AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

French Aircraft Finishes


Duirng the course of WWI the French used a variety of basic factory finishes on their aircraft. These included: plain, yellow painted, aluminum and camouflage.

Initially their aircraft were most often seen in a plain finish of CDL overall with natural metal panels. Later, the metal was paitned to approximate the appearance of the fabric, this resulted in an over yellow appearance.

During 1916, the use of Camouflage was begun with what was believed to be a two-tone sprayed pattern of brown and green, However evidence now points towards it actually being in at least four colours - light and dark green, dark brown and a red-brown. This is based on original colour photographs as well as written descriptions.

By summer 1917, aluminum dope was used to cover all surfaces on Nieuports and some other types, SPADs remained in Yellow finish or the about to be introduced four and five colour patterns.

By the end of 1917, two new types of camouflage had been introduced, these were four and five colours in set patterns, and not the haphazard variety of the erlier 1916 ones. Each company used templates to apply their colours and it is possible to tell the company by the pattern used. The inital four collour patterns used dark brown, beige, light and dark green. Later black was added in the shape of a blob on the wing and tailplane. These splotches are the easiest way to tell the manufacturer.