KITS 02/2023

Lt. Ernst Udet, Jasta 4, Beugneux-Cramoiselles Airfield, France, June 1918

Jasta 4 received the new Fokkers D.VII on June 13, 1918. All these

were license-built OAW aircraft. Immediately, a new unit marking,

consisting of black-painted noses, wheel covers and struts, was

introduced. This marking was certainly inspired by the black fuselages of Jasta 37. Udet was named the acting commander of

Jagdgeschwader “Von Richthofen” on June 18, and although he only

held this position for one day, it was probably enough to mark his

plane in a more recognizable style. The fuselage was supposedly

fully painted red, possibly as a reference to Udet’s previous service

with Jasta 11. The wings were striped in red and white. The number of stripes is usually thought to be higher than we portray here,

but the famous photo of this plane is heavily retouched. Close inspection reveals that only the stripe going through the right-wing

cross is original. By comparison with another photo, shown in a TV

documentary, we have our interpretation of the upper wing stripes

layout. The aircraft did not survive long, as it was lost on June 29.

At 7:40 a.m. over the village of Cutry Udet attacked a French Breguet, but the observer returned fire and managed to rip the steering

lines of Udet’s Fokker with his fire and Udet had to bail out from

the uncontrollable aircraft. The nose and wheel covers may have

retained the black Jasta 4 unit colour or they were painted red as

well. Available photos leave the possibility of both these options.

VzFlgMstr. Franz Mayer, MFJ III, Jabbeke, Belgium, September 1918

Franz Mayer was credited with three or four victories during WWI,

depending on the source and flew with the marine unit MFJ III

(formed from the personnel of MFJ I and MFJ II on June 23, 1918).

Mayer’s Fokker D.VII from the OAW production was of early-mid

batch and sported attractive paint scheme of white fuselage with

yellow nose and diagonal black stripes on both sides. The interesting feature is the fuselage cross. On well-known and good

quality photo of the plane it is quite clear the cross was of the

same color as the front of the fuselage, i.e. yellow. There is nothing known about the reasoning behind this unusual approach,

the yellow color was probably used to make the cross better visible within the fuselage black stripes. Both wings were left in

four-color version of the printed Flugzeugstoff, the elevator was

yellow with three black stripes denoting the MFJ III unit.

Lt. Walter Blume, Jasta 9, Sissone, France, September 1918

Walter Blume was very interesting person not only as a WWI fighter, but also as the post-war aircraft designer. Born in Hirschberg

(Jelenia Góra, Poland today) he was just 18 at the outbreak of

WWI and, as a member of the Jaeger battalion, was wounded

early. He decided to become a pilot afterwards and after the

training he joined the Fliegertruppe in June 1915. After the spell

with two-seaters, he was assigned to the Jasta 26 in January

1917 and started his tally of 28 aerial victories there on May 10,

1917, downing an D.H.9. He had been wounded on November 29,

1917, and spent three months in hospital. Returning to the action

February 2023

he was appointed CO of Jasta 9 on March 5, 1918. On October 2,

1918, he was awarded Pour le Mérite and the same day he scored

his penultimate 27th victory. After the war he became successful

aircraft designer working for Albatros and Arado and was a force

behind the early German jets. Blume flew several D.VIIs with similar marking of the black fuselage with stylized B letter. This one

D.VII from early-mid production batch had half-white top wing

and the white strip on the bottom of the lower wing as the marks

of his CO status.

INFO Eduard

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