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Of all the early operators of military aircraft, Germany was unusual in not using circular roundels. After evaluating several possible markings, including a black, red, and white checkerboard, a similarly coloured roundel, and black stripes, it chose a black 'iron cross' on a square white field, as it was already in use on various flags, and reflected Germany's heritage as the Holy Roman Empire.
Airships were outside either system, being individually numbered in the same way as German destroyers and submarines, mostly in the "L" series. [3] As well as serving to identify types, Idflieg class letters were normally included as part of German aircraft serial number markings.
This list covers aircraft of the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. Numerical designations are largely within the RLM designation system.. The Luftwaffe officially existed from 1933–1945 but training had started in the 1920s, before the Nazi seizure of power, and many aircraft made in the inter-war years were used during World War II.
Aircraft markings were used to distinguish friend from foe. There were several changes in identification markings from 1935 until the end of the war in 1945. From 1933 to 1935, civilian aircraft were painted with a bright red horizontal band with a black swastika in a white circle superimposed, shown only on the vertical stabilizer.
The improved designation system was introduced in order to provide a simple and unambiguous identification of every German civilian and military aircraft, be it fixed-wing or rotary-winged, and its corresponding airframe design. The heart of the new system was a (theoretically) unique number assigned by the RLM.
List of aircraft engines of Germany during World War II; List of aircraft of the French Air Force during World War II; List of common World War II infantry weapons; List of gliders; List of RLM aircraft designations (for a full listing by type designations) List of weapons of military aircraft of Germany during World War II
Lt Col James H. Howard's P-51 Mustang with 12 kill marks for aerial victories over German and Japanese pilots. A victory marking (also called a victory mark, kill marking, or kill mark, or mission symbol) is a symbol applied in stencil or decal to the side of a military aircraft, ship or ground vehicle to denote a victory achieved by the pilot or crew against an aerial target.
List of aircraft of Germany in World War II; List of aircraft of Japan, World War II; List of aircraft of Poland during World War II; List of aircraft of the Red Army Air Forces; List of Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in World War II; List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II; List of aircraft of the United States during World War II