JG 53 was one of the more innovative Luftwaffe units when it came to experimenting with camouflage. This was mostly due to enlightened leadership and a real desire to make the camouflage as effective as it could be.

This particular sheet covers five of their aircraft from the 1939 to mid-1941 period. All of them quite colorful and distinctive in terms of the camouflage used.

The first scheme is  Yellow 10, a Bf-109E-3 flown by Oblt. Heinz Bretnütz of 6./JG 53 in the winter of 1939/40. It is in RLM 70(or 71)/02 over RLM 65 with a yellow tip to the spinner.

When Oblt. Bretnütz was promoted to  Hptm. and made II./JG 53 Gruppenkommadeur in mid-1941, he flew this  yellow-nosed Bf-109F-2. It is in an unusual scheme of RLM 71/02 over RLM 76. The yellow spinner was mottled and his score was on the aircraft's yellow rudder. This aircraft is unusual in having a telescopic sight installed.

The Bf-109E-1was flown by Oblt. Wilifried Balfanz of Stab. I./JG 53 in late 1939. It has an exaggerated splinter scheme of RLM 70/02 over RLM 65. It is possible that the mid-green color on the rear fuselge is either RLM 62 or a fresher patch of RLM 02.

The fourth aircraft shown is a Bf-109E-3 of Oblt. Wilifreid Pufahl of Stab II./JG 53 in May of 1940. It is in the standard RLM 71/02/65 scheme, but with large patches of RLM 71 that increase in intensity as it moves from the nose to the rear of the plane.

The fifth aircraft is not shown, but it is a Bf-109F-2 painted in RLM 74/75/76 with a yellow cowl and rudder. Like the other F-2, it had the nose and spinner mottled in RLM 71

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