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RAAF Beaufighter colours


Sydhuey

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I thought I'd share some simple research I've done re 30 Sqn participants in the Bismarck Sea Battle 3/4 Mar 1943.  I was not able to find this info summarised elsewhere.  This has been cross checked with ADF Serials web page.  Comments welcome!

 

As the 80th anniversary approaches in 2023 - FYI.

 

30 Sqn Beaufighters - 13 Aircraft involved in The Battle of Bismarck Sea 3 Mar 1943

 

Serial  Code Name/Nose Art  Mark  Pilot               Observer    Comment

A19-3    C      "Rags 1"               1c      Wcdr Walker   Sgt Clark

A19-5    F                                   1c      FltLt Uren    P/O Suthons    Carried Damien Parer

A19-8    H                                  1c      Sqnldr Little     F/O Spooner

A19-10  K                                  1c      F/O Bennett      Sgt Edwards

A19-11  L      "Malola Two"        1c      F/O Drury         Sgt Beasley

A19-15  O     shield nose art?    1c      F/O Brazenor    Sgt Anderson (art refer Pentland)

A19-24   nil                                1c      P/O Vial            FSgt Nelson

A19-32   nil                                1c      F/O Sandford    FSgt Jaggs

A19-38   U                                 1c      FltLt Gibson       Sgt Cameron

A19-50   X    "Wendy Joy II"      1c      Sgt Morgan       Sgt Cassidy

A19-53   Y    "Margron"            1c       Sgt Downing     Sgt Box

A19-74   nil   boxing rooster     VIc      FSgt Cummins  WO Kirley  (art may be post?)

A19-87   R                                 VIc      F/O Roe             FSgt Fisken

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  • 1 year later...

I was wondering if I could throw out another possibility for the colour of 30 Squadrons Beau's and get your thoughts on it. I want to stress that my evidence is not in depth and are based on a conversation I had with my grand father (Joesph Coid Arthur) who was an armourer in 30 squadron (an interview with him can be found on the 30 squadron association webpage). I asked Pop what was the colour of 30 squadron's British beaufighters and I was expecting to get the answer of green and brown (TLS) as every coloured picture (mainly paintings) I had seen 30 squadron Beau's were in this colour scheme. My grandfather surprised me by saying grey on top and if my memory serves me correctly sky blue underneath. I asked if any were in a camouflage and he said a few and described TSS, but said the majority of British Beaufighters were grey. He was with the squadron from Nov 43 to when his tour ran out while the squadron (or part of it) was at Tarakan. I know that this conversation happened in 2009 as it was one of the last I had with Pop and it may be that his memory of things was blurred by the decades and was describing the final batch of 30 Mk X Beaufighter delivered as described by Sydhuey.

 

Its hard to tell what colours the planes are from black and white photos but there is a photo of A19-120 (LY H) being worked on at Goodenough that isnt particuarly under or over exposed (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C228060) and the plane seems to be painted in a two tone colour scheme a darker colour on top and a lighter colour underneath.  I guess my question is, is there a possibility that 30 squadron was painting their planes grey on top and sky blue underneath before the final batch of 30 Britsh Mk X's? Possible from late 1943?  

 

 

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Anything is possible , though the TSS scheme the Dark Slate Grey fades badly in the tropics to almost a single colour with the Extra Dark Sea Grey, which is the one of the  reasons it was dropped, A19-120 is an old flat tail MkVIc so by the end of 43 would have been overhauled at least once and had the Sky replaced with RAAF Sky Blue, it does appear to have a two colour top , the demarcation goes thru the middle of the roundel which is the std position. With the fading of the DSG to almost a single colour with the EDSG you could refer to them as being Grey over Sky Blue.

 

Debaser, as your Grandfather got to 30 Sqn at the end of 43 I am not surprised he said they were  "Grey" only the first 54 were in TLS and with losses and age almost all the original batch were out of Sqn service by then , The belief all RAAF Beaufighters were in TLS is like the myth all Brit Kittyhawks are Desert scheme , it just keeps hanging round. 

Edited by Sydhuey
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  • 1 year later...
On 12/06/2020 at 19:29, Magpie22 said:

One thing to consider with your Mk.21 builds is the interior colour. On early A/C, the pilot's cockpit was apinted black, the rest of the interior being K3/322, 'cockpit green enamel. light absorbent'. This was more 'apple green' in colour than the earlier standard interior color of K3/193.

Sorry for the thread bump, folks, but this is the most useful information on RAAF Beaufighter colours I can find on the internet. I’m about to start a RAAF Mk.22 Beaufighter build over in the WW2 twins GB and am trying to determine what the interior colours should be.

 

Planning to build A8-27, which sounds like sounds like it should have a black cockpit and the rest of the interior in the K3/322 apple green? Photos of the Moorabbin museum’s A8-328 show its interior all-green, presumably in K3/193?

 

And I guess the same interior colour was used for the wheel wells?

 

Any guidance or steers most welcome!

 

Gerard

 

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Good call Gerard, I'm contemplating a Frog Beaufighter in the Frog squad GB but a bit overwhelmed at how many GBs there are in the early part of the year I want to have a go at, so it doesn't come with as guarantee. :unsure:

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59 minutes ago, Wings unlevel said:

Sorry for the thread bump, folks, but this is the most useful information on RAAF Beaufighter colours I can find on the internet. I’m about to start a RAAF Mk.22 Beaufighter build over in the WW2 twins GB and am trying to determine what the interior colours should be.

 

Planning to build A8-27, which sounds like sounds like it should have a black cockpit and the rest of the interior in the K3/322 apple green? Photos of the Moorabbin museum’s A8-328 show its interior all-green, presumably in K3/193?

A post on Facebook pointed me to the Camden Aviation Museum’s example - which has a black cockpit and an apple greenish interior. 👍

 

https://m.facebook.com/CamdenMuseumofAviation/photos/a.1510982819152221/1605432629707239/?type=3

 

 

21 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Good call Gerard, I'm contemplating a Frog Beaufighter in the Frog squad GB but a bit overwhelmed at how many GBs there are in the early part of the year I want to have a go at, so it doesn't come with as guarantee. :unsure:

Cant go wrong with a Beaufighter, Steve! 🤣
 

 

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The Moorabbin one may or may not have been repainted in correct colours. The exterior colour is genuine Foliage Green. However the FG was acheived by mixing together two tins of genuine FG which were quite discernably different shades.

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2 hours ago, Ed Russell said:

The Moorabbin one may or may not have been repainted in correct colours. The exterior colour is genuine Foliage Green. However the FG was acheived by mixing together two tins of genuine FG which were quite discernably different shades.

 

Well if Ian Baker is anyone to go on Foliage Green was a pretty mixed brew itself. 😄

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15 hours ago, Ed Russell said:

The Moorabbin one may or may not have been repainted in correct colours. The exterior colour is genuine Foliage Green. However the FG was acheived by mixing together two tins of genuine FG which were quite discernably different shades.

Thanks Ed, it does look like the interior has had a repaint, looking at this image you can see traces of a lighter, more yellow-ish green:

 

https://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/Bristol Beaufighter Walkaround A8-39 RAAF ANAM 2016/content/Bristol Beaufighter A8-39 RAAF ANAM 2016 09 GraemeMolineux_large.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

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