515 Sqn Mosquito FB.VI Colour Questions

[Wez]

I've got a couple of colour questions regarding 515Sqn Mosquito FB.VI's engaged in Bomber Support duties as part of 100 Group, Bomber Command.

In this link http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=23636.36 about 2/3rds of the way down is a photo of 515Sqn's RS566 3P-F (lovingly and proudly maintained as indicated by its personalised wheel covers yet still showing some in service dirt and grime).

Take a look at the spinners, what colour does the collective think they are? The aircraft is in the standard night-fighter scheme of green over MSG but the spinners are a dark colour, comparing them with the black of the invasion stripes they're not so dark so could they be blue or are they black and the tonal difference is down to the different type of paint used?

Also, the slipper tanks, they appear much lighter than the underside MSG, could they be silver or is the difference simply down to the fact that the paint could be fresher on the tanks?

This picture doesn't half highlight the difficulties of trying to interpret black and white photo's.

Final question regarding these aircraft, 100 Group operated at night, did this mean that their Mossie's had black cockpit interiors like the night-fighter versions or are they likely to have retained the standard grey-green cockpit. I suspect the latter as they would've been built as standard production FB.VI's and assigned from delivery (and re-painting a cockpit in service isn't that easy).

Wez

Edited December 13, 2013 by Wez

[Troy Smith]

this might make life easier. Also, note that the ASH radar dome looks a different tone, almost metallic?

[Wez]

this might make life easier. Also, note that the ASH radar dome looks a different tone, almost metallic?

Yes Troy, that will make things easier, thank you very much.

I'm not sure about that radome, whether it's a trick of the light or the difference between the wooden fuselage and (I'm assuming) plastic/fibre-glass of the radome, or a bit of both,it's hard to say.

Wez

[gingerbob]

Forget the radome (which to me looks like same paint, just catching the light)- what about the slipper tank?

bob

[Dave Fleming]

Love the Turbinlight Mossie further down that page!!

I'd say black/night for the spinners - the lighting makes them look lighter.

Edited December 13, 2013 by Dave Fleming

[Wez]

Forget the radome (which to me looks like same paint, just catching the light)- what about the slipper tank?

bob

Exactly, what about them? Is it just fresh paint or are they in a different colour entirely? In the few pictures I've seen of 515Sqn Mossie's the slipper tanks appear to be much lighter than the rest of the airframe.

Love the Turbinlight Mossie further down that page!!

I'd say black/night for the spinners - the lighting makes them look lighter.

Could be just that, lighting, different paint and surface to which it's applied... ...it would be nice if they were ident blue but I think that's stretching interpretation of a b&w photo too far!

Wez

[wally7506]

Excellent point you bring up, about the wing slipper tanks.

If memory serves, these 515 Sqn, along with 23 Sqn, were engaged in bombing German airfields with NAPALM in early 1945 (which would account for the night spinners).

The could be Aluminum color --or-- maybe Yellow to suggest the Napalm.

js