BBRBOB

Hi, thanks for that info. By secret I don't mean what the GSU was doing but the US flying their radio control B17s from there in Operation Aphrodite. I think also it was where Mosquitos launched from for Operation Carthage across to Denmark. I can't see cameras being very welcome on base whilst they were there. I'd love to get the ORB but have no idea how big it is or when it will be scanned. The reason I am asking is that I had an Uncle who was an armourer in the RAF and was assigned to 2 GSU (GDC) between 04/44 and 12/45.

Does anyone have any documentation or photos of this unit please? I've tried searching the web but I can't find much in the way of any detailed information on them or what they did - there is an ORB listed at the Records Office but it's not yet scanned so unavailable to me. Photos are even rarer and I've not managed to find even one! As the aircraft feeder unit for 2 Group I figure they prepared Mosquitos / Bostons / Mitchells for front line units. Their base at Fersfield however seemed to have it's fair share of top secret missions going on at this time and I wonder if this is why there are so few phots of the other side of the base? Thanks in advance for anyone that can help me.

I believe the US did do this for aircraft ordered by the UK producing an equivalent to Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky. Like you, I've learned more in this thread about Captain's camouflage than I've read anywhere else online. Thank you guys.

Again I am in awe at the knowledge shown by people on this subject, From what I read, US colours were produced by adding an appropriate pigment to white in the dockyard to make the shade of blue or green they needed. Presumably the dockyard manager may have been shown a shade of blue provided by the British and then just mixed a shade to roughly match what he saw? All of the grey / blue delivery schemes looked to have been to the same pattern. So do we think that the area I've marked on the photo is either just a shadow or an area where water etc has marked the side of the ship? I haven't seen this on any of the other Captains. Bob.

Talking about the early US delivery camouflage schemes for Captains... It's been said on here and other sites that they were delivered in US 5-P Pale Grey with US 5-N Navy (or darker) irregular stripes like on this photo provided by BICKERTON Now actually my Dad was also on the Bayntun for it's commissioning, workup and first tour (is that what they called them?). This lasted until she had the dockyard incident in Belfast (my Dad had his own ideas on what caused this). In one of the photos taken before she went into any British dockyard, it looks to me like there is definitely a third colour in this US applied scheme amidships. Does anyone have an idea what this might be as it looks like it would be an attractive scheme? I have been looking at old BW photos and have now started to see all sorts of lines and shades where before they just looked grey. I think I agree with GrahamB that on the Inman photo the aft block is just about visible (if you change the contrast and squint a little). Bob.

It's a really interesting document that's well worth a read. It goes into the theory of camouflage at sea and the different effects, colours and patterns that were used in different locations and conditions. I certainly understood far more after reading it! There are 3 patterns displayed which are ones for the Western Approaches, the Light Admiralty type and Intermediate type. It all depends where the ship was used and what period you want to model. As you can see from the photo of my Dad's ship, the scheme didn't actually conform to the correct pattern anyway. These workhorses weren't the most photographed of Royal Navy ships, but looking at this photo of Rupert it looked to have one of the schemes (Intermediate?). I'm sure someone else more knowledgeable will be along to help. I'd like to say a huge thankyou to robgizlu for his work helping me. I thought I'd studied the photo enough but then you are really shown the way by people that know what they're talking about. I was lucky enough to visit the USS Slater in the USA with my Dad as part of the lottery funding for veterans, and I have to say I'm glad I didn't have to serve in the North Atlantic in one!! Bob.

Can anyone help with the minefield that is Royal Navy colours in 1944-45 please? My father served on board the Captain Class Frigate HMS Inman in the North Atlantic and I'd love to take a break away from aircraft and make models of his ships. Now Inman was an Evarts class versions so I've found that I'll need a USS Evarts from Ironshipwrights.com with various resin mods and etch etc. I then need to work out what colour scheme and camouflage they wore and this is where it gets tricky. I could model them straight from delivery wearing their shiny US colours but I'd ideally prefer a war weary, just completed 6 weeks at sea version from late '44. There are very few images of Inman available and some people online have said that it was an overall grey, however on the photos available you can just about make out a line / hump of colour that matches where Sovereign Hobbies publication of C.B. 3098 THE CAMOUFLAGE OF SHIPS AT SEA 1943 shows for a Captain Class (Plate 20). These photos were probably so edited / filtered during the war that it's so difficult to actually work out what they were. So I'm lost and need help – Am I looking at overall grey (507C) or White with the simplified Western Approaches pattern in B55 or is it just a poorly overpainted combination of the two carried out hurriedly in dock? The pendant number also looks very dark as I thought they were meant to not be too much of a contrast? These are the two pictures readily available - Thanks for any help you can give. Bob.

I am waiting on the RAF service records of my Uncle and when I gently asked how long it might take I got the following - "Unfortunately the result of 3 national lockdowns, us being in a Tier 4 area prior to the current lockdown and a 21% increase in the number of applications received, has meant that our despatch times (which are normally 20 working days) have slipped to 6 months and will continue to increase until we are able to return to office". I think we might be waiting awhile for them! 🙄

If you do find an easy way of doing the lettering then please post! I want to do the "Royal Eltham and New Eltham" Spitfire in 1/48 and can't find it anywhere in decal form. Ta.

Hi! I would like to model one of the first RAF plane that my late Uncle flew in whilst training for being in Liberators. His logbook says this was a Percival Proctor (Mk III?) DX218. I have searched online and can find little in the way of photos for the Proctor flying in Radio Schools but think they are likely to be Dark Earth / Dark Green with yellow undersides. Does anyone have links of any photos of them to give me a better idea of demarcation lines / yellow bands etc? Some training planes seemed to have loads of yellow but I think those in the UK will me much plainer. If anyone has any information about the radio school that would be really helpful. I've bought the Dora wings 1/48 kit in preparation. Thanks for your help. Bob.

That's great info. Thank you. I mentioned Korea because he had been called up again from the reserves after serving in WW2 and his recollection was that they believed they were being sent there. However, perhaps that's what they were being told then and we now have the documentation available to show what was actually happening? Graham, can you let me know where you got that information about the squadrons so I can research further? Thanks for all the help. Bob.

Hi, my good old late Dad was on board HMS Indomitable in 1953 at the time of its explosion when it was in the Med off to Korea. I quite fancy modelling one of the FAA aircraft he would have seen on a daily basis and as I believe that they were in training their air wing would have been on board? Does anyone have any info on what squadrons these would have been and what they were flying? I have tried Google etc but have met with no success. I am assuming they were probably Sea Furys and Fireflys? Thanks for any help you might be able to give. Bob.

Liberator FL972 'E' by bbrbob, on Flickr Thanks! Are those REALLY whitewall tyres though? American???

Graham, thanks for that. I've been doing some Googling and another person was looking for the same A/C about a year ago. They posted this picture - https://www.flickr.com/photos/53460050@N03/40152731440/in/dateposted-public/ This shows more of the fuselage and identifies it as a 59 Squadron Liberator "E". I have checked my Uncle's logbook and he flew in this plane for his 3rd Op on 27/09/44. It is recorded as serial number FL792. Now does anyone have any advice on how to cobble together some decals for this plane and how to scan and print the kicking donkey? Thanks for the help. Bob.

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me? My Uncle flew with 59 Squadron on Liberators from 1944-46. I have a picture of him with a Liberator with nose-art that I want to model. It is a Liberator V with a kicking donkey on the left side nose. I have bought the Eduard Overtrees and believe that it's either the first Liberator he flew with 59 - FL944 'G' - or the one he flew on his first operational sortie - BZ712 'D'. I could be wrong though and it's just one that was parked up and they wanted a picture! Pictures of 59 Squadron Libs seem really rare (Even on Lorenzo's great website which seems to be down at the moment) and any help or other pictures would be really appreciated. I have tried displaying the image here from both Photobucket and Flikr, and read the guides but it either doesn't show or I just get a red box, arghh! This is the link that should work though - https://www.flickr.com/photos/53460050@N03/27082037827/in/dateposted-public/ Thanks. Bob.