I would like to model one of the earliest D.IIIs that were delivered with a two-color upper camouflage scheme. I've done a bit of grazing on the internet, plus checked the Osprey book on Pfalz aces, and all of the illustrations that I can find depict these early birds in the mauve and green scheme, probably over silver-grey undersurfaces.
But I also ran across a note that indicated that delivering them in a camouflage scheme instead of the overall silver-grey was something of a holdover from when Pfalz was building Roland D.IIs under license, and when I looked for color illustrations of Rolands, all that I could find show them in the red-brown and green scheme. I also saw an opinion that early Pfalz D.IIIs might have also been in the red-brown and green. Over a light blue undersurfaces instead of the silver-grey? Opinions, anyone?
And while I'm asking, let me show my ignorance by extending the question into a more general one about all of the early German painted camouflage schemes. As I think I understand it, the progression was the red-brown and green scheme (only field applied?), followed by a three-color scheme of red-brown, green and a lighter green, which was then followed by the mauve and green scheme before turning to the printed lozenge fabrics.
How far afield am I on this? Are there any generally agreed upon range of dates for each of these three schemes? How much overlap? Assuming that they had aircraft in production within these time frames did some manufacturers prefer to use only one or two of these schemes and not the others?
Dennis