The skins of FliK 3J – historical remarks
My skins of Fliegerkompanie 3J are based on photographs taken at Romagnano airfield, summer 1918. The unit had been formed in August 1914 at Aspern/Vienna, and served at the Russian front as D company (recon and ground support). FliK 3D arrived at the Italian front on March 22nd 1918, where it was based at Gardolo and at the same time converted and re-trained into a fighter unit, 3J. During summer 1918 the unit again was relocated to Romagnano airfield, where it entered operational service on June 28th 1918 under their new commander Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) Friedrich Navratil.
Fliegerkompanie 3J served until the armistice and was eventually disbanded at Innsbruck, Tyrol. Flik 3J had won 15 victories (of which 9 were credited to Oberleutnant Friedrich Navratil) on the Italian front, made 400 combat flights and lost 8 pilots, including 5 in combat operations. (In August 1918, Flik performed 161 combat flights and lost 4 pilots in a single combat action.)
The photos I referred to, show the Albatros D.III’s neatly lined up at he airfield. The different order implicates, that these pictures had been taken on at least 2 occasions. Sometimes Gardolo is given as the location, sometimes Romagnano. Comparing the environment, Gardolo appears less likely. Furthermore, the aeroplanes seem to have been painted green after their relocation to Romagnano.
153.198, Oblt. Navratil
The photo undoubtedly taken at Gardolo shows 153.198 in it’s factory finish, i.e. plain varnished plywood fuselage and natural linen wings. Quite different to it’s appearence on the line-up shot at Romagnano, summer 1918. It shows the overall green camo and the rhombus shaped personal marking. On 28th June 1918 Navratil shot down a SPAD over Zugna in this scout. The crash shown in the second photograph may have been the one on Oct 21st 1918, in which Navratil was seriously injured and ended his active service for the k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppen.
153.199, Stfw. Förster
The photos show, that obviously a different type of cross – the erroneous „fat cross“ – had been scraped off of the rudder, before the final and correct version of the cross was applied. This „fat cross“ can still be seen on 253.206, Navratil’s main scout. Research on Austro-Hungarian unit markings tell us, that the personal markings of FliK 3J were red. Photographic sources are inconclusive as to colours. So I tried a red version of the shamrock, quite against any other reconstructions.
153.227, Fw. Kurtnecker
This nice 3-pointed star can be seen on the line-up shot and being rolled back to his hangar-tent. I have no further information about this Abatros.
253.05, Oblt. Peter
A symbol of gothic tracery, the so called „Zweipass“ or „Fischblase“, adorns the Albatros of the chief pilot of FliK3J, as it takes part in the line-up photo-shooting. It is also often referred to as yin-yang symbol, but that is due to the fact, that to modern eyes this connotation is more familiar.
This fighter arrived not before August 1918 at FliK 3J. It was one of 14 planes, that were equipped with the very peculiar sworl-camo – a printed fabric (more about this in my remarks on 253.64). The sources about the actual distribution of this fabric is incoherent. Some fighters were received as „White“ (i.e. plain finish)at the Flars (the technical support and repair base assigned to the company), but show this printed camo on fabric covered parts by the time they enter service at the front. And some, who – according to production sheets – should have been delivered with this unique camo, don’t show any trace of it. Confusing, even for scientific researchers. Unfortunately, the available photographs are very blurry, which makes it almost impossible to tell, wether a machine was delivered with or without the fabric and/or to what extend it had been applied. In these cases, I made two versions of the skin: One with the fabric-camo, and one without.
253.06, Oblt. Navratil
This scout was delivered to FliK3 by July 1918. It was one of two personal aeroplanes of Oblt. Navratil showing the distinctive heart&arrow marking. It was his prefered ride, on which he scored most of his victories (see the records at theaerodrome). It is often mistaken with his second scout, 253.116. The most obvious difference is the cross on the rudder. 253.06 shows the erroneous „fat cross“, which owes it’s existence to an incorrect interpretation of the description given of the new „Balkenkreuz“, which was to replace the former cross paté. It is clearly visible on the line-up photo taken at Romagnano.
Initially not included in volume I of my skins, I have added this skin now; I think, that some pilots might prefer the battle hardened, ugly, yet more successful fighter to the one with the correct cross and odd history.
253.08, Oblt. Stec
This scout was originally assigned to Oblt. i.d.R. Stanislaus Maria Tomicki von Tomice. When the latter fell flying an other scout (153.173), Stec continued using this aerolane and his personal marking (the checkered board). Both of Stec’s personal insignia (the couchant „S“ of 253.117 and the checkered board) became insignia of the Polish airforce, of which Stec became one of it’s founding members.
Although not on the official list of Backhausen fabric camo fighters, it may appear later on pictures in Polish service with the sworled camo. Therefor I have included both versions.
253.09, Zgf. Kopetzky
This skin is based on a photograph, which shows the fighter in deplorable condition, ravaged and abandoned in it’s hangar sometime after the retreat of the Austrian army. Although it was one of the fighters officially delivered with the sworled camo, the photograph does not clearly show any sign of it. It might be, that the fabric had been painted over, because it was rather revealing than conceiling the machine. Anyway, the rudder appears to be lighter than the rest of the fuselage, which might indicate at least remnants of the sworls, and so I included both versions: The overall green splotches and the combination of splotched and fabric camo.
253.09 Navratil Kopetzky.png 205.9KB
253.116, Oblt. Navratil
The second scout of the commander of FliK3J. It has the typical overall green splotches and the pierced heart & arrow marking. The cross on the rudder is the older cross paté version, which was to be replaced by the cross bars. But towards the end of the war – and the dual monarchy – the companies had other problems, then orderly replacing crosses.
With this Albatros, Zgsf Blaha flew to Schlieren, Switzerland, on the Nov 21st 1918 and later back to Czechoslovakia, Blaha’s home, where it was attached to the Czechoslovakian airforce. It was destroyed in a landing accident on Nov 3rd 1919.
253.117, Oblt. Stec
This was the second of Stec’s personal fighters, bearing his generic „S“. Stec continued using this couchant S , then flipped horizontally, when he served in the Polish airforce.
The fighter was lost on Aug 18th 1918 in a fatal crash, flewn by Oblt. Ernst Herold von Stoda.