KRK4m Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 I used to see it, but I don't remember where. A Wellington Mk.1c from the MTO (rather still Africa) with the lower surfaces in Blue (perhaps Azure) - not Night. Interestingly, the demarcation line ran low, as in the UK-based machines in 1939. Does anyone remember such a phenomenon? Cheers Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Hi Sounds vaguely familiar, as is also a three colour upper surface wellington but sorry I can't help with a source photo cheers jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 Just the sort of question for Tony O'toole, alas, not this time. I know Tony did build a TSS/Azure ASR Wellington a while ago, but I can't recall ever having seen a Desert scheme over Azure one. I'd be keen to see same. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 Hi would this be the thread ? it has a possible wellington photo candidate cheers jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRK4m Posted May 12, 2022 Author Share Posted May 12, 2022 While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658 Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo? Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane. Cheers Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 28 minutes ago, KRK4m said: While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658 Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo? Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane. Cheers Michael The first link appears to be broken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRK4m Posted May 12, 2022 Author Share Posted May 12, 2022 Thank you, Chuck Try this http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/picture.php?/MEC2658/category/album-458-wellington Cheers Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 4 hours ago, KRK4m said: While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658 Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo? Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane. Cheers Michael Perhaps, Sir, this is simply shadow on the uppersurface colors, given a crisp edge by stringer for most of the picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRK4m Posted May 15, 2022 Author Share Posted May 15, 2022 My brother @JWM yesterday found this colorful profile that I had seen somewhere. He took a photo and sent me an MMS - a Wimpey Mk.Ic with a red code letter Z and an illegible serial is published in the AJ Press book "Africa 1940-42" by Krzysztof Janewicz. Of course, the author knows Troy Smith's principle "never believe a profile without a photo" and attached a photo next to it captioned "Wellington from one of the 4 squadrons supporting Operation Crusader in December 1941". But after all, in 1941, the Desert Scheme could be combined with light undersurfaces only in fighters, day bombers and transports - night bombers were to have a Night bottom. And Wellington has not been a day bomber since 1940. So today I started digging into the IWM photo archive. And bingo! I found the same photo (IWM CM 2940). But in the IWM the caption says "Wellington Ic serial Z9027 coded Z from the ASR flight before take-off from Bir El Beheira". Now I understand the light undersurfaces (probably Sky) with a low demarcation line and the lack of guns in the nose turret. A new rule appears to me: "never believe a caption to the photo until you find the original". But the question remains: how were the uppersurfaces of ASR aircraft painted in Egypt in 1941? Desert, Temperate Sea, or maybe Tropical Sea? In the well-known photo of Fairchild 91 flying in close formation with the Wellington coded X from the ASR flight at El Qassasin (IWM ME/RAF/5889), the two uppersurface colours are relatively bright and strongly contrasted - they absolutely do not look like a DSG/EDSG set. Cheers Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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