Luftwaffe Colours (Germany)

The RLM system is probably the most widely known system of all paint systems in the 2nd world war, and a lot of modellers are known with it’s nomenclature. Still there is interesting information to be told about this system, and while other websites also do a very good job of accurately describing the colours with their matching modelling paints, they often lack the more rarer colours, and context.

As with all pages of this type, the colours shown are an approximation. Monitors can change the colour displayed and don’t account for shading and glossiness.
In reality these colours would also fade over time, and different batches had slightly different tones.
The accuracy of the paints can be off. They’re mostly taken from the manufacturer, from painting manuals and bits on the internet. They should resemble the actual colour closely, but use at your own discretion.

To go to the colour table, click here.

Beginnings

The RLM, abbreviation of Reichsluftfahrtministerium, was the German Ministry of Aviation. It was in charge of all matters concerning German aviation, such as aircraft development and standardization within the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. Here I will focus on the German paint systems. The purpose of these systems was mostly cost reduction by standardization and minimizing dependence on raw material import by promoting use of pigments that could be obtained nationally.

In 1936, the RLM introduced it’s first standardized colour system, with RLM 61/62/63 on the upper surface and RLM 65 on the underside

The RLM regulations for color shade, production and application were applied via a serie of service regulations, Luftwaffen Dienstvorschriften L.Dv. 521. The earliest known surviving revision, L.Dv. 521/1, was issued in march 1938 and specified the aircraft colours as RLM 61, 62 and 63. During the war these regulation changed a lot, mostly due to material shortages. Due to this the same RLM colour may have changed over the course of time. The German RLM system is probably the most well known and documented painting system of all nation of the 2nd world war,

Colour Table

RLM	Colour	equivalents	Gunze	Tamiya	Vallejo	Hataka
0	Wasserhell	RAL-9000		X-35	71.058
	Clear gloss protection coating Primer
1	Silver	FS-17178 RAL-9006
	Undercarriage The first aircraft of the luftwaffer were in this color
2	RLM-Grau	FS-34159 RAL-7003	H-070 C-060	33%XF-2 33%XF-49 33%XF-22	71.044	*023
	Extensively used as cockpit colour before 1943. Interior colour; wheel wells, engine compartment, ect. Overall colour of prototype, trainer and liason aircraft Early camouflage upper side Sometimes used as a replacement for RLM 76 in the late war night fighter camouflage scheme
3	Silbergrau
	mostly used before the war
4	Gelb	FS-37200 RAL-9004	H-413 C-113
	ID markings, bands, underside of the wingtips and cowlings underside of captured aircraft
5	Elfenbein	FS-13618			71.106
	early gliders
9	Gelbgrün
11	Edelbein
	general use
21	Weiß	RAL-9001
	markings, fusulage bands, numbers. winter camo, by applying the paint dissolved in patrol on the plane, easily worn
22	Schwarz	RAL-9004
	markings and fuselage codes Overall night camouflage untill 1942
23	Rot	RAL-3001	H-414 C-114		71.102
	Identification markings
24	Dunkelblau	RAL-5000			71.266
	Identification markings Oxygen systems
25	Hellgrün	RAL-6000			71.267
	Identification markings
26	Braun	RAL-8004			71.105
	electric systems General usage
27	Gelb	RAL-1003
	Same as RLM 04, but used less
28	Weinrot	RAL-3008
	stepping zone area’s on the wings Identification markings
41	Grau
	Interior of some early planes, seldom used
42	Grau
	general usage
61	Dunkelbraun	RAL-8019				*168
	Pre war camouflage schemes, spanish civil war
62	Grün	RAL-6002			71.114	*169
	Pre war camouflage schemes, spanish civil war
63	Hellgrau	RAL-7004			71.260	*167
	Pre war camouflage schemes, spanish civil war
64	Dunkelgrün
65	Hellblau		H-067 C-115 N-067 S-115	XF-23	71.255	*029
	general undersurface for all aircraft, after 1941 no longer for fighters
66	Schwarzgrau		H-416 C-116		71.055	*040
	Interior colour from 1941 onward, but only area’s visible from the outside, other area’s stayed RLM 02 Some use in identification markings
67	Weiß
68	Schwarzgrün
69	Dunkelgrün
70	Schartzgrün		H-065 C-018	90%XF-11 10%XF-1		*015
	bomber camouflage, early fighters propellor blades
71	Dunkelgrün		H-064 C-017	70%XF-11 25%XF-60 5%XF-10	71.015	*017
	bomber camouflage
72	Grün				71.263	*311
	post november 1941 splinter scheme for naval aircraft (reconnaissance, torpedo bombers, floatplanes)
73	Grün				71.256	*312
	post november 1941 splinter scheme for naval aircraft (reconnaissance, torpedo bombers, floatplanes)
74	Graugrün		H-068 C-036 N-068		71.258	*313
	Top camouflage on fighter airfcraft from nov 1941
75	Mittelgrau		H-069 C-037	70%XF-2 25%XF-24 5%XF-27	71.259	*007
	Top camouflage on fighter airfcraft from nov 1941
76	Weißblau		H-417 C-117 S-117	55%XF-19 30%XF-23 15%XF-2	71.257	*038
	Bottom side on fighter aircraft from nov 1941 night fighter topside overall colour of some high altitude fighters Due to shortages towards the end of the war, wide variations in this colour started to appear towards the end of the war
77	Hellgrau					*264
	Sometimes used instead of RLM 76 Identification markings on dark backgrounds
78	Himmelblau		H-418 C-118		71.101	*029
	Bottom side of the mediterranean scheme
79	Sandgelb		H-066 C-119 N-066		71.278	*014 (early) *172 (late)
	basis colour in the Mediterraean scheme, some pictures also show FW 190’s with an overall darker version of this colour
80	Olivgrün		H-420 C-120		71.265	*053
	Blotches in the mediterranean scheme
81	Braunviolett		H-421 C-121	60%XF-61 30%XF-64 10%XF-1	71.264	*008
	from 1944 top side
82	Lichtgrün Hellgrün		H-422 C-122	80%XF-26 10%XF-61 10%XF-1		*020
	from 1944 top side
83	Dunkelgrün		H-423 C-123			*022
	Late-war top side
84	Gelbgrau Graublau				71.103
	RLM designation is speculatory, they could be RLM 76 due to shortages
91
	Lufthansa?
99	Grün
	Primer, fasteners

Tropical colours

Luftwaffe units started to be deployed in North Africa somewhere between late January and March 1941. At the time, no suitable camouflage colours for the sandy, Saharan desert were available. The first mention of the tropical scheme comes from an inspection document to a depot in Erling, Germany, which describes the three lacquers.
Curiously, only colour chips for RLM 78 and 79 were added to the L.DV. 521/1 of 1941. Somewhere after November 1941, RLM 78 was changed to a slightly lighter shade, while RLM 79 was changed to a darker, browner shade.

RLM 80 wasn’t always used, especially on later fighters such as Bf 109’s and FW 190’s

Ever after the retreat from africa, the colour scheme was still used to some extend in Italy untill 1944 and the eastern front after units were send there.

RLM	Colour	equivalents	Gunze	Tamiya	Vallejo	Hataka
78	Himmelblau
	Underside of the tropical scheme (1941)
78	Himmelblau
	Underside of the tropical scheme (1942-1944)
79	Sandgelb
	basis upper surface colour in the Mediterranean scheme (1942 onward)
79	Sandgelb
	basis upper surface colour in the Mediterranean scheme (1942-1944 onward)
80	Olivgrün
	optional upper surface details (lines, blotches) of the Mediterranean scheme (1941-1944)

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