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 (other than white "Ikarin" for winter conditions) was for aircraft in the North African campaign.
The colors in the profile above 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—and how colors with the same RLM designation varied in shade.
With the final evacuation of the British 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 on behalf of its hapless ally. But the Luftwaffe did not envisage operations in North Africa and so had made no 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 to Sicily in January 1941 still retained their original color scheme, a dark green splinter pattern more suitable for the fields and forests of Europe than the desert sands of the Sahara.
From there, they attacked British supply convoys to Malta, participating planes from II./St.G 2 severely damaging the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and light cruiser HMS Southampton. In February, the Gruppe was transferred to Libya in support of Erwin Rommel's landing at Tripoli that month. 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 later that year in November. Rather, they were issued as loose paint chips to be stuck on a blank page in the color table. Nor is olive-green RLM 80 (Olivgrün) sampled, which suggests that it may have been issued directly to maintenance depots or front-line units for application in the field—and applied as needed according to the vegetation in a specific region.
Although some Ju 87s retained their European scheme throughout the campaign, others seemingly were painted in the desert colors of the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica), primarily Giallo Mimetico ("camouflage yellow") and Verde Mimetico ("camouflage green")—the original European splinter pattern sometimes still discernable beneath the overspray. Both colors came in different shades, each designated by a number and supplied by different manufacturers. It is not certain whether the undercarriage of the Stuka retained its RLM 65 coloring or was repainted in the sky gray used by the Italians, which was slightly brighter than its German counterpart, just as RLM 78 was a bit darker. The white theater band of the Regia Aeronautica was adopted as well and varied in width and placement. And, appropriate for the new desert habitat, dust filters were fitted over the air intakes of the supercharged engine and emergency survival equipment stowed in the wing.
(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 supply depots (Luftzeugämter). He also cites a directive dated April 18, 1941 to the depot at Erding near Munich announcing the development of RLM 78, 79, and 80 and conversion to these new shades. (RLM 80, although mentioned, was not part of the shipment.) Urbanke disagrees, assuming that they were not introduced until late 1941, when L.Dv. 521/1 was issued. With airfields being shared with the Italians, he argues that their own camouflage colors were used in the interim—at least for the Ju 87 (Bf 109F and early G models and a few Bf 110s were finished at the factory).
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 hues (on the right) when reproduced by Lazzaro can, just as he warns, "vary depending on each screen calibration, so consider them as merely indicative."
RLM abbreviates Reichsluftfahrt Ministerium, the State Ministry of Aviation that established a standard for color shades.
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; Junkers Ju 87: From Dive Bomber to Tank-Buster:1935-1945 (2012) by Eddie J. Creek; 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.
See also Ingram.
