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This page shows Komet 'White 11', a Komet with a unique and unknown camouflage. A small picture of this aircraft was shown on camouflages page for a long time, but the breakthrough came when Bob Chubb spotted the same aircraft in another picture, standing in a dark corner of a hangar. Further details are scarce, so this is a short page! In 2003, another possible photo of this aircraft surfaced.
Very little is known about this aircraft. After a very long study of the runway photo, I am sure it was taken at Bad Zwischenahn, summer or autumn 1994. I cannot tell where the hangar photo was made though. The unit could be JG400 or EK16. No Werknummer is known.
'White 11' can be seen in two photographs, with enlargements shows alongside.
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This great photo surfaced in 2003, courtesy of Uwe Frömert (see also the page about his grandfather Hauptman Herbert Frömert). It is not completely sure that this is the same aircraft, but it could very well be. It shows three colors used on the top side (see discussion below). Note the bulbeous air intake on the rear fuselage, which can be seen in the above photo too. It also shares the solid camouflage, not often seen on Komets, but lacks the peculair light colored spot seen on the right-hand tail.
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Jim Gordon (USA) kindly sent an analysis of the last photo, noting correctly that the top side shows three instead of two colors:
"When I enlarge this photo I clearly see three distinct upper surface colors. Starting with the quarter window area, we see the darkest color, green 71 (?), then to right of that is a medium color. The area beneath the fuselage white cross had been sprayed this same medium color. The medium color matches the inside of the quarter window bulkhead perfectly. I am going to say it is gray 74. Then the area beneath the "C" marking is the lightest still, and this light color has been sprayed all around the rudder. The light color is very light so it appears to be bright green 82.
Greatly enlarging the photo of the rudder reveals some interesting clues. On the rudder, just above and below the center hinge, is a thin vertical streak of very light paint that was not sprayed over because it was in the groove. There is also a patch of this same light color on the top corner of the rudder (or glare, not sure). Note this light paint in the rudder groove lines up perfectly with the diagonal light band of color to the right of the swastika. So, this diagonal swath was originally very light RLM 76, and when we return to the fuzzy photos of the starboard side of the A/C, we see an unusual patch of very bright, almost white rudder. So the port side had a similar treatment, then was painted over. The top of the rudder appears to have a upside down triangle sprayed very lightly with the medium color, it is most likely the original dark paint showing through the oversprayed color.
My guess is that this aircraft originally had an all green fuselage and tail, and was repainted to be more disruptive and blend in better on the ground due to increased Allied air field attacks. So my two cents is 71/74/82/76."
Luigi Mazzola (Italy) modified the original Uwe Frömert photo by inverting the colors, which can help to better discriminate the camouflage pattern. Indeed it makes the three camouflage colors between the cockpit and '11' quite visible.
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