night fighter are rare, it can be stated that there were three typical
camouflage schemes:

1. RLM 75 Grey Violet Mottle Over RLM 76 White-Blue

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He 219

Heinkel He 219A-5, Werknummer 190176 at Grove, Denmark in May 1945. This aircraft was probably
attached to 3./NJG 3.

This Uhu is finished in overall RLM 76 White-Blue, with an irregular and untidy "squiggle" of RLM 75 Grey-
Violet.

The werknummer and a code indicating the radar type were sometimes seen painted under the canopy, as is the
werknummer in this picture.

Spinners were sometimes left painted in RLM 70 Black-Green as in this example, or were often overpainted in
RLM 76. Few examples were seen with spinner spirals.

2. RLM 76 White-Blue Over RLM 75 Upper Surface

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He 219

Werknummer 290126, D5+B? or D?, NJG 3

This marvelous photograph illustrates the second style of camouflage. In the early part of the war, many night fighters
wore black lower-surfaces, but this was less common by 1944. However, at least some He 219s received a very tidy,
factory-finished coat of black on the lower surfaces and vertical tail surfaces. Note the crisp werknummer, Hakenkreuz
and Balkenkreuz.

The second characteristic of this camouflage was the application of the upper-surface colours. The upper surface appears
to have first received a solid coat of RLM 75 Grey-Violet, with a very tight, uniform "squiggle" of RLM 76 White-Blue.
This creates the impression of a Grey-Violet mottle. This method of application was also seen on many Bf 110G night
fighters.

Geschwader code D5 and the partial code letter are most likely painted in RLM 77 light grey, although it is possible that
another colour was used.

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He 219

Werknummer 310201 illustrates the 76 over 75 scheme very clearly. The base coat on the upper surfaces
and vertical tail is certainly the darker RLM 75 Grey Violet.

3. Late-War Browns and Greens

The wrecked He 219 at the right of this photograph displays a field-applied scheme seen on a variety of night-fighter types
toward the end of the war. As German fuel supplies dwindled and Allied ground-attack aircraft dominated the European
skies, it became crucial for the Luftwaffe to disguise their aircraft on the ground.

This Uhu has apparently received a heavy overspray of either RLM 81 Brown-Violet or RLM 83 Dark Green (or possibly
both). It is difficult to determine whether the lower surfaces are black, or if the contrast is simply shadow. The demarcation
line looks a little low for a standard black-bottomed Uhu. The code appears to be overpainted in a very pale colour,
perhaps RLM 76. This unusual aircraft also seems to wear a narrow black spiral on a white spinner.

It is interesting to see the high-tech Uhu operating alongside a decidedly low-tech Stuka at the very end of the war.

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He 219

C h r i s ' s M o d e l

Tamiya's 1/48 scale He 219 is typical of their most recent releases - crisp detail, flawless moulding, simple construction and
clever engineering.

The kit comprises approximately 124 grey plastic parts, 8 clear parts, 2 poly caps, 1 white metal cockpit tub and markings
for three aircraft.

The mottled paint finish applied to the "Uhu" is a critical factor to the authenticity of this model. Who better to apply such a
finish than the "zen master of 1/48 scale" - Chris Wauchop?

Chris has used Gunze paints to achieve this beautiful finish. His application of the camouflage duplicates the full-sized
method. Chris painted the upper surfaces RLM 75 Grey-Violet, then applied a tight squiggle of 76 White-Blue to create the
mottle effect.

M o r e I m a g e s

Click the thumbnails below to view the image full-sized. To return to this page, click the "Back" arrow on your browser.

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He 219

Model by Chris Wauchop

Monochrome Photographs Copyright © 1998 by

Charlie Swank

Model Photos and Text Copyright ©1998 by

Brett Green

Page created 07 October 1998

Last updated 09 May 2002

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