Tomahawk AN413 of 112 sqn second half of 1941 - undersurface colour question 25th July

[Mark Harmsworth]

 

I am starting on the Trumpeter 1:48 P-40B Tomahawk and am intending to build AN413 'K' of 112 sqn - one of the two options in the kit.

 

I've done a little research and my understanding is that 112 sqn received their Tomahawks from Curtiss in June / July 1941 and that they were replaced by Kittyhawks around the end of the year.

 

When delivered they were painted in Dark Green / Dark Earth with Sky undersides. At some later point the Green was overpainted with Middle Stone and the Sky with a darker blue.

 

Also, early on they seemed to have had the aircraft code letter on the fuselage but not the squadron code of 'GA' which was added later. Some images suggest that this was done rather haphazardly.

 

There are some good images here: http://raf-112-squadron.org/raf_112_squadron_photos_1941.html

 

The kit instructions have AN413 painted as delivered (DG/DE/Sky) whereas the box art (above) shows the desert scheme - both without the squadron code of GA.

 

To (slightly) complicate things further, according to the RAF Commands site, AN413 seems to have been a Tomahawk IIB and not a IIA. I think that means it was a P-40C but that probably doesn't make that much difference as they seem to have been externally the same (except for bomb racks?).

 

My question then is do we know what the right combination of camouflage scheme and fuselage codes would be for AN413?

 

Any clarification appreciated.

Mark

[Graham Boak]

Robin Brown's Shark Squadron, a history of 112 Sq, has a photo of Jack Bartle in the cockpit of AN413, dated September 1941, which is the month the squadron began operating the Tomahawk.  The area around the cockpit is a very light colour, so I'd say that the unit was already in the Desert Scheme.  It was also some time in September that the shark mouth appeared, so there's yet another option for you.  "Between September and November ... the aircraft carried single letters forward of the fuselage roundel but shortly afterwards the code letters GA were allocated..."

 

I suspect that by this stage the aircraft were being repainted in the MU before delivery to the squadron.  But maybe not?  I don't really believe, however, that the squadron would have had facilities to repaint the aircraft in the desert.

 

Also, on some machines the individual letter was repeated on the knuckle of the undercarriage fairing.

[Terry McGrady]

1 hour ago, Mark Harmsworth said:

 

I am starting on the Trumpeter 1:48 P-40B Tomahawk and am intending to build AN413 'K' of 112 sqn - one of the two options in the kit.

 

I've done a little research and my understanding is that 112 sqn received their Tomahawks from Curtiss in June / July 1941 and that they were replaced by Kittyhawks around the end of the year.

 

When delivered they were painted in Dark Green / Dark Earth with Sky undersides. At some later point the Green was overpainted with Middle Stone and the Sky with a darker blue.

 

Also, early on they seemed to have had the aircraft code letter on the fuselage but not the squadron code of 'GA' which was added later. Some images suggest that this was done rather haphazardly.

 

There are some good images here: http://raf-112-squadron.org/raf_112_squadron_photos_1941.html

 

The kit instructions have AN413 painted as delivered (DG/DE/Sky) whereas the box art (above) shows the desert scheme - both without the squadron code of GA.

 

To (slightly) complicate things further, according to the RAF Commands site, AN413 seems to have been a Tomahawk IIB and not a IIA. I think that means it was a P-40C but that probably doesn't make that much difference as they seem to have been externally the same (except for bomb racks?).

 

My question then is do we know what the right combination of camouflage scheme and fuselage codes would be for AN413?

 

Any clarification appreciated.

Mark

As Graham has said it looks very much like AN413 wasi n Desert Colours The Aircraft was lost on 12/12/41 over Tmimi Pilot being F'/O R Jeffries

[Buz]

Mark

 

Tomahawk IIb AN413 first appears in the SQN ORB on the 12th Oct 1941, and as Terry states was reportedly lost with PltOff R.Jefferies when it was shot down by a Bf109 of III/JG27. With a arrival date into 112SQN of Oct 1941, Desert scheme would be the most likely finish (desert scheme first appears en-mass in Sept 1941 - repainted at the MU (as per Graham's post), I have photos that show aircraft  still in the delivery scheme but carrying full SQN codes which indicates the SQN didn't have time to repaint aircraft).

 

This aircraft causes some confusion as AK413 was also with 112SQN and was also coded K, in fact it would seem that AN413 replaced AK413. AK413 was certainly coded K in a light grey (as per the orders of the time), I believe AN413 would have had the K applied in Grey, and later the white codes were added (probably around early/Mid Nov 1941). After the loss the replacement aircraft had full squadron codes in white.

 

Buz

Edited July 23, 2021 by Buz

[Mark Harmsworth]

Thanks for the help. Now I've stumbled across another query.

 

My understanding (which may well be wrong) is that the desert scheme allowed for the undersurfaces to be 'sky, azure or light mediterannean blue'.

 

These two images from the IWM are from the same sqn and period and seem to show a light coloured undersurface - would this be sky?

 

thanks

Mark

 

[Graham Boak]

The ME Command rejected Sky in 1940, sending the Air Ministry a copy of their preferred colour (called Iraqi Blue or Middle East Light Blue) and this was studied/copied and the Air Ministry produced their official colour for the theatre Azure Blue.  The actual recommendation you quote is for a significantly later date.  I would have no problem accepting that this underside colour was Azure Blue.  There remains the problem that this aircraft has probably been repainted from a delivery painted in Dark Green/Dark Earth/Sky, so would the ME OTU have retained the Sky underside when the local Command had refused it?

 

For modellers, the matter has been confused for years by Humbrol's initial attempt at Azure Blue, which was considerably darker and a better match for Mediterranean Light Blue - which happens to be the adjacent colour on the Ministry of Aircraft Production's colour chart.  (MAP took over responsibility for this from the Air Ministry.)  So aircraft in the theatre with light undersides couldn't possibly be Azure Blue, could they?  Well, yes they could, Azure Blue will look rather light on any photo where the blue sky looks equally light.  Those with a darker underside being presumably Light Mediterranean Blue.  (Or perhaps, as always, some odd lens filter.)

 

As confirmation, colour photos of Spitfire Mk.Vs show a light blue.  

[Mark Harmsworth]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

I would have no problem accepting that this underside colour was Azure Blue. 

Thank you

[alt-92]

We'll never know now, but perhaps the intent of that may have been sky (blue), azure (blue) or light mediterranean blue. 

[Buz]

Mark

 

The first photo shown is actually very early 112SQN and are finished in Brown/Green over sky. The second photo is of a late aircraft in the desert scheme - confusing isn't it. I'm uncertain if you've seen the colour photos of the recovered Kittyhawk? The blue is very light. As Graham states the blues were variable in photos, depending of filters, lighting etc.

 

Buz

[Graham Boak]

For Curtiss, the underside colour will have been the Dupont Sky Type S Grey, which does differ somewhat from Sky but falls into the "near enough" category.  The other two colours will also have been the Dupont equivalents of Dark Green and Dark Earth, generally regarded as being good matches.  So if these aircraft were delivered directly (as I believe that they were, via Takoradi) then these are the colours used.

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

The last Tomahawk imports into Britain were in February 1941, same month as the first imports into the Middle East.

 

AN413, Tomahawk IIB, Middle East Sep 41, lost 12 Dec 41, SOC 13 or 15 Dec 41
AK413, Tomahawk IIB, Middle East 25 Jun 41, SOC 13 Nov 1941