Table of colors utilized on Soviet bombers, shturmovik and non-fighter planes, september 1943-1945
by Massimo Tessitori
Updated on February 14, 2011
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The directive n°2389/0133 of July 3, 1943, gave new instructions to paint the Soviet warplanes:

 

Il-2 and Il-10

 

 

Unfortunately, the only Il-2s that look to follow this scheme are postwar Yugoslav ones.

No any image of Soviet Il-2 nor Il-10 show any respect for this template, nor shows a delibered attempt to paint a plane with a two-shades scheme with colors disposed in 50%-50% proportions. Usually, photos suggest that Il-2 continued to be painted in the 3 colors schemes of 1943; even the newly-produced Il-10s of late 1944-early 1945 were painted according to colors and templates of 1943.

Eventaually, some images show that some Il-2 could have been partially repainted with a light color that could be light brown, but could either be grey, in an attempt to roughly accomplish the 1944 directive.

 

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.

This UIL-2 in a military school in Leningrad, 1948, seems to have been repainted overall green.

 

 

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

Despite the inclusion of a template, there is not any photographic evidence that Il-4s were ever painted according to it.

 

 

 

Pe-2

Despite the inclusion of this template in the instructions of 1945, thee is not any photographic evidence that any Pe-2 was ever painted according to it.

Accoding to Orlov, on Pe-2 the old camouflage was rather simply updated by painting green fields with gray-blue paint, and light brown with dark gray, except for the paint on the left side of the tail; dark grey should, of course, be left unchanged. This style of repainting would generate a camouflage where the dark grey is predominant over blue grey, but from photos it seems that this was not the case of many planes.

It seems, instead, that many Pe-2 had a repainting where a light shade covered all the previous light brown areas, plus other ones that were previously painted in green or dark grey.

 

 

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)

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.

 

A Pe-3 with a mysterious wide light repainting (AMT-11or its oil equivalent in 1945?)

 

Three photos of Pe-2s showing, aside some examples with usual 3-colors camouflage of 1943, some other ones with wide light repaintings (AMT-11 or its oil equivalent?). Note that fabric-covered rudders were saved from this repainting, probably because the oil paint was unapt to fabric skinning.

These images show, aside Pe-2s that looks painted with usual 3-shades camouflage, other ones that are partially repainted with a rather light color, just slightly darker than the light blue of undersurfaces. Its identification can be only hypothized, but this practise looks to have beeen common enough in 1945. Light brown? Blue-grey, to partially accomplish to the 1944 directive that indicated grey/grey livery for all the planes of VVS, including bombers?

Such a look isn't rare, it has been seen something similar on some Il-4, Il-2 and Tu-2 too.

This Pe-2 photographed in 1945 near Aspern, in Austria, was nearly completely repainted with a light color, leaving previous paint visible only on its front fuselage and part of the rudder. (from Mir Aviatsii 2.2001)

 

 

 

Tu-2

The new grey-grey template for Pe-2 was intended for the Tu-2 too. As it is traced here, it doesn't appear on any photo or wartime or postwar Tu-2.

Neverthless, as in the case of Pe-2, many Tu-2 photographed in 1945 show a strangely abundant application of the lighter color, that should be light brown; not rarely, the light color looks to extend over the totality of the wing and on a wide part of the fuselage, on which the fit to the new template is not too bad. A possible, although unproven, interpretation of such photos is that the planes were widely repainted in grey to fit roughly the instructions of 1945, leaving part of the previous camouflage visible; against this interpretation, one can say that the first photos showing this finish are dated on October 1944, when the directive wasn't yet published.

 

Tu-2 n°36 (factory number N° 40/31) of 454 BAP badly landed in 1945. Note: in the photo below, there is a shadow resembling a camo band on the back between the canopies.

Although broadly compatible with the factory camouflage, this plane shows a overabundance of light color and a scarcity of intermediate shade that let to suspect a wide repainting with light brown or grey to fit roughly the new grey-grey scheme.

 

 

 

The production of Tu-2 was restarted in 1949 in factory n.39. Here are two images of a standard plane of new production, n. 10053915. The livery is supposed green and light blue. (From Airwar)

 

A late type Pe-2 N° 1661104 badly landed in 1950. Note the black painted parts, probably as an anti-glare measure, probably over a green/lt.blue (or grey/ lt.blue) livery.

 

UT-2

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

 

UT-2 in unknown date and location, but surely after 1943, perhaps even after the war. Looks painted in uniform gloss green and light blue.

 

 

 

U-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

ShCh-2

Quite surprisingly, it looks that the transport plane ShCh-2 was the only plane to come out of factory with the grey/grey camouflage, following the official template with accuracy.

This transport plane She-2 is painted in a three-colors camouflage according to a template that looks different than all other types of two-engined planes. Unfortunately this is the only available image of this camo till now.

 
   

Yak-6

Despite the publication of an official template, no any photo of Yak-6 with grey/grey camouflage is known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Pe-8

No any photo of Pe-8 with this camouflage is known.

 

 

 

 

 

Li-2

Despite the inclusion of a template for Li-2, there is not any photographic evidence that Li-2s were painted with this camouflage.

 

 

 


 

Camouflage paints for Soviet shturmoviks, bombers and transport planes, September 1943 - 1945
 
name of paint indicative chip match typical use notes
A-26m 
matt black
FS-37038 (2,3) 

AKAN 343

Upper surfaces black-brown-green camouflage (Pe-8, Il-4)
Oil paint for all-metal planes 
equivalent to AMT-6
AMT-4 
matt camouflage green
FS-24102, 24151 (2,3) 

AKAN 301

Upper surfaces gray-brown-green camouflage(Il-2, Po-2, UT-2, Yak-6)
Nitrocellulose lacquer for mixed construction planes
A-24m 
matt camouflage green
FS-34102, 34151 (2,3) 

AKAN 301

gray-brown-green camouflage (metal Il-2, Il-10, Pe-2, Ye-2, Tu-2)
black-brown-green camouflage (Pe-8, Il-4)
Oil paint for all-metal planes 
equivalent to AMT-4
AMT-1 
matt light greyish brown
FS-26306 (2,3) 

AKAN 300

gray-brown-green camouflage(Il-2, Po-2, UT-2, Yak-6...)
Nitrocellulosic lacquer. 
According to some sources, it started with a greyish dominant, then specificaton changed and became more brown (see here and here)
A-21m 
matt light yellowish brown
FS-34201, 36350 (2,3) 

AKAN 379

gray-brown-green camouflage (metal Il-2, Il-10, Pe-2, Ye-2, Tu-2)
black-brown-green camouflage (Pe-8, Il-4)
1943-1945 
oil paint for all-metal planes 
similar to AMT-1 but more yellowish 
(see here and here)
AMT-12 
matt dark grey
FS-27003 (2,3) 

AKAN 345 

gray-brown-green camouflage(Il-2, Po-2, UT-2, Yak-6) 1943-1945 
Nitrocellulosic lacquer for mixed construction planes
AMT-11 
matt blue-grey
FS-26190 uppersurfaces of fighters, alone or with AMT-12  Nitrocellulosic lacquer
A-33m 
matt blue-grey
FS-36081 uppersurfaces of all-metal fighters, alone or with A-32g oil enamel 

darker than AMT-11

A-32m 
matt dark grey
FS-36081 (2,3) 

AKAN 345

gray-brown-green camouflage (metal Il-2, Il-10, Pe-2, Ye-2, Tu-2) 1943 and later 
oil paint for all-metal planes
AMT-7 
matt greyish blue
FS-25190 

AKAN 302

Undersurfaces of mixed construction planes
(Il-2, Po-2, UT-2, Yak-6...)
Nitrocellulose lacquer for mixed construction planes
A-28m 
matt greyish blue
new FS-34533 (1,6) 
aged FS-34533 (2,3)
Undersurfaces of all-metal planes (metal Il-2, Il-10, Pe-2, Ye-2, Tu-2, Il-4, Pe-8...)
Oil paint for all-metal planes 
equivalent to AMT-7 (or to AII blue?)
MK-8  and “Noch” (night) 
matt black 
(1) undersurfaces of night bombers 1942 -1945 
permanent, darker than AMT-6

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrecks of a post-war Yak-9. We can see that it was repainted with gloss green AGT-4 (gloss equivalent of AMT-4), and it's clear that it was flown with this color.

The underlying color is AMT-11 blue-grey , it's unclear if in other parts of the plane the darker AMT-12 was employed.

This photo demonstrates that at least a part of the uniformly-painted Yaks visible on photos at the war's end or immediately later were painted with solid green on their uppersurfaces.

The lower color is the usual AMT-7 (or perhaps its oil equivalent, A-28m)