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This is a continuation of the Air HQ India and Air HQ Bengal documents already posted with comments in the thread on Burma Hurricanes in Desert Camouflage.

After receiving preliminary instructions for the new blue and white roundels and a request to trial them, Air HQ Bengal sent this reply on 21 July 1943.

AHQBengal210743-vi.jpg

Following that - and presumably further discussion - Air HQ India issued formal instructions for the size and appearance of the new roundels on 29 September 1943 and how the colours were to be mixed. The note regarding the "white" suggests how usage of the term "SEAC white" might have arisen. Having experimented with this mix for the "white" the result is a pale, slightly greyish azure-type blue and not the strong, near turquoise colours seen on some decal sheets.

6005_45_Eng290943-vi.jpg

A further memo (below), issued on 22 October 1943, implied that single seat fighters were to have the medium sized roundels but the Appendix to Air Force Order (India) #70 of 4 April 1944 categorised Hurricanes and Spitfires as having the 'small' roundels.

AirHQIndia221043-vi.jpg

From the initial suggestion and agreement to re-paint existing roundels to appear blue and white to the final Air HQ India instruction for revised, smaller roundel sizes using "SEAC white" was the most part of the 1943 wet season (from May to October) when flying operations were reduced. From these instructions the small SEAC roundels could be expected to appear towards the end of 1943 but IIRC the first Spitfires in theatre also appeared briefly with the original European sized and modified roundels (?). This period of potential flux and inconsistency at the end of 1943 is going to be further complicated by what I'm about to post next.

Nick

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The following order was issued by Air HQ India on 27 October 1943 and is rather extraordinary. It is not a draft but an actual order. 226 Group was a maintenance group. So far I can find no correction or countermanding of this order until the Air Force Orders (India) 69-76 of 4 April 1944 promulgating 'temperate land' scheme (TLS) for all fighter aircraft. The ICI Report on SEAC finishes, dated 29 June 1945 but containing the results of an inspection conducted from September to December 1944 refers to an Air HQ India order of March 1944 promulgating Dark Green and Dark Earth in place of Dark Green and Ocean Grey but then goes on to discuss grey colours in a somewhat ambiguous way. The relevant part of the ICI report is included here.

AirHQIndia27Oct43-vi.jpg

ICIonSEAC26Jun44-vi.jpg

Nick

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Happy to add them but not sure how to do it!

Nick

For your first post, click on the Edit button just underneath the text, then on the next page click "Use Full Editor", then you'll see an input box called "Topic Tags" under the "Topic Title" box. Type tags in here seperatign them with comma, eg

RAF SEAC roundel, SEAC roundel, SEAC Markings, RAF India roundel etc etc...then click "Submit Modified Post"... :)

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For your first post, click on the Edit button just underneath the text, then on the next page click "Use Full Editor", then you'll see an input box called "Topic Tags" under the "Topic Title" box. Type tags in here seperatign them with comma, eg

RAF SEAC roundel, SEAC roundel, SEAC Markings, RAF India roundel etc etc...then click "Submit Modified Post"... :)

Thanks! Done!

Nick

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