Kursk - Soviet Aircraft Camouflage

[The following is an excerpt from "The Aircraft and Markings of the Soviet Air Forces of the Great Patriotic War, 1941-45" by Erik A. Pilawskii Š 1994-1999 All rights reserved. NO portion of this document may be reproduced by any means, whether mechanical, optical, nor electronic, without the express, written permission of the Author.]

So - go look at the book !

In the event, I have drawn up the following table of typical Soviet aircraft color schemes in use during the Great Patriotic War. This list should in no way be construed as a complete record, but certainly it represents the better part of the known photographic history of the machines of this period. Where possible, the table is broken-down both by date and location of manufacture, relevant to each aircraft type

Summer

"Blue" Brilliant Medium Blue Underside; Standard for all aircraft in the GPW. (1937?-1945)

"Green" Olive Green Solid-Color Upper Surfaces; Common finish found alternately on most aircraft types throughout the War. Notably common on larger aircraft (bombers, etc.), or on aircraft repaired at forward facilities. This paint darkened with age and exposure, giving a range of values from new to aged. (1937-1945)

"Black" Black Sprayed Over "Light Green" Medium Bright Green ; The bright green color is said to have been left-over stocks of Tractor paint! Zavod 153, in particular, used this scheme almost exclusively during 1942. (1941-1943)

"Dark Green" Dark Green Sprayed Over "Light Green" Medium Bright Green ; Alternate color to above scheme. Unusual finish at Zavod 153. Pattern and 'hardness' of color lines varied widely, perhaps in some cases applied manually. (1942-1943)

"Dark Green" Dark Green Sprayed Over "Green" Olive Green ; Certainly the single most common color scheme in VVS use throughout the War. This was the standard pattern on fighter aircraft through 1943, and common on Pe-2s, Il-4s, Po-2s, and many other types. Supplanted on fighters in 1944, it remained common on twin-engined machines throughout. (1938?-45)

"Black" Black Sprayed Over "Green" Olive Green ; Alternate to above color scheme. Standard on early Il-2s, and quite common on fighter aircraft, etc. (1940?-1943)

"Brown" Ochre Brown Sprayed over "Green" Olive Green ; Standard color application on Il-2 aircraft from 1943. Occasionally seen on Po-2s and Li-2s. (1943-45)

"Earth" Dark Earth Grey-Brown Sprayed Over "Green" Olive Green ; Alternate to above color scheme. Seen on Il-2s from Zavod 30, even as late as 1945. (1943?-1945)

"Earth" Dark Earth Grey-Brown Sprayed Over "Green" Olive Green and "Light Brown" Light Sand-Brown ; This attractive 3-color scheme seemed to appear on every part of the Front at some time or another. Most often, I assume it was applied in the field, though there is record, at least, for application of this pattern at the factory in the case of the Il-4, Po-2, Il-2, and perhaps the Pe-2. There is currently no record of its application to single-seat fighters. (1941?-1945?)

"Earth" Dark Earth Grey-Brown Sprayed Over "Brown" Ochre Brown and "Green" Olive Green ; Alternate to above color scheme. This scheme appears to have been applied mostly to the Il-2, and presumably is a modification of the Ochre Brown Sprayed over Dark Olive Green pattern. (1943?-1945?)