Cammo the DIY tale

[Guest]

Burst out laughing when I saw this.

http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/albums/black_and_white/dday_colors.jpg

The other side from factory production. This is not feathering this is just crooked painting.

Bet they went on to be house painters with their obvious ability.

Laurie

[Guest]

that brought a wry smile to my face ...... DIY in it's greatest form eh?

To be honest I'm sure those are the same two guys that did my house back in England ... their workmanship looks vaguely familliar

[spanner570]

Nice picture Laurie.....It's further proof that invasion stripes are not neccessarily straight and uniform. I've always believed loads were put on free hand with a b****y great brush!

Thanks for posting.

Ron

[HAWKERHUNTER]

I knew Id seen some brush painted ww11 planes somewhere, Thanks laurie

[stona]

It is important to understand the timeline for the application of these markings.

The plan to mark allied aircraft with identification stripes was given in 'Operation Memorandum No 23 Distinctive Marking-Aircraft'. This was issued by SHAEF on April 18th 1944. It was 'Top Secret' and therefore not widely circulated. It was to be more widely distributed a few days prior to the invasion.

SHAEF ordered units to start applying the markings on June 3rd in preparation for the scheduled invasion on June 5th. This was obviously a bit of a rush,compounded by the heavy rain on June 4th which,as well as leading to a postponement of the invasion until June 6th,also washed the markings off many aircraft. One US unit sought special permission to send a party off base (they were locked down) to seek more paint locally!

The standard of application on these aircraft immiediately prior to D-Day varied greatly,some units would have been more careful than others. However aircraft arriving at squadrons after the invasion would have had the markings,or partial markings,again depending on the date,applied at a Maintenance Unit. You can bet your house that these would be properly and neatly applied.

Remember also that a rough edge on a full sized aircraft amounts to a very small variation on a scale model and is very easily overdone.

[stona]

I knew Id seen some brush painted ww11 planes somewhere, Thanks laurie

There is a theory that the dark green paints (RLM 70 and 71) used on Luftwaffe aircraft were not suitable for spraying until a reformulation in late 1940/early 1941.This apparently explains the use of brushes to apply these colours as in the stippling seen on some units' aircraft. Ron (Spanner 570) did a very nice model of Helmut Wick's Bf109E which illustrates this very well.

I'm not sure that I buy it,but it is an interesting theory.

Most aircraft lacquers were sprayed. I have pages and pages of detailed instructions on how various german paints were to be applied. The application of the surface finish has a significant effect on the performance of an aeroplane which is why the various Air Ministries and Air Forces issued so many, strict,instructions on how they were to be applied and maintained.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Remember also that a rough edge on a full sized aircraft amounts to a very small variation on a scale model and is very easily overdone.

That's the most important thing IMHO, as something like 6" brushmarks on an aircraft or vehicle would be nigh-on impossible to accurately represent on a small scale model.

But I do wonder what the pilot of that Spit said when he saw those thick bands of whitewash on his aircraft!

Cheers

Patrick

[Guest]

Appreciate what you have stated Steve. Had realised it was the rush on the days before D Day.

It was the comic side that hit me.

Surprised they did not grab me to help with the work. Grown up by then 6 years old.

Matter of interest my Father being a Carpenter & Joiner was working on the gliders prior to Normandy landings. We hardly saw him at that time as we were evacuated due to the V1's & V2's from Kingston Surrey to Kingston upon Hull. Hitler then decided to send a few there. Obviously had my number.

Laurie

[stona]

Hi Laurie,that Spitfire is a particularly dodgy bit of painting but was by no means alone! Another american unit (maybe the 56th FG as I think my friend Nigel told me about this) used a British white distemper which they didn't thin properly or with the correct thinner resulting in them more or less plastering rather than painting it on. Sound familiar?

Here's a few more examples of less than perfect workmanship. Remember that thousands of aircraft had to be painted in less than 48 hours

Several are american,some would have you believe that they took far more care over theirs than others....mmmmmm.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Wow Steve where dooo you get all this stuff from ?

Not only the Pilots who must have been disgusted. I bet when they went for servicing the bods went berserk.

I know distemper well I have painted ceilings, Father's orders, before emulsion appeared on the scene. It virtually dried, perhaps set more appropriate, before it left the brush. The devil to remove. From memory it had a bit of lime in it or perhaps Dad put it in for fun !

Suppose it was not comic at the time of Normandy but it is now.

Laurie

[stona]

Well luckily the stripes were removed in stages following the invasion. I think you are probably correct that this must have been a relief to many.

Incidentally in the period between the Operational Memorandum being issued by SHAEF and the order to paint the aircraft many variations and exceptions were made as a result of complaints by various units and organisations.

For example on May 11th ammendment one exempted all RAF Bomber Command aircraft from carrying the stripes.They were still operating mainly at night and white stripes were not considered the most brilliant night time camouflage.

Initially tugs but not gliders were to be marked. This did not please the men who would have to fly the gliders and ammendment two of May 31st allowed gliders to be marked as single engined aircraft (18" not 24" stripes) "subject to the availability of equipment and manpower". I've never seen a photo of an unmarked glider so they must have got it done.

The US 1st Army had a whinge too. They reckoned that the weight of the stripes would affect the performance of their liason aircraft (mostly L-4 Piper Cubs) and make them difficult to conceal in forward areas. They were told that they had to apply the stripes but at a reduced width of only 8". An important detail if you are planning to model one.

Cheers

Steve