Olham

You took the words right out of me mouth, Lou...

Yes, they are really down there. Based in northern Flanders, I often see columns of German tanks rolling to the lines. AFAIK they even advance over the mud, when you fly in the time and area of the battle of Cambrai, for example.

Here is my interpretation of the colour pattern. The only difference is, that I have dark green and brown the other way round. So, while your pattern is more green-dominated, mine looks more brownish. I used your pattern and changed the colours, Lou, rather than trying to make my own sample fit. (It is really tricky!)

Thank you for the detail on that craft, Pips! I went through the great collection of Greg vanWyngarden, which is shown at the "Wingnut Wings" website. http://www.wingnutwi...ry?categoryid=1 I found, that rather the majority of Albatros D.V did not carry an anemometer, while some still did. When I think of the fact, that Theodor Osterkamp bought the first camera for his photo recon himself, from his own money (!), then I wonder if perhaps some German flyers just bought such instruments? The lower photo shows an Albatros of Ernst Udet. While I saw many Albatros D.V without the reinforcement rod attached to the V-strut, this D.V has one. Another tricky question - were these attached as field mods, or in the Armee-Flugparks? And if so, did not all AFlup attach them?

I see what you mean, Lou - the drawn pattern doesn't seem to be perfectly right. Maybe it was done after your photo. One would have to remove all distortion to make it work as a repetative pattern. But I still find it too "Arrghh!" to go deeper into that. Maybe if we had the OeFFAG D.III in OFF, I would go further. Here is the unpainted version, Bullet - kind of "sand" colour.

Widow, are you sure your holiday isn't too crammed with having fun? Beware of a burn-out, old chap!

Now you guys got me hooked, and I tried my own interpretation of that sample drawing. I follwed the lightness / darkness according to the colours in the drawing; the darkest being dark olive, and the very lightest being the sandcolour/tan of the Albatros fabric. Not knowing the colours, I went by German Albatros colours; and took the "mustard yellow" from the Lozenge colour. How do you like it? If anyone wants to use my sample, feel free to do so.

Well, maybe it was entertaining for both sides in this otherwise so dull "Castle Wolfenstein"?

A great story - these men were of the right stuff! I have found the 3 parts on YouTube, so I post the links here for all to watch it. Part One Part Two ...and here comes Part 3: Part Three

What I was saying all the time - a flying sofa! Aaaargghhh!!!

As Lou noted in his first post, this camo was attached by Backhausen & Söhne - not in the field. This company are really making furniture textiles. There is even a WIKIPEDIA site about them - unfortunately not in English though. http://de.wikipedia....khausen_&_Söhne There is only a rather short line about their WW1 production; it doesn't even mention the aicraft camouflage specificly. I translated it like this: During World War Backhausen produced for the Imperial Army fabrics for uniforms, blinds, awnings, bread bags, parachutes and flags. So, maybe it was like German Lozenge - a printed fabric camo.

Good plane for survival training maybe - if you survive the "Quirk", you can survive anything...

Oh dear, oh dear - you guys know how this is gonna end...

This thread seems to have a wrong title? Shouldn't it be called "Discussion about STEAM" rather? I find it interesting to learn about you guys different views - pro and con - and I hope you can avoid turning it into a flame-war (cause you'd force the moderators to close it down). After all we can only offer our opinions, and if we can do that in good style, then that's some of the best of democracy IMHO.

The design is a bit inconsequent - the wires are all straight...

...and last not least: the RPM counter. (Uml. p. min. = Rounds per minute).

PS: there are other pages with more instruments in that site - really good quality pictures; like this "Barograph".

Just found this website again - the little pictures of all instruments can be enlarged by clicking on them. http://www.cockpitin...fahrtmesser.htm Here are some of them:

Damn, Lou, you got me into a fine dilemma. You did such a good and fine detailed job there - but then, to plaster a beautiful Albatros with a pattern, that would have suited my grandma's sofa... Aaaargghhh!!! Just found this photo at AEROSCALE. Looks like this Austrian Albatros DID have a problem with it's lower right wing?

Well, firstly, blue on a green-grey tank isn't "shining" as far as red and white do; and secondly - could it be that the high brass (being English mostly) only picked the English colours? "St.George beats the dragon" kind of colours?

Well, that mustn't even be a joke, BB. For the forward-storming troops it may have been very reassuring to see the tanks forward white-red-white stripes pointing in the direction of the enemy trenches. This colour-combination must have been visible a long distance left and right of the tank, and I guess it must have felt a bit better to see, that their tanks were the forward spearheads.

White-red-white seems to have been the recognitional stripes for British tanks.

Searching for Albatros Tachometer, I just stumbled over this wonderful item: a WILHELM MORELL Tachometer in it's original casing box! Damn, if I had the money... http://www.ebay.de/i...l-/260844188002

The Jastas ended up - but they feared no one. Mmuahahahahahaaaa!!!!