Lou IV mustang photo

Tony -
You really picked the "MOTHER" of all color questions to come out of WW2. I have my own ideas about this, but rather than take up all the space available on this forum, please do the following:

Go to the IPMS Stockholm web site.
Click on HELPDESK - REFERENCE.
Then click on PHOTO COLLECTIONS.
Then click on WORLD WAR II COLORS - IN COLOR.
There are two extensive articles on this subject, A Story About Lou IV and Seeing Is Believing: Lou IV Addendum. These articles give just about all of the possible arguments for and against both the blue and green. Some of these arguments can get a little technical, but these are best articles that I've seen on the subject.

When you are finished reading these, please tell me. Was it blue or green? What blue? or What green? Or both![:0]

Pete

I think I would go along with the LOU IV addendum, but both articles made for some very interesting reading.

Jim

From an interview that I read long ago I remember the telling of the mistaken identification of the color as blue. It is not blue. As for the official color, it may just be olive or quite possibly a british green shade, many US aircraft used british colors , whatever was on hand. Their dark green looks close. Just taking a realistic look at the photo shows its not that insane medium blue that every manufacturer puts on there RC planes.

Thanks for the input ,guys. As for an answer, I suppose we have to go with best guess based on the history of it all. I too, feel that the observations of the pilots (who are, after all, looking out the canopy at their plane!) could be given more credence than an observer on the ground who is 20,000 ft below. Notice green, especially blue-green of RAF green, in bright sunlight. Now remember why water in large bodies ( lakes, oceans) looks blue. Reflected sunlight!! The "blue" Mustang photos all seem to be in cloudless or broken cloud conditions. Could that be it?
But the important question is: Do I take the Easy-Off to my "Lou IV" model or write it off as the delusions of youth. Oh, the quandary!!
Tony Ryan

Tony

The only important question is: Do YOU like the way it looks painted the way you have it?

I have judged a ton of shows and have never counted for or against the color of Lou IV. When I read articles where the crew chiefs are qouted as saying it was Green But then read another article that says other crew chiefs in the unit say their aircraft were blue it makes me realize we'll probably never know for sure.