Arafura Beaufighter camouflage

[serial modeler]

I am starting to gather information for my Beaufighter project. I plan to build three and I will probably discuss all three in these forums. The first one I had my eyes on for some time is the 1/48 Beau VI flown from Coomalie, Northern Australia by Butch Gordon of 31 squadron to his two victories over Ki 45's over Timor on October 9 1943. The machine is a Beau Mk VI and it was written off right after this mission. Supposedly its wreck is still lying around somewhere in Australia.

My questions are. The non standard "G" font, are there any decent decals available or I will have to end up free-handing that one?

Secondly, am I safe to assume the colors were standard RAF DG/DE scheme as late as 1943 over Australia. Did by that time some "local" interpretations of the colors emerge being so far and so long removed from the BoB standards? How about the undersides?

Edited April 5, 2018 by serial modeler
insert image

[larumivi1951]

I have this profile:

[Ed Russell]

PM sent with a bit of info. It's generally thought to be in DSG/EDSG/Sky with different cupola to that shown in profile.

[leyreynolds]

There was an extensive discussion on this site some time ago on RAAF Beaufighter colours.

[Sydhuey]

As a general rule RAAF Brit build Beaufighter's were in 3 schemes the first  54 x Ic's were in DG/DE over Sky,  the second delivery Ic's 55-72 were in the TSS scheme of EDSG/DSG over SKY, also all VI's and X's and XI's up to 198 were also in this scheme, the last X's 199 to 217 were in the later TSS scheme of EDSG over Sky. 30 Sqn operated in any colour they were delivered but 31 Sqn didn't like the DE for over water ops and preferred the TSS scheme, any of the first 54 that went to 31 Sqn may have been repainted in TSS but no one really knows , the aircraft Butch Gordon flew for his victories , 70, 140, 144, 149 would have all been in the std TSS scheme of EDSG/DSG over Sky, , A19-40 EH-G while initially operated by 30 Sqn and delivered in DG/DE over Sky in May/Jun 42, was first used by 30 Sqn then 31 then 5 OTU and was overhauled and delivered back to 31 in Jun 43 so was more than likely repainted in TSS scheme, it also had a modified Nav canopy with a gun mount in it.

Only 16-18 of the first 54 were operated by 31 Sqn and I am pretty sure by late 1943 any of these left were in the TSS scheme like the rest of the aircraft in the Sqn.

The DE/DG scheme seems to permeate thru most info on Beaufighter when less than 1/4 of the fleet were ever in this colour scheme.   

Edited April 6, 2018 by Sydhuey

[Magpie22]

18 hours ago, serial modeler said:

I am starting to gather information for my Beaufighter project. I plan to build three and I will probably discuss all three in these forums. The first one I had my eyes on for some time is the 1/48 Beau VI flown from Coomalie, Northern Australia by Butch Gordon of 31 squadron to his two victories over Ki 45's over Timor on October 9 1943. The machine is a Beau Mk VI and it was written off right after this mission. Supposedly its wreck is still lying around somewhere in Australia.

My questions are. The non standard "G" font, are there any decent decals available or I will have to end up free-handing that one?

Secondly, am I safe to assume the colors were standard RAF DG/DE scheme as late as 1943 over Australia. Did by that time some "local" interpretations of the colors emerge being so far and so long removed from the BoB standards? How about the undersides?

 

 

I beg to differ with the opinions expressed above. The one thing we can be relatively certain of, is that A19-40 arrived in Australia in the RAF TLS, as had been requested by the RAAF. As to what scheme was carrying 9 October 1943, is a matter of conjecture.

 

A19-40 arrived in Australia in early May 1942 and was erected at No. 1 Aircraft Depot. It would not have been repainted there and would have been wearing the RAF TLS when it entered service with No. 30 Squadron in early July 1942. She had a short, troubled career there before, in early August, she was sent to No. 7 RSU at Pell for repairs and modification to the tail wheel. She was allotted to go to No. 31 Sqn, but repairs took some three months, and she was eventually sent to No. 5 OTU, based at Forrest Hill. She flew with them from mid November 1942 until 17 March 1943, when the port undercarriage collapsed on landing. The port wing, undercarriage and propeller were heavily damaged and she was sent to No. 5 Aircraft Depot, also based at Forrest Hill for repair. As part of the repair process, she would have received repainting of the damaged areas.

 

After repair, she was sent to No. 31 Sqn, arriving in mid June 1943. They sent her to No. 4 RSU, at Pell, in early July, where she remained for 10 days. She may have been sent for a repaint into TSS, or merely for a ‘check up’ after the long flight North and problems encountered at Narromine on the way up. Anyway, she resumed service with No. 31 Sqn in mid July.

 

She seems to have been a troubled aircraft and, on 21 August, was back at No. 4 RSU for an engine change and other repairs. She rejoined the squadron 7 September. Two months later, on 9 October, she suffered hydraulic failure after being shot up by two ‘Nicks’. Gordon, having disposed of the ‘Nicks’, coaxed her back to Australia, where he force landed on the fighter strip at Livingstone. He apologised to the CO of No. 457 Sqn, Ken James, for having left her tail sticking out on the runway. That was the end of A19-40, she was assessed as beyond economical repair and issued to No. 14 ARD, and then to No. 8 CRD, to be converted to components.

 

What paint scheme was she wearing on 9 October 1943? Your guess is as good as mine. However, I would like to make the following points. Looking at the four photos I have, the sharp demarcation line between the upper and lower camouflage is quite sharp and exactly the same shape behind the wing as applied in the UK. When the RAAF repainted, this was not often the case. The areas around the observer’s position, the area under the tailplane LE, and the fin all show in the photos as the darker tone of the two upper surface colours. This suggests to me an aircraft finished in a green and brown scheme. The tones visible on a small section of the starboard wing are also consistent with this theory. If it was in the TSS, those areas would be showing as the lighter tone.

 

The general wear and tear on the LE of the starboard wing would also suggest this is not a new paint job. In general, Australian produced paints were much more resistant to wear than their British counterparts and, considering she had only three months service with No. 31, that amount of paint erosion seems extreme to me, if she had been repainted at No. 4 RSU in July.

It is my conclusion that she still carries her original TLS paint scheme, but with repainting around the areas of repair on the port side.

 

A19-40 was a Beaufighter MK.Ic with the flat tailplane, so you will need to do that conversion. Red Roo Models have the flat tailplanes, set 48154, at AUD $9.50, and also set 48147 of open cooling gills for AUD $12.95 if they should take your fancy. They look good on a model. I have no connection with Red Roo.

 

As noted above she also had the abbreviated navigator’s cupola which allowed the deployment of a machine gun for rear defence. Gordon’s navigator Ron Jordon was firing back at the second attacking ‘Nick’, and narrowly missed being hit.

 

High Planes Models have sheet 48003 on RAAF Beaus. They have the correct ‘E’ and ‘G’. Actually they give them in both White and Sky Blue, although I believe the latter to be correct. They are available from the HPM webstore, out of Singapore, at SG$25. There are three other Beaus on this sheet that may be of interest. And yes, I confess to being acknowledged on the sheet as a contributor, but I have no financial connection with HPM.

 

Good luck with your project. If I can be of any further help, PM me,

Peter Malone

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by Magpie22
correction

[serial modeler]

Thanks a lot for all this useful information. I have already been able to locate and buy the decals thanks to Peter and they are on the way.

For the tail planes I am very familiar with that conversion since sometime back I used the Beau Mk IIf conversion which came with Merlins and the flat tail planes when I was building a machine of 307 squadron.

Then I bought another set of them and used the engines only for converting a Wellington to an MkII configuration, a far more complex undertaking but it resulted in leftover tail planes, which will now come very handy for this project a decade later!

Now I just need to look through my "spares" box and see if I can locate those "hedgehog" exhausts, if not there is plenty online.

As far as the camouflage I do prefer the coastal one since I can understand how the Dark Earth would not work well over the ocean, but it is a guess as you all mention whether it was repainted or still left in the original.

If it was DG/DE then by late 1943 it would show serious signs of wear, except the repair area mentioned above. If it was repainted after the repair would they even have DE? For those I think I will throw my lot with the Sea Scheme of EDSG/DSG/Sky with moderate wear.
 

[Sydhuey]

Unless you have a photo of the R/H side of the aircraft the Ic's didn't run the hedgehog exhaust, initially they only had the short intake but the tropical intakes were added fairly quickly but the exhaust generally stayed short on the Ic's. 

[Magpie22]

8 hours ago, Sydhuey said:

Unless you have a photo of the R/H side of the aircraft the Ic's didn't run the hedgehog exhaust, initially they only had the short intake but the tropical intakes were added fairly quickly but the exhaust generally stayed short on the Ic's. 

I can confirm what Syd says. A shot of the starboard side of the aircraft shows that hedgehog exhausts were not fitted.

Peter