In the last months of World War II, Allied aircraft were harassing German airfields heavily. As a result, many Luftwaffe units started operating from portions of the Autobahn.
When not in the air, the German aircraft were dispersed and hidden in the trees nearby. We can see a reminder of this trend in the Fw 190 D-13’s paint scheme.
The planes of JG 26 had black and white stripes around their aft fuselages. But the stripes, particularly the white, might be seen from the air as the plane stood parked, hidden in the trees.
As a result, ground crewmen quickly painted over the top of the squadron insignia in order to better the plane’s chances of not being seen and destroyed while on the ground.
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