B-17G 483rd BG: When were unit marking applied

[Juanita]

The B-17 squadrons of the 483 BG had red rudders. A black ‘Y’ on the fin and star below it.

The elevators were also red with a white star. The horizontal tailplane had the ‘Y’ in black.

No special wing markings.

 

My question is: when were these markings applied?

Does anyone know if/when the official orders were made for the unit identity marking to be applied?

Were the red rudder/elevators applied at a different time to the ‘Y’-star?

 

The circumstantial information I have put together so far:

According to an article on a bombing mission of 18 July 1944 (a bad day for the 483 BG) says that German records specifically mention the red rudder on one of the downed aircraft.

 

There is a photo of B-17G 42-107172 on the internet that appears to show the rudder and elevators have been painted (red?) because the section of serial number on the rudder is white (?).

(The rudder/elevators look very pale for red but I expect a red filter has been used)

However, the ‘Y’-star details have not been applied.

This aircraft was assigned on 19 April 1944 and lost on 18 July 1944.

 

The earliest photo I have found so far that shows the 'Y'-star is 42-97919 after a take-off accident 17 Oct 1944.

Juanita

[e8n2]

I can't tell you when the markings became standardized, but it was long before the first aircraft you have pictured arrived.  It was most likely a situation of getting the aircraft into the air and flying missions and paint on the identifying group markings when they had some downtime for the aircraft.  The mission comes first, the details can follow up later. 

Later,

Dave

[Juanita]

 

Thanks Dave

 

The 15th AF in the Med is not as well documented as some of the other AFs of WW2.

 

Finally tracked down the relevant Wikipedia entry:

Fifteenth Air Force tail markings

The Fifteenth Air Force had four groups of B-17's and eleven of B-24's when it first marked its aircraft for unit identification.

B-17 markings

The B-17's of the 5th Bomb Wing used a simple symbol system on their tail fins, adopted in the fall of 1943 before becoming part of the Fifteenth Air Force (triangle for 97th BG, square 301st BG, diamond 99th BG, and circle 2nd BG). When two additional groups joined the wing in April 1944, the wing then identified its groups by a letter Y on the uppermost area of the tail fin, superimposed on the symbol previously used (in a manner similar to the system used by the Eighth) with the new 463rd BG using a cone-shaped device and the 483rd BG a five-pointed star that was displayed below the Y instead of underlying it.

 

So it does appear to be a simple case of of the unit not having had the opportunity to finish painting the aircraft before they flew the early missions.

...although I am a little surprised that an aircraft that had been in the field for 2 months still did not have a full compliment of ID markings.

I haven't found the list of mission flown by the unit - that might offer an explanation. I appreciate that the units in Italy were not as well resourced as the 8th AF.

 

Juanita

Edited February 11, 2020 by Juanita

[Super Aereo]

Hi Juanita, 

 

The 483rd BG red rudder and elevators were introduced during the summer of 1944, i.e. after the other insignia. The star on the elevators could be unpainted metal, rather than white. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Super Aereo

[Juanita]

Thanks Super Aereo

Do you have any official documentation relating to markings of the 15 AF?

[Super Aereo]

Hi Juanita, 

 

No, only published sources. 

[Seahawk]

From Roger Freeman's Ducimus booklet No 13 on the B-17: 

•  in March and April 1944 2 new Bomber Groups were added to the 5 Bomb Wing and the opportunity was taken to revise the group markings.  The 5th Bomb Wing was to be identified by the letter Y.  For existing groups the earlier symbol markings were to be retained but be enlarged to encompass the letter Y.  "Of the two new groups, the 463rd was to be identified by a Y in a 60 degree segment of a circle, popularly known as a "pie-slice", while the 483rd would have the letter Y with a star directly below the lower arm of the letter.  On camouflaged aircraft the background was white and the Y device black or insignia blue with the exception of 483rd BG where both the Y and the star were white.  Neither the 463rd or the 483rd carried any form of squadron symbol marking on the tails of their aircraft." 
•  After camouflage was abandoned, "15th AG Groups continued to use black letters on a white ground" [my comment: not applicable to 483rd BG which used a star instead of a background; see your photo of 297919].
• Adoption of colour markings followed the abandonment of camouflage.  In the 8th AF the first large-scale use was by  1 Combat Wing in July 1944, followed by a complete colour system for 1st Division Wings.  "In the 15th AF, colour markings worn by Fortresses were not so uniform as in the Eighth.  Possibly this has to do with the less favourable base conditions in Italy for photographic evidence shows that it was common for a 15 AF formation to contain a few aircraft with incomplete unit markings." (my emphasis).  The 301st, 463rd and 483rd BGs adopted coloured rudders and elevators during the summer of 1944, with the 483rd using red  (301st bright green, 463rd Yellow).  
•  "In the summer of 1944 the 97th, 99th and 483rd groups commenced painting the group symbols on the upper surfaces of the horizontal tailplane to aid recognition from above."

Afraid I don't have Ken Rust's book on the 15th AF but Freeman acknowledges advice Rust provided.

HTH

Edited February 12, 2020 by Seahawk