AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

LVG C.VI


First flown in January 1918, the C.VI entered full service in June and by the end of the war 1253 had been ordered. Well liked by its crews, the C.VI was also extensively used in the postwar period

Most C.VIs were delivered in an ex-works finish of varnished fuselage and lozenge fabric surfaces. Until recently it was believed that the colour of the fuselage was a yellowish straw colour, however an order dated from September notes that this was too visible and it was recommended that a dark stain be applied to impart some camouflage value as had been done on various Albatros designs - the D.II and C.III for example. Indeed many C.VIs were already being finished in this manner as both surviving examples exhibit dark staining. A rough rule of thumb may be that the initial orders were delivered in yellow and at some point the switch to dark stain was made. The problem now is to determine which is which as both appear dark when orthochromatic film is used.
Many C.VIs entered civil use postwar and as such usually had black stripes on the upper wing as well as registration number with the prefix D. Another common marking was a black tailplane
The LVG C.VI is the subject of Datafile No.17 and Datafile No.138

 

LVG C.VI
Fl.Abt 7
Summer 1918
Source: LVG C.VI Datafile 138


LVG C.VI 1563/18
Fl.Abt(A) 243
April 1918
Source: LVG C.VI Datafile

 


LVG C.VI 1563/18
Fl.Abt(A) 243
April 1918
Source: Alternate colours

LVG C.VI


Source: LVG C.VI Datafile
REVISED 2005

LVG C.VI 3976/18


Source: LVG C.VI Datafile
REVISED 2005


LVG C.VI 4891/18


Source: LVG C.VI Datafile
REVISED 2005



LVG C.VI 1510/18


Source: LVG C.VI Datafile


LVG C.VI 4806/18


Source: LVG C.VI Datafile
REVISED 2005

 


LVG C.VI 1510/18


Source: '14-18 Heritage Trust photo

LVG C.VI D.184

Postwar
Source: LVG C.VI at War (DF 138)