BUILT
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
February 2023
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.
INFO Eduard
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