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    Camouflage

    &MarkingsBoeing 8-17 Flying Fortress.S.A.A.C. & A.A.F., 1937-1945

    35p

    No.13

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    B-l7B in pre-war metal finish with U.s. ARMY painted on the underside of wings. De-icing boots on empennage and wingswere black in colour. (Boeing)

    BOEING B-17 FLYING FORTRESSTHE best known of all United States' combat aircraftof the Second World War, the Flying Fortress is alsoa foremost contender to the title of most colourful-in both senses of the word. In the later stages of theconflict when bright identification markings gracednatural metal finish, the vast formations of Fortressesoperating oyer Europe presented a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle.

    Total production of Fortresses of all models ranto 12,731. Although the prototype first flew in July1935 production during the following six years waslimited to 235 aircraft. The thirteen service test modelsYIB-17s, delivered during 1937, went to the 2ndBombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia. In1939 and '40 39 B-17B models supplemented theoriginal Fortresses in the 2nd BG and joined the7th BG at Hamilton Field, California, but of 38B-17Cs appearing in 1940 twenty were diverted to theRAP.. The final production of the Fortress in itsoriginal configuration, 42 B-17D models, went chieflyto the 19th BG atAlburquerque, New Mexico. During1940 and 1941 there were many transfers of B-17sbetween units and several new squadrons received afew examples to train with.

    Pre-war Fortresses were originally in natural metalfinish with protective clear lacquer on special corrosionprone parts. Fabric surfaces (rudder, elevators andailerons) were silver doped. A small area directly infront of the pilot's cabin windshield was painted inmatt black or dark olive green as an anti-glare feature.Technical data markings concerning-the operation andmaintenance of the aircraft were applied at appropriateplaces in black half inch high block type letters andnumerals. The ba ic identity of each machine was the

    Air Corps serial number and this was displayedexternally in inch high black characters on the leftside of the fuselage, below and forward of the pilot'scabin. Black enamel stripes, 4 inches wide, werepainted on the upper surface of each wing directlyover the two wing spars to indicate "walk ways" for

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    maintenance purposes. A further cordwise black stripeat the wing root connected with the two spar stripes.

    National military markings consisted of cocardesabove and below each wing and striping in nationalcolours on either side of the rudder. The cocarde, ared disc centred in a white five pointed star, itselfcontained in a blue disc, measured 74 inches indiameter and was positioned 156 inches from eachwing tip. The rudder was bordered on its leading edgeby a 15 to 18 inch blue band. Thirteen lOt inchhorizontal stripes, seven red, six white, filled in theremaining area of the rudder aft of the blue band.The bright red used in these national markings wasknown as Insignia Red and the dark blue as InsigniaBlue.

    A force marking was applied to the undersurfacesof the wings: U.S. ARMY, in black 48 inch highblock form letters. U.S. was painted under the leftand ARMY under the right wing with the tops of theletters towards the leading edges.

    A YIB-17 of the 49th Bombardment Squadron with designa-tor numbers on nose and tail. Front portion of cowlings werepainted yellow. (USAF)

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    Unit MarkingsPre-war unit identification markings were detailed

    in various Command and Air Corps technical ordersand fairly faithfully observed. In the late nineteen-thirties it was usual for a bombardment group tocomprise a headquarters and three squadrons.Aircraft assignments within the group were indicatedby colours. The forward portion of engine cowlingsbeingpainted in the squadron colour which was white,yellow or red. Group Hq. aircraft had cowlings

    painted in equal segments of white, yellow and red.Wherea fourth squadron was attached or assigned toa group, the colour blue wasused for identification.

    Squadron Command aircraft were identified bytwo 5 inch bands, 5 inches apart, encircling thefuselagedirectly aft of the wing. A, Band C FlightCommand aircraft were marked with a single 5 inchband; A FIt. vertically relative to the fuselage axis,B FIt. diagonally inclined, top forwards, and C Flt,diagonally inclined, top rearwards. Squadron Com-mand and Flight Command identification bands werein the appropriate squadron colour on bare metal

    finishB-I7s with the exception of "white" squadronwhich used black for clearer identification at adistance.The YIB-17s in service with the 20d BG were

    dividedbetweenthe three squadrons and headquarters.The 20th BS (Bombardment Squadron) used white,the 49th BS yellow, and the 96th red. "Plane-in-group" recognition numbers of two digits approxi-mately60 incheshigh were painted in black on eitherside of the nose and repeated on the lower tail finand upper surfaceof each wing, near the tip, approxi-mately20 inches in height. YJ 8-17s of 20th BS werenumbered50, 51, 52 and 53, those of 49th BS 80, 81and 82, and 96th BS's were 60, 6l, 62 and 63. TheYIB-17 assigned to Group Hq. was number 10.

    A system of group identification coding wasintroduced on Air Corps aircraft in ]937. Consistingof two letters of similar dimensions to the fin "plane-in-group" numbers and painted directly above them,the first letter signified the group mission and thesecond was the Jetter of the alphabet correspondingto the group number. The whole fin marking wasknown as the "airplane designator". In the case of2nd BG (which is first noted with this marking inearly 1938) the group code was BB. B for bombard-

    ment and B as the second Jetter of the alphabet for2nd Group. B-17B8received by7th BG in 1939carrieda BG code and B-17Ds of 19th BG were marked BSwhen the first of these models were delivered. By1940, however, planned expansion of the Air Corpsbeyond 26 groups had rendered the two-letter identi-fication system inadequate. A simplified form ofgroup marking was introduced in May using theactual group number as a prefix to the mission Jetter.

    RB-17D 40-3092 photographed in ]944 still wearing olivedrab and medium green camouflage. The yellow designatoris painted 011 the rudder, preferred position for these earlyFortresses. (USAF)

    TIle black walk-way stripes can be clearly seen on the wings of this Dark Olive Drab finished B-17E.

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    F

    cMike Bailey

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    Thus 7th BG B-17s carried 7B in place of BG ontheir tail fins. Actually, the whole designator wasrevised at this time with the "plane-in-group"number now appearing above the group code, areversal of the previous practice. The old designatorsystempersisted iJ 1some groups, notably the J 9th BG.The new form of designator was also used by otherorganisations operating B-l7s. Wings had a W suffix,independent reconnaissance squadrons an. R suffix,and aircraft operated by Material Division, Wright

    Field had MD below an aircraft number. Anotherfeature of pre-war B-17s in Air Corps service was theunit badge which was reproduced on the nose areain full colour.

    CamouflageDuring the 'thirties, Army Air Corps interest in

    camouflage for aircraft had been chiefly confined totemporary schemes for manoeuvres. These wereachieved with water based paints which were reason-ably easy to remove. At least one B-l7B was given afive colour shadow-shading type coat of camouflageapparently consisting of black, light grey, olive drab,medium green and sand. With the outbreak of war inEurope plans were made to finish new production

    aircraft in camouflage paints and in August 1940these were temporarily detailed as Dark Olive Drab,Shade 31 for upper surfaces and Neutral Gray,Shade 32 for lower surfaces. The following month

    "Suzy-Q"; B-ll 41-2489, famed for its exploits with 19th BG, pictured after its return to the USA. Despite securityrequirements the 93rd BS insignia was boldly displayed on the nose. (USAF)

    Two B-17Es all a factory test flight display contrasting camouflage schemes. While 41-9131 in the background has standardAAFfinish, 41-914J is painted in British type camouflage. Originally intended for RAF service, the aircraft was taken overby the AAF prior to delivery. Dark Green, Dark Earth and Deep Sky paints, manufactured by Dupont, were used on thisFortress. The Deep Sky extends well lip the fuselage sides and the greater part of the veriical tail. The RAF fin flash had notbeen deleted when this photo was taken. (Boeing via R. C. Jone )

    Coloured drawings 00 opposite page:A. Aphrodite B-17F with so-called 'Snowball' markings. August 1944.B. 92nd BG, 8th AF. YB40 in typical markings. April-June /943.C. VeteranB]7F of 303rd BG, 8th AF with Medium Green splotches along edges 0/ wings and tail. Divisional markings andred bordered National Insignia. August 1943.D. 'A' Flight Command B-17B of 32nd BS, 19th BG. 1940.E. By April 1945 the swing /0 COIOlif markings produced such colourful schemes as this 0/832nd BS, 486th BG.F. Black lower sur/aces distinguished Leaflet Squadron Fortresses. April 1944.G. 19th BG, 5th AF, B-17E ill standard camouflage with some overspraying all tail. 1942. 5

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    NATIONAL MARKING - TYPES AND PROPORTIONS

    ~ ...

    eoTANr.ENT

    TO CENT~~ DISC.

    TYPE I. TYPE 2INTRODUCED' JAN. I 1921 15 AUG. 1942

    20lJ

    O' A MINIMUM.

    SIZES !NCfl:~ASEIN

    ;11 STEPS.

    ~ROPORnONS , . o . s ,\'P,: zsvr VARIABLE.

    TYPE 2A TYPE 3 TYPE 4UK exsre Al e SEPT.1942. 29 JUNE 1943. 17 SEPT. 1943

    IaaP

    S E R IA L N U M BE R

    pesl TION~ll_---f'l----+.

    ~::~E:~OIGIT~ "lffiL~~~=~5~-~:~~~J~l~:;__"~5~~;::~~~~~~~HENO ON TO;; -= ::;,DORSAL ~~N.

    (2102379 TO1I02978;)-------~ __

    NOTE -

    T"I'?E 2 APPUED

    10" DIA.

    CONVERSION 01' HPE. 2

    ----y

    1 1 3 8~RS0' .qUALIViOTH

    (APPROX lOl l} , Aln~NAH

    REO AND: W I"UTE.

    lSfRIAl NUM6E I( POS ITrON No. r - NOTE 7' oiorrNIJM6'ERS E : o : n : : NO ON TO ~UPD-ER.(1106984 T O '210";B:!l).

    ~~7~@SE RIA L N UM BE R :u j~ i l o "PROPORTIONS.

    ~ELlOW ON CAM.

    alACK ON N.M.F.

    D AR K B L U E

    COLOUR KE Y D iii II OTHER CO LOUR SFOR ALL DRAW INGS AS NOTED.N OR MA N O TT AW A " ' . B L A CK WHITE ' f ~ L L OW R~D GREEN IN SIGNIA B LUE

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    the same shades were permanently established asShades 41 and 43 respectively. A zinc chromateprimer was specified prior to the application of thecamouflage paint, whether lacquer or enamel.Junction lines' of the olive drab and grey were to beblended by over spraying.

    It would be some time before camouflage would beapplied at the Boeing plant as smaller tactical aircrafthad priority. Also the matt lacquer paints developedby the Material Laboratory, Wright Field, had to beput into production and in consequence B-17scontinued to appear in bare metal finish. The firstolive drab and grey Fortresses from the manufac-turers appeared around October 1941 although someearlier B-17sreceivedcamouflage coats at depots. Theactual Technical Order specifying camouflage on allAir Corps combat aircraft was issued in April 1941and added a recommendation that blotches of MediumGreen, Shade 42, should be used to break up theoutline of the upper surfaces of wings and empennage.Technical Orders for camouflage and markings wereissued at intervals during the early war years and

    B-17Es of 5th BG operating from Hawaii early in /942 hadtheir rudders painted with alternating red and white stripes.This was not an approved AAF marking but was apparentlyadopted by SOtHe units in the Central Pacific area to conformwith US Navy practice at that time. Also of interest is thecamouflage sported by the two aircraft. 41-2403 in theforeground has normal Olive Drab upper surfaces, while41-2434 has been ova sprayed with medium green and ligh;brown shades. (USAAF)

    "Little Skunk/ace", a .8-17, of 97th BG with shadow-shading camouflage and Sky type undersides. Band near left wing tipwas red; similarly placed band on right wing was blue. (USAF)

    Shadow-shading pattern shows clearly in this photograph of B-17E 41-9175 taken at Buttonwood, Eng/and in March 1943.(USAF)

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    B-17F-I-BO, 41-24412 of the 12th AF's 97th BG, November 1942. Standard camouflage with yellow surround to fuselagecocarde. (USAAF)

    though the Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray shadestandards fixed in 1940 remained unaltered for threeyears, the paints actually applied to aircraft werefrequently a poor match. In the case of Dark Olive

    Drab with its highly pigmented content, when onceexposed to strong sunlight it faded rapidly so that ina matter of twelve months it had taken on a distinctlybrown and purplish hue. It is notable that the olivedrab applied to B-17s from 1943 onwards was muchmore durable from a colour angle which suggeststhat some alteration had been made to the composi-tion of the paint to prevent fade. Certainly the colourcontrast between the olive drab coats on new and oldB-17s was quite striking. Neutral Gray 43 wassuperseded in late 1943 by Sea Gray, a joint fumy/Navy shade which although similar to Neutral Gray,had a slightly blueish hue. However, it seems unlikely

    that this was used on B-J7s before camouflage wasabandoned. Paint fragments from late camouflagedB-17s examined by the author are in Neutral Gray.The Technical Order of Augu t 1940 detailing

    camouflage colours also recommended the eliminationof the cocardes from the upper right and lower leftwing surfaces to reduce the risk of enemy gunnersusing cocardes as ranging aids, In the light of develop-ments in the pace of air combat this was hardly validbut nevertheless this and other notable changes to thenational markings were ordered in February 1941. Therudder striping was to be removed from tacticalaircraft and cocardes applied, one on either side ofthe fuselage, approximately mid-way between wingand tailplane.Maintenance directions and technical coding

    continued to be applied to camouflaged aircraft inhalf-inch letters and numerals but those appearing onthe grey surfaces were in dark blue.TThere were some260 of these on B-17Es.) The black walk-way stripeswere also applied to early B-17Es but soon discon-tinued in order to make camouflage more effective.

    Theatres of War versus JapanWhen the Japanese attacked the Phiiippinesin

    December 1941 there were 35 B-17Ds of the 19th BGat airfields on the islands. These were still resplendentin bare metal finish and inviting targets for theattackers. Less than a dozen survived the enemy airraids of the first few weeks and frantic efforts were8

    Heavy Medium Green blotching on 42-5053, a B-17F-30-BOof the 305th BG. Code letters are pale grey. (USAF)

    Tail detail of the third 8-17F built by Douglas which was anoriginal combat aircraft of 303rd BG. Medium Green

    blotching shows up dark on rudder and light 01 1 fin. Radiocall letter on fin is in white and medium grey 01 1 the fuselage,(USAAF)

    Notes to line drawings oppositeFig. 1. Standard underwing markings for B-17E, J941.Fig. 2. Usual position of3rd Division wing symbol. Measure-ments varied/rom those officially advised (see text).Fig. 3. Shadow-shading as applied to a B-J7E of 97th BG.Pattern varied with each aircraft.Fig. 4. Measurements and positioning of l st Division wingand tail markings.Fig. 5, 6, 7 & 9. Position and measurements of 8th AFCombat Wing colour markings introduced during last ninemonths of hostilities.Fig. 8. Wing and tail markings of93rd Combat Wing groups.Fig. 10. Underwing identification letters applied post- VE Dayto deter pilots from low flying. Squadron codes used by mostunits but 457th and 388th BGs (latter illustrated) usedcurrent wireless transmission codes. First letter is individualaircraft letter.

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    FIG. I - B-I7E IVE DRAB FIG.2-

    OLIVE DRAB

    70" DI.s, - p a s ITiON

    AS FIG - (

    FIG.4 - B-17(7,

    ? 'EI) WING-TIPS AND TA i l PLANE

    IO 'ENTIFY 8"'" A.F . 1ST BOMBARD-

    MENT WlN&. INTRODUCED

    JULY 1944.

    SlW A. F. pn AIR DIVl S1QN SYMBOL

    GRouP l ETTER SUPERIMPoSED IN

    INSIC.N1A SlUE_

    FIG_ 6 ...... S -""AF 4f'1.1 S. WIN!;.

    941l -! GRP_ RED 1 H7T'" GRP.

    DARK BLUE, 486 TH GRP. rNNER

    HALF RE D - OUiER BLue, 487 ~

    ~RP. INNER HALF YELLOW -

    OUTER RED.

    FIG.S- 6-17G.FI&. 1-

    RED BARS ON WiNGS ANO

    t"'ll.PLA"'I~ IOENTIFY 8TH

    A F 93 QD BOMB! WING.

    3" 'T ' r I , ~ a5 " " ,4g0~,49-3Il.Q

    GROUPS

    FIG.9-

    8"'" AI: 45i1'4 B. WING.

    9G '"" GRP . - A.ED .

    .388"lH GRP. - BLACK_

    452",0 GRP. ~ . .. .EL lOW.

    FIG.IO-

    B n . A. F : posr- v. e r D A ' Y

    U ND ER w'IN G A NT IBUZZ '

    IDENTlr~ LETTERS.

    N OR ... .. N OTTAwAY.

    ST>

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    "Memphis Be/Ie", first Bth.AF B-17 to be flown back to the USA for a morale tour of factories and other war effort facilities,had Medium Green splotching on fuselage and tailplane. Code letters were a distinctive yellow. (USAF)

    A 94th BG B-17F with cocarde star dulled with grey for one mile visibility. Code leiters in standard position were in mediumgrey with blue cast. July 1943. (USAF)

    This 95th BG B-J7F had been ill service with the group six months when photographed in December 1943. Yet it still has theold cocardes and no group letter in the divisional square. Code letters ill this squadron were a distinctive sky blue. (Via R. Hill)

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    "Rebel's Revenge", 42-29750, of 323rd BS, sporting the "star and bar" with red surround. Identification letters grouped aftand individual letter repeated under tail number. "Rebel's Revenge" was lost shortly after this photo was taken. (USAAF)

    An original B-17F of 99th BG showing a darker green 011 centre fin section. Note "personal" Bugs Bunny painting on rearfuselage. Nickname "Bugs" was in red and white. Bomber had completed aile hundred missions when this photograph wastaken. (USAF)

    made to camouflage these B-17s. With few suppliesof approved materials available any paint that wouldsufficewas applied. The exact shades of green usedare unknown but in any case this expedient wasreplacedby true camouflage shades when the remnantsof the 19thwithdrew to Australia. The 7th BG was onits way to the Philippines at the time of outbreak ofwar. It had a mixture of B-17C, D and E models, afewof tile D's and all the E's in the official camouflagedress.The group operated first from Java then movedto Australia and finally to India where its B-17s wereeventuallyreplaced by B-24 Liberators.New B-17E units were hurriedly despatched to the

    SouthWest and Central Pacific theatres early in 1942.The 43rd BG went to northern Australia, the 11th BG

    to the Solomon Islands, while the 5th BG flew coastalpatrols from Hawaii with a mixture of B-17C, D andE models. While the majority of these aircraft werefinished in standard camouflage, a number ofB-17Cs and Ds had "in the field" shadow-shadingpatterns of olive drab, medium green, sand, and otherappropriate shades of water based paints. A fewB17Es also had green and brown shadow-shadingpatterns applied over the olive drab. All these schemeswere essentially individualistic and resulted from the

    urgency to provide some form of camouflage foraircraft at a critical time when further Japaneseattacks on airfields were anticipated.Security requirements had seen the removal of unit

    markings immediately after the outbreak of hostilitiesbut from early 1942* a new form of "airplane designa-tor" was introduced. This did not involve any unitidentification and was simply based on the serialnumber. It was composed of the last digit of the yearprefix followed by the serial number less the hyphen.As specified for the B-17E, it was to be painted acrossthe tail fin in figures 15 inches high and 10 inches widewith a 5 inch gap between each figure. All B-17Edesignators were of five figures and the top of thesewere positioned 80 inches from the top of the fin. The

    figures were in block form characters and the widthof the bars composing them approximately 2!- inches.Colour was Identification Yellow, a deep shade whichhas often been described as orange-yellow, althoughtruly not orange at all. The designator also served asa "radio call" number, and this latter eventuallybecame the more popular term being almost universallyaccepted by 1944.

    *Actually first specified in Technical Order, October 1941

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    OL I liE DRAB

    FIG, II ~ B -17E

    NEUTRAL. GREY

    FIG. 12 - B -1 7E

    FIG. 13 - 6-17F

    NEUTRAL G -~ EY LIGHT GREY FU5~LA.GE LETfERING.

    FIG. 14 - 8-17>'

    WITH H~X RAOAR

    LIGHT GREY FU5EL4GE LETTERING,

    FIG. 15 - B-17G-.

    N.EUTRAL GREY

    1=10.16_ 8-17G

    'KD21' IN YELLOWNEUTRAL GI'I,~Y

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    Due to scarcity in numbers there was no requirementfor unit identification on B-17s operating against theJapanese. No form of group identification marking isknown for any of the groups mentioned during theperiod they operated B-17s. The B-24 Liberator withits better range eventually replaced the B-17Es andFs in Pacific based bomb groups, the last examplesbeing withdrawn in the autumn of 1943.From the opening of hostilities there were repeated

    incidents of US aircraft attacking each other throughpilot's mistaken identification of the NationalInsignia. The rate of closure in combat was such thatit was easy for the red centre disc of the US markingto be taken for the similar Japanese device. Thisresulted in the issue of an order for the red centredisc to be deleted from the cocardes on all US militaryaircraft, regardless of theatre of war, effective as of1st June 1942.

    A t lth AF B-17F-40-BO with the National Tnsignia intro-duced ill August 1943. Note how the recently appliedInsignia Blue border contrasts with the jaded insignia BIlleof the old cocarde. White triangle identified the group, andthe white 0 below designator, the 340th BS. (M. Havelaar)

    340tlz BS Fortress i n . the 15th AF following the introductionof the Triangle Y marking: Squadron 0 is now black on awhite disc background. (USAAF)

    Notes to line drawings oppositeFig. J1 . B17E employed on coastal patrol oj USA with.US Navy type red and while rudder stripes. These localmarkings were used lor a short period early in 1942.Fig. 12. British type shadow-shading as carried by 92nd BeB-17E, December 1942. Light grey was a near match to Sky.Fig. 13. Typical example of blotched B-17f, 30Jrd BG'sFast Worker 2.Fig. 14. Early Pathfinder B-17GSH of 482ncl BG. Nodivisional triangle carried.Fig. J 5. Typical 301 st BG markings of early 1944.Fig. 16. 457111 BG B-.17 as operated on A/S/R duties.Abbreviated radio call markings carried on nose in yellow.

    Theatres of War versus GermanyAt the highest point only some one hundred

    Fortresses were available in all theatres of war versusJapan and it was against the European Axis that thevast majority of USAAF units equipped with thetype were operationally committed.

    The first USAAF Fortresses sent to Europe wereB-17Es of the 97th BG which arrived in the UKduring July and August 1942. These were interestingin that many had shadow-shading camouflage alongBritish lines. The Dark Olive Drab was over paintedwith patterns of brown and the undersides werefinished in pale blue-grey, these shades apparentlybeing the Dupont manufactured equivalent of theBr.itish Dark Earth and Sky colours, The author hasbeen unable to establish the reason for this departurefrom the norm, an enquiry at Boeings producing DOexplanation, but it appears likely that these B-17Eswith shadow-shading camouflage were originallyintended for RAF service and diverted to the USAAFduring production. Certainly the RAF received a fewsimilarly painted B-17Es during 1942. In passing it isworth noting that a report dated I t May 1942 statedthat US manufacturers were to use Dark Olive Drabas an equivalent to British Dark Green.

    Some of the 97th BG's B-17Es were further embel-lished with patches of Medium Green in line with therecommendation that this shade could be used tobreak up the outline contours of an aircraft. Apartfrom the yellow designator on the fin, no other formof authorised aircraft or unit identification markingwas carried by 97th BG B-17s. A few aircraft of its414th BS, however, had a white silhouette formdevice, adopted from the squadron's official badge,painted on the rear fuselage.

    The 8-l7P, first examples of which arrived inEngland .in August 1942, were in the standard oliveand. grey camouflage. They equipped the 97th and301st BGs which used no form of unit identifi-cation marking prior to being transferred to NorthAfrica in Nov/Dec 1942. The 97tb's B-17Es weretransferred to the 92nd G roup. Four other B-] 7Fgroups, the 91st, 303rd, 305th, and 306th arrivedbefore the end of the year and it was at thistime that a programme of blotching upper surfaceswith Medium Green was put in hand. Very fewB-17Fs of 97th and 301s t BGs received thisembellish-ment but the majority of aircraft assigned to the othergroups were thus marked during the period Dec. 1942-March 1943. Some of the Medium Green blotchingwas almost in the form of shadow-shading but forthe most part it was applied sparingly along the out-line of wings and tail. Thereafter camouflage wasmore uniform and thousands of 8-! 7F and G modelsreaching both the UK and North Africa were in thestandard factory finish. Although Medium Greenblotching was still being specified in USAAF TechnicalOrders during the summer of 1943, it was neitherapplied at the factory nor in the fieJd. A notable featureof most camouflaged B-17E, F and G models was theMedium Green finish of the tail fin centre section.This component was painted prior to installation onthe Fortress production line and was rarely oversprayed with olive drab. As already mentioned, olivedrab was very prone to fade, and particularly so withthe dopes used on canvas covered surfaces. This is

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    clearly shown in photographs where rudders andelevators frequently appear in a completely differenttone to other olive drab areas,

    Evolutionof National InsigniaTwo changes were made to the National Insignia

    on some early B-17Fs in the UK and may seem some-what contradictory in nature, as one was intended tomake the cocardes more distinct and the other to dullthem. In October 1942a concentric 2 inch yellow band

    was ordered to be painted round fuselage cocardes,Most 97th and 301st B-17s sported this adornmentalthough in many instances the encircling band was agood 3 inches wide. Fewer B-17Fs of the other earlygroups were thus decorated before the practice wasdiscontinued on heavy bombers. No dated order isknown to the author but most group paints hops hadstopped applying the yellow 'outline by December1942, The purpose of the outline, suggested by theBritish, was to give the US markings a definite circularappearance as the blue background tended to mergewith the camouflage at a distance and the white star

    could be confused with the white cross outlines inGerman markings. The white star on the other handdid givea bold splash on camouflaged surfaces and onlarge bomber aircraft it was suggested that this shouldbe dimmed to approximately one mile visibility. As aresult many white stars on B-17s were dulled withpale grey, a practice that continued, if erratically,until the introduction of the "star and bar" in June1943.

    Star and Bar was the popular name for the develop-ment in National Insignia that was ordered on29th June 1943. As an enhanced recognition featurethe cocardes were to have white rectangles added oneither side. The length of each rectangle was theradius of the cocarde while its height was half theradius of the cocarde. Further, the whole device wasto have an Insignia Red border, one eighth of thecocarde radius in width. It was to be many weeksbefore all B-I7s in the UK and North Africa hadtheir National Insignia altered in this fashion and on afew aircraft of the Eighth Air Force in England thered border was temporarily omitted. No sooner hadthe application of this new insignia been implemented

    than a further change wasnotified substituting InsigniaBlue for red in the surrounding band. Red, it wasfelt, still had associations with the Japanese markingand was better omitted entirely from the NationalInsignia. The change was advised on 14thAugust 1943to be effected by 17th September. It was, of course,not an urgent requirement in the European theatre ofoperations but even so some B-17s still had redborders to the star and bar on their wings a year later!

    Tactical MarkingsUSAAF forces in Europe adopted the established

    British systems of radio and wireless transmissionprocedures plus the visual code letter system. The fourEighth AF B-17F groups operating during the winterof 1942-43 first displayed single plane-in-squadronradio call letters on tail fins, These were painted inyellow approximately 28 to 30 inches high eitherabove or below the designator. In December 1942 thefour groups commenced painting squadron code letter

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    combinations on their B-17Fs. Each of the foursquadrons within a group painted a two-lettercombination on both sides of the fuselage ahead of thenational insignia with the individual plane-in-sqnadron letter aft of the National Insignia. Colourused by the 303rd, 305th and 306th waspale blue-grey,a paint from British sources. The 91st BG, however,preferred yellow. The source of the code lettercombinations was the British Air Ministry, allocationsbeing made from the same system existing for RAF

    units, Of note isthe similarity of at least two combina-tions in each group, i.e., two combinations employingthe same letter. This suggests that an attempt wasmade to confuse the enemy as to whether there werethree or four squadrons in a bomb group. This trendwas perpetuated with combinations given to newB-17 groups arriving later in 1943. With the latergroups the colour of code letters on camouflageremained predominantly grey, the shades varying andthe paint source presumably beingBritish. Two groups,the 401st and 398th used yellow, while a few groupschanged from grey to white to improve identification

    at a distance. The standard position for codes onB-17s was established as previously described for theearly groups, but again to improve visibility the codeswere in some cases positioned on the rear fuselage.Two B-17 groups, the 388th and 457th BG wereapparently never assigned code combinations, whileseveral others, though assigned codes, did not displaythem during hostilities.

    B-17G 42-38084 began its career with 348th BS and aftermajor repair was sent to the 429/h BS in the 2nd BG .. Itflew over 100 missions before the end of hostilities. (USAF)

    Notes to line drawings oppositeFig. 17. A 7th BO B-17B with designator tail markingsintroduced in May 1940.Fig. 18. Modified B-17G used for transportation by EighthService Command.Fig. 19. B-17H in authorised AISIR markings introducedJfily 1945. interpretation varied with more extensive orange-yellow markings 011 some aircraft.

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    /3 Eq AL IOIVISIONS.

    FIG. IS ~ CB-17

    (sx- R.U. FORnESS m).

    2"0 6 G

    (9 6TH S s)

    99'" S G

    (4/6'" B 5)

    NATURAL METAL. FINISH.

    NATU~AL METAL FINISH.

    A.E. A.F. STRIPES.

    ORANGE-YELLOW (S?EC. A~-E- 3).

    DARK GR~EN

    97'" B G

    u.s. 12TH & 15 TH AIR FORCES

    UNIT MARKINGS

    NORMAM OTTA\~AY.

    FIG. 17 - 6 -17S

    FI G. /9 - B -17 H

    WITH AIRBORNE

    LIFEBOAT.

    30l ST B G

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    "Pie Slice" marking of 463rcl BG on B-17G 42-31684. Such large personal decorations as JOKER were not usually toleratedby Command. (USAAF)

    In the 351st and 3841h BGs there was a tendency tosplit the squadron code combination either side of thenational marking on early B-17Fs. This became aregular practice in the 384th Group where the lastletter of the squadron code and the plane-in-squadronletter were frequently painted together aft On the leftside of the fuselage and forward on the right. ] n somegroups, notably the 91 st, 96th, 384th, 398th and 401st,the three letters were all grouped together on one sideof the national marking: in the 91st regularly andwith the others occasionally.

    The early B-' 7F squadrons had a strength of eight

    aircraft each. When radio-call letters were assignedthe practice was for the first and third squadrons of agroup to have their aircraft lettered from A onwardswhile the second and fourth squadrons had lettersfrom Z backwards. This held true of nearly all groupsarriving in 1942 and ]943 although there were one ortwo exceptions as was the case with most aircraftmarking practices. B-17Gs arriving ill the winter of1943-44 had all squadrons lettered from A onwards.

    By the spring of 1944 an average of 18 aircraft persquadron was normal and the range of letters ranfrom A to S omitting 1. 1n some of these groups theremaining letters of the alphabet were never assignedto normal combat aircraft but used for "hacks".Each group had its own particular ways with individ-ual aircraft lettering and while some did use theletter I, a few did not use letters which visually couldbe mistaken for others in the alphabet.

    As an identification aid, squadron code letters werein most cases ineffective beyond 500 yards althoughwhere tbe letters were painted clearly in yellow or

    white on the rear fuselage, they could be seen fromtwice this distance. However, to provide morepositive identification during assembly of a formation,Group identification markings were introduced inJune 1943. The Ist Bomb Wing aircraft (later Division)were identified by a triangle and the 4th Bomb Wing(later 3rd Division) by a square (as actually appliedthis was usually a rectangle). A letter of the alphabetwithin these geometric devices identified the group-

    Natural metal finish aircraft usually had unit marking ill black as on this 99th BG B-17G-50-DL with damaged bomb bay door.(USAAF)

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    FirST bright cotour markings on 8th AF B-17s were those of the lst Combat Wing in JUly 1944. This 398th BG pathfinder, withradome in place of ball turret, has yellow serial and tail letter. Olive Drab anti-glare apron extends from rear gunner's windowsto tail gun opening: (USAAF)

    in-wing (later group-in-division). The marking was

    displayed above the right wing and on either side ofthe tail fin and 78 inch sides ",'ere originally stipulated.There were practical difficulties with this size and thefollowing month the measurements advised were 72inch high triangles on the fin and 96 inches on thewing, 60 inches high by 48 inch rectangles on fin and72 inch by 60 inch on the wing. Colour of the letterwas at first specified as yellow but quickly changed toInsignia BIlle. The triangle and square backgroundswere white, often dulled with grey for similar Teasonsas the dimming of the white star. At the same timeas the group marking was introduced, the radio-call

    letter (plane-in-squadron letter) also became a

    standardised marking on the tail, being painted

    beneath the designator (radio-call number) in yellow.Size was specified as 28 inches high but this variednot only between groups but between aircraft in asquadron. In the following year many call letters on8-17 fins were 48 inches high.While these markings were ordered in June 1943, it

    was many months before they were fully instituted.The various changes to the National Insignia madeduring the same period competed for paintshop time,and together with the heavy losses B-17 groups wereincurring during the summer of 1943, it is understand-able that somany examples of incomplete unit markings

    can be found in photographs of B-17s of this time.A 385th BG Fortress with yellow chevron of 4th Combat Wing and yellow prop. bosses of 550tl1 BS. Aircraft previouslyserved witk another group whose tail markings were over sprayed with Olive Drab. New markings are in . yellow with theexception of the white rectangle and blue letter G. (Via H. Holmes)

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    Line up of 4018t BG Fortresses shows variation in position of triangle marking. SC:N was formerly IY:N of sister squadron(erased codes can be made out ahead of national marking). (USAF)

    Twelfth A ir Force MarkingsTwo more B-17F groups arrived in North Africa

    early in 1943 to double the 12th AF's complement.Like the 97th and 30Jst, these at first carried no formof individual unit identification other than the yellow

    designator. Many B-17Fs of the two original groupssported the yellow surround to the fuselage nationalmarkings and thus could be distinguished from thenewcomers. By the summer of 1943 the need for someform of unit marking saw the introduction of a simplescheme employing geometric symbols. The 2nd BGused a circle, the 97th a triangle, the 99th a diamondand the 30Ist a square. These were painted in whiteoutline form above the fin number. Squadron mark-ings eventually evolved by each group were individ-ualistic and in all cases painted below the designator.The 2nd BG's 20th BS at first had no marking but latera yellow fin top. 49th BS used a T shaped device, 96thBS a V and 429th BS a bar with three angled limbs. Theother groups had more obvious markings. The 97thused a single numeral which corresponded to the lastdigit of the squadron number, i.e., 0,1,2, and 4 for the340th, 3415t, 342nd and 414th BSs. The 99th BGemployed Roman numerals I, II, ill and IV consecu-tively for the 346th, 347th, 348th and 416th BSs. The301st followed a similar line but used conventionalnumerals: 32nd, 352nd, 353rd, and 419th beingnumbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. At first these markings werepainted in white but 97th and 301st Groups came to

    paint the squadron marking in black on a circularwhite background. When North African B-17s werewithdrawn for depot repair or major maintenance itwas common for the refurbished machines to be sent togroups other than those with which they originally

    served. The markings of the new owners were oftenhastily superimposed on the old, and the old squadronmarkings adapted to serve the new unit. It was notuncommon for 99th BG aircraft to retain the numeralsquadron markings of the 97th or 30Ist if appropriate,and vice versa. No individual plane-in-squadronmarkings were used by 12th AF B-17 units althoughcall letters were used in radio communication.

    The North African based B-173 came under the5th Bomb Wing and in the autumn of 1943 theymoved to Italy to form part of the newly createdFifteenth Air Force. In the following March andApril two B-17G equipped bomb groups fresh fromtraining grounds in the USA arrived to swell thenumber of groups in the 5th Wing to six. The occasionwas taken to revise the group marking system of allgroups. The 5th Bomb Wing was to be identified bythe letter Y which was not used in any of the 8th AFgroup markings. The four older groups were to retaintheir symbol marking but this was to be enlarged andto encompass the letter Y. Of the two new B17groups, the 463rd was to be identified by a Y in a 60degree segment of a circle, popularly known as a"pie slice" while the 483rd would have the Jetter Y

    B-17Gs of Pathfinder squadrons were sometimes detached to fly with another group and used that organisation's marking.This example is a 94th BG aircraft with 385th BG tail insignia. (USAAF)

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    306 B C ,(3&7'" B S)

    SqUADRON No. -

    SqON. LETTERS

    .V:, /~~\

    384TH B G

    (547'" B5 )

    SqUAD~ON

    LETTERS

    \

    40 1 sr B (;(614"" e 5)

    303~D 8 (;

    (4 '2 7T " B 5 l.

    SqUADRON No.-_

    37 91 " B c ,.

    (S27TH B S)

    96 T" B G(413~ 65)

    U.S. 8 TH A.A.F.

    FIRST & THIRD AIR DIVISIONS

    UNIT IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS

    See also Figs 2. & 4 to 9

    BG = Bombardment Group BS = Bombardment Sqdn,

    NORMAN O~TAWAY

    490 T" e G(848' 6 S)

    SqUAORON

    LETT~~S\

    3815~ B G

    ('535"" B S)

    SqUADRONLE.TTERS

    \

    a98T~ BG

    (601$T B S 1

    SqU AD RO N S YM SO L

    SQUADRON LETTERI

    ~dllnm"""",,,mmli/Ir'il~1

    ~~CJT493~D B G

    (863 0 ' S 5)

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    This 339th BS Fortress illustrates the great variation in aircraft lettering. Code QJ was often staggered as shown. Individualletter R is milch smaller than letters a/squadron code. (USAAF)

    with a star directly beneath the lower arm of the letter.On camouflaged aircraft the background was whiteand the Y device black or insignia blue, with theexception of 483rd BG where both the Y and the starwere in white. Neither the 463rd or 483rd carried anyform of squadron symbol marking on the tails of theiraircraft.

    Abandonment of camouflageBy the end of 1943the USAAF was generally on the

    offensive and camouflage of aircraft consideredunnecessary, A Technical Order dated 26th December1943notified that certain categories of combat aircraftwould henceforth appear in natural metal finish,

    heavy bombers being one. Odd examples of "silver"B-17s were to be seen before this date, their camou-flage having been removed by service units forexperimental purposes. On the production lines,camouflage was discontinued in the B-17G-35-BOblock at Boeing, and in the B-17G-20-VE and 35-DLblocks at Vega and Douglas respectively.

    On metal finish aircraft, radio call numbers (theterm designator had been dropped by this time) werenow painted in black and anti-glare areas in front ofthe cockpit and On engine cowlings in Dark OliveDrab. Few camouflaged Fortresses already in . servicewould have their paint removed although this was

    permissible. However, many olive and grey B-17scame to have metal finish areas where replacementcomponents had been substituted for the originals. Itwas also not uncommon to find "silver" aircraft witholive drab rudders or elevators where these had beenreplaced with old stock spares.

    With the new finish, unit markings came in for acolour change. Eighth AF group markings on- wingsand tail were now a black symbol with a white letter,while fuselage code letters were in black. FifteenthAir Force groups, with the exception of the 99th,continued to use black letters on a white backgroundfor their group markings. The 99th preferred a blackdiamond with white or natural metal Jetter Y and the2nd BG came to use a black Y within a black circleoutline. In the summer of 1944 the 97th, 99th and483rd groups commenced painting the group symbols20

    Two examples of factoryproject numbers that were a produc-tion marking. On."Foolish Virgin" of 3851hEG this has beenpainted on the nose: "822" are the last three digits ofaircraft's serial. The later 44-8146 has a project number o nthe tail fin in black.

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    ---------- Q ~ .. L ,

    Mike Bailey

    Boeing B-nG-5S-DL Fortress ~545, of the 429th Bombardment Squadron,2nd Bombardment Group, based at Amendola, Italy. April 1945.

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    on the upper surfaces of the horizontal tailplane to aidrecognition from above. The 301st BG eventuallydiscontinued the Y on a square marking, preferringa black Y without background above the radio callnumber and a figure 4, of similar size to the Y, paintedin black below the number. Squadrons were nowidentified by the letters A, B, C and D for the 32nd,352nd, 353rd and 419th BSs respectively, this markingappearing in black on the dorsal.fin.

    Colour MarkingsWith the elimination of camouflage came a return

    to more colourful unit markings. The use of colourfor squadron identification, reminiscent of pre-warAir Corps practice, came more and more into thepicture as the war progressed. Two 8th AF groups,the 385th and 457th, painted propeller bosses in adifferent colour for each squadron, while the 447thdid the same with cowlings, the 306th used tail tipsand the 95th, 100th and 390th nose bands. Thesewere some of the first B-17 groups in Europe toemploy colour for squadron identification but by theend of hostilities, twelve of the twenty-eight 8th AFgroups were using some form of bright marking forthis purpose. In July 1944 came the first large scaleuse of colour on B-17s when 1st Combat Wingaircraft received red wing tips, red horizontal tail-planes and a broad red vertical band on the f LU .Thiswas followed by a complete colour system for IstDivision Wings and in the case of the 41st CombatWing led to a new squadron marking arrangement bysimply numbering each unit of a group 1, 2, 3, and 4.The numeral was carried at the apex of a colouredtriangle. Third Division did not make general use ofcolour markings until early in 1945, albeit its 93rdCombat Wing had been using red markings since thelate summer. Details of both 1st and 3rd Divisioncolour markings are shown in the accompanyingdiagrams.

    In the 15th AF, colour markings worn by Fortresseswere not so uniform as in the Eighth. Possibly this hassomething to do with the less favourable baseconditions in Italy, for photographic evidence showsthat it was common for a 15th AF formation tocontain a few aircraft with incomplete unit markings.The 301st, 463rd and 483rd groups adopted colouredrudders and elevators as additional group identifica-tion during the summer of ]944. The 301st usedbright green, the 483rd yellow and the 483rd red.The 99th BG painted two wide black bands on eleva-tors and rudders of metal finish aircraft while oncamouflaged machines the black was interspersedwith white. The 2nd BG had. Insignia Blue cordwisebands around each wing outboard of the engines,these outlined in white on camouflaged aircraft.Elevators and rudders were Insignia Blue but the429th BS additionally had a white band across itsrudders. On olive drab 429th B-17s the rudder waswhite and the band Insignia Blue. Some 97th BGaircraft had red rudder markings but these appear tohave been of a rather casual nature as there weremany examples of B-17s from the group in the post"war Kingman dump without any colour markings. Anumber of 414th BS machines had diagonal red barson rudders while at least one 340th BS Fortresssported a red checkerboard rudder.

    22

    Special Duty Camouflage and MarkingsThe Sth AF's Night Leaflet Squadron operating

    from the UK employed B-.!7F and Gs with normalDark Olive Drab upper surfaces but with. under-sides painted black. This was the matt finish paint asapplied to RAF night bombers. It was intended thatthe USAAF's specially developed Jet 622 lacquer, amirror finish b.lack that was very effective in diffusinglight if an aircraft was caught in a searchlight beam,should be used on these B-J7s. In the autumn of 1944the squadron went over to B-24s and it is not knownif any Fortresses received this shiny bJack finish. Night

    There were many individual squadron marking practices. In838th BS, chin turrets of some B-170s were painted red andthe aircraft letter painted in while thereon. (USAAF)

    A common practice an all US cotnbat oircraft was the paint-ing of air crew names at a position adjacent to their station.

    Lt. Snell was co-pilot of this 837th BS B-17G at thelime

    this photo was taken. (R. Snell)

    Typical Fortress nose art. "Fickle of ?" is the rather sug-gestive name of this E-17F of the 385th BG.

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    EIGHTH AIR FORCE B-17 UNIT CODES AS DISPLAYED DURING HOSTILITIES

    AW 337 BS FC 571 BS KY 366 BS PU 360 BS UX 327 BS 2G 836 BSBG 334 BS FO 527 BS LD 418 BS PY 407 BS YE 532 BS H8 835 BSB1 568 BS FR 525 BS LF 526 BS QE 331 BS YK 358 BS K8 602 BSBK 546 BS GD 534 BS LG 322 BS QJ 339 BS YP 533 BS 4N 833 BSBN 359 BS GL 410 BS . LL 401 BS QW 412 BS WA 524 BS N7 603 BSBO 368 BS GN 427 BS LN 350 BS RD 423 BS WF 364 BS N8 600 BSBX 338 BS GY 367 BS MI 812 BS RQ 509 BS WW 369 BS 30 601 BSCC 569 BS IN 613 BS MS 535 BS SC 612 BS XK 365 BS Q3 8 TODF 324 BS IW 614 BS MZ 413 BS Sf 814 BS XM 332 as 3R 832 BSD! 570 BS IY 615 BS NY 325 BS SO 547 BS XR 349 BS R4 36 BSDS 511 BS JD 545 BS OE 335 BS SU 544 BS YB 508 BS R5 839 BSEP 351 BS JJ 422 BS OR 323 BS TS 333 BS 2C 838 BS 2S 834 BSET 336 BS JW 326 BS PC 813 BS TU 510 BS 4F 837 BS

    3.90th BG veteran of 101 missions with War Weary suffix to rail number. Red nose band identifies 568tll BS.

    BJ7F, 42-6174 of the Night Leaflet Squadron (422nd BS) with matt black undersides. B-/7 propeller bosses and blades oncamouflaged aircraft were normally black, with the exception of blade lips which Iyere yellow. (USAA F)