Il-2

Three images that fit fairly well with the template n.2, easily recognizable by the light brown trasversal stripe in correspondance of the rear fuselage star and the dark grey band in mid of the nose.

The pattern of both planes on this photo is unclear and don't seem either of two standard schemes, but three color camo is clearly visible on the noses; light brown nose, then green, then dark grey or black close to the windshield. It could be an earlier green/black scheme modified with after august 1943 with the addition of light brown. Note the kremlin star on the fuselage, and the number 12 on the rudder.

This famous plane, probably freshly repained for a propaganda film over Berlin in 1945, contrasts with the darker and low-contrasted planes on the background. It looks to conform to a common variation of the 1st template with dark grey band behind the canopy.

Again the same variation of the 1st template with the dark grey band. The bands on the wings are more straight and parallel to the plane's axis of what the template shows.

White 28 shows the same camouflage as above, and kremlin stars both on the fuselage and on the tail.

Another line with the same variation of the 1st template on the first (white 17) and third plane; the second (white 12) and 4th planes seem to wear the 2nd pattern, again modified with a dark grey band behind the canopy.

Plane n.12 is similar, but with fuselage bands moved rearwards

UIL-2 with unusually dark camouflage. It could have been a black-green base camo, modified with some light brown on the wings.

An arrow-wing UIL-2 that shows evidence of light repainting on the rear fuselage and tail. The base scheme could have conformed to the template n.2. Such light repaintings on the rear fuselage are common in 1945 and later; they could be a rough attempt to conform to the late 1944 grey-grey standard adding a wide blue-grey blotch (AMT-11), not following the template included on those instructions.

Il-10

Although having been put in production in mid 1944, the Il-10 was painted according to a variation of the 1943 templates for Il-2.

For a deeper research, go here.

Il-4

It seems that plane n.75 followed faithfully the second template. Note the guards emblem under the canopy, and the flaso of unknown color on the tip.

White 26 follows scheme n.1 but with a black band more, passing on turret and engine. The second version of the photo suggests a wide repainting on the rear fuselage. Note the wide star on the tail only.

The side of a damaged and bad-weathered Il-4. It has some resemblance with the scheme 1, but the green bands looks to return over the fuselage top, and the part around the turret looks dark grey.

Il-4 on the airport of factory N° 64 at Voronece in early 1945. The camo doesn't look to follow faithfully neither of two templates.

Pe-2

Although taken probably after 1943, this photo shows clearly a Pe-2 with standard black-green camo and new style stars.

Two photos of Pe-2s showing the previous black-green camo of 1941, eventally modified with light brown and white-bordered stars after hte summer of 1943.

The camouflage of these Pe-2s looks not to conform to neither of the 1943 templates; the succession of colors on fuselage looks green-dk.grey.green-dk.grey, with wide lt.brown repainting on the rear fuselage and tail (or perhaps lt.brown-green-lt.brown-dk. grey-lighter color rear fuselage and tail-dk. grey rudder?).

This trainer looks to conform to the same color succession.

This looks compatible with the hypotyzed third template, with light nose.

While the closer plane (white 17/6) gives the idea of a black-green plane, eventually updated with some light brown on its back, the second plane (15?) corresponds better to the 1st template of 1943.

Very few can be seen on this image of plane n.50, but the position of the light brown band on the fuselage. The mark on the tail is particularly interesting.

Pe-2N° 101 of Lieutnant Colonel V.I.Rankov, 12 Group PAP, Baltic fleet, summer 1944. Note the kremlin stars and the guards emblem on what could be a 3-shades camouflage resembling to the 1st template, but with grey and green inverted on some parts (or, perhaps, the grey appears lighter than the green). (From Pe-2 Peshka of Smith, ed Crowood)

A plane (perhaps white 57) extremely similar to that of Rankov is pushed by ground crew. Again, many loops resemble the 1st template, possibly with green and grey inverted in some parts. (From Pe-2 part 1, Armada)

This Pe-2 of a reconaissance unit looks to follow a mixed pattern: on the tail and left wing it resembles the 1st template, on the right wing and fuselage side the 2nd one. Unfortunately, grey and green are undistinguishable on this image.

A wrecked Pe-2 whose camouflage looks similar to 1st template, but the darker front fuselage is noteworty. The light bands behind the right engine could be due to hot exhausts.

Pe-2 series 359 n.45 during the test of an ejectable seat intended for MiG-15 on July 1947. The camouflage strongly resembles that of the plane of Rankov, i.e. a variant of the 1st template with grey and green inverted (or perhaps grey appearing lighter than green) and a dark band in the canopy area. (from Pe-2 in action)

Interesting Pe-2 series 359 of 140 BAP flown by the regiment commander Lt.Col. G.T. Grechukhin over Estonia in September 1944. K should be for Commander. Photos give the idea of a 3-shades camo broadly compatible with the 2nd template, but with a dark grey band in the zone of the canopy. (From Pe-2 Peshka of Smith, ed Crowood and from Red Stars of Geust, Keskinen, Stenman)

Pe-2 n.27 in Karelia, June 1944. It seems to follow the first NKAP template, but with the addition of light brown bands on the nose and engine nacelle.(From Pe-2 Peshka of Smith, ed Crowood)

Pe-2 n°2 of 170 BAP apparently painted according to the 1st template, perhaps with a dark grey band in the canopy area. Note that the planes on the background look to have a lighter camouflage.

A detail of the same plane and its crew. (From Pe-2, Armada)

Pe-2 series 205 of 40 GvBAP, Black Sea Fleet, in 1945. The slogan Za velikogo Stalina means for the Great Stalin, and has been seen on other planes of the same unit. Note the Guards emblem on the nose. The camouflage seems compatible with the 1st template, but the light look of the uppersurface of the wing let many doubts.

Pilot A.A. Gnedoy in front of a similar (or the same) Pe-2. Note a white identification band on the wing. The wing itself gives strongly the idea of a wide, if not complete, repainting with light color (light brown or grey?). (From Pe-2, Armada)

Another photo of Pe-2 dated 1943. Unfortunately the camo is unrecognizable, but the stripes and stars on the wings are noteworthy.

Three photos of Pe-2s showing, aside some examples with usual 3-colors camouflage of 1943, some other ones with wide light repaintings (grey?).

Pe-3 photographed on April 1947 by a US officer. Although recently repainted, this plane still looks to be painted according to a variation of the 1st template of 1943. Note the guards emblem on the nose.

Pe-3 long-reconaissance version photographed by a NATO plane after the war. The NATO codename of this type was 'Buck'. The camo resembles as a variand of the 1st NKAP template of 1943. (From Pe-2 Peshka of Smith, ed Crowood)

Tu-2

The document of NKAP doesnt provide templates for 3-shades camouflaging of Tu-2s, but here is a factory sketch (From Vaklamov and Orlov)

A color drawing obtained by following the factory drawing. Unfortunately, photos seem to show that wasn't accurately followed.

This photo of 1947 shows a fairly good, but not perfect, correspondance to the factory template, apart that the areas that should be dark grey appears lighter than those that should be green; perhaps this is due to a quicker fading of the dark grey. It could be casual, but the left rudder and stabilizer appear as for a black/green painted plane.

This modification is the minimal to have any chance to find compatibility with photos; the difference is that the light brown band extends rearward to the gunner's canopy.

Tu-2S (blue 20?) built in Factory 23, in October 1944. The light brown painting over the wings looks extending to nearly all the wings. A similar look was often seen both on Tu-2 and Pe-2 in late 1944 and 1945, and its reason is unclear.

But many photos seem to show other recurrent characteristics:

-wide light (brown?) repainting on the uppersurface of wings, apparently covering all the wing or at least a much greater part of what was prescribed, and sometimes the engine cowlings;

-stabilizers and rudders painted apparently with the same black-green way of 'reversed' 1942 pattern, with possible use of black instead of grey on other fabric-covered surfaces.

All these surprisingly documented characteristics are compatible with the idea that the planes were first painted with the black-green scheme (eventually with black replaced by grey on metal surfaces), and then the light brown was added on the field following very roughly the factory template, saving the tail and sometimes the rear fuselage to not have to mask the stars and numbers, and extending the repainting to a wider part of wings that was due. This would be a logical explanation, except for the fact that so-painted planes are much better documented than those faithful to the factory template. Strange, if we consider that nearly all the Tu-2s were built after August 1943. Perhaps the factory did something similar for paint supply difficulties at the beginning of the production, in August 1943, and then became an habit.

An alternative explanation could be that the planes were faithfully painted in factory scheme, with light brown hardly distinguishable by other colors, and then widely repainted with light grey in 1945. But this doesn't fit with the fact that some of the photos are dated 1944, while the directive to paint the bombers in grey was published at the beginning of 1945.

This drawing represents my indicative interpretation of such planes. The variability of the light brown painting is wide, sometimes including the nose, the canopy area and the engine nacelles, sometimes part of the tail, sometimes excluding the band on the rear fuselage, etc.

UT-2

Despite the existance of official templates, no probative photos of 3-shades camouflaged UT-2 are known till now.

This plane seems to show a post-1943 star with white outline on the fuselage, and an unidentified camo scheme (thanks to AR).

U-2

ShCh-2

Yak-6

In the sketch, the template n.1 is shown on a NN plane.

This drawing represents a plane painted according to template n.2 of 1943; although no any photo is available, it's reasonable to assume that this camo was utilized.

Yer-2

Apparently, this Yer-2 white 1 follows a 3-shades camouflage. The 3 colors are well distinguishable on the rear fuselage and tail.

An interpretation of the camo scheme of white 1, traced with the help of the 1st template of 1943 for Pe-2, that looks compatible enough.

This nosed-down plane shows its upper camouflage, scarcely contasted but interpretable with the help of the 2nd template of 1943 for Pe-2. Unfortunately the fuselage numbers aren't visible at all. Spinners could be painted with some bright color. The image above of plane white 1 could be compatible with the same camo pattern.

An interpretation of the camo of the plane photographed above.

Pe-8

From the few photos available, Pe-8s seem to have painted with scarce respect to the standard templates.

This Pe-8 AM-35 seems to have a standard black-green camo of 1941 modified with some light brown. The stars are still without white-red outline.

This plane with AM-82 engines shows a very vague resemblance to the 1st template, but the lack of a light brown band on the rear fuselage is noticeable. The use of dark grey instead of black on the upper camo is likely

Pe-8 with VAP-1000 device, possibly on Rameske airport in 1943.The three-shade camo is visible on the wing leading edge (or, is it any sort of identification band?). It seems to have very little resemblance to template n.1.

Two images of Pe-8 N°42057 at Kratovo airport, 1944. The three-color camo is evident. It could fit broadly with the second template, exchanging green with black.

Drawing of Pe-8 from Pe-8-der Sowjetische fernbomber of Ulrich Unger. It fits, more or less, with the 2nd template, apart for the tail that resembles well the first one, and the lack of light brown band on the rear fuselage. It looks an adaptation of the 2nd template to a photo shown on the right.

Li-2

A Li-2 with 3-shades camo. The stars are scarcely visible, if any, still without the white outline.

Two images of Li-2 n°18411906 adapted as a night bomber at NIIVVS in 1944. It looks to have a 3-shade camo and black undersurfaces.

(From Maslov: Li-2)

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