A-20/Bostons in New Guinea

[Graham Boak]

I've just received Michael Claringbould's Pacific Profiles 3, which I can heartily recommend to anyone who likes the A-20 family, with 100 colour profiles.  However it does leave some questions in my mind as to which colours are meant to be represented.  Note that this is not a comment about his representation of these colours in theatre, but about the original factory choice.

 

1.  He has every A-20 in a disruptive camouflage of a mid green and a dark olive green.  Looking at Archer's classic work for Monogram on USAAC/F camouflage and markings, this is meant to be Light and Dark Olive Drab.  (note: Dark Olive Drab is the correct term for what is casually termed in modelling circles as Olive Drab.  Yes, me too.)  However Archer says this was altered to the more familiar single tone top after aircraft -100.  Claringbould has some aircraft before this but the majority are after.  However, at least one photo -162 does seem to be in the 2-colour top.   Others are less certain.  I'm prepared to believe that Claringbould is right and Archer wrong, but has anyone else ever commented on this change/no change?

 

2 The RAAF Bostons are all ex-Dutch machines, and illustrated in what appear to be the familiar Dark Green/Dark Earth.  However as Dutch machines were they delivered in the NEI colours of two shades of green, (Young leaf and Old leaf?) the darker being very close to Dark OD and the other being close to USAAF Medium Green (or perhaps Light OD)? This would (perhaps ) not have stopped them being repainted with RAAF Dark Green/Dark Earth, and I suspect that this has been commonly assumed.  But what was the real story?

[Tom R]

The man to ask is @Sydhuey.

[Sydhuey]

Personally I think his art work is a shocker , colour film and photo's of 89th Bs A-20A's show them in the std single OD over NG , some early A-20's and A-20A's were in a two tone scheme in the US and Panama but in my probably 50-60 pictures of 89th A-20A's no where would you definitely say there are any in a two tone scheme. OD when it fades gives the impression of multiple colours , look at the wrong Interpretations of RAF Boston IIIA's (A-20C's), many thought they were in RAF DG/DE (some did get repainted but the overwhelming majority of RAF Boston IIIA's where in OD over NG) when they were just faded OD.

The DB-7B's were in std factory (RAF Colours) of Dark Green/Dark Earth over Sky, these were diverted from the RAF contract not specific to the Dutch order for DB-7C's (which never got build , build to DB-7B specs and shipped to the USSR), these Boston's still had their RAF ALxxx serials on them when delivered (RAAF records from early April 42 still refer to them as ALxxx serials (03 Apr 42 2 AD Richmond AL358, 364, 365, 367, 892 became A28- 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 , the A28-xx was applied mid April 42)  , just the Dutch D-xx number added on the nose and Dutch triangles on lower wing and fuselage positions covering the original RAF roundels, RAAF roundels were applied to upper wing and fuselage sides (just reapplied the same RAF markings as originally applied as the RAAF used at that time) and the ALxxx covered by A28-xx , initialy RAAF Boston's didn't run lower wing roundels but these were applied before deployment to NG .

I have played with the original fuselage skins taken from A28-8 DU-J during its restoration and I was able to pick layers of paint off the roundel area revealing about 7-8 layers of paint , RAF roundel (4 colours), Dutch triangle (2 colours) re application of RAF style roundel (4 colours) then the overpaint of the yellow outer ring and red dot. 

Only variation to the DB-7B's was as they were damaged (belly landed) the Sky was overpainted in RAAF Sky Blue, this was not done all at once but as they were repaired , I don't think the last Sky underside disappeared till probably mid 44, in Jul 44 all remaining DB-7B's were painted in the new allover Foliage Green scheme for RAAF attack aircraft at that time, they also stayed in the DG/DE upper colours till the Foliage Green repaint in Jul 44, they got very faded and any repairs looked like Foliage Green as the original DG was so faded the new paint was very dark. 

His info on A-20G's (ie late 43 and later) is pretty good but the A-20A and RAAF Boston stuff is way out.    

[EwenS]

Background info is on ADF serials with individual aircraft histories and some photos

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a28.htm

[Magpie22]

In general, I agree with Sydhuey's comments re the camouflage on A-20 / Boston aircraft. He has done considerablr research in this area. Trying to put it politely, Always check Caringbould's work against at least one other reference!!

Peter M

[Sydhuey]

If you want info on RAAF Boston's read the latest ADF Serials Newsletter http://www.adf-serials.com.au/newsletter/ADF-Serials Telegraph Vol 11 Iss 2 v3b.pdf, this is Pt 1 on DB-7B's in RAAF service , Pt 2 will be A-20C/A-20A and Pt 3 A-20G's.

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by Sydhuey

[Sydhuey]

2 hours ago, EwenS said:

Background info is on ADF serials with individual aircraft histories and some photos

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a28.htm

This is a work in progress, couple of corrections to be carried out and updated info, will be updated after the 3 articles have been published

[gingerbob]

Bah, books full of artistic renderings!  Give me crisp black and white photos every time.

 

Having said that, the guy who does the profiles for Wojtek Matusiak's books has an "annoying" (endearing?) tendency to say things like, "Hey, I notice that this one has a different oil cooler than the others- what's up with that?" - which sends us scurrying to figure out something we hadn't noticed/ hadn't wondered about.

[Graham Boak]

Thanks Syd: I find it surprising that aircraft recently painted in an approved USAAC scheme would be repainted for service in Australia  - photo(s) do exist of early A-20/A-20As in these 2xOD colours - particularly as the considerably smaller P-39s were not repainted despite being in British colours.  However, even this would only suggest a 2-colour scheme on a handful of aircraft,  3 of the examples given, the other 9 being wrong anyway.  Out of 100 in the book, that's probably as high or higher than the majority of similar works available.  Your comment on A-20Cs in RAF service in ODG is news to me, was this in the UK?  I had assumed this was not until the A-20J/Boston Mk.IV.

 

Bob: My main problem with a book consisting largely of identical colour schemes is that the markings difference could be easily represented using just noses and tails.  This would be less aesthetically pleasing, which might well affect sales, but would make room for more information or even photos.  Much as I love books full of large clear photos (can I mention the Wingleader series here?) most of the hobby literature is forced to rely upon much less satisfactory sources.

 

I don't actually have an A-20 awaiting any of these examples: the book was bought for me as a birthday present by my dear wife, admittedly after a few hints inspired by Pacific Profiles 1 on Japanese Army fighters in the theatre, which does seem to be well researched and a first class guide to the subject.  Vol 2 was also a present: on other Japanese Army types in the theatre, it again provides much more than was previously readily available (if at all).  However Japanese subjects are much less well covered in Western publications so pretty well anything as detailed is welcome.  I had assumed that Vol.3 would include other Allied bombers - ok, I should have read the cover more carefully!  However these have been covered in the South Pacific Air War series, Though to this modeller, the hiving off of the profiles into the Pacific Profiles series means that later volumes in the series will make them rather less attractive.  Bob may differ!

[Doug A Jones]

Folks - on the link to the ADF Serial Telegraph above - check out the article on the 18 (NEI) Sqn B-25's.  Some excellent info on the D waist turrets, nose and cheek guns, and the 'empty shell deflectors' under the nose.

Also some good stuff on RAAF A-20s.  I too was highly skeptical of the 2-tone disruptive OD/MG....though certainly no expert on the subject, no photos of 5th USAAF A-20s I've ever seen looked to have anything other than standard OD uppers (albeit heavily weathered) over NG lowers. 

Cheers

Doug

[Sydhuey]

3 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Thanks Syd: I find it surprising that aircraft recently painted in an approved USAAC scheme would be repainted for service in Australia  - photo(s) do exist of early A-20/A-20As in these 2xOD colours - particularly as the considerably smaller P-39s were not repainted despite being in British colours.  However, even this would only suggest a 2-colour scheme on a handful of aircraft,  3 of the examples given, the other 9 being wrong anyway.  Out of 100 in the book, that's probably as high or higher than the majority of similar works available.  Your comment on A-20Cs in RAF service in ODG is news to me, was this in the UK?  I had assumed this was not until the A-20J/Boston Mk.IV.

 

 

Graham , yes there were A-20A's in the two tone scheme but none I can positively ID in Australia, I'm not completely ruling it out we get all sorts of schemes still being thrown up , All the A-20A's were second hand aircraft when they got to Australia in early 42, (A-20A's delivered to the USAAF between Nov 40 and Aug 41) approx 60 of the 140 odd built A-20A's served in Aust/NG with many being worn out on arrival and needing O/H before going to NG and the two tone is not a scheme that has jumped out at me. Schemes other than OD over NG have been id's on P-39's, P-40's, B-17's operating in NG but these were almost all new build aircraft diverted from other operator deliveries  there is a great colour picture on the web of a machine in the two tone scheme still with red markings applied in the US and colour movie of 89th BG A-20A's in NG in which they look Olive Drab.

Yes RAF Boston's were in the OD/NG scheme before the Boston IV/V, RAF Boston IIIA's (BZ196 to BZ399 serials)(A-20C's), some were in the std RAF scheme DG/DE over sky but most of the Boston IIIA's were in std factory OD over NG, there is a couple of good films of French Boston IIIA in particular 342 Sqn (the French had their own photographers/film maker at 342 Sqn so there is quite alot of images of 342 Sqn Bostons), Similar with RAF Mitchell II's art work still gets around of them in DG/DE over sky when almost all were std OD over NG.

Boston III (Wxxxx, Zxxxx and ALxxx series serials ) were in the std DG/DE over Sky in the UK

Boston IIIA (BZ series) almost all in OD/NG but some in DG/DE over Sky

A-20C's (originally used US serial but eventually renumbered in the HK series ) (diverted from USSR deliveries in exchange for Spitfires)delivered in OD/NG but as almost all used in NA/Italy ended up DG/DE over Black

[Graham Boak]

I've come to believe that Mitchell Mk.I s were the only ones in RAF colours.

 

That US-built aircraft in RAF service in Italy retained OD/NA seems to have been normal, but to find that A-20s "broke the rule of thumb" is again interesting.  The black underside suggests use as night intruders in a late stage of the campaign.  HK serial allocations were largely all in the Middle East for impressed aircraft, of various kinds.

 

Thanks again.

[Sydhuey]

 

Have lots of photo's Graham , OD IIIA's in UK,  Night Intruders with 18 Sqn Italy, just too much of a pain to put on here.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Sydhuey

[Mike Starmer]

IIRC, Archer's book states that the Light and Dark Olive Drab scheme was a one off trials scheme which was never adopted.  Since the Dutch two green scheme was commented on for Curtiss P-36s, recent research has it that these were painted with Australian made paints, not American.  The resemblance to the US colours may or may not be deliberate.  These could be the same colours as the RAAF used, their versions of Light and Dark Greens which do not exactly match the MAP colours.  Now I await the flack.

[Graham Boak]

I as quoting from Archer when I stated that it was carried by A-20s, and A-20As up to number 100.

 

The Dutch colours have been listed for more aircraft than the P-36.  I can't say about their source.