Mustang Mk. Ia and invasion stripes

[Paramedic]

Howdy!

Got to admit straight off that I have made a very "shallow" and quick search on this but the search (here & rest of www) did not give me the answer...

But I am curious about the Mustang Mk. Ia´s still flying at the Normandy invasion and campaign - did they sport invasion stripes on top of the wings early on? I have only managed to find pics of them having it on the belly side. I seem to rememer that some units were from the 5/6th of June painted top and below but later on (July?) overpainted on top to be harder to spot from above. Is this the case here or where they never painted on top as well?

Managed aquire three Accurate Miniature ´stangs and a conversion kit for the Mk. I so have a desert coloured Mk. Ia, a very early temperate coloured (or US equivalent colour-painted-) Mk. I and a D-day day fighter scheme coloured one planned. Gonna be a blast!

Love the Allison ´stangs!

[brewerjerry]

Hi

From memory there is a thread here about one, and one has a malcolm hood.

think there is a photo on one of the 2nd TAF books by chris thomas

cheers

jerry

[Paramedic]

Ah doo-doo, not only was I lazy, I was bad at searching as well.. I´ll have a look - thanks!

Oh yeah, I planned a Malcolm Hood for that bird, great!

[brewerjerry]

Hi

link to another board

http://www.ipmscanada.com/ipms/Reference_%20Article/Aircraft/Aircraft_Page/MustangIandIa.html

and the thread was on another board

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=21906&highlight=malcolm+hood

cheers

jerry. ......... whose memory is going with age

Edited December 22, 2014 by brewerjerry

[Paramedic]

Thanks!

Don´t worry, my memory is crappy as well - I might even have asked this before..!

[ColFord]

A few threads are here on the Britmodeller site which give details on a range of Allison engined Mustangs in RAF service. Included in those are a few where I have included details of Mustang Mk.IAs serving with No.268 Squadron RAF in the period of June 1944 to May 1945 - 268 being the sole remaining large scale user in that period, No.II(AC) Sqdn being in the process of introducing the Mk.II at the time of D-Day and so having to borrow Mk.IAs back from 268 for use in the D-Day period. Some of the threads include period photos, photos of model builds and extracts from technical documents of interest. Searches using "Allison Mustang RAF" and "Mustang RAF 268" should bring up most of those threads. And my responses to earlier inquiries on other boards feature in those threads Jerry linked to. Realistically, for a Mustang Mk.IA on D-Day or the immediate D-Day period, you cannot go wrong modelling one with the 'coupe' top - that is the framed canopy and not the Malcolm Hood, with full D-Day distinctive markings. The few Mk.IAs that records and pilot recollections indicate MAY, underline MAY have been fitted with a Malcolm hood and received as replacements in mid to late June are very few. Also the limited number of specific Mustang Mk.IAs used by 268 on D-Day and the next few days for the long ranging low level sorties well outside the beach head that operated under the special dispensation and strict operating rules in terms of area of operations and routes to and from the UK avoiding the beachhead area that only had the distinctive markings on the lower surfaces, again a handful. If you are looking at a Mustang Mk.IA with the distinctive markings only on the lower surfaces, then the timeframe for aircraft marked that way then shift to July 1944 onwards. Photos on the IWM website, CH.13455 shows Mk.IAs in background where you can see on enlarged image both fuselage and wing marking configuration; CH.20403 shows fuselage band configuration and position of fuselage roundel and individual aircraft id letter B = FD476.

Regards.

[Stonar]

Also the limited number of specific Mustang Mk.IAs used by 268 on D-Day and the next few days for the long ranging low level sorties well outside the beach head that operated under the special dispensation and strict operating rules in terms of area of operations and routes to and from the UK avoiding the beachhead area that only had the distinctive markings on the lower surfaces, again a handful.

I'd be interested to know what special dispensation allowed aircraft to operate with only partial distinctive markings during this period. No single engine aircraft operating in day light were exempted by any ammendment to Operational Memorandum 23 as far as I know.

The emphasis (underline) is in the original:

Cheers

Steve

Edited December 23, 2014 by Stonar

[ColFord]

Hi Steve,

The OC 35 (Recce) Wing GF/C PL Donkin DSO had made a case that the Wing's Mustangs operating outside the two designated reconnaissance zones and the zone for suppression of enemy air activity around the beach head to receive special dispensation for the aircraft not to carry the distinctive identification markings on the upper surfaces. Donkin had been 'Bigoted' early on and was heavily involved in the reconnaissance planning for the invasion and the reconnaissance required in the immediate invasion and post invasion periods. He had obviously impressed on his senior command the dangers to the low flying Mustangs operating pairs as far out to the east as the outskirts of Paris covering the railway marshalling yards and other key routes through which German reinforcements were expected to travel in response to the invasion, if their upper camouflage were compromised by the distinctive markings. Operating in those areas they were more likely to be more subject to interception by Luftwaffe fighters and therefore the choice was comply fully with the distinctive markings and risk the required intelligence not getting back or get a dispensation and operate the aircraft to and from those areas via routes well to the north of the beach head and via defined routes in and out of the UK. It was only for a limited number of aircraft for the first few days on those specific sorties. The rest, operating within the invasion zones, were fully marked. By about the third or fourth day, the long ranging sorties outside the invasion zone were ceased - the first of the trains carrying the German reinforcements were photographed going through the marshalling yards and other key routes near Paris, and all the aircraft were marked for use in the beach head and surrounding areas. Even then carrying full distinctive markings was not a cure for 'friendly fire' as multiple attempted intercepts and being fired upon by USAAF fighters, particularly Thunderbolts and Lightings are recorded throughout June and July.

The above was confirmed from multiple sources, including pilot's diaries and pilot's recollections from that period who were serving on the Squadron and the Wing HQ staff. Donkin also made a note of it in his own personal diaries and in the manuscript of his biography (never published). There are also indications that some of the Squadron's Mustangs may have also carried the distinctive markings toned down by mid to late June, particularly the white areas 'dirtied down' to make them less evident on the upper surfaces and less visible to Luftwaffe fighters. By this stage they had had a number of their sorties intercepted by Luftwaffe fighters that were particularly targeting the low level reconnaissance aircraft and a number of aircraft and pilots were lost, along with the intelligence they were gathering. Odds of two low flying Mustangs versus eight to twelve Fw-190s or Bf-109s diving in from height were a regularly reported event. Even having friendly fighters patrolling near where the Mustangs were operating was no guarantee of protection, as they were often distracted by some other target and forgot their supposed role or they were too far away when the Mustangs were 'bounced'. As soon as the orders came through for the removal of the distinctive markings on the upper surfaces, the Recce Wings operating the low level Tac/R sorties were amongst the quickest to comply.

The operation of the low level RAF Tac/R units is not generally well known or documented in print, except by a few who specialise in the field.

Regards,

[Paramedic]

Thank you sir! Very helpful and this will only make me even more interested in modelling these mustangs.. I will read those threads.

[Stonar]

Thanks very much for the fulsome and informative reply. You live and learn, and that was certainly something I was unaware of...until now.

Cheers

Steve

[Paramedic]

Managed to find those threas you mentioned ColFord, with you excellent replies! But not by the forum search but by google. Doesn´t matter though - very good info and sweet models you haave made - again thanks!