WWII German Luftwaffe Fighter Markings - What Do They Mean?

A brief explanation of the logic behind Luftwaffe fighter markings - this video should help you quickly identify where an individual aircraft sits within the organization of the German fighter arm from WWII.

This video is perfect for scale modelers who want to replicate a particular aircraft or World War Two aviation enthusiasts who wish learn a little more about why Luftwaffe aircraft looked the way they did!

00:00 Intro
00:27 Organizational Overview
02:03 Command Aircraft
03:30 Group Markings
04:55 Practice!
05:45 Squad Markings
07:26 More Practice!
08:36 Jagdgeschwader Emblems
10:17 Color Bands
11:01 Even More Practice!

[theogantenbein]

6:55 This is based on the „Preußische Farbfolge“ (Prussian Color Sequence) for the marking of units. It goes: I. = white, II. = red, III. = yellow, IV. = blue, V. = green, VI. = black (sometimes brown). It was introduced in 1818 and remained in effect until 1918, but was used casually after 1918 in the German army. Even during my time in the Bundeswehr equipment of the platoons was marked with colors according to the Prussian Color Sequence. Maybe that was, because white, red and yellow paint was readily available because these colors were coincidentally used for other tasks within the Bundeswehr.

[davidrottschafer]

Gotta commend you on the perfect pronunciation of Jagdgeschwader. Was a pleasant surprise to hear from an English speaker and definitely the best I have ever heard! Keep up the great work

[Hafer_]

The way you present info is pretty clear and really easy to follow

[heydonray]

👍👍OUTSTANDING! Rarely have I come across a vid on ANY topic which is so clear and concise. 👍👍👍

[briankorbelik]

Thank you for this video. When I was growing up in the late 1960's and into 1970's, I used to build models like crazy and laterI would buy books for which types of models to build. And I read every book that was released on the Luftwaffe and it's markings However I am now 66 and I'm going to begin building models again. Just as an aside, I bought a BF-109 F2. I wanted the Trop model, but it was out of my price range. I figure that somewhere out there, there is an aftermarket site out there that has the parts I need. Please keep putting out these videos. And since I am now a geezer, I have forgotten a good part of what I once knew. Horrido!

[jamescherney]

Outstanding video! I had a vague idea of what these markings meant but this explained alot. The Germans always had super organization and symbology for all of their military units. WW2 German Aircraft have always been my favorite to model.

[tylerwright]

This is an awesome video. It gives information that I have never seen anywhere else. Kudos to you for your selection of topic and the research you did to present it.

[HammerheadModelMaking]

This is helpful for someone who hasn’t modeled much German aircraft, like me!

[envitech]

I've been fixing these aircraft models since I was 12. It has always irked me as to what all those numbers and chevrons mean. I think this is the first and only video delving into a difficult and obscure (but interesting to modellers) subject such as this.

[adaklm]

Again my friend, Outstanding video!!!! It's good to know what these insignias all mean on these aircraft. You don't happen to have any information like this for armor vehicles? I'm just asking. You the man brother. Thank you so much for sharing. Kudos to you.

[Workerbee-zynx]

German markings are extremely organized and show strandings and class. Great job, I always wondered about those markings.😎

[wumhenry]

Eastern und Scandinavian theatre had yellow fuselage bands. Not white ones.
Chevrons etc. were later replaced by green numbers (Stabsstaffel). There were also brown used for third Staffeln und blue for fourth Staffeln.

[paulc]

Well researched and clearly explained. Those Germans sure had a complicated way of marking the aircraft.

[BAGHEAD]

Being a BF109 / luft nerd, I’m extremely pleased to see this video. Great stuff Hank!.

[leonardmaus]

Hello Sir! Thank you for this very informative video. I have been wondering a long time how to read these markings. Thank you for solving this "mystery"!

[nathansimms]

Great video and super informative! Reading a book now about Luftwaffe operations in North Africa and this has gone a long way towards increasing my understanding!

[rdallas]

A whole series or videos on this topic would be epic.

[littlejohnny]

Wow! That was cool! I always wondered what all the marking are on all the WW2 aircraft and this is the FIRST video that provided instruction! I hope you do more of these.
Thank you!!

[lexi_]

I knew nothing about this subject until now. Very interesting and informative, subscribed, regards Lexi

[charlesflint]

Thanks for this, as I’ve wondered for years what the fuselage markings on Luftwaffe meant.