Chillidragon Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 8 hours ago, Jure Miljevic said: Chillidragon, I went slightly over the top but such a non plus ultra praise for my comment? Now I have no choice but to join those brave souls, as you so delicately put it, frantically searching for clues to make sense from (lack of) information on the subject. Cheers Jure All strength to you, man; go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Perhaps this is a liason machine of ViceMarshall - so the identification will be easier... If it is yellow - then maybe yellow squares over standard DKGreen/DKEarth pattern?. Therefore we see some difference between two photos? J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work In Progress Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 17 hours ago, spaddad said: I'd agree with Grahams suggestion that the lighter colour could be yellow but I think the darker colour could be red. Who says the aircraft has to be in camouflage colours? If the Harvard was being utiilsed as a temporary utility transport for the important man in an area where there were a lot of aggressive young men looking for anything even remotely Japanese looking to shoot at high visibility may have been a distinct advantage. Everyone operating in theatres where Japan was the opponent went to considerable pains to remove red paint from their aeroplanes precisely to prevent confusion with the Japanese national markings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug A Jones Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 This subject has come up at least twice before on this forum, with equally inconclusive discussions regarding possible colours....May 21, 2011 and November 5, 2012. Anyone for Mauve and Stone? Cheers Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Mauve and Stone? I'm for it! One of the individuals has been identified as W.Cdr. Henry G Goddard, whose individual Spitfire Mk.VIII was looked after by 607 Sq, whose colours were ... Mauve and Stone! QED. Or maybe not. And what pray is the third colour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work In Progress Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I quite like this line of thinking. By Occam's razor let's postulate Mauve and Stone over whatever might already be there. And in the absence of more conclusive evidence I'd be happy to defend Graham's suggestion of yellow, made on the earlier page, even if mainly because I think it would look qute remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 (edited) Since the photo present visitation of Marshall Keith Park I assume, the airplane is rather his liason machine, not the local one. So I've just googled "Keith Park, Harvard" and received this link https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/air-chief-marshal-sir-keith-park-allied-air-commander-in-news-photo/508729132#/air-chief-marshal-sir-keith-park-allied-air-commander-in-chief-in-the-picture-id508729132 The machine is described "His Harvard" and has it squares (????). One can see them.... If answer is "yes", the serial is EX 709 ! (????) Cheers J-W Edited April 25, 2018 by JWM 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 (edited) I'm not convinced that this is more than a DG/DE camouflage pattern on this aircraft, as it doesn't seem to match what appears on the others, but it's a great find anyway. Sir Keith Park is not always identified in these photos, as ACM Sir W Alec Coryton is also identified. Perhaps we need more photos of the two top brass to distinguish between them. Or is Wg. Cdr. H G Goddard the mistake? Who is good at reading epaulette rank bars? Edited April 25, 2018 by Graham Boak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Hi So i wonder if the fuselage codes would be OK- ... as his hurricanes were OK-1, OK-2 was his spitfire OK-3 ? cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I blew the photo up the # looks like “EX 703”. It doesnt look like the other side has a connect to make #9 ? Either way it narrows the search down thanks J-W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawk Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 5 hours ago, JWM said: has it squares (????). To be honest, no, I don't think it does. Nor do I think he would have been so wedded to "his" Harvard that it would have followed him from the Med to the Far East. Good find, though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanhauser Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Is it me or this aircraft has odd features? I have not studied the Harvard deep enough, but I wonder if it was common to find what looks like a cable (pink), an air vent (in blue) and access hatches (green) on those airplanes: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) The cable makes a bit of sense with the distances involved in the SEAC, an extra radio couldn't/wouldnt hurt. Edited April 26, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Btw - the squares are not present on cowling, only on wings and below canopy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Stanhauser, I believe that vent is actually a cowling fastener. Otherwise, I made little progress. There is very little information about war in Burma in general, let alone about one particular aircraft. No wonder that it has been called Forgotten War ... There is a photo in Ian Lyall Grant's book ˝Burma - the turning point˝ of RNZAF Tiger Moth Air Ambulance which appeared to have three colours top surfaces camouflage at first. After closer inspection that third colour turned out to be result of different light, reflecting from slightly raised stretcher cover. Cheers Jure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) EX703 served with the Middle East Communication Squadron and stayed in the ME until struck of charge. EX709 served with 71 OTU at Ismailia, and ditto. So it could be either but methings EX703 likelier. In the photos I've seen of Park's Spitfire on Malta, it carried no codes. The aircraft carries Park's rank pennant under the cockpit - this is not visible on the SEAC example. (I agree that he wouldn't take it with him anyway.) There's also the point that Vincent is seen in command of the SEAC aircraft, suggesting that it is his, as originally suggested.. PS. The officer on the right looks like Park. The one on the left doesn't look like Coryton, as far as I can see, but appears to be too young so I believe this is indeed Goddard. PPS such a long aerial suggest an HF radio as used to communicate to the Army. Edited April 26, 2018 by Graham Boak 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixII Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 L to R - Group Captain H Goddard, Air Vice-Marshal S F Vincent, Air Marshal Sir Keith Park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) Just to round off one sub-thread: EX703 (and EX709) is a Harvard Mk.IIA, i.e. a Lend-Lease Texan with the short rear cockpit that could rotate to provide an opening for gunnery training, whereas the aircraft in the SEAC photos is a Canadian-built Harvard Mk.IIB with the long fixed pilot training cockpit. Just possibly a MK.II, but only (supposedly) four reached India so the odds are on it being a Mk.IIB. So definitely not the same aircraft. For those who like oddball Harvards, The Harvard File has a photo of Mk.II AJ777 in what appears to be Desert camouflage and C roundels, with a very tall fin flash typical of Mk.IIs but thinner (to go with the C roundel). The record says it went to the Middle East but nothing more is known - the photo is said to be at Risalpur. A quick look found five others in India ... four of them with 151 OTU at Risalpur. Just to avoid understandable confusion - the Mk.II, Mk.IIA and Mk.IIB were three different marks. Edited April 26, 2018 by Graham Boak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanhauser Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Aircraft is for sure EX703: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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