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Beaufighter IC solo Paris raid- looking for correct code letters


Jim Kiker

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It's also on p.26 of "Britain Alone" by Paul Lucas (On Target Special No 2): 

 

"Coastal Command's operational role required its aircraft to be flown by day and by night, which led to contradictory requirements for under surface camouflage.  The problem had been settled by the decision that General Reconnaissance and Torpedo Bomber landplane squadrons would have 25% of their aircraft finished in Sky and the rest in Special Night.  Long Range Fighter squadrons would have all their aircraft under surfaces in Sky...."

 

No source or date given.  And oddly I actually remembered the percentage as being the other way round viz 25% in Night.  Paul has a page and a quarter on early Coastal Command Beaufighter colours which is way too  long to type.

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8 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

Long Range Fighter squadrons would have all their aircraft under surfaces in Sky...."

I think that's Beaufighter Ic and Blenheim IVF at this time?

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1 hour ago, rossm said:

I think that's Beaufighter Ic and Blenheim IVF at this time?

Think rather more Blenheim IVF with Beaufighter Ic just coming on scene.  The discussion on the colours of the very earliest Coastal Command Beaufighters immediately follows.

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11 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

Think rather more Blenheim IVF with Beaufighter Ic just coming on scene.  The discussion on the colours of the very earliest Coastal Command Beaufighters immediately follows.

Yes, that fits.

I think for a CC Beaufighter to have black undersides it would have to be a special scheme - I don't remember seeing one. Nightfighter, yes, overseas, yes but not UK based Coastal Command.

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2 minutes ago, rossm said:

Yes, that fits.

I think for a CC Beaufighter to have black undersides it would have to be a special scheme - I don't remember seeing one. Nightfighter, yes, overseas, yes but not UK based Coastal Command.

The Beaufighter section is mainly about the fact that the very first CC Beaufighters were delivered in grey primer and then discussion of what colours R2198 PN-B might have been in.  In the midst of that, he records a letter dated 4 Jan 1941 from HQ CC to HQ 41 Gp highlighting that the colour scheme for CC Beaufighters was "Temperate Land camouflage for the upper surfaces whilst the under surfaces were 'duck egg blue'."  Nary a word re Night undersides.

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Hi

    found my pro photos on my laptop

 

extract from the photo of the page 

 

loose minute sheet S.4950

 

beaufighter camouflage - coastal command

 

with reference to your loose minute S.B.12804 dated 1st january 1942 coastal command have not requested any change in the camouflage scheme for their long range beaufighters as stated in D.O.R. minute dated 3rd august 1941

 

 At that time it was agreed that the beaufighters for coastal command should be finished with the temperate sea scheme with sky or alternatively black undersurfaces at A.S.U's according to the imediate colour requirement needed on the replacement aircraft as requested by the command .......

 

A.S.U's or the command will re colour the undersurfaces black where required

 

letter is dated 9/1/42 

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Hi

   another one re a/c from fairey stockport

 

O.R.4

 

.....that command has now stated that what they want is temperate sea scheme for upper surfaces and special night for under surfaces

......

 

 1st jan 1942

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On 17 October 2018 at 4:20 PM, Jim Kiker said:

Hi Dennis,

 

Terrific information, thank you for sharing.  Is there a picture that shows how the Nav's bubble was modified, or a more detailed description perhaps?  Also, do you or anyone else know what the sequence of squadron and aircraft codes looked like on the right side of the fuselage?  Should the two squadron code letters be in front of the roundel, or behind it?  I cannot seem to find any pics of 236 Sqn machines from the general timeframe (mid- 1942) showing the right side of the fuselage!

 

Thanks in advance,

Jim - you asked about codes on the right side of the fuselage.

 

I could only find this image, scanned from the Book "The Strike Wings" by the late Roy Conyers Nesbit.  I would treat the date given in the caption with your tongue firmly in your cheek, the same publication listed Gatward and Fern's aircraft as F4800, which turns out to be one of 700 F2B Bristol Fighters ordered in 1918 !

 

sv3pSHI.jpg

 

HTH

 

Dennis

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41 minutes ago, sloegin57 said:

Jim - you asked about codes on the right side of the fuselage.

 

I could only find this image, scanned from the Book "The Strike Wings" by the late Roy Conyers Nesbit.  I would treat the date given in the caption with your tongue firmly in your cheek, the same publication listed Gatward and Fern's aircraft as F4800, which turns out to be one of 700 F2B Bristol Fighters ordered in 1918 !

 

sv3pSHI.jpg

 

HTH

 

Dennis

 

Hi

    Nice photo, to me looks like possibly black/night undersurfaces 

  cheers

     jerry

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