RAF fuselage markings

**rockpaperscissor** · #1 10-13-2009, 03:26 PM

I'm really very confused about RAF and RAAF fuselage side markings from WWII. When I photoshopped my Westland Whirlwind, I set up my markings this way:

Port - J (roundel) HE
Starboard - JH (roundel) E
(same order, 1 letter fuselage forward of roundel)

I just pulled out a Maly Mosquito that I'm thinking of building next, and I find this:

Port - L (roundel) SM
Starboard - SM (roundel) L
(different order, 1 letter fuselage forward of roundel)

Then I look at my Kampflieger Vultee Vengeance (RAAF), and it's labelled:

Port - MJ (roundel) M
Starboard - M (roundel) MJ
(different order, 2 letters fuselage forward of roundel)

I check out a Marek Hurricane only to find:

Port - RF (roundel) D
Starboard - RF (roundel) D
(same order, 2 letters forward on port, 1 letter forward on starboard)

So I have 4 WWII United Empire aircraft with 4 different nomenclatures from side to side. Does anyone know which is correct? Please, please let it be my Whirlwind! (fingers crossed)

**wag** · #2 10-13-2009, 04:03 PM

The system the RAF used was two letters together that designated the squadron and a single letter on the other side of the roundel to designate the individual plane. So the same two letters should be together on both sides of the fuselage. In the case of your Whirlwind If the portside read
J (roundel) HE
The starboard side could read
HE (roundel) J or
J (roundel) HE
depending on the squadron.

**rockpaperscissor** · #3 10-13-2009, 04:13 PM

Rats! My Whirlwind is wrong. Well, I've gone too far to scrap it now - fuselage done, and starboard wing built and attached. Thank you, wag for setting me straight. I'm sorry I didn't inquire before adding the markings to the Whirlwind. Bummer.

**Don Boose** · #4 10-13-2009, 04:21 PM

Dan will have an explanation for why this particular aircraft had the markings placed in an unconventional manner. Something along the lines of: a mistake made by LAC Cheddington-Bixley of 263 Squadron. The aircraft was repainted the next day, but for a brief period, P6985 appeared with the erroneous code of JH-E on the starboard side.

The non-Terry Thomas Don

**member_3** · #5 10-13-2009, 04:35 PM

Unfortunately, all of them could be correct FOR THAT AIRCRAFT AT THAT TIME. The interpretation (or misinterpretation) of painting schedules is well documented. In the case of the "proper" order of AA () A [Squadron Code - Roundel - Aircraft Letter (or number)] the application was many times set askew by other markings (e.g., "D-Day" stripes) and/or the proximity of the tail assembly to the roundel. Certain aircraft types have some interesting solutions; the Beaufighter with all codes forward of the roundel separated by a dash or the Wellington whose placement was affected by the window panels on the fuselage sides. The only certain way to get your markings correct is to have photographs of both sides of the plane taken on the same day - difficult order since most good photos seem to show the port side (for personal and victory markings?) and most color profiles show the port side for the same reason. This same phenomenon is also seen on USAAF aircraft of the WW2 period.

Having said that, all the 263 Squadron (code HE) aircraft I could find had A()HE on the port side and HE()A on the starboard.