AofE P51B Kidd Hofer D-Day

[Texman]

Here is a picture of one of the squadrons P-51d's with the black stripe

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sit...?itok=0VewmBVE

And it is also on the underside

Roger Freeman Collection FRE 2282 | American Air Museum in Britain

[airdave]

Originally Posted by Texman

Here is a picture of one of the squadrons P-51d's with the black stripe

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sit...?itok=0VewmBVE

And it is also on the underside

Roger Freeman Collection FRE 2282 | American Air Museum in Britain

yeah, a considerable number of differences there.
A bunch of newer equipment with newer paint schemes too.

I see this is the second B-Mustang Hofer flew...the first being all green

Anyway... although I wish these stripes were red, I must concede to the more common black colour
unless I get evidence to the contrary.

Yes, I already had upper and lower (wraparound) stripes.


...
And heres some further info I have established (just for fun)...

UK/US Air Force directives:

Fin/Rudder band (stripe) discontinued and/or removed from camouflaged aircraft starting Mar 23 1944.

Identification Markings (Stripes) -on wings and horizontal tail surfaces- applied to UK based Mustangs from November 1943.
Specified as white on camouflage (OD or multi colour) aircraft
and black on bare metal finishes.

Full wrap around (upper and lower) Invasion (D-Day) striping applied to all Mustangs from June 6 1944.
Invasion stripes removed from all upper surfaces after July 1944.
Standardized in Sept 1944 ...black and white striping for lower half of Mustangs.
Discontinued entirely at the end of 1944.

It is unknown if Kid Hofer's Mustang was a green camouflaged Mustang that had the paint removed from the lower surfaces
or a bare metal finish aircraft with green added to the upper surfaces.

The Rudder stripe was retained long after it was discontinued and changed to red.
If the aircrcaft was originally camouflaged, the horiz. tail striping would have been white (later repainted to red?).
If the aircraft was originally bare metal, the stripes were originally black.

[Texman]

That's some good research

[Don Boose]

Yes! I love this kind of research, collaboration, and thoughtful supposition. This has been a most enjoyable thread that Chris started back in the day.

Hope you guys have a good time this weekend. Wish I could be there with you. Please have a wee deoch an' doris with Bernie in my absence.

Don