Refresh my memory...

[Hauksbee]

A while back, there was a thread concerning the color scheme of von Richtofen's triplane on the day he died...whether is was completely red or not. I think the consensus was that it was not. I just ran across this pic in a archived folder which I'm pretty sure I downloaded from that conversation; but didn't label. May this be the plane in question?

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Edited January 26, 2012 by Hauksbee

[+Olham]

No, Hauksbee, the Tatzenkreuz (Iron Cross) was only used till March 1918 - then the Balkenkreuz (straight cross) was introduced.

Von Richthofen had flown various Fokker Dr.1, which were only partly red - the rest was Fokker-green.

 

Only his very last Dreidecker - the one in which he found his end on 21 April 1918 - was completely painted red.

It might have looked like this one, which hangs in Deutsches Museum:

Edited January 26, 2012 by Olham

[Hauksbee]

OK. That's settled. I'll append a note on the picture. Thanks, Olham.

[Capitaine Vengeur]

This Osprey book cover is said to portray Richthofen's last dogfight on April 20, 1918. Full red triplane with Balkenkreuz. The serial number was 425/17.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Capitaine Vengeur

[Hauksbee]

This Osprey book cover is said to portray Richthofen's last dogfight on April 20, 1918. Full red triplane with Balkenkreuz. The serial number was 425/17.

OK. There it is. Thanks, Captaine.

[JFM]

Not to be (too) pedantic, 425/17 was not completely red. The rudder was white.

[Hauksbee]

Not to be (too) pedantic, 425/17 was not completely red. The rudder was white.

AT LAST! A good pedant when I need one. (Upon looking twice, the rudder on the book cover above is white.)

[+Olham]

Not to be (too) pedantic, 425/17 was not completely red. The rudder was white.

Well, that's why I showed the photograph - it's easy to express yourself incomplete.

 

And yes - pedantic. Skinners and modellers are pedantic. Nitpickers.

I must know what I'm talking about - I make skins myself.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Olham