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Old 12-08-2018, 08:28 PM
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Don Boose Don Boose is offline
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I hate to keep beating this poor nearly-dead horse, but two points occur to me:

1. Looking at the images of FAA Martlets of No. 805 Squadron, and with the Barrett Tillman information, it seems to me that you have more than enough justification to recolor a Martlet in dark brown and mid stone over azure desert camouflage.

2. You could make an interesting diorama of No. 805 Squadron aircraft. In January 1941, the squadron re-formed at Aboukir, Egypt, with Fulmar Is and Brewster Buffalos. In March 1941, the squadron carried out operations in defense of Crete and some unknown number of Gloster Sea Gladiators joined the Fulmars and Buffalos. The squadron returned to Egypt and acquired three RAF Hurricanes. Due to combat and operational losses, it seems unlikely, but it is possible that 805 was flying Fulmars, Buffalos, Sea Gladiators, and Hurricanes at the same time.

In July, the squadron was re-equipped with the Martlets and served as part of a provisional Royal Navy Fighter Squadron in the Western Desert under the operational control of RAF Nos. 264, 269, and 234 Wings, successively.

The joint unit was disbanded in February 1942, but No. 805 Squadron continued to operate in the Western Desert with Martlets. It moved to the Suez Canal Zone in August 1942, then to Kenya shortly thereafter. The squadron continued to fly Martlets until it was disbanded on 10 January `942 and the personnel dispersed to new units then forming. [Ray Sturtivant, The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm, Tonbridge, UK: Air Britain Publications, 1964, pp.180-181.]

Don
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