RAF Bomber schemes

[Ratch]

Were there set schemes for bombers in the same way that fighters had the A, B, C & D schemes?

[Troy Smith]

There was a set basic pattern,  this is shown in the RAF Museum book on camouflage and markings.

I assume there was initially an A/B scheme split, though this was phased out for fighters in 1941,  no reason to presume that this was not the case for bombers.

Good question,  and with all these things,  careful study of photos is revealing.   Others will hopefully know more.

[Graham Boak]

Strictly there were several set patterns, for differently sized aircraft with different numbers of engines. So Battles, Blenheim's and B-17s would have different set patterns, but clearly still related to each other.

[Dave Fleming]

3 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

There was a set basic pattern,  this is shown in the RAF Museum book on camouflage and markings.

I assume there was initially an A/B scheme split, though this was phased out for fighters in 1941,  no reason to presume that this was not the case for bombers.

 

 

 

There was, you can see it on early Wellingtons.

 

[dogsbody]

Early Whitleys came in two patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Ratch]

1 hour ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

 

There was, you can see it on early Wellingtons.

 

It is Wellingtons I'm particularly interested in ATM - though I like to glean as much info as my brain will take 

[Dave Fleming]

2 minutes ago, Ratch said:

It is Wellingtons I'm particularly interested in ATM - though I like to glean as much info as my brain will take 

 

The A scheme seems to have been applied to odd serialed aircraft and the 'B' scheme to even* - and the 'B scheme adopted as the single scheme.

 

 

* this seems to hold across a range of serial blocks -

[Ratch]

But which is A and which is B?

[dogsbody]

48 minutes ago, Ratch said:

But which is A and which is B?

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Ratch]

That's brilliant Chris, thanks 

[Dave Fleming]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:07 PM, Ratch said:

But which is A and which is B?

 

Sorry, I'd been thinking about the Whitley schemes above as generally illustrating it. In general, the 'flow' of the pattern in A goes from right to left, B goes from left to right in plan view

 

(I've not seen any evidence that the so-called C & D schemes, where the colours were reversed, actually existed in real life beyond the original research papers)

[Graham Boak]

Wing Commander Minden Blake's Spitfire Mk.Vb.

 

There are others, but many if not the vast majority in the Middle East at the time of considerable confusion over colours, and over which colour goes where. So it can be seen on early desert Hurricanes and on Spitfires from the first delivery to Malta.

[Dave Fleming]

30 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Wing Commander Minden Blake's Spitfire Mk.Vb.

 

There are others, but many if not the vast majority in the Middle East at the time of considerable confusion over colours, and over which colour goes where. So it can be seen on early desert Hurricanes and on Spitfires from the first delivery to Malta.

 

Yeah, I was thinking more of factory/production schemes - having the shaded areas on the AMO represent the 'lighter' colour didn't help, and just overpainting the green with stoen made more sense.

[Graham Boak]

Blake's fighter looks factory finished to me.  I suspect the Malta Spitfires were repainted at an MU, or more likely, more than one MU.  Apart from the earliest, the Desert scheme Hurricanes also were painted before leaving the UK.

 

No argument that exchanged colours are exceptionally rare on UK based aircraft, and I don't recall ever seeing it on a bomber.

[wombat]

There are many varieties of how far up the fuselage sides the black goes in the first year or so. How much is local practice and how much is rapid evolution of the central guidance I’m not sure.