Of the camouflage schemes used by the Luftwaffe during World War II, that of the Ju 87 changed the least. Even when a later palette of grays (RLM 74, 75, 76) were applied to other aircraft, the regulations for camouflaging the Ju 87 remained the same.
This was a standard pattern of angular patches of black green (RLM 70, Schwarzgrün) on a background of dark green (RLM 71, Dunkelgrün) for the upper surfaces and wheel spats, and a light blue (RLM 65, Hellblau) for the undercarriage. The only exception to this scheme (such as white "Ikarin" for winter conditions) was for aircraft in the North African campaign.
The colors in this profile have been lightened slightly to better show the subtle differences between RLM 70 and 71, which otherwise would be virtually indistinguishable. Notice how far the pattern extends down the flanks of the fuselage.
With the British evacuation from Dunkirk just six days earlier and four days before the German were to occupy Paris, Italy felt it an opportune time to declare war on France and Britain, which it did on June 10, 1940. Three months later, it invaded Egypt from Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Italian Libya. The incursion soon bogged down, and Germany was compelled to intervene. But it did not envisage operations in North Africa and so had made no initial provision for tropicalized versions (Trop) of its aircraft or a desert paint scheme to camouflage them. As a result, the markings and patterns of the first Stukas to be deployed from Sicily still retained their original European colors, a dark green splinter pattern more suitable for the forests and fields of Europe than the desert sands of the Sahara.
The first planes to arrive were obliged, therefore, to use the camouflage colors of its Italian ally, although some Ju 87s retained their green paint throughout the war. A white theater band (as used by the Regia Aeronautica) was applied as well, which varied in width and placement. All were provided with air filters for the superchargers and protected against corrosion from the salt air; desert survival equipment was stowed in the wing.
Some planes simply were oversprayed with Italian Giallo Mimetico 3 ("camouflage yellow," a color lighter than sand-yellow RLM 79, which became available later). There were four shades, each designated by a number and supplied to the Italian Regia Aeronautica by four different manufacturers, who also produced four shades of Verde Mimetico. Because it was applied directly over the European scheme, the original green splinter pattern of the sections that were not oversprayed could still be discerned, effectively providing a third color to the splinter scheme. It is not certain whether the undercarriage also was repainted in an Italian pale blue-gray or the original light-blue RLM 65 was left untouched.
In January 1941, Stukas were deployed to Sicily, from where planes from II./St.G 2 severely damaged both the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and light cruiser HMS Southampton, which had to be sunk. The next month, the Gruppe was transferred to Libya. By April, sky-blue RLM 78 (Himmelblau) and sand-yellow RLM 79 (Sandgelb) were being produced, although the paint chips for these shades do not appear in the Farbtontafel that accompanied the official service regulations (L.Dv. 521/1) published in November that year. Rather, they were issued as loose paint chips to be stuck on a blank page in the color table. Olive-green RLM 80 (Olivgrün) does not appear in the regulations, which suggests that the shade was not sent to aircraft manufacturers but issued directly to maintenance depots or front-line units for application in the field, which would allow patterns to vary according to the amount of vegetation in a specific geographic location.
The first Stukas were deployed from II./St.G 2 to Sicily in January 1941, by which time it was apparent, too, that a longer commitment would be required if North Africa were to remain with the Axis. The next month, the Gruppe was transferred to Libya. By April, sky-blue RLM 78 (Himmelblau) and sand-yellow RLM 79 (Sandgelb) were being produced, although the paint chips for these shades do not appear in the Farbtontafel that accompanied the official service regulations (L.Dv. 521/1) published in November that year. Rather, they were issued as loose paint chips to be stuck on a blank page in the color table. Olive-green RLM 80 (Olivgrün) does not appear in the regulations, which suggests that the shade was not sent to aircraft manufacturers but issued directly to maintenance depots or front-line units for application in the field, which would allow patterns to vary according to the amount of vegetation in a specific geographic location.
Merrick contends that the Stukas retained their European scheme until they could be repainted at the factory and that, since it was not practical to camouflage them in the desert, they must have been serviced at depots in Sicily and Italy. He also cites a directive dated mid-April 1941 to a Luftwaffe depot in the Austrian Tyrol regarding the conversion of tropical aircraft to the newly developed shades RLM 78/79/80 and the impending delivery of the first two colors—the chips of which were to be added to the November 1941 color chart. Urbanke disagrees, assuming that these colors were not introduced until late 1941, when L.Dv. 521/1 was issued. With airfields being shared with the Italians, he argues that it was more likely that their own camouflage colors were used in the interim.
These enamel chips, matched to original specimens, were published in Colori e Schemi Mimetici della Regia Aeronautica 1935-1943 (1977) by Umberto Postiglioni and Andrea Degl'Innocenti. Disconcertingly, the same samples (on the right) when reproduced by Lazzaro—just he warns: "the hues can vary depending on each screen calibration, so consider them as merely indicative."
References: Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1935-1945: Volume One: Pre-War Development, Paint Systems, Composition, Patterns, Applications, Day Fighters (2004) by K. A. Merrick and Jürgen Kiroff (p. 74); Markings and Camouflage Systems of Luftwaffe Aircraft in World War II (1963-1972) by Karl Ries, Jr.; The Modeller's Luftwaffe Painting Guide: A Supplement to Luftwaffe Camouflage & Markings Vols. 1, 2 & 3 (1979) by J. R. Smith, G. G. Pentland, and R. P. Lutz; The Official Monogram Painting Guide to German Aircraft 1935-1945 (1980) by Kenneth A. Merrick and Thomas H. Hitchcock; Luftwaffe Color Chart (1998) colors authenticated by Warnecke & Böhm GmbH; Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1935-1945: Volume Two: Code Systems & Markings, Night Fighters, Ground-Attack, Reconnaissance, Bombers, Maritime, Transports, Trainers (2005) by K. A. Merrick and Jürgen Kiroff; Luftwaffe Colours 1935-1945 (2008) by Michael Ullmann (p. 216); Junkers Ju 87 from 1936 to 1945 (2003) by Herbert Leonard and André Jouineau; Colori Ufficialmente Impiegati dall'Aviazione Italiana 1916-1943 ["Colors Officially Used by the Italian Airforce, 1916-1943"] (2020) by Stefano Lazzaro, STORMO!: The Online Magazine of the Regia Aeronautica and the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana.
