Beaufort Mk.Ia DD959 colors

[Redboost]

Everyone,

 

I thought I may ask if anyone is able to comment on the color scheme of the DD959 "Q" of 217.squadron, which is usually described as Temperate Sea Scheme (e.g. Xtradecal sheet), while on the IWM picture I can see much lighter colors which rather remind DE/MS with Azure Blue or Sky underneath, probably as a result of local repainting. Shouldn't the TSS scheme look more darker on the picture, or perhaps this is a orthochromatic material where the colors are a bit shifted?

 

Thanks for any comments,

Libor  

 

[stevehnz]

It isn't something like this one perhaps? To my eye, the undersurface colours look very much the same shade as the paler upper surface colour.

Steve

[Graham Boak]

I would very much doubt that any Beaufort would be painted into the Desert Scheme.  The light propeller tips suggest this is not orthochromatic film but this is not an absolute rule, and unfortunately it is not possible to to see the roundel colours where the comparative tones of the blue and the red would tell us.  Sadly for us, TSS varied considerably with lighting conditions, film and filters, but the light appearance of two of these three colours does suggest the presence of blue.

 

By chance, this morning's post bought the arrival of the latest Scale Aircraft Modelling (June) wherein Paul Lucas discusses the available evidence fo the use of blue colours on Mediteranean bombers.  To summarise, there is little direct evidence and what there is points to Blenheims rather than Beauforts.  However there is some evidence for Beauforts in either Extra Dark Sea Grey and Light Mediterranean Blue over Azure Blue, or Dark and Light Mediterranean Blue over Azure Blue (as JWM's model above).  Best read the entire article, but the final words of the article are "..cannot be confirmed."

[Dervish]

There are two colour photos of a Malta Beaufort in its revetment in June 1943 on the IWM website. I’m surprised no one has mentioned these. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205212816

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188647

[Graham Boak]

They show TSS, so do not add anything to the suggestion that some of them were in blues.

[woody37]

Just resurrecting this thread as I'm building DD959 and feel conflicted about the photo & supposed TSS.

 

Quote

https://timesofmalta.com/article/italian-aircraft-hijacked-and-flown-to-malta.733759

 

Firstly, I know IWM indicate this to be 217Sqn in Malta, but could anyone verify this? Could this be an assumption that is throwing us off? Secondly, if it is TSS and cross referencing with the colour photo's linked in the thread, the EDSG appears lighter than the DSG, possibly through fading in the sun. Looking at other period colour photo's of TSS in general, on some, the EDSG appears lighter than DSG and in others, darker. What could cause this inconsistency? Using the colour photo's from Malta linked above, if I do go with TSS, I'd be tempted to lighten the EDSG rather than DSG to get a good contrast, but welcome any more recent information before going ahead.

 

Thanks

Neil

 

 

[Graham Boak]

EDSG did fade fairly quickly, passing through a colour with a strong blue tint.  It often looks lighter - sometimes very light - on b&w photos because of the behaviour of the film.   We tend to speak of ortho vs Panchromatic film, but there were two different "ortho" film stocks prewar, one showing yellow as black and the other as light, because of a difference the reaction to red.  Both show blues as light.  I think it is one of these films that shows EDSG as very light.  There are a very interesting few pages on the spectral sensitivities of various films in J C Mermet's book on Luftwaffe colours, from Karaktere (possibly not correct spelling.)

[stevehnz]

40 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

J C Mermet's book on Luftwaffe colours, from Caraktere

There you go Graham, fixed it for you.  This one?

Steve.

[Graham Boak]

That's the one.  I suppose I should dig it out to confirm the contents.... but I'm pretty sure.

[Tigerausfb]

Not sure if it's the same writings as I don't have the Mermet camouflage book but I do have his Bf109 volume 2 and there's a section in there about films' sensitivities.

 

Andrew

 

 

[Graham Boak]

I bought both at the same time... now to remember where I put them.

[tempestfan]

30 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

I bought both at the same time... now to remember where I put them.

Mine is in the cabinet under "M", just before the 110 titles - but that will be of no help 😉 

[Super Aereo]

On 6/11/2025 at 11:41 AM, Tigerausfb said:

Not sure if it's the same writings as I don't have the Mermet camouflage book but I do have his Bf109 volume 2 and there's a section in there about films' sensitivities.

 

Andrew

 

 

 

Which is quite interesting, even if he forgets to expand a bit on IR sensitivity, which did make a difference.

[dragonlanceHR]

So, gents, the Mermet LW camo book, graded from 1 being "Pfft" to 10 being "Essential", is what? An 8? Keep in mind that this is asked by a person which enyoys counting rivets and splitting hairs...

TIA

Vedran

[Graham Boak]

If you have Merrick and Uhlmann, very good but not essential.  As a single volume first introduction it is a 9.  Not much use for Beauforts.

[dragonlanceHR]

Thank you Graham. As I don't have the Merrick or the Uhlmann books (just the chips from a planned but not realised reprint), Mermet will do just fine.

Edited June 14 by dragonlanceHR
Typo

[Paul Lucas]

Following that short digression, back to the colour scheme of DD959. . .

 

The Air Britain serials book has DD959 on the strength of 217 Squadron in Malta and that it was shot down by a Ju.88 on 20 June 1942.

 

The walls of the blast pen in the background of the IWM photo (GM 1029) look like those made from empty petrol cans that were used in Malta.

 

So I think it's probably safe to say that the photo was taken in Malta.

 

Christopher Shore's 'Mediterranean Air War' Vol.2 has the identity of the Beaufort shot down on 20 June as DD958 coded 'W-Q'.

The Air Britain book also has DD958 on 217 Squadron, but as being destroyed on the ground.

 

As to the colour scheme. . .

 

Before 217 Squadron was earmarked for Overseas service, in April 1942 it was operating Beauforts in the 'L' and 'AW' serial ranges. 

 

The 'DD' serial range aircraft that 217 Squadron flew out of the UK in early June were new aircraft that had been tropicalised. The intention was that the Squadron would go to Ceylon where they would come under the control of AHQ India.

 

Because they were new aircraft, I would suggest that the high contrast finish seen in the photo was not the result of weathering. DD95? had only been in Malta for about two weeks before it was lost. Is this really long enough for Extra Dark Sea Grey to bleach to the extent suggested in the photo? If this is the case, then what of the Dark Slate Grey, if that is what it is, on the nose that still appears to be very dark?

 

I don't think it would have been a camouflage scheme specially applied on Malta because by the summer of 1942 Malta was incapable of carrying out the large scale repainting of aircraft.

 

So it's down to the film/filter combination then? It might be, but then again it might not.

 

During the summer of 1942 the Air Ministry was quite happy for Spitfires destined for Malta to be specially camouflaged at the request of AHQ Malta. In light of this I see no reason why a batch of Beaufort's destined for Ceylon could not also be specially finished in a camouflage scheme considered to be better suited to Ceylon and the Indian Ocean than the TSS at the request of AHQ India as part of their tropicalisation.

 

As to what the colours might have been. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15 by Paul Lucas

[woody37]

Thanks Paul, I appreciate that B&W photo's can be very misleading, but the 'lighter' camo colour doesn't appear weathered and your research supports this. If I was to place a bet, I would put the colours as DE/MS just going off the photo alone, but what we know vs what we see creates more questions than answers!

[Paul Lucas]

I have three problems with a Dark Earth and Midstone interpretation.

 

1) It's somewhat counterintuitive that an aircraft with a predominantly Maritime role would be finished in the Desert Scheme.

 

2)The light and dark tones are in the ' wrong' places for the Desert Scheme as laid down in DTD TCs.

 

3) Looking at modern colour photographs of Shri-Lanka taken from the air or space, it doesn't appear to be very 'deserty'. There are however lots of greens and blues.

 

Any attempt to interpret what can be seen in the photo will necessitate leaving the idea that it was taken on a 'funny' film and or filter out of it as this is unknowable. Then it is a case of where you want the assumptions to start. 

 

The best place is probably with the under surfaces as there are only a few plausible possibilities to consider, lightest to darkest. 

Sky Blue 52% Diffuse Reflectivity

Sky 43% DR 

Azure Blue 30% DR

 

Extensive edit to original post.

 

The IWM site has a second, similar, photo of a different Beaufort in what appears to be the same scheme. Ref. GM 1024.

 

Under magnification, it appears that the stencilling on the nose hatch has been painted around leaving the wording on a slightly lighter background. Assuming that the original colour was Sky, the new slightly darker colour would probably have been Azure Blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15 by Paul Lucas
New information

[woody37]

Thanks Paul. I've played safe and gone with TSS, although using the Mk.II colour references from Malta, have lightened them somewhat compared to the coloured photo's of 217Sqn over more northern climates. I came across photo GM1024 but didn't notice that the stencil had been masked, this could well indicate that it's just the photo making the colours appear lighter. 

 

Thanks for your help and input into the discussion.