Gmat

This is in regards to the Fighter Control pictures. The A-26 with the dark colored tails are ex-319th BG aircraft. Dark blue tails. The light colored tail A-26s may have come from the 41st BG which was in the process of converting from B-25Ds and B-25Js to A-26s.

27 Squadron also operated Blenheim 1f in Malaya.

KRK4m, sorry. it wasn't a T41/M41 but the T42 being operated over a frozen rice paddy, Wanchon, South Korea, 18 Jan 63, by the 1st Cav Div. Hunnicutt, Patton, p. 47. I think the date should be 1953. Will try to hunt down pics of the 25th Div (not the 3/4 Cav) sent to an exercise in Thailand, early 60s. Grant

Sorry will try to track it down the Korea pics. Sticks to my mind as I was disappointed that the M41 wasn’t used in the Korean War and only appeared later. The Thailand exercise will be the closest to a VN War US Army M41. Sorry couldn’t help more.

The 25th ID deployed M41s to Thailand in the early 60s. (1962) They were 3/4 Cav M41s. I believe some M114s might have accompanied them. Pics of the 3/4 Cav and 25th ID deployed on an exercise in Thailand are around. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M41-4th-cavalry-thailand.gif The Squadron Signal M41 book or Hunnicutt's Light Tank book has pictures of one of the T41/M41 prototype tank negotiating a frozen rice paddy in Korea, if memory serves me right. .

The 81st FG in China also flew bubbletops. https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/527827-30-07-2021-visual-discrepancies-found-in-the-rocaf-p-47d-30/

The 35th FG had some bubble tops. https://www.misawa.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000988714/ The 58th FG also flew bubble tops. Near the end of the War they received some N models but by then no one wanted to risk flying. The 318th went from razorbacks to N models. The 15th FG had all razorbacks save one bubble top. That was flown by the 15th FG commander, Col. Beckwith in the 47th FS markings. p. 71, The Long Campaign, John Lambert. The group switched to P-51Ds before entering combat. like this. https://modelingmadness.com/scott/allies/previews/has/48/09318.htm Grant

I asked this many years ago. The old Japanese aviation magazine, Air World, Apr. 1989 p. 67 had an article about the ROCAF with an intriguing photo of a top view of a natural metal B-26 Marauder, circa 1950. It has the ROCAF cockades on both upper wing and rudder stripes. My Japanese friends say that the writer of the article got the picture from someone in China, but never had more to say about it. Just happened to be going thru my junk and found the article. Anyone have more? Thank you. Grant

There were early plans to base B-47s at Guam to fill the role ultimately given to B-52s during the Vietnam War. The rapid running down of the B-47 force put paid to those plans. Besides the RB-47H shot shot down by the Russians, that's the closest to combat the bomber ever got.

There is this book https://www.amazon.com/Cover-America-Haile-Michael-Monaghan/dp/B000GVLB6K I have it but it's buried under stuff. There was also a short monograph put out by the 21st TFW/Alaska Air Command that I picked up at Eilson AFB in the 80s. My guess is that one of the Koku-Fan specials on the F-15 will have the photo you are looking for. The first F-15 that came to Alaska had the white polar bear painted inside of the tail. It was in the Top Cover over America book, I believe. I've never seen another photo as the 43rd TFS adopted the big dipper on the inside of the fin.

Beaufighters At War has a number of good photos of 27 Sqdn Beaus in the later scheme with the tail bands. The good source for photos of 27 Sqdn Beaufighters is the David Innes book. But you have to combine text and photos to get a good aircraft letter and markings. https://www.fireflybookstore.com/beaufighters-over-burma-no-27-squadron-raf-1942-45/ The squadron very late in the War (Apr 45) became tasked with Air Jungle Search and Rescue Duties. The dropped special containers either attached to the torpedo slings or from the exit hatch behind the pilot. The squadron split into three sections, the one remaining at Chiringa, another at Akyab and the third at Monywa/Meiktila. The squadron was allocated a Stinson L-5. The Squadron moved to Akyab in May 45 and continued in this role until V-J Day. They flew sea search and rescue missions and were on standby for urgent requests from the Army or RAF. This would be supply drop missions for units operating far beyond enemy lines, including V Force, E Force and Force 136. After the War 27 Sqdn was disbanded in Sept 45, but the order was quickly was counter-commanded and the squadron was moved to Mingaladon with a detachment in Java and another at Penang. The remaining aircraft in Mingaladon continued supply dropping missions for the Army which was involved in mopping up operations in the Shan States and in north east Burma along the China/Siam border. I believe they also flew Dakotas during this time period. The top photo of Beaufighter Mk VIF is X8092 R taken at Agartala in Mar 43. David Innes flew M. He also flew a special mission with a beau with a camera in the nose. A photo of that installation is in Beaufighters At War. It's nickname was Chota Beau Dekko, or Little Bo Peep. The Airfix kit is the most detailed, but in my eyes, the detailing is a bit soft such as the thick panel lines and how many of smaller parts are detailed. Not up to Arma or even then Hasegawa (1997) standards. The Hasegawa fuselage appears is too short and appears to be too narrow in height just before the tail plane.

Have you looked for this book? https://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Netherlands-Indies-crisis-february/dp/9067076856 From p. 536. 16 May 40, the ML/KNIL decided to camouflage all of its transport and combat aircraft. In all cases the aircraft became overall camouflage green, a color derived from the standard camo color used by the Royal NEI on its trucks, guns and other hardware. This color looked very much like the later USAAF dark olive green, but both paints have two separate origins. The KNIL started camouflage trials on the development of camo on the Martin 139 with camouflage green (camouflage groen) on upper surfaces with light grey (licht grijs) under surface. Later dark green (donker groen) was added to the top surface. In 1940 a similar paint scheme was directed for the Curtiss Wright Hawk H-75A-7, Curtiss Wright CW-21B, Lockheed 212 and the Koolhoven FK.51. In 1941, directives for the camo scheme for Curtiss Wright CW-22, Brewster B339, and Lockheed Loadstar followed. Only the Fokker F.VIIB-3M and various civil communications aircraft to be impressed in time of war remained in the overall dark gree. The remaining Fokker C.Vs and C.Xs remained in khaki. The Hurricanes and P-40Es remained in their original colors. The colors looked very much like the two green and light grey used by USAF aircraft in SEA. There are no color chips in this book. This book doesn't COVER naval aircraft. Hope that this helps. Did you know that the prototype Fokker D.21 FD322 made it ti the NEI?

The problem with the Alcorn drawings and the MPM kit is that the rear fuselage narrows too sharply under the tail. The other kits including the AMT seems to have captured this feature correctly. The Matchbox kit has this part OK. Also the placement of the A-20G turret should be semi surrounded by the upper fuselage. It was cut back in the later A-20J/K models. Good luck on the build. Have been rereading A-20 At War over the past week. Very good book.

39 Squadron had later model B-26 Marauders. Respected but not loved.

http://hiavps.com/Airfield Histories/NAS HNL/NAS HNL Ramp JUN 44 NA.jpg http://hiavps.com/images/1940s_Hawaii/1946 U.S. Navy, Pacific Fleet At Play, edited by Cptn. Fitzhugh Lee published by the Manz Corp., Chicago (70 pp).jpg http://hiavps.com/Airfield Histories/NAS HNL/PAA B-314s NAS HNL Post War NA.jpg