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UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES

O

f all the subjects in aviation modelling, the largest and most fruitful in terms of markings and sheer interest is arguably that of the United States Army Air Forces. I myself was born just 23 years

Editor: Chris Clifford Assistant Editor: Stu Fone Editor's Secretary: Tuesday Osborne Contributors: Dana Bell, Steve Budd, Toni Canfora, Chris Jones, Malcolm V Lowe, Andy White, Jennifer Wright Art Editor: Tom Bagley Group Art Editor: Steve Donovan Production Manager: Janet Watkins Commercial Director: Ann Saundry Group Advertising Manager: Brodie Baxter Advertising Manager: Tom Lee

after World War Two, and my youth was filled with stories from my grandparents, telling of vast streams of B-17s and B-24s “turning the sky black”. Apart from several years in Scotland, I have always, and still do live in the thick of Eighth Air Force country. The sites of former East Anglian bases such as Polebrook, King’s Cliffe, Deenethorpe, Alconbury and Molesworth are all a stone’s throw away. Undoubtedly, other modellers in the region have also been inspired by these aircraft that played a huge role in beating Nazi Germany. Of course, US air assets were based far and wide around the UK, and there is still much devotion to the memories of those brave crews who ran the

gauntlet of fighters and flak, even though the numbers of those who witnessed this air armada first hand dwindle every year. But what is the enduring appeal of the subject? For me, it’s a mixture of old fashioned American glamour (exemplified by the seemingly endless nose art that decorated US bombers and fighters), the impressive nature of the types in question, and the availability of mostly excellent kits and decal sheets in various scales. Search the websites of major online retailers and you’ll be bowled over by the mass of suitable products; one could mine this rich and creatively fascinating seam for years, without failing to ensure variety and heaps of pure modelling fun.

This publication seeks to inform and inspire novices and ‘old hands' alike, with a mix of highquality builds of popular USAAF aircraft (with highly useful techniques) and, from eminent aviation historians Malcolm V Lowe and Dana Bell, insightful history and reference material… the latter including rare period photographs that are simply invaluable for getting those little details just right. I hope you enjoy this volume as much as I did during its editing.

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Printed by: Warners (Midland) plc, Bourne. Printed in England (ISBN 9781910 415535).

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Chris Clifford, Editor

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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CONTENTS

– BY 06 INTHEFOCUS NUMBERS

30

Learn about the numbered air forces of the United States Army Air Forces with US aviation historian Dana Bell.

MODEL BUILD 12 – ‘BOLT FROM BEAULIEU Chris Jones shows how to apply a convincing oxidised metal finish, with Eduard’s 1/48 bubbletop P-47D in Ninth Air Force colours.

IN FOCUS – 22 SOUTHERN SUPREMOS Malcolm V Lowe describes how the southern England county of Hampshire became home to a massive air armada before, during and after D-Day.

MODEL BUILD 30 – SAVED BY CHIVALRY

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Lessons in replicating scale battle damage are imparted by Toni Canfora, courtesy of Revell’s 1/72 B-17F built as the 379th BG machine ‘Ye Olde Pub’.

IN FOCUS – 44 EARLY DAYS WITH THE FORTRESS Dana Bell explains the inception, camouflage and markings of Boeing’s B-17F bomber.

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84

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

What's inside?

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50 MODEL BUILD – RED TAIL RAIDER

Steve Budd snaps a salute to the USA’s African-American pilots in World War Two, with his in-depth build of Tamiya’s 1/32 P-51D Mustang.

Expert advice for all

64 IN FOCUS – PRIDE OF ALABAMA

The travails of the USAAF’s tenacious ‘Tuskegee Airmen’ are told by Dana Bell.

70 MODEL BUILD – PACIFIC GUNSHIP

Academy’s splendid quarter-scale B-25G Mitchell is built by Andy White.

78 IN FOCUS – A DRAB AFFAIR

This enigmatic shade of green has long confused modellers when it comes to replicating it accurately in scale form. Here, Dana Bell examines the colour’s history and subtle nuances.

84 MODEL BUILD – DESERT BELLE

The real aircraft may not have been a resounding success, but Jennifer Wright is sold on Eduard’s 1/48 P-39 Airacobra.

94 IN FOCUS – VENOM DILUTED

Dana Bell delves into the chequered history of the P-39 Airacobra, and offers sage advice on its different camouflage and markings.

50 SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS

Learn all about the numbered US air forces of World War Two, with Dana Bell’s invaluable guide

I AF: Activated in the US as the Northeast Air District; re-designated First Air Force in early 1941.

Above: Although few Thirteenth AF markings records survive, photos suggest that number ranges were assigned to each squadron. Squadron records, however, confirm the assignment of this P-38J to the 419th Night Fighter Squadron. Two months after this photo was taken in March 1944, the aircraft would be wrecked in a landing accident. Top: The Eighth Air Force assigned nose colours to each of its fighter groups; the yellow nose seen here designated the 361st Fighter Group. Squadrons within the group would later devise their own distinguishing tail colours and markings. Obversely, most Ninth AF fighter groups devised their own tail marking, with individual squadrons selecting their own nose colours. (USAF)

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

II AF: Activated in the US as the Northwest Air District; re-designated Second Air Force in early 1941.

Organisation

III AF: Activated in the US as the Southeast Air District; re-designated Third Air Force in early 1941.

Above: Nominally assigned to the Tenth AF’s 51st FG, the 26th FS was detailed to the Fourteenth AF in September 1943. This P-40K carries the Tenth AF aircraft number on the tail, the 26th FS emblem and yellow squadron stripe on the nose, and two squadron commander stripes on the aft fuselage. (USAF)

T IV AF: Activated in the US as the Southwest Air District; re-designated Fourth Air Force in early 1941.

he US Army fielded 16 individually numbered air forces during World War Two - each created to meet the particular needs of its geographical region, specialised mission, regional personalities or international politics. Operational control of these air forces and their units would prove a continuing theme…as the name suggests, the Army Air Forces remained a subordinate organisation within the US Army for the entire war. Chain-ofcommand disagreements could affect the types of missions

flown, target choices, and even the degree of logistical support provided. Interestingly, the AAF’s ability to operate with any degree of autonomy was more often the result of respect between individual commanders, rather than any formal command structure. This worked well at the top, where Army Chief of Staff General George C Marshall’s personal trust in General HH ‘Hap’ Arnold allowed the AAF commander to act more as an equal than a subordinate; in other theatres, relations were often less cordial.

Below: The Eighth AF identified the bombers of its three wings (later re-designated divisions) with geometric tail markings; a letter within the symbol distinguished the individual group. ‘I’ll Get By’ was a B-17G of the 3rd Bomb Division (square), 390th Bomb Group (J). (USN)

V AF: Activated as the Philippine Department Air Force in August 1941, re-designated Far East Air Force (singular) in October, and Fifth Air Force in February 1942. Aware of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Far East AF commanders wished to bomb the masses of Japanese aircraft based on Formosa immediately. Confused communications with higher level army command resulted in most of the US aircraft being destroyed on the ground hours later, as they finally prepared for that strike. US forces were eventually driven out of the Philippines, down through the Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea into Australia. By then, the Fifth Air Force would become the primary AAF command fighting back through the Southwest Pacific to the Philippines and Ryukyus. In June 1944, most of the Fifth’s command structure was transferred to the new Far East Air Forces (plural), an organisation created to coordinate the efforts of the Fifth and Thirteen Air Forces.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS Below: The Twentieth AF’s bombing missions were flown from China and the Marianas Islands, but operational control remained in Washington until the last month of the war. Each of the Twentieth’s bomb wings was assigned a geometric tail marking, with individual bomb groups distinguished by different letters. The giant ‘Z’ tail marking identified the 73rd Bomb Wing’s 498th Bomb Group.

EXTENDING THE THRUST

VI AF: Activated in October 1940 as the Panama Canal Air Force; re-designated the Caribbean Air Force in August 1941 and Sixth Air Force in February 1942. The Sixth defended the vital Panama Canal and hunted German submarines throughout the Caribbean.

Many air officers believed that aircraft were most effective when allowed to range far beyond ground armies, destroying an enemy’s capacity to support its combat forces - a concept known as strategic warfare. Many ground officers felt that aviation’s primary role was to support the troops, spotting enemy positions, acting as flying artillery and driving off enemy aircraft...tactical warfare. Echoes of those arguments can still be heard today in the US Army’s fight to extend the service life

VII AF: Activated as the Hawaiian Air Force in November 1940; re-designated Seventh Air Force in February 1942. All but destroyed by the Japanese attacks of December 7, 1941, the Seventh rebuilt, extending its defensive and offensive forces through the Central and South Pacific. By 1945, long-range Seventh AF fighters were escorting B-29s on missions to Japan.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

of the USAF’s ubiquitous A-10 ground-attack aircraft. Throughout the 1930s, the Air Corps (created by Congress in 1926) trained individuals, procured and tested equipment and filled a variety of administrative roles. Initially, individual armies, corps, and divisions retained control of combat units, though the March 1935 creation of General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF) allowed air officers to coordinate attack, bomber, and pursuit squadrons. But GHQAF still reported to army commanders,

AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND Although its aircraft and crews could be found in every operational theatre, Air Transport Command (ATC) was not considered a combat organisation and did not belong to any of the numbered air forces. The Air Corps’ first strategic transportation organisation was Ferrying Command, which had been activated in May 1941 to deliver aircraft from factories to military destinations (including some Lend-Lease deliveries to British receiving stations). The need for a centralised authority for the worldwide delivery of personnel and materiel led to Ferrying Command’s expansion into ATC on July 1, 1942. Ferry duties were transferred to a Domestic Division, while overseas deliveries were eventually organised via nine geographical wings. Most famous of these was the India-China Wing, which flew most of the famous ‘Hump’ missions to deliver cargos across the Himalayas. Commanded from Washington, ATC aircraft and cargos were expected to be above the authority of local commanders, who were often tempted to divert critical materiel bound through their bases to other theatres. With few combat units fully supplied, a number of cargos would somehow never reach their destinations; a few combat organisations were even known to operate C-47s with hastily over-painted ATC insignia on the rear fuselages. Many ATC flight crews were impressed from pre-war civilian airlines without benefit of military training, uniforms, or commissions. One former ATC flight scheduler recalled that military pilots liked to refer to ATC as the ‘Always Terrified Civilians.’

who also retained nearly all observation squadrons and overseas units. Wars in Europe and the Far

VIII AF: The Eighth was activated in the US in January 1942, moving to the UK in mid-1942 to support the planned invasion of France that same year. The (fortunate) delay of said invasion resulted in many Eighth AF units being transferred to other theatres, notably North Africa, but the Eighth was allowed to remain in Britain to begin a strategic air campaign against German industry. Increasing emphasis on the combined bomber offensive would make the Eighth the war’s largest air force by the time of the Reich’s collapse. In February 1944, much of the Eighth’s command structure was transferred to the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF), an organisation created to coordinate the strategic efforts of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces. In July 1945, the Eighth transferred to Okinawa, and began re-equipping with B-29s. Two missions were launched against Japan, but both were recalled before reaching their targets.

Organisation

IX AF: Activated in the US in September 1941 as Fifth Air Support Command; re-designated Ninth Air Force in April 1942 and transferred to the Middle East in support of British operations against the Afrika Korps that November. As Allied forces pushed German and Italian troops out of Africa, the Ninth (moving westward) and Twelfth (moving eastward) Air Forces met in Libya and turned north to Sicily and Italy. To simplify command, in October 1943 the Ninth transferred its assets to the Twelfth and prepared to return to the US. At the same time, General Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Expeditionary Force commander in Europe, moved to Britain to begin planning for the invasion of France, scheduled for late spring 1944. Recognising that the Eighth AF’s concentration on strategic bombing had come at the cost of tactical operations, Eisenhower approved a reorganisation along Royal Air Force lines – the Eighth would continue as a strategic body (similar to RAF Bomber Command), while the Ninth was brought to Britain as a tactical air force commanding the Eighth’s former tactical groups. The Eighth and Ninth would be the first two US air forces organised along mission needs, rather than geographical constraints.

East forced a rapid expansion of all US combat forces. In late 1940 the Army activated six new geographical commands to direct its operational air units: the Panama Canal Air Force, Hawaiian Air Force and, in the continental US, the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest air districts. The first numbered air forces were created in early 1941, when the four districts became, respectively, the First Air Force (I AF), Second Air Force (II AF), Third AF (III AF) and Fourth Air Force (IV AF). Air forces were designated by Roman numerals, though Arabic numbers are frequently substituted in the popular press. In June 1941 the Army

centralised command of GHQAF (soon re-designated Air Force Combat Command) and the Air Corps under the Army Air Forces (AAF). In a March 1942 reorganisation, the AAF discontinued AF Combat Command, transferring most of its authority to individual numbered air forces. At the same time, the Air Corps itself was discontinued as an organisation, though not completely eliminated – only Congress could eliminate an entity it had created, so although AAF personnel continued to be members of the Air Corps, the Air Corps command structure had been dissolved. Note that while the title Army Air Forces remained plural,

Below: In the Middle East, the 340th Bomb Group was assigned to the Ninth AF, where RAF fin flashes and additional wing insignia were common. When the 340th moved to the Twelfth AF, the extra wing insignia were frequently removed; fin flashes were left intact on older aircraft, but not added to new replacements. The 340th’s tail codes reflected the last digit of the squadron number (here the ‘9’ for the 489th BS) and an individual aircraft letter. (USAF)

X AF: Activated in the US in February 1942, the Tenth Air Force moved to India beginning in March 1942. Although the Tenth would control all AAF combat units in the China-Burma-India Theatre for most of the next year, the famous ‘Hump’ airlift operations across the Himalayas would be managed by Air Transport Command, not considered a combat organisation by the AAF. Intra-theatre command squabbles led to the China Air Task Force separating from the Tenth to become the Fourteenth Air Force in March 1943.

XI AF: Activated as the Alaskan Air Force in January 1942; re-designated Eleventh Air Force in February. The Eleventh defended Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, staging long-range bombing operations against northern Japan beginning in mid-1943. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS

XII AF: Activated in the US as the Twelfth Air Force in August 1942, the Twelfth quickly moved to Britain to organise AAF units participating in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North-West Africa planned for November. The Twelfth fought eastward across northern Africa to eventually meet the Ninth AF. With the October 1943 withdrawal of the Ninth, the Twelfth would control all AAF combat units in the Mediterranean Theatre until activation of the Fifteenth Air Force in November. At that time the Twelfth became a tactical air force, much as the Ninth had done in Britain.

the unofficial term ‘air force’ was used frequently, even at the highest levels of government. Also, the proper abbreviation was AAF–the ‘US’ prefix could only be assigned by Congress–though

Above: The Eleventh was the smallest numbered air force of the war. These P-40Es were assigned to the 11th Fighter Squadron, identified by the yellow Aleutian Tiger markings on the nose. The Eleventh AF’s white identification stripes may have also acted as unit markings, although official documentation has yet to surface. (USN)

many authors still write USAAF to clarify the organisation’s American origins. The AAF would control numerous administrative, individual training, support,

technical, and combat organisations. The first four numbered air forces were activated as domestic air districts in the continental US in December 1940. They trained combat units

Above: Most AAF units based in Northern Europe adopted RAF-style unit codes. Here, the fuselage code ‘9F’ identified the 597th Bomb Squadron, with the ‘R’ given as an individual aircraft letter. The diagonal yellow tail stripe distinguished all four squadrons of the 397th Bomb Group, Ninth Air Force. The distinctive black and white stripes were carried by most single- and twin-engined aircraft participating in the Normandy Invasion. (USAF)

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

XIII AF: The American landings on Guadalcanal in August 1942 brought a handful of Seventh AF Airacobras to that island. Fierce Japanese defence brought more units, including some borrowed from the Fifth AF. Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands were in the South Pacific – an area controlled by the US Navy. As subordinates, AAF commanders had little control over policy decisions...but this changed in January 1943, when the Thirteenth AF was activated to direct all AAF combat operations in the South Pacific. As the campaign in the Solomons came to a close, the Thirteenth focused on Rabaul and New Guinea in the army’s South-west Pacific Area – Fifth AF country! Plans to inactivate the Thirteenth, transferring its units to the Fifth, proved too complicated, so theatre commanders created the Far East Air Forces to administer Fifth and Thirteenth missions and logistics.

Organisation

AAF ANTISUBMARINE COMMAND

XIV AF: The American Volunteer Group (AVG) was known to the world as the Flying Tigers. Officially part of the Chinese Air Force, the AVG was absorbed into the Tenth Air Force in July 1942, leading to conflict at the highest levels. AVG commander Claire Lee Chennault chaffed at the new command arrangements. Believing that independence and additional aircraft would allow him to drive the Japanese from China and bomb Japan into surrender, Chennault pressed for the formation of a new, larger air force. Refused by his military superiors, Chennault convinced Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek to petition US president Roosevelt, who then granted the request. In March 1943, AAF combat units in China were reorganised under Chennault’s new Fourteenth Air Force.

Pre-war, inter-service squabbles had restricted Army aircraft from overwater flights exceeding 100 miles from shore; when the war began, few crews were prepared for the Navy’s request that the AAF begin temporary long-range patrols along the US East Coast. The First Air Force’s First Bomber Command initially took responsibility for the new anti-U-Boat mission, but a larger organisation would soon be required. In October 1942 the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (AAFAC) was created to coordinate all Army anti-submarine warfare in an arc from Brazil, through the Caribbean, across the eastern US and Canada, the North Atlantic, the UK, the Bay of Biscay and northwest Africa. AAFAC units were never assigned to the local control, making them immune from diversion to local tactical missions. By summer 1943 the Navy was prepared to assume the entire US contribution to the ASW role, and AAFAC was again re-designated I Bomber Command, returning to First Air Force authority. The last AAFAC units disbanded in October 1943.

for other theatres and flew defensive patrols over the US.

COLOURS AND MARKINGS Beyond national markings and radio call numbers (on the vertical tail), the AAF had no centralised unit marking system – each numbered air force was left to devise its own distinctive unit markings. Some organisations (for example the Eighth, Fifteenth, and Twentieth Air Forces) prescribed tightly controlled markings for each of its subordinate commands. Others

(such as the Ninth, Twelfth, and Fourteenth Air Forces) created simple numbering or lettering systems, and then queried each unit to learn what other colourful markings might be in use. While some squadrons and groups, when transferred between air forces, retained their old marking systems, other units revised their identification patterns and colour entirely. The study of those group and squadron markings has filled many books, but details of some locally devised markings remain elusive to this day.

Above: The Seventh AF identified its fighter groups with stripe combinations and its fighter squadrons with number ranges. Here, a P-40K of the 15th FG’s 45th FS launches from the deck of the USS Breton, bound for Canton Island in December 1943. The yellow nose stripes and number range 200-249 actually belonged to the 78th FS, which had transferred a number of aircraft to the 45th for this mission. (USN)

XV AF: The Fifteenth Air Force was activated in November 1943 in Italy. Following the previous month’s reorganisation of AAF units in Britain, the Fifteenth would become a strategic air force, leaving support of ground forces to the tactically orientated Twelfth Air Force. After February 1944, Twelfth and Eighth AF missions against the Axis powers were coordinated through the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe.

XX AF: The Twentieth Air Force activated in Washington, DC, in April 1944 to manage B-29 Superfortress strategic bombing operations based in China and the Central Pacific. General of the Army Arnold recognised that the B-29 was coveted by commanders of the Fifth, Seventh, Tenth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Air Forces, and that local control could divert the aircraft to in-area missions. Acting as commanding general of the Twentieth, Arnold could not be outranked, and any local sorties that didn’t involve strategic bombing would have to be negotiated. Two Twentieth AF B-29s would deliver the atomic weapons that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki – leading Japan’s emperor to declare that the war’s continuation would: “...result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation...”. Armed with ‘The Bomb’, the Twentieth Air Force would help bring about Japan’s surrender without the need for invasion. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD

Chris Jones applies a convincingly worn bare-metal finish to Eduard’s mixedmedia P-47D

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MODEL SPEC

Below: Eduard included a generous amount of resin detail to enhance Academy’s P-47D mouldings.

f all the nicknames bestowed upon military aircraft throughout history, few are more appropriate than that given to the mighty Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The ‘Jug’ (short for juggernaut) was certainly big, and so heavy it may as well have been a truck. Indeed, it was the largest and heaviest single-seat fighter of World War Two, and with such great mass the Thunderbolt more than lived up to its name in a power dive. Beyond its air-to-air prowess, the P-47 also excelled in the fighter-bomber role due to its rugged construction, powerful armament and heavy load-carrying ability. Its air-cooled Double Wasp engine could absorb damage and still bring pilot and aircraft home...in a way the liquidRepublic P-47D Thunderbolt ‘Jugs over Italy’ By:

Eduard (Academy plastic/Eduard after-market)

Stock Code:

EDK1180

Scale:

1/48

Price:

£39.65

Available from: www.eduard.com

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

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Kit decal options Eduard’s ‘Jugs over Italy’ kit provided six colourful schemes–five from the Italian theatre and a sneaky French-based anomaly just to catch everyone out! • P-47D, 86th FS, 79th FG, Fano Air Field, Italy, February, 1945 • P-47D D-25, Capt Edward F Jones, 64th FS, 57th FG, Grosseto Air Base, Italy, Early 1945 • P-47D-25, 527th FS, 86th FG, Pisa Air Base, Italy, 1945 • P-47D-27RE, Lt Sylvester ‘Bud’ Hendricks, 65th FS, 57th FG, Grosetto Air Base, Italy, autumn 1944-45 • P-47D-27RE, 315th FS, 324th FG, Early 1945 • P-47D, 314th FS, 324th FG, Dole, France, winter 1944-45

cooled Merlins in Spitfires and Mustangs couldn’t hope to match.

INTRODUCING... ‘Jugs over Italy’ is one of Eduard’s limited edition offerings, whereby a stock kit from another manufacturer is complemented with paint masks, numerous after-market embellishments and new decals to offer a truly rounded package for modellers with the requisite experience. This enables the builder to purchase a kit and not have to worry about shopping for further after-market items. The plastic itself came courtesy of Academy’s P-47D...a respectable moulding with fine recessed panel lines and a good selection of weaponry. Beyond the plastic, there were wonderfully colourful decals from the everexcellent Cartograf, Eduard paint masks, two photo-etched (PE) metal frets and a range of resin upgrades. One PE fret was in

colour and provided numerous items, including seatbelts, the instrument panel and placards for the cockpit. The other (unpainted) frame offered items such as new torque scissor links for the gear legs, bomb detail enhancements and an engine ignition harness with 36 individual strands to attach! Resin parts included a gorgeous new cockpit, wheels with stunning tread detail and alternate propeller options. Although the Cartograf sheet was undoubtedly lovely, the brief for this build was to utilise a highly impressive and comprehensive BarracudaCals sheet ‘Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks’, to portray P-47-D25 ‘Screemin Weemie’. The 365th Fighter Group was part of the 9th Tactical Air Command, whose primary aim was to provide close air support to the US First Army as it advanced through Europe. After operating from RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire, just before and

2 1: A razor saw removed the cockpit floor and water prevented resin dust from getting into the air (and in one’s lungs).

2: A fresh scalpel blade came in handy when separating the more petit resin assemblies from their casting blocks.

3 3: Gloss Interior Green was applied to the cockpit parts to help prevent the colour from being stained by washes. The smooth surface also helped the wash to flow into recessed detail and around raised parts, to depict dirt and shadow. 4: Once the wash had been left to dry overnight, cotton buds were used to remove the excess.

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5: Photo-etched metal need not be traumatic to work with; items as simple as a flat bathroom tile and a scalpel were used to remove parts from their frets.

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"Resin parts included a gorgeous new cockpit, wheels with stunning tread detail"

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD

"the sponge method was used to apply chipping to the cockpit floor"

immediately after D-Day, the Hell Hawks soon found themselves forward-deployed to France by the end of June. ‘Screemin Weemie’ itself was the mount of Major Louis Houck from the 387th Fighter Squadron and was soon

resplendent in invasion stripes...so careful masking lay ahead.

RESIN REMOVAL The first task was to prepare the resin, partly out of necessity, as well as wanting to get the most

vexing job out of the way from the beginning. As ever, resin can provide gorgeous enhancements to standard plastic kits, but the particularly fine dust is absolutely no good for one’s respiratory system. Therefore, great care

was taken when sawing or slicing to do everything ‘wet’, ensuring that the relevant sanding surface was under the influence of water (which trapped the resulting fine powdery dust to ensure nothing got airborne). It was also worth

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365th fg schemes BarracudaCals ‘Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks’ (BC48036) BarracudaCals has produced a stunning decal package in tribute to the 365th FG (9th Air Force), which contains no fewer than 21 separate P-47 markings options. The quality of the sheets was superb and they even came with two complete sets of stencils, plus various chunks of stars and bars to hopefully ease the trauma of dealing with the insignia around the P-47’s fuselage intercooler exhaust doors. A portion of the full decal package is shown here, and a comprehensive book on the Hell Hawks is also available from Barracuda. www.barracudacals.com

7 6: A ruler was more than adequate to help fold the metal torque scissor parts.

7: Cocktail sticks, Blu-Tack and PVA glue all helped in appling the cockpit’s PE parts.

8

9 9: After carefully applying CA adhesive to the underside of the seatbelts, yet more cocktail stick assistance helped immensely.

8: Once the glue was applied, the precoloured PE placards were positioned with the minimum of effort.

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10: After oil washes, detail painting and PE part application, the gloss Interior Greenpainted cockpit assemblies were muted with Xtracolor XDFF matt varnish.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

12: Once the matt coat had dried, MIG Pigments Dry Mud was applied sparingly to the cockpit floor.

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11: A sponge was dipped in Citadel Runefang Steel paint, before virtually all trace of it was dabbed off onto kitchen paper. It was then applied gingerly to areas likely to be affected by chipping.

wearing a mask too. Test-fitting also took place at this early stage, too...that way, any modifications required could be dealt with during the ‘messy’ phase, which avoided having to go through the same precautions later in the build. After slight modification of locating tabs on the kit fuselage inner faces, miraculously, the entire resin cockpit simply dropped into place and no tinkering with the resin was required whatsoever. This was the first time I had ever experienced such a joyful event with a large, multi-part resin assembly. If only all such modellling excursions were as enjoyable...

12 With the resin parts removed, test-fitted and accounted for, all soiled items along with the tools used, were cleaned under a running tap with a toothbrush (keep the plug in!) to get rid of all resin dust/paste reside. Additionally, the cutting mat used as a work surface was cleaned thoroughly with damp kitchen roll. Although going to such lengths may seemingly border on the paranoid, being safe rather than sorry is a good policy.

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COCKPIT COLOURS Before painting, as much assembly of the resin cockpit took place as possible with the aid of suitable 13: Finally, the very convincing cockpit parts were ready to be assembled.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD 18

14 14: Notwithstanding the issues with the cockpit floor, which became warped somehow, the fit of the overall assembly into the fuselage was exceptional. Just minor trimming of the kit’s plastic locating tabs was required.

16: After painting, the ignition harness could be attached. There were 36 individual strands to be bent into place and secured. 17: The final result on the engine was well worth the effort. A filter and blotching with Raw Umber oil paint provided staining, while a Prismacolor Silver Metallic pencil created chipping of the paint. 18: Humbrol Maskol was excellent for masking the metal wheel hubs, while a similar mottling effect to that used on the propeller was employed to add weathering on the tyres.

17

15 cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive. Thanks to the variation in light and dark grey resin parts across the cockpit assembly, Tamiya XF-19 Sky Grey was used to provide a uniform primer undercoat for the subsequent paint. Cockpit colours can seemingly be a source of almost endless controversy, particularly when different factories, production batches, pigment shortages, misinterpreted specifications and so on get involved. To save stress, the ‘office’ was simply painted with a 4:1 mix of Tamiya NATO

Green and Dark Green (mixed with X-22 Clear to ensure a gloss finish which would help with the subsequent oil wash) and then it was time to move on. A dirty brown-green mix was created with Raw Umber and Sap Green oil paints, and applied across all cockpit areas, to enhance detail definition and provide a sense of grime and shadow. After being allowed to dry, the excess was removed with kitchen roll and cotton buds, before detail painting and the application of PE pieces could take place. Next, the

16 sponge method was used to apply chipping to the cockpit floor and across exposed metal edges that were subject to wear and tear. On this occasion, Citadel Runefang Steel was used; a small piece of sponge was held with tweezers and dipped into the paint, the excess was dabbed onto kitchen paper multiple times until it left fine, scratch-like marks instead of blobs, before it was applied sparingly where needed. The next stage was to apply Xtracolor XDFF enamel matt varnish, which was left overnight to dry, before MIG

Dry Mud pigment was applied carefully with a brush. With these sorts of effects, less is often more, so just a small amount of pigment was applied to the brush at a time and the excess was removed on kitchen paper, before being brushed on the cockpit floor. If the initial amount is not enough, more can be added. However, if too much is applied, it can be almost impossible to remove because the fine dust embeds itself in the microscopically rough matt varnish. After additional chipping was rendered with a

"natural metal finishes can be the most frustrating and elusive of all schemes"

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

sharpened Prismacolor Metallic Silver pencil, the cockpit was brought together–but not before the seatbelts were glued to the resin seat. Frustratingly, it was discovered that the cockpit floor had somehow warped and become curved, so the previously wellfitting assembly now looked rather poor. Although hot water could have helped, the floor was already painted, weathered and varnished so another option was required. After nearly snapping the piece in half, a combination of Tamiya Tape and CA glue seemed to be the only option, to pursuade it to conform to the sidewall locating edges as it ought to have done. Thankfully, it was wrestled into place and after adding the PE for the turbosupercharger compartment, the cockpit was fixed in place with the aid of CA and Araldite twopart epoxy before the well-fitting fuselage halves were joined with Revell Contacta cement. The idea was to get a small amount of the molten plastic/glue mix to seep out of the join seam, because after being allowed to harden fully, the

molten plastic would act as its own filler to (hopefully) prevent the sorts of ghost seams that can all-too-easily appear on any build... especially an airframe destined to wear natural metal. The wings were joined separately and the fit was pretty good too, although there was a step on the inboard edge of the lower wing half, where the flap met the fuselage that needed trimming. Before the wings and fuselage halves were mated, the seams were sanded with 600-grade Wet and Dry paper and then polished slightly with 1,000-grade paper to minimise the risk of scratches affecting the final finish. As a modeller who simply loathes re-scribing, any panel detail threatened by seam sanding was deepened beforehand with a sanding tool prior to the commencement of rubbing down. Strangely, the port wing went into the fuselage without trouble but the starboard wing showed a noticeable step where it met the wing root, so slicing and fettling of the locating tabs and holes was required.

19: After adding the guns and ammunition belts, the wings halves could be assembled.

Miliput two-part putty was used around the wing root joins and in a few places here and there, but the overall fit was decent. As ever, the joy of Miliput was that it could be neatened with water, so after applying it to the wing roots, damp cotton buds were used to remove the excess and smooth it out so that it just filled the join line and nothing else. Once filling

and sanding were completed, matt black was airbrushed over the seams to check for blemishes and, after remedial filling and sanding had taken place, the paint was removed quickly with sanding and isopropyl alcohol. After the engine had been painted and assembled (after expending no small amount of patience on the ignition harness) it was fixed in

21 21: Gunze Mr. Surfacer 1000 aerosol primer provided an excellent base coat for the Alclad that was to follow.

20

19

20: Once the engine and cowling were attached, the airframe was masked in preparation for priming.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

17

MODEL BUILD

"a rock salt grinder was used to apply ground salt over the entire airframe" place, the entire cowl assembly was attached and airframe construction was finished. Toothpicks and a tooth brush were used to clean all sanding dust out of the recessed detail, before the cockpit and engine were masked. Cocktail sticks were then placed in various holes underneath the model to produce a temporary undercarriage that could be stuck into a block of polystyrene, for the sticky primer stage that was to follow. After shaking a can of Mr. Surfacer 1000 aerosol spray for two minutes, an airbrush was used to blow air over the surface of the model to remove and/or reveal any hairs or dust stuck on the surface. With all blemishes removed as far as humanly possible, a latexgloved hand was used to hold the fuselage sides above the wing upper surfaces, while the under surfaces were sprayed with Mr. Surfacer. After a light initial layer,

22 22: Initial airframe painting began with a base coat of Alclad Aluminium.

a slightly heavier coat or two was applied to produce uniform coverage, before the aircraft was placed onto a polystyrene block via the cocktail stick supports... and the process was repeated for the upper surfaces. Mr. Surfacer is excellent for providing a smooth coat for the subsequent application of Alclad, but it will run if applied too heavily, so practice is recommended and if in doubt, apply a little, leave it for a few seconds and then add more. Although it may seem heavy at first, the coat shrinks substantially and on most models, providing the surface detail isn’t horrendously shallow, all underlying detail is preserved.

SALT SPREADING In many ways, natural metal finishes can be the most frustrating and elusive of all schemes. The surface preparation

24

23: After moistening the surface of the model with an atomiser bottle, a salt grinder was used to provide uniform salt masking all over the model.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

23

24: Following the lightly sprayed coats of Alclad Duraluminium, the salt was removed carefully with water and damp kitchen roll.

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

27 27: After sealing the skin with Alclad Aqua Gloss, all invasion stripes were masked and sprayed. The stripe portions received an initial coat of white, before NATO Black was used. 25: More salt masking followed, before Alclad White Aluminium was applied in light coats.

when using Alclad has to be excellent and even then, it is all too easy for things to go wrong. However, since so many superb military aircraft come in bare metal, perseverance certainly pays off. After witnessing truly remarkable natural metal finishes (at shows and online), which utilised salt masks and drybrushing, it was decided to try a similar technique. After an initial application of Alclad Aluminium was layered in fine, multiple coats, the entire airframe was dampened with water from an atomiser bottle. Next, a rock salt grinder was used to apply ground salt over the entire airframe. This process is enormously messy, so be prepared! After leaving the salt to dry, Alclad Duraluminium was sprayed steadily over the whole airframe in very light passes. The salt was then re-moistened sparingly and removed gently with water and damp kitchen

25 roll. It can be easy to scratch the surface with still-hard salt crystals, so care and water is definitely the way forward. Once the model had dried, the salt mask process was repeated, this time with thinly sprayed Alclad White Aluminium. Once the salt had been removed and the airframe had dried, dry-brushing commenced. Although metallic paints with finer pigmentation are available, nothing was immediately to hand so Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminium was utilised and seemed to work. After dipping a large, fairly flat brush in said paint, the excess was removed by wiping it on kitchen paper until virtually no paint, or even none at all, was visible on the paper. A dry-brushing effect was then applied over the whole airframe, in a vertical fashion on the fuselage and in a leading edge to trailing edge manner on the flying surfaces. Once completed, the whole model was sealed with

26

26: Once the Alclad was applied, Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminium was then dry-brushed over the entire airframe...vertically on the fuselage and from front to back on the flying surfaces.

several applications of Alclad Aqua Gloss varnish to protect the finish. The final visual effect of all this rather tedious work was fascinating, and it certainly seemed to go some way towards suggesting the kind of subtle effects displayed by bare metal. Masking and spraying the invasion stripes, cowl and tail stripes was incredibly time-consuming, and made especially awkward by the ‘bumpy’ nature of the P-47’s

rear fuselage underside and the intercooler exhaust doors, but after much effort and a few brush touch-ups they were done. Wheel wells were masked and sprayed XF-4 Yellow-Green, before all newly painted areas were sealed with more Aqua Gloss. At this early stage, thick oil washes (or pin washes) were applied to

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

19

MODEL BUILD

28 28: After sealing the stripes and cowl with more Aqua Gloss, the anti-glare panel was sprayed with Olive Drab and subsequently mottled with a lighter, thinner mix of the same paint.

panel lines, with very light grey over the white-striped areas and a subtle medium grey over metal sections, while a dark blackgrey went across control hinge lines. Meanwhile, Raw Umber was applied to the wheel wells. The thick nature of the washes helped to stop them flowing into each other, but vigilance and some intervention was required in several places. Finally, XF-62 Olive Drab was sprayed on the previously masked anti-glare panel, which was then mottled subtly with a thinner and lightened mix of the same paint.

DECAL DILEMMA Decaling proceeded without issue, until it was discovered that the stark black/white contrast between the fuselage invasion stripes showed through the national insignia rather blatantly. An initial decal was applied and trimmed around the intercooler

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exhaust doors, to confirm the insignia placement location and once dry, white was carefully painted over the translucent areas by a combination of airbrushing (with heavily de-tacked tape so as not to rip the decal) and brush painting. Another decal was then applied over the top and after using all sorts of slicing, dicing and decal off-cuts to cope with the exhaust doors, final touch-ups brought decaling to a close. If anything, dealing with the fuselage insignia was the worst part of the project; the red ‘no step’ patch on the wing root/trailing edge had a similar problem, but thankfully BarracudaCals’ offering provided two stencil sheets, so the red decals were doubled up, one on top of the other. As much final assembly then took place as possible, before more Xtracolor matt varnish was used to mute the airframe finish, which helped to give the impression of dull

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

29 29: More sponge chipping was used on the invasion stripe leading edges, to replicate wear and tear. Simple, but very effective.

Recommended reference Air Battles 15 Thunderbolts of the US 8th Army Air Force March 1943 – February 1944, by Tomasz Szalgor (Kagero), ISBN: 978-83-61220-71-8 Air Battles 17 Thunderbolts of the US 8th Army Air Force March 1944 – May 1945, by Tomasz Szalgor (Kagero), ISBN: 978-83-61220-82-4 The above books are available from the Key Publishing web shop: https:// shop.keypublishing.com P-47 Thunderbolt in action, by Larry Davis (Squadron/Signal), ISBN: 978-0897471619 P-47 Thunderbolt, by Bert Kinzey (Detail & Scale), ISBN: 978-1888974072 Thunderbolt – The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt in the European Theater, by Ernest R McDowell (Squadron/Signal), ISBN: 978-0897-4739-3-4 Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks, by Don Barnes, John Crump and Roy Sutherland (Barracuda), ISBN: 978-0-615-56042-7

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

"this proved to be a most fulfilling build"

oxidised metal. In reality, P-47s exhibited stark oil staining back from the oil coolers, and this was simulated by very carefully applying a dark grey/black oil mix via brush. Cotton buds (both dry and slightly moistened with white spirit) were then used to streak the stains so they became more smeared the further they travelled back along the fuselage. Great care was needed to avoid clumsily ruining surrounding areas, but the final result seemed reasonable. To give a sense of dirt accumulated in panel lines, an extremely thin mix of XF-69 NATO Black was then sprayed at very low pressure, approximately 8-10 psi (0.5-0.6 bar) to provide a post shading effect. Next, sponge chipping was added along the wing stripe leading edges and MIG Industrial City Dirt was applied to the wing roots where boots would travel, before some of the dirt was scuffed with cocktail sticks and a

scribing tool. More pigment was then added over the top. XF-52 Flat Earth was sprayed lightly over the top of the wing root scuffs, and over the wing stripes to give a sense of grime where the groundcrew would walk when changing ammunition belts and performing maintenance. This showed up on the white, but not so much on the black, so XF-54 Dark Sea Grey was mottled onto the black wing stripes to give a similar sense of accumulated muck and weathering. This mix was also sprayed over all other stripe areas and markings to help blend them in to the final finish. Pigment was also rubbed into the tyres, lightly into the wheel wells and on the undersides where dust and mud would be kicked up from the wheels. After finally adding the last few delicate items such as the aerial mast and its wire, and painting the wingtip lights, the build was finally finished.

A (THUNDER) BOLT FROM THE BLUE Eduard supplied impressive resin and metal extras to provide lovely embellishment for Academy’s already good kit. One of the

standout features was the fit of the cockpit, as it virtually dropped into place. Ultimately, this proved to be a most fulfilling build, with plenty of exciting weathering potential on the bare-metal finish.

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32: After applying MIG Industrial City Dirt pigment to the wing roots, scuffs were rendered in the grime before more pigment was added over the top. Tamiya Flat Earth was then applied sparingly to represent more muck in the wing root, and over the invasion stripes, before Dark Sea Grey was mottled over the black areas of the stripes.

30

30: The distinctive oil staining was applied with a dark grey-black oil paint mix and a brush. This was then smeared with a brush and cotton buds (dry and with white spirit).

31

31: A silver pencil was once again brought into play, this time to add scratches and chipping on painted areas. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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In focus

During the D-Day period, the 405th FG was based at Christchurch, which was also the site of a major aircraft factory. The group’s razorback P-47D ‘Touch of Texas’, 42-76076/2Z-M from the 405th’s 510th FS, displayed striking nose art. (FONFA)

T Malcolm V Lowe examines the seldom-reported organisation and operations of US Ninth Army Air Force combat units in Hampshire–and its historic New Forest area–during the D-Day period

he exploits of the tactical Ninth Air Force in the final years of World War Two are usually overshadowed by the far more famous and wellpublicised strategic operations of the Eighth Air Force, known to many as the ‘Mighty Eighth’. Fighter units of the Ninth produced few aces due to the ground-attack nature of many of their missions, unlike the considerable press coverage given to more glamourous fighter aces of the Eighth AF. Bombing sorties mounted by medium bombers of the Ninth were never anywhere near as headline-grabbing as many of the well-known missions performed by the Eighth’s long-range, highflying B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator aircraft. Yet the contribution of the Ninth AF, in conjunction with other Allied tactical formations engaged in taking the war directly to enemy forces in Occupied Europe, was to prove equally important in the overall war effort when compared to the well-publicised operations of the strategic Eighth AF and RAF Bomber Command.

FLOATING AIRCRAFT CARRIER Late-production P-38J Lightning coded H5-L was assigned to the 392nd FS of the 367th FG. This Ninth Air Force unit operated from Stoney Cross and then Ibsley before moving to France. (USAAF)

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

The Ninth Army Air Force (often abbreviated simply to Ninth Air Force) had two separate lives during World War Two.

Ninth Air Force In Hampshire Initially it existed in the Middle East and Mediterranean, where its exploits became famous in particular for the illfated raid by some of its B-24 Liberators against Romania’s Ploesti oil facilities on August 1, 1943 (Operation Tidal Wave). Considerable reorganisation of Allied air assets resulted in the Ninth subsequently being transferred to England, as a 'paper’ entity without any of its former combat air assets. It was formally reconstituted in England on October 16, 1943, and was intended to be the main and only purely tactical USAAF organisation in northern Europe. Its role would be to operate air assets including fighter-bomber, medium bomber, troop transport, and tactical reconnaissance units, as the US tactical air force for the intended invasion of Occupied France. It therefore became a central part of the massive growth of US air materiel in Britain, which, added to by the already well-established

A razorback P-47D of the 368th FG’s 397th FS coded D3-H served as an impromptu ‘desk’ for this in-the-field briefing. The 368th was one of the first Ninth Air Force units to move to France after the invasion, taking up residence at A-3 Cardonville. (USAAF)

Captain Jack L Reed flew ‘Curly Six’, a P-38J 44-23569 coded 8L-O-bar (ie the second aircraft assigned the individual letter ‘O’ in the 393rd FS) from Ibsley before the unit moved to France. It is seen here in this rare image at the Hampshire airfield. (USAAF)

Eighth AF, allowed the country to be described as a ‘floating aircraft carrier’. When the D-Day invasion finally came, on June 6, 1944, air power was to prove of inestimable importance to what became, in the following months, the ultimately successful Allied efforts to free Occupied Europe and defeat Nazi Germany. The new Ninth AF at once gained four medium bomber units from the Eighth AF’s VIII Air Support Command. These were equipped with the twinengined Martin B-26 Marauder, which had already undergone an unhappy baptism of fire in

northern Europe. The Eighth AF had operated these aircraft at low level, similar to RAF tactical doctrines, but this had been disastrous and led to heavy losses. It was up to Ninth AF to find a better way of operating the Marauder in the skies over Occupied Europe, and eventually it was discovered that mediumlevel bombing was far more successful and survivable. The four Marauder units – the 322nd, 323rd, 386th, and 387th Bomb Groups – were based in East Anglia, but they would eventually be joined within IX Bomber Command by four more B-26 units and several with the

A forlorn P-47D Thunderbolt of the 365th FG at Beaulieu following a landing mishap. The aircraft wore the D5 code of the 386th FS and was probably 42-75197. It was cannibalised for parts following its accident. (USAAF)

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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In focus

The three squadrons of the 367th FG were split temporarily when they moved from Ibsley over to Normandy in northern France during July 1944. This P-38J from the 394th FS was being refuelled in rudimentary circumstances just after the relocation. (USAAF)

Douglas A-20. Later, four of the Marauder units would move over to Hampshire.

AN OBVIOUS LOCATION The English County of Hampshire already had long links with aviation, especially due to its association with the earliest flying activity in Britain at Farnborough, but in 1944 the area came to literally reverberate with the sound of US tactical aircraft…in addition to similar tactical and air defence assets of the RAF. A significant number of Ninth AF units were based in Hampshire in the period up to D-Day and the subsequent weeks, and a specific area of the county, the historic New Forest, became the temporary home to several Ninth AF combat units. Today it would be unthinkable to dig up protected countryside for the location of airfields, but in 1944 the engineers of the Ninth AF and RAF busily constructed several new facilities in addition to air bases that already existed – many of the latter being developed further to take on increased responsibilities. According to the research of local historians, eventually a total of approximately 30,000 US airmen flew from New Forest airfields. Among the most numerous US types in Hampshire before D-Day was the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Known as the ‘Jug’, the large, powerful and formidable

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

‘The Milk Run Special’ with striking nose art belonged to the 397th BG’s 597th BS. The aircraft was a B-26B Marauder, 42-96191/9F-N. The 397th BG spent a short time at Hurn in August 1944 before moving to France. (USAAF)

single7engined P-47 single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber was an ideal tactical aircraft for the Ninth AF. However, confusion in doctrine (and a complete misunderstanding of combat capabilities by some tacticians within the USAAF) had resulted in the superb long-range North American P-51 Mustang being considered a tactical aircraft instead of a bomber escort, while the much shorter-legged Thunderbolt was thought to be a suitable long-range bomber escort instead of a fighterbomber. Therefore, the Ninth was initially allocated Mustang units, which the Eighth sorely needed for heavy bomber escort, while the Eighth was intended to receive newly-arrived Thunderbolt units it did not need. Eventually good sense prevailed, and the Mustang-equipped 357th FG, which had been assigned to the Ninth, was swapped for the 358th FG with its Thunderbolts, which had arrived in England for the Eighth AF and henceforth the Thunderbolt was allocated as the mainstay for the Ninth’s fighter-bomber units; although the Mustang-equipped 354th FG always stayed with the Ninth AF. Many of the latter’s Thunderbolt groups were subsequently based in Hampshire, to be as near as possible to the planned invasion area of Normandy in northern France. The fighter-bomber outfits in Hampshire duly came under the control of IX Fighter Command, while a number of other Ninth fighter-bomber units were based in Kent. With more and more units

There are few images of B-26 Marauders at New Forest airfields, but this rare posed photograph shows a late-model B-26B, 42-96213/ H9-C of the 394th BG’s 586th BS at Holmsley South, with armourers preparing 500lb (227kg) bombs for the next mission. (USAAF)

Ninth Air Force In Hampshire arriving from the US as the opening months of 1944 wore on, the Thunderbolts joined in the action and at once made a huge difference. They strafed and bombed absolutely anything and everything they found in northern France that belonged to the German forces; the considerable punch of the type’s eight wing-mounted .50 cal (12.7mm) machine guns being formidable…even without the benefit of the external armament of up to three 500lb (227kg) bombs. Although their main task was not air-to-air combat, Thunderbolts could certainly also look after themselves if they met German fighters.

TEMPORARY RESIDENTS In total, seven Thunderboltequipped fighter groups (each comprising three squadrons) flew from Hampshire airfields; details of these are included in the accompanying table. All were scheduled to stay in Hampshire for just a short time until the invasion took place – after which, they would then move across to France as soon as safe territory had been secured and new airfields hastily constructed...or existing examples repaired. Of particular note were the P-47 units that flew from the New Forest and its immediate vicinity, especially because three of these operated from very temporary airfields. These

Hampshire unit listing Several fighter (more accurately, fighter-bomber) and medium bomber units of the Ninth Air Force flew from Hampshire airfields during the D-Day period, together with a detachment of night fighters, and some reconnaissance assets. These were a major part of the wider Ninth AF effort that also consumed other units and airfields in southern England, East Anglia and elsewhere. The Ninth’s Hampshire groups and squadrons were as follows (with a brief note of where these units initially moved to in France following D-Day): Group/Squadrons

Location (Station)

Moved to

50th FG (10th, 81st, 313th FS)

Lymington ALG (Station 551)

A-10 Carentan

67th TRG (various squadrons inc. 107th and 109th TRS)

Middle Wallop (449)

A-9 Le Molay

323rd BG (453rd, 454th, 455th, 456th BS)

Beaulieu (408)

A-20 Lessay

365th FG (386th, 387th, 388th FS)

Beaulieu (408)

A-7 Azeville

366th FG (389th, 390th, 391st FS)

Thruxton (407)

A-1 Saint-Pierre-du-Mont

367th FG (392nd, 393rd, 394th FS)

Stoney Cross (452), later Ibsley (347)

A-6 Beuzeville

368th FG (395th, 396th, 397th FS)

Chilbolton (404)

A-3 Cardonville

370th FG (401st, 402nd, 485th FS)

Andover (406)

A-3 Cardonville

371st FG (404th, 405th, 406th FS)

Bisterne ALG (415)

A-6 Beuzeville

387th BG (556th, 557th, 558th, 559th BS)

Stoney Cross (452)

A-15 Maupertus

394th BG (584th, 585th, 586th, 587th BS)

Holmsley South (455)

A-13 Tour-en-Bessin

397th BG (596th, 597th, 598th, 599th BS)

Hurn (492)

A-26 Gorges

404th FG (506th, 507th, 508th FS)

Winkton ALG (414)

A-5 Mestry (Chippelle)

405th FG (509th, 510th, 511th FS)

Christchurch (416)

A-8 Picauville

422nd/425th NFS detachment

Hurn (492)

422nd A-15 Maupertus/425th A-33 Vannes

Abbreviations: FG Fighter Group, FS Fighter Squadron, BG Bombardment (Bomb) Group, BS Bombardment (Bomb) Squadron, NFS Night Fighter Squadron, TRG Tactical Reconnaissance Group, TRS Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

short-lived bases were Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs), made by engineer units specifically for temporary operations until the invasion itself took place, after which they would be returned rapidly to agriculture or whatever else the land had been

employed for previously They were at Lymington (50th FG), Bisterne (371st FG), and Winkton (404th FG). Accommodation at these sites was hardly ideal for personnel or aircraft, and keeping the Thunderbolts flying was a real challenge.

Unfortunately, Bisterne turned out to be very unsuitable for operation of the heavy Thunderbolts, the airfield surface being wet and quite rapidly unusable. The 371st moved in during March, but operations were soon affected seriously A late-production B-26B Marauder, 42-96200/RJ-M of the 454th BS (323rd BG), drops its load at medium level… which proved to be the best (and safest) altitude for the Ninth’s Marauders. The 323rd BG flew from Beaulieu before moving to Lessay in Normandy. (USAAF)

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

25

In focus at Stoney Cross from July to August, 394th BG at Holmsley South similarly from July to August, and the 397th at Hurn during August 1944. There were four further Ninth B-26 groups stationed elsewhere in England. Flying at medium altitude, Marauders were vital in hitting German targets effectively, often together at squadron level in the same mission, and sometimes striking at difficult targets such as rail or road bridges deep behind the front lines. The B-26 needed a long and hard runway for take-off and landing, so the permanent bases of the New Forest area were deemed ideal for their operation. Fully loaded and photographed at Winkton with invasion stripes during the D-Day period, P-47D ‘Joan’ (42-25893/Y8-F) was flown by Lieutenant Russell S Fredendall of the 507th FS. He was killed by flak in late June 1944. (FONFA)

due to the poor condition of the airfield. This led to the 371st FG having to move out to nearby RAF Ibsley in late April, while Bisterne was made flyable again. Ibsley was an established RAF fighter base in the Avon valley that had been operational since 1941, and provided much better accommodation and maintenance services than the far more rudimentary facilities at some of Hampshire’s lesspermanent airfields. The 371st eventually returned to Bisterne but the situation only improved when the group moved to France later in June 1944 and took up residence at A-6 Beuzeville. This was one of many airstrips that engineering units constructed for US and British aircraft following the invasion, when territory in northern France had been wrestled from the Germans. Such airfields used by the Americans were given a numerical designation prefixed by ‘A’. Operating from these advanced airstrips kept tactical aircraft close to the front lines where they could better support Allied ground forces. However, conditions at some of these austere facilities were often far from ideal, and it was only later in the war when larger and more permanent bases were captured from the Germans, as the Allies pushed forward, that the Ninth’s units were able to operate in better conditions. The Thunderbolts of Hampshire were an important part of the massive overall Allied aerial effort in support of the D-Day

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landings and beyond, and the B-26 Marauders in the same county were similarly in the thick of the action straight from their arrival in southern

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

England. Four B-26 groups were stationed temporarily in Hampshire, these being the 323rd BG at Beaulieu from July to August 1944, the 387th BG

LIGHTNING STRIKES In addition to the P-47 Thunderbolt, a further fighter/ fighter-bomber type was flown by Ninth AF units in Hampshire during 1944, this being

Black Widows of the Ninth In addition to Thunderbolts, Lightnings and Marauders, Hampshire became the home – albeit briefly – to one further type of frontline US warplane. This was the twin-engined Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter. Designed from the outset as a dedicated nocturnal predator, the Black Widow first flew in prototype form during May 1942, but development problems delayed service entry with the USAAF. In the early weeks of 1944 the type started to become available in sufficient numbers to enter USAAF service, although considerable work was needed to make Black Widows compatible to operating conditions in northern Europe. Two night fighter units, the 422nd and 425th Night Fighter Squadrons, eventually flew the type with the Ninth. The first of these to arrive in England was the 422nd, which initially moved into Charmy Down, Somerset, before being stationed at Scorton in Yorkshire from May 1944. Eventually receiving several early production P-61As, the unit sent a detachment to Hurn in Hampshire during late June 1944 together with members of the 425th, which was also home-based at Scorton during that time. Hurn hosted Mosquito night fighters in the summer of 1944 as a part of the Air Defence of Great Britain organisation. RAF aircrew from 125 Squadron were a great help to the fledgling P-61 personnel, and the deployment included a famous fly-off between a Black Widow and a Mosquito. A second detachment was subsequently made, to Ford in Sussex, where Black Widows were utilised against incoming V-1 flying bombs. The 422nd eventually moved in its entirety from Scorton to Normandy and the airfield A-15 Maupertus east of Cherbourg, while the 425th deployed from Scorton to A-33 Vannes. Considerable research has been carried out to determine which Black Widows were actually detached to Hurn. The current listing is as follows: 42-5532, 42-5534, 42-5536, 42-5538, 42-5547, and 42-5558.

Above: A P-61A Black Widow is seen at Hurn in late June or early July 1944 with a 125 Squadron Mosquito in the background. It was one of six known P-61As deployed to Hurn with the joint 422nd/425th NFS detachment. At first thought to be 42-5535, it is more likely to be 42-5532 or 42-5538. (USAAF) Inset: The official unit emblem of the P-61 Black Widow-operating 422nd NFS. The unit (and its insignia) persists to this day, as the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron based at Nellis AFB in Nevada. (USAAF)

Ninth Air Force In Hampshire

Sometimes incorrectly said to be from the 56th FG, this P-47D, 42-25507, was actually assigned to Major Paul Gardiner, Group Operations Officer of the 405th FG at Christchurch, Hampshire. It sported full invasion stripes and the G9 code of the 509th FS. (FONFA)

the twin-engined, single-seat Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Most famous for its exploits with the USAAF in the Pacific theatre, the Lightning had a rather more chequered career in the skies over northern Europe. The type proved generally unsuitable for high-level escort of heavy bombers of the Eighth AF, but achieved rather more as a fast, long-range reconnaissance aircraft and as a fighter-bomber with the Ninth. Two groups of the latter flew the Lightning as a fighter/ fighter-bomber from Hampshire airfields, these being the 367th FG at Stoney Cross and the 370th FG at Andover. The 367th moved into Stoney Cross during April 1944 and was involved in fighter-bomber operations over Normandy before D-Day. In early July the group made the short-distance move from Stoney Cross to Ibsley. Resident there for just a short time, the 367th moved to France later in July. Official USAAF records state that the move was made to A-6 Beuzeville (sometimes also called Sainte-Mère-Eglise), although the deployment was far more complicated because the group’s three squadrons actually took up temporary residence at several scattered Normandy landing grounds, including the 392nd FS, which settled for a short time at A-10 Carentan. As with all movements of the Ninth’s combat units to the Continent, the deployment was not made on a single day, but was staggered over several days to allow the ground echelon to assume residence first and

‘Old Hickory’ was a P-47D assigned to James H ‘Jimmy’ Jones, who flew with the 506th FS (4K code) of the 404th FG based at Winkton, where this photograph was taken; note the full invasion stripes. The pilot on the right was visiting Winkton from a P-38 unit. (FONFA)

prepare the way for aircraft to fly in and start operations from the new base, as smoothly and effectively as possible.

In addition to the Hampshirebased P-38 Lightnings, one further Ninth AF Lightning unit was associated with the south of

England, albeit in the adjoining county. This was the 474th FG, which resided at the former RAF Battle of Britain fighter airfield of Warmwell from March 1944. Ninth AF Lightning units provided top-cover for invasion shipping in the English Channel during the D-Day period; it was hoped that the distinctive twinengined, twin-boom planform of the P-38 would save it from being fired on by the very Allied ships that the Lightnings were there to protect, but in reality some were nonetheless targets for ‘friendly fire’. Also making an appearance for the Ninth AF in Hampshire, albeit solely in reconnaissance form, was the famous P-51 Mustang. The RAF fighter airfield of Middle Wallop played host to cameracarrying Mustang F-6s of the 67th TRG, including aircraft from the 107th and 109th TRS. As with several other existing permanent RAF bases used by the Ninth, the airfield was not wholly turned over to the Americans, the US units instead having ‘lodger’ status (even though the airfield was assigned a US ‘Station’ designation, in this case Station 449). Tactical reconnaissance carried out by these and several other Ninth AF units based elsewhere in England was of vital importance in adding to the overall Allied intelligence effort prior to, and during the D-Day period. The 67th TRG duly moved to France in July 1944, its units subsequently assisting the US First Army in its drive across France and onwards to Germany itself. The 107th TRS initially moved to A-4 Deux-Jumeaux, the 109th heading for A-9

Most Ninth Air Force Thunderbolts of the D-Day period were of the razorback variety, but proving that some bubbletop examples with the cut-down rear fuselage were available to Ninth units at that time was ‘Rae’, 42-26465/4K-R, of the 404th FG at Winkton. It was flown by Harold ‘Hal’ Shook. (FONFA) SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

27

In focus

Newly relocated from Lymington, razorback Thunderbolts of the 81st FS, 50th FG are seen at A-10 Carentan; the Normandy Tank Museum now occupies part of this site. Nearest the camera is ‘Lethal Liz II’, 42-25904/2N-U. (USAAF)

Le Molay with the 67th TRG’s headquarters.

AFTER THE AMERICANS The departure of Ninth AF units to the Continent resulted in mixed fortunes for various Hampshire airfields. The three ALGs disappeared very quickly, restored by engineers to their former use (mainly farmland). Thus the once-busy but very temporary airfields at Lymington, Winkton and Bisterne had all but gone before the end of the war – although a part of the Lymington site has recently become used again for aircraft by its multimillionaire American owner. The larger ‘permanent’ airfields including Holmsley South, Beaulieu and Stoney Cross continued to function for some time, being returned to RAF use, but all were closed eventually. Hurn, however, became a major civil airport after the war, and at one stage went under the grand title of Bournemouth International Airport. Its use has declined sharply in recent years, however. Today it is one of the least-busy airports in Britain, easily overshadowed by much smaller but far more dynamic Southampton Airport (the former Eastleigh airport, where the prototype Spitfire first flew in 1936) just a short distance away. Boundary changes resulted in both Hurn and Christchurch (the latter having been the temporary home of the 405th

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Construction engineers were very busy throughout D-Day and beyond, preparing new airstrips in England prior to the invasion and afterwards in France. A Ninth Air Force Thunderbolt wearing full invasion stripes is seen here using an airstrip that is still apparently under construction. (USAAF)

FG’s Thunderbolts) being moved much more recently into neighbouring Dorset, but although Christchurch continued to thrive for a time as a major aircraft factory, it too has now disappeared entirely, this time beneath housing and industry. Dorset’s major Ninth AF airfield at Warmwell has succumbed to a misfortune that befell a number of wartime airfields, being almost entirely excavated for aggregates…a fate that has befallen equally important but now totally obliterated RAF Ibsley. Today a number of memorials to the USAAF presence can be found across the New Forest. The most striking of these stands on the western boundary of the former Holmsley South airfield, and arose from the widespread local desire to commemorate all who had served on the New Forest airfields during and immediately after World War Two. The Author expresses sincere thanks to the Friends of the New Forest Airfields (FONFA) historical group, particularly John Levesley and Dr Henry Goodall, for excellent assistance during the writing of this article. FONFA can be found on the Internet at http://fonfasite. wordpress.com; a very informative website in memory of the 404th FG at Winkton ALG, with useful links to other relevant historical sites, is www.winkton.net

B-26 Medal of Honor Despite the dangerous and often perilous nature of many missions and individual sorties flown by the Ninth, just two members of that organisation were granted America’s highest military award for gallantry, the Medal of Honor (MoH). Sometimes incorrectly called the ‘Congressional Medal of Honor’ (which it is not, because it is a Presidential award not voted for by US Congress), the MoH was awarded vary sparingly to aviators during World War Two, with the majority of recipients being in European Theatre Eighth Air Force heavy bomber crews. Two separate awards were made for Ninth AF personnel, one to a fighter pilot, the other to a Marauder crew member. One of many talented pilots with the illustrious P-51B-equipped 354th FG, James H Howard was awarded the MoH for a very famous action on January 11, 1944, during a bomber escort mission over Germany, when he defended a Flying Fortress formation single-handedly against repeated Luftwaffe fighter attacks. At that time the 354th FG, while still a Ninth AF unit, was helping the Eighth AF until sufficient Mustangs became available for the latter to defend its heavy bombers by itself. Howard was the only fighter pilot to be awarded the MoH while flying from England (the 354th FG during that period operated from Boxted, Essex). The MoH award to the Marauder pilot was made to Captain Darrell Robins Lindsey of the 585th BS, 394th BG, stationed at Holmsley South in Hampshire. On August 7, 1944, while the 394th was still based in Hampshire, the unit began a three-day campaign against bridges in the Île-de-France region of northern France to disrupt movement of German men and equipment. For these attacks the group as a whole received a Distinguished Unit Citation. On August 9 the 394th was directed to bomb a railway bridge over the River Oise at L’Isle-Adam northwest of Paris. Lindsey was tasked with leading the group’s formation, but his Marauder was hit in the starboard engine and wing by anti-aircraft fire while on the bomb run towards the heavily-defended target. Regaining control of the stricken aircraft, Lindsey persisted with the bomb drop and then continued piloting the Marauder until all other crew members had exited safely by parachute. The Marauder crashed before Lindsey himself had the opportunity to escape and he was awarded the MoH posthumously, the decoration being announced in May 1945.

MODEL BUILD

SAVED BY

Toni Canfora shows how to render convincing battle damage, with Revell’s 1/72 B-17F as an impressive example

T

he iconic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress needs little introduction to anyone vaguely interested in World War Two. Mass streams of B-17s became an icon of the latter part of the

war and even though it may be associated with a certain glamour, the harsh reality was that the losses of airframes and aircrew were extremely high. At its peak, the toll was so great that the Americans seriously

1 1: The kit seats were replaced by resin and PE items from CMK, which were a great improvement over the plastic items.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

considered a halt to daylight bombing…at least until the aircraft could be escorted all the way to the target and back. One such example that made it home, just barely, was ´Ye Olde Pub`of the 379th Bomb Group. This B-17F was a veteran of many missions when she took off on December 20, 1943, heading for Bremen...a notoriously welldefended target. The crew was a rookie outfit however; it was just the second mission for pilot Charlie Brown, and the rest made their actual combat debut. Their endeavour, and the extraordinary outcome, has been well described in Adam Makos’ best-selling book A Higher Call. When the aircraft were on the bomb run, flak shells exploded around it and cracked open the Plexiglas nose, damaged

MODEL SPEC

B-17F Flying Fortress

B-17F Flying Fortress By:

Revell

Stock Code:

04279

Scale:

1/72

Price:

£24.99

Available from: www.revell.de/en

one engine; another shell went straight through the right wing and almost all of the port horizontal stabiliser was lost. If the B-17 was a slow target for enemy fighters, running on three engines didn’t make things better. Ye Olde Pub was in fact attacked by German

fighters, sustaining heavy damage and crew casualties. The tail gunner was killed and one of the waist gunners lost a leg, while Charlie Brown had shrapnel in his shoulder. But as they awaited the final blow, a miracle occurred. One of the fighters approached from the rear, but instead of delivering the coup de grace, the pilot manoeuvred his Bf 109 in a position side by side with the B-17. The pilot, Franz Stigler, recollected that when he saw the injured crew through the gap of the fuselage he just couldn´t shoot them down as he felt it would be like “shooting at a parachute”. Instead he tried to signal Charlie Brown to land in Germany, or to head North to neutral Sweden just 30 minutes away. According to Charlie Brown, the crew discussed whether to bail out, but eventually they decided to stay on course and head to England, hoping the aircraft would hold together. After accompanying the bomber over a notorious German flak trap, Stigler then saluted and peeled away, well aware that he could be court martialled and even executed for his actions. Ye Olde Pub made it back home, and Charlie Brown would complete a further 28 missions. The two pilots were to meet again however, more than 45 years later, and would become good friends for the remainder of their lives. Stigler had moved to Canada in the 1950s, and had settled in Vancouver. Amazingly, Brown lived in Seattle, just a few hours’ drive away. They both died in 2008.

2: A new control column was built from Eduard’s Zoom set for the B-17. Little of it would be visible on the finished model though.

2

3: The seats were painted with Vallejo acrylics, after various colour photos were studied.

3

4: The complete cockpit was a pleasing little jewel. It received a brown oil wash and subtle chipping here and there.

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MODEL BUILD RESEARCH REQUIRED

5: Revell offer a rather detailed radio compartment, which was very welcome as this model would be displayed partially open.

5

6: To create battle damage, the plastic was thinned from the inside initially, with a motor tool.

6

7: A hole was then created by gently pressing a needle through the plastic; this made it look like a bullet hole.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

There were no actual photos of Ye Olde Pub, but several paintings and computer-designed interpretations have been created, and these served as inspiration. The aircraft was an F-model, 42-3167. A number of reference books were sourced, both with wartime photos and walk-rounds of surviving aircraft, and the latter were very useful to determine production variants. It should be noted here that a few minor errors were made on this build in terms of accuracy, partly due to the lack of correct kit material, but also a moment of neglect from myself when comparing references with actual kit contents. Revell’s B-17F ‘Memphis Belle’ was chosen for this project. Released in 2010, it exhibits the trademarks of a modern kit, with finely engraved panel lines, generally good fit, a fairly generous interior, and separately moulded control surfaces. The only obvious weak spot was that of the clear parts, which were overly thick. The kit does offer variations of the B-17’s nose, depending on the production batch, and good references helped greatly when determining these. There was also a handful of parts meant for the B-17G sister kit. Unsurprisingly, work began in the cockpit. This section was relatively well detailed, but enhanced further by replacing the kit seats with after-market offerings from CMK. They consisted of photo-etched (PE) metal framing and seats from resin, and PE harnesses. Furthermore, the instrument

panel and control column were replaced with parts from an Eduard Zoom set. On the real aircraft, the area behind the seats was packed with oxygen canisters but these were lacking in the kit; since little of this area would be visible on the model the void was accepted.

COLOUR CHOICES References showed that B-17 interiors displayed a mix of various greens and bare aluminium, as well as wooden details. The cockpit was painted accordingly, and the next step was the radio compartment. Here, several radio units, seats and a small table were supplied and the area looked quite busy. The surfaces to replicate wood were painted sand beige, followed by wood grain replicated with Burnt

Sienna oil paint…a quick but effective technique. The seats were also equipped with PE harnesses from Eduard for better detail, before the ball turret and waist gunners’ stations were tackled. There were several versions of waist gun format, with different windows, and the early F model had sliding windows rather than fixed guns pointing out through the glass. When not in action, the armament was

B-17F Flying Fortress

stowed and the windows closed. A wooden floor was added in the real aircraft, although it was generally covered with anti-slip matting. The machine guns and their accessories were left off the model until a later stage, as

the area would receive battle damage before assembly. The ball turret was challenging as it was moulded in clear plastic, and the parts suffered from flash and poor fit, so sanding and filling were required to achieve a decent look. The support/hinge for the ball was painted dark green and installed before the fuselage was mated, but the ball itself was left until final assembly. The last interior section addressed was the tail gunner’s position which, although barely visible, still consisted of a seat, machine guns and ammunition boxes. As a final detailing flourish, spent cartridges were cut from brass wire, and blood-stained bandages were also added, from office paper softened by diluted white glue. The latter kind of embellishment is best kept to a minimum on models, even if the real thing would have been more visceral.

8: To simulate metal cut and twisted by hot shapnel, the tip of a craft knife was inserted and twisted.

9: The result seen from the outside. For inward holes, the plastic is instead pressed from the outside in.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

33

MODEL BUILD

"To create battle damage, the plastic was thinned from the inside initially, with a motor tool." BATTERED AND BEATEN Battle damage can make or break a model. Executed convincingly, it adds interest and realism, but if not, obviously the effect can be detrimental. The first, and very important step, was to plan carefully where to apply damage and how it would affect the kit’s assembly. In this case, the paintings we used as a guide, although some damage was considered too

complicated to replicate. In general, kit fuselage halves do not possess scale thickness, and therefore the areas to be bent or cracked open need to be thinned considerably. This can be done with a curved scalpel blade, but a more expeditious method is to use a motor tool with a sanding tip. The latter was pressed gently and moved over the surface at low speed, gradually grinding the plastic, but not all the way through;

the plastic was held against a light occasionally to assess the thickness. The next step was to punch a hole in the plastic, either with a needle to simulate bullet holes, or with a blade to portray damage from shrapnel. This was done with caution, as the surface was very thin and delicate. The edges of the hole could be bent further depending on how great the damage was to be. For heavily affected areas, the same actions were repeated

but sections of the plastic were cut away to display an open hole, as when blown away on the real aircraft. Reference photos showed that traces of interior ribbing were sometimes visible in these areas and strip styrene was used for this. The tail and port horizontal stabiliser were badly damaged on Ye Olde Pub; the rudder was partially ripped, and the stabiliser cut off near the fuselage, thereby displaying the 10: The full interior painted and installed. Spent cartridges from brass wire, and stained bandages from PVA/ water-diluted paper, were added to emphasise the chaos of battle.

internal structure. For the rudder, the framing under the skin was created from strip styrene and canvas was made from lead foil. First, a section of the rudder was cut off with a razor saw. The framing was the glued in place and the foil glued on top after being trimmed and torn at the edges. The seam between the plastic part and the new section was then blended with putty, and sanded for a smooth transition. The stabiliser was then cut off, thinned with the motor tool, and the outer edges of the plastic were bent to simulate twisted metal. Parts of the internal structure were again shaped from sheet styrene and sandwiched between the upper and lower halves. Damage was repeated randomly on the fuselage and wing surfaces, until it looked battered enough to mimic that of the real aircraft.

ASSEMBLY TIME At this stage, the fuselage interior was painted green and metallic, and the interior

10

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

B-17F Flying Fortress 12: The same procedure was repeated on the fuselage, and Evergreen styrene strip was attached to the fuselage interior to simulate ribbing.

11: This image displayes the amount of work needed to create extensive damage to a tail fin.

12

11 15: The same method was repeated on the tail fin, were chunks of metal had been blown of to expose the inner structure.

13: Battle damage was also applied to the wings, notably the large hole that, according to the story, was created by a flak shell that passed through without detonating.

14

13 15

16

16: The rudder was partially re-constructed to simulate damage; it's frame was made from plastic card cut into suitable shapes. 19: Subsequently lighter and more green/yellow tones followed, all to create a convincingly discoloured surface.

14: The ral aircraft’s port horizontal stabiliser had been cut off and to replicate this the plastic was thinned and bent, and metal framework was created with plastic card.

17

18

18: After a coat of primer, the model was pre-shaded before a thin layer of Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab was applied.

17: On top of the framing, ripped lead foil was applied and blended in with the help of putty.

19

20

20: De-icing boots on the wings and tail were airbrushed after careful masking. A circular template proved useful here.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

35

MODEL BUILD

"Diluted oil paint was used for washes on the entire airframe, to highlight the panel lines"

was glued in place. Sporadic trimming was required as the plastic had been distorted on the inside during the battle damage work, but the fit was good otherwise and just minor filling and sanding was needed. Next were the wings, which included fairly well detailed undercarriage bays and engine mounts, which were installed at this point but the engines were left for later. The wing leadingedge lights were painted silver before the edges of the clear part were sanded flush with the wing profile. The fit of the wings at the wing root was nigh perfect and just a hint of Deluxe Materials’ Perfect Plastic Putty was smeared into the seam; no sanding was needed. The B-17 is a rather large model, even in this scale, and it had been tricky to handle with all the fragile additions in place. It was therefore decided that painting should commence at this stage, and that engines, control surfaces, landing gear, machine

guns and other details would be left off and painted separately. The clear parts were masked with an excellent tape set from Eduard…a task that otherwise would have been very challenging indeed.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN When studying photos of serving B-17s, it quickly became apparent

21: The result was neat and added interest to an otherwise relatively monotone surface.

22

21

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

that these machines were subject to heavy weathering, particularly prominent on veteran examples. Not only did they spend most of their time out in the open, being exposed to sun, rain, snow and dirt, but with four engines they also leaked oil

22: Decals were sourced from a Kit’s-World set (KW172054, from www.kitsworld.co.uk) and a Revell B-17G kit, which had the correct national insignia.

considerably and produced copious exhaust stains. The general wear and tear from service crew, battle damage and airframe stress should also be taken into account. All this

B-17F Flying Fortress resulted in a myriad of nuances for the base colours. First, a coat of Tamiya Grey Surface Primer was applied over the entire model. This revealed a few flaws that needed treating before painting could start. For instance, there were noticeable gaps around the cockpit clear parts, and again the superb Perfect Plastic Putty was brushed into the seams and the excess wiped away with a moist fingertip. Most paint manufacturers offer Olive Drab and it was decided to use Tamiya’s version. This colour looks accurate, but is arguably slightly dark for a 1/72 model, which reflects less light than a bigger example. So, random pre-shading was applied over panel lines, followed by a semi-transparent layer of Olive Drab, without altering the finish.

Next, Olive Green, yellow and white were added to lighten the Olive Drab and again applied lightly, still allowing the preshade to show through. The final step was to mix a third, even lighter layer, which was applied to larger panels as these would reflect more light on the real aircraft. And a grey tone was mixed manually for the underside, also subsequently lightened with white. Leading edge de-icing boots were black and these had to be painted, as no decals were supplied for them. Masks were cut from Tamiya tape, and a circular drawing template was used to render the curve near the wing tip…difficult, but worth it in the end.

MARKINGS

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26: Diluted oil paint was also used for washes on the entire airframe, to highlight the panel lines.

The model received a layer of clear varnish and was left to dry overnight in preparation for the decals. Luckily, Kits-World offered markings for Ye Olde Pub and the set also included items for Stigler’s Bf 109G should one wish to make a double display. What the sheet lacked, however, were stars and bars and the kit decals were of the incorrect style for this aircraft. Luckily, a spare kit of Revell’s G

25 25: ...a stiff brush is then moistened slightly with thinner and stippled over the surface, to disolve and spread the colours. 23: The decals had to be cut and flaked carefully to fit around the damaged surface detail. Decal solutions were essential.

23

24: A time-consuming but effective way to create a suitably marmoreal surface is to use tiny dots of oil pint in various colours, applied randomly...

24 SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD 27

27: The canvas on the control surfaces of the real aircraft were often patched and repaired, and this was also simulated on the model. First, masking tape was applied...

28

28: ...and then the area was painted with acrylics in a lighter colour to contrast with the base shade. 29: One of the crucial parts of the model was the cracked Plexiglas nose. The kit parts were much too thick but luckily, a vac-formed item from Falcon was sourced. 30: Nose glazing cracks were cut carefully with a sharp knife and once installed, it all looked very convincing.

29

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

version sat in the author’s stash; (a kit that would prove valuable later on), so national insignia were taken from that kit’s decals. Kits-World’s and Revell’s decals performed well as they were relatively thin, reacted suitably to setting solution and conformed well to the surface. The tricky part was trimming the decals to be applied over battle damaged areas. Some parts were removed already before the decals were attached, and other neatening was done with a scalpel while the markings were still wet. Walkways and stencilling completed the decaling, and the model again received a thin coat of gloss varnish. The paint had already created a fairly varied surface, but it was not until weathering commenced that the model would truly come to life. Here, a technique more familiar to armour modellers was used extensively, rather than more traditional methods. To create a varied and almost marbled look, tiny dots of green,

brown, white and black oil paint were placed over the surface in a random pattern. A stiff brush, dampened slightly with thinner was then used to rub and stipple the oils into the surface, gradually discolouring it. The procedure was then repeated with black and brown around the engines and nacelles, as photos showed these areas were often much darker and dirtier

B-17F Flying Fortress 31: Subtle chipping was created around the top turret. The paint in this area was often worn away by the work of ground personnel conducting maintenance.

31

32: Beautifully cast resin wheels from True Details replaced the kit items. Note the simulation of weight by the bulges.

than the rest of the aircraft. The grey surfaces received the same treatment but with white to lighten it, and dark colours were only used around the engines. Oils dry slowly so a hairdryer was used to speed the process, and the model was left to dry overnight before a coat of satin varnish sealed it. The next step involved traditional panel line washes with diluted oils. The washes were kept light as the panels on 1/72 aircraft often stand out too much if the washes are

32 too concentrated. With surface discolouration achieved, the next step was to simulate chipping. A fine brush was used to highlight the edges of the battledamaged areas as the paint would have been torn off by the impact. A fine sponge came to the aid when creating subtle chipping on the wing leading edges, and on other selected airframe areas.

FINAL DETAILS Revell’s engines were assembled and painted separately before instalment, and despite their relative simplicity they looked convincing. The cowls were also painted individually and received the same oil treatment as the rest of the airframe; exhausts were painted light rust brown and received numerous washes to simulate heating, while soot

was airbrushed around the engines and nacelles. The kit’s landing gear was well detail and sturdy enough to carry the model’s weight, and looked accurate with careful painting and a few washes, but the wheels were replaced by beautiful resin items from True Details. With integral flat spots, these also simulated the aircraft’s weight. They were painted, and then

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

39

MODEL BUILD 33

33: Exhaust trails were prominent on the B-17 and this was replicated with heavily diluted black paint, airbrushed at low pressure.

weathered with pastels mixed with thinner, and the wheel wells and surrounds received staining with diluted oils, flicked on with a brush. The masking tape was then removed and luckily, just a few minor flaws were discovered around the edges, these being touched-up with diluted black acrylic paint. Machine guns were duly installed, as well as the propellers, which had been painted, decaled and chipped at an earlier stage. The final, and perhaps the most crucial moment, was the instalment of the smashed nose glazing. As mentioned, the kit clear parts were too thick, but several attempts were made to create damage. Although the effect looked fairly good, the thickness of the plastic still made the dome look out of scale, so a Falcon vac-formed item intended originally for Hasegawa’s B-17 was the final option. Testfitting revealed it had a slightly different shape at the bottom, but luckily this part was to be removed anyway. A sharp blade was used to cut the plastic and

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fortunately, the result immediately looked far more realistic. Pleased with the results, the nose was fixed with PVA.

34: The edges of the flaked metal were highlighted carefully with silver paint and a fine brush.

35: All shot up! The bent metal, airframe detail and ripped canvas were all testimony to a very eventful mission.

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A TOUGH MISSION This build was challenging in terms of planning, but the actual work turned out to be easier than anticipated. It’s recommended, however, to have a spare kit (or at least a scrap version) in hand for practice as any major faults would be hard to repair. Certainly, this project was time-consuming compared to a straightforward build, but the reward was an icon of military aviation, as well as a reminder of the reality of war.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

"The edges of the flaked metal were highlighted carefully with silver paint and a fine brush"

MODEL BUILD

‘The Guardian’, by acclaimed British artist Nicolas Trudgian, depicts B-17F ‘Ye Olde Pub’ of the 379th Bomb Group being escorted to safety by the German JG 27 pilot Franz Stigler, in his Bf 109G-6. This extraordinary story is recounted in full by the best-selling book A Higher Call, by Adam Makos. Both the book and print are available from Valor Studios: www.valorstudios.com

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

F-4b Phantom II

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

43

in focus

Dana Bell studies the B-17F and its predecessors...and offers camouflage and markings information

A

rguably the most famous American bomber of World War Two, Boeing’s legendary B-17 Flying Fortress came to symbolize the Army Air Forces’ daylight strategic bombing campaign against Hitler’s Nazi Germany. The aircraft’s development began in 1934, when Boeing

A pair of 91st BG B-17Fs over Britain in early 1943. The nearest aircraft (B-17F10, 41-24453) shows evidence of a North African tour, with a yellow fuselage insignia ring overpainted with fresh Olive Drab. The white stars have been greyed to reduce visibility, though not on the left wing of the farther aircraft (B-17F15 41-24497). Note the differences in Medium Green applications, and the yellow markings-of-the-day spots on the noses and outer wing panels. (NARA)

used company funds to develop the four-engined Model 299 for an Air Corps multi-engined bomber competition. At that time company funding of prototypes was not unusual; Martin and Douglas also paid for the twinengined designs they would fly against the 299. Each firm was betting on winning the Air Corps’

evaluation programme and a possible production contract. A losing design that showed promise might still win a developmental contract for a handful of aircraft, or the prototype itself might be purchased for use as a testbed. Losing designs that showed no promise were returned with a polite “thank-you” and no payment...a fate that contributed to the bankruptcy of several firms in those lean Depression years.

STREETS AHEAD

‘Old Baldy’ was one of the few B-17Fs assigned to the 43rd BG in the Southwest Pacific. Following an active service history, the aircraft ended her days as a stateside trainer. The apparent wavy camouflage was the result of damage to the original photo negative, not an experimental scheme. (NARA)

44

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Even before delivery, the 299 was favoured to win the competition–it flew faster and farther, while carrying more than its lighter, twin-engined competitors. Its four engines meant that the bomber could lose one powerplant and still continue on a mission, while the five defensive .50 cal machine guns outgunned most contemporary fighters, which at that time carried just .30 cal weapons. And in August 1935 the 299 flew non-stop from the Seattle factory to Wright Field,

Boeing B-17F Ohio, in a then-remarkable nine hours (with six continuous hours flown on autopilot). Flying at just 65% of rated power, the aircraft still had enough fuel to continue to Washington, DC. Although Air Corps strategic bombing advocates lusted after the new bomber, none of that mattered when ‘pilot error’ crashed the 299 during take-off on October 30, 1935. By law, the Boeing bomber needed to complete all flight tests before purchase; instead it was eliminated from the competition. But within hours of the crash General Headquarters Air Force commander Frank Andrews radiogrammed Air Corps commander HH Arnold that the 299 had been “...far in advance in bombardment development over any other type procurable.” Andrews recommended a developmental order for one experimental squadron for further evaluation. But Andrews was preaching to the choir. On January 17, 1936 Arnold pushed through a contract for 13 YB-17s (re-designated Y1B-17s that November), spare parts, and one static test airframe. The press soon labelled the aircraft a “flying fortress,” a name that stuck. The new Y1B-17s were as controversial as they were advanced. Many in the War

B-17F ‘Fast Worker II’ belonged to the 359th BS, 303rd BG. The aircraft features a modified gun mount with twin .50 cal guns in the nose. Heavy Medium Green splotches cover the wings, tail, and fuselage. (NARA)

Department and Congress considered the aircraft excessively expensive and overly complicated. With the highest levels of government fearing public reaction to a possible crash, the Air Corps began an intensive training programme for flight crews in early 1937. As a result of the 299’s crash, aircrews were provided with something they had not used previously: a written pre-flight checklist to ensure that everything was in order before

the engines were started. Many duties that had previously been assigned solely to a pilot were now divided between several crew members, requiring greater crew training and coordination. There were other unexpected technical issues. For instance, with a turbo-supercharger added to subsequent models, the B-17 could fly at 300mph (482km/h) above 20,000ft (6,096m) – but no-one knew how a bomb would behave if dropped from speeds above

150mph (241km/h) or altitudes above 10,000ft (3,048m). The Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, in Maryland, would then be tasked with the development of new ballistics parameters...

‘EASY’ DOES IT In August 1940 the Air Corps signed a contract for a greatly improved Flying Fortress, the B-17E. This heavily revised model introduced a larger tail with a tail-gunner position, revolving

The bombardier’s nose glazing is considered the most common feature distinguishing the B-17E from the B-17F; the later nose could actually be retrofitted to the earlier aircraft. Photographed at Eglin Field, Florida, ‘Rhett Butler’ shows the original, heavily framed nose of a B-17E, with aircraft 99 carrying the newer B-17F perspex. (NARA)

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

45

in focus ‘Winsome Winn’ was a Douglas-built B-17F-25 of the 381st BG. Shown here with a mission tally of eight bombs, she would be lost on her 12th mission (to Ludwigshafen on January 7, 1944). (NARA)

ventral and dorsal gun turrets, and revised waist gunner positions (the E-model would also become the first B-17 delivered in factoryapplied Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray camouflage). The B-17E would first fly in September 1941, but its replacement had already been ordered two months earlier: the last 300 aircraft on Boeing’s contract were to be delivered as B-17Fs with “... structural modifications not common to the B-17E Airplanes...”. Those structural amendments,

which included provisions for two underwing bomb racks (each capable of carrying a 2,000lb [907kg] block-buster bomb) were also responsible for the Fortress’ reputation for surviving horrific combat damage. In August and September 1941, additional contracts were signed to begin B-17F production at the Douglas Long Beach and Vega Burbank plants. To distinguish the factory at which each aircraft originated, the Materiel Division considered adding suffix letters

(B-17FB for Boeing-built aircraft, B-17FD for Douglas, or B-17FV for Vega) or changing the series letter (B-17F for Boeing, B-17G for Douglas, or B-17H for Vega). In the end, the AAF adopted a twoletter suffix code for every factory delivering any aircraft. Minor changes in aircraft configurations were codified in block numbers after the main designation. Note that B-17 manufacturers coordinated the introductions of these new configurations, but each plant recorded those changes with

different block numbers. The first B-17Fs began arriving in summer 1942. By that time the B-17E and earlier models were performing well against Japanese fighters, and the first Es were working their way into the skies over Europe. Army Air Force (AAF) planners had yet to experience Germany’s defences, with coordinated attacks by masses of fighters and radar-guided flak guns. The B-17 had grown in sophistication in the eight years since it was first proposed, but so

B-17F Serials and Block Numbers The prefix to each serial gave the fiscal year that each aircraft was ordered; 41, for example, was fiscal year 1941, which ran from 1 July 1940 through 30 June 1941. Removing the first digit of the fiscal year and the hyphen left each aircraft’s radio call number, which was usually painted on the vertical tail.

B-17F-90-BO

42-30132 thru -30231

B-17F-80-DL

42-37714 thru -37715

B-17F-95-BO

42-30232 thru -30331

B-17F-85-DL

42-37717 thru -37720

B-17F-100-BO

42-30332 thru -30431

VE - Vega (Lockheed), Burbank

B-17F-105-BO

42-30432 thru -30531

B-17F-1-VE

42-5705 thru -5709

B-17F-110-BO

42-30532 thru -30616

B-17F-5-VE

42-5710 thru -5724

B-17F-115-BO

42-30617 thru -30731

B-17F-10-VE

42-5725 thru -5744

BO - Boeing, Seattle

B-17F-120-BO

42-30732 thru -30831

B-17F-15-VE

42-5745 thru -5764

B-17F-125-BO

42-30832 thru -30931

B-17F-20-VE

42-5765 thru -5804

42-30932 thru -31031

B-17F-25-VE

42-5805 thru -5854

B-17F-1-BO

41-24340 thru -24389

B-17F-5-BO

41-24390 thru -24439

B-17F-130-BO

B-17F-10-BO

41-24440 thru -24489

DL - Douglas, Long Beach

B-17F-30-VE

42-5855 thru -5904

41-24490 thru -24503

B-17F-1-DL

42-2964 thru -2966

B-17F-35-VE

42-5905 thru -5954

42-2967 thru -2978

B-17F-40-VE

42-5955 thru -6029 42-6030 thru -6104 42-6105 thru -6204

B-17F-15-BO B-17F-20-BO

41-24504 thru -24539

B-17F-5-DL

B-17F-25-BO

41-24540 thru -24584

B-17F-10-DL

42-2979 thru -3003

B-17F-45-VE

B-17F-27-BO

41-24585 thru -24639

B-17F-15-DL

42-3004 thru -3038

B-17F-50-VE

B-17F-30-BO

42-5050 thru -5078

B-17F-20-DL

42-3039 thru -3073

XB-40 conversion:

B-17F-35-BO

42-5079 thru -5149

B-17F-25-DL

42-3074 thru -3148

41-24341

B-17F-40-BO

42-5150 thru -5249

B-17F-30-DL

42-3149 thru -3188

YB-40 conversions:

B-17F-45-BO

42-5250 thru -5349

B-17F-35-DL

42-3189 thru -3228

42-5732 thru -5744

B-17F-50-BO

42-5350 thru -5484

B-17F-40-DL

42-3229 thru -3283

42-5871

B-17F-55-BO

42-29467 thru -29531

B-17F-45-DL

42-3284 thru -3338

42-5920 thru -5921

B-17F-60-BO

42-29532 thru -29631

B-17F-50-DL

42-3339 thru -3393

42-5923 thru -5925

B-17F-65-BO

42-29632 thru -29731

B-17F-55-DL

42-3394 thru -3422

42-5927

B-17F-70-BO

42-29732 thru -29831

B-17F-60-DL

42-3423 thru -3448

TB-40 conversions:

B-17F-75-BO

42-29832 thru -29931

B-17F-65-DL

42-3449 thru -3482

42-5833 thru -5834

B-17F-80-BO

42-29932 thru -30031

B-17F-70-DL

42-3483 thru -3503

42-5872

B-17F-85-BO

42-30032 thru -30131

B-17F-75-DL

42-3504 thru -3562

42-5926

46

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Boeing B-17F had its defences. Enemy fighters could now climb well above the Flying Fortress’ ceiling, carrying heavy machine guns and cannon. Allied fighters could provide some protection against German aircraft, but range limitations meant that the bombers could not depend on escorts for extended missions into Germany. One defence had been recommended by the RAF before the US entered the war – the escort fighter was to be a bomber carrying increased defensive armament instead of bombs. Scattered through the bomber formation, such aircraft would be expected to smash the Luftwaffe with its heavy firepower. In January 1942 the AAF began designing its first escort fighter – the XB-40 would modify a Vegabuilt B-17F with a second dorsal turret, twin .50 cal waist positions and, in the nose, a chin turret with another two .50 cal guns (other proposals included possible 37mm and 20mm cannon mounts, though neither recommendation was adopted). Thirteen similar YB-40s were modified by Vega and sent to Europe for combat evaluation, and an order for 13 more YB-40s was being modified by Douglas when the programme was cancelled – the

A gleaming silver aircraft of the future, one of the first 13 Y1B-17s was photographed over New York in 1937, soon after delivery. While the family lines are evident, many changes would be introduced before the final Flying Fortress was completed in 1944. (NARA)

B-40 could not adequately defend a bomber formation against an organised and determined fighter force. If the B-40 was less than effective, it’s chin turret was judged a vast improvement. Final B-17Fs included the chin turret, as did all combat variants of the B-17G.

TOPOGRAPHICAL TOOL A more successful modification was the ‘mapping fortress’…a B-17F modified with mapping

camera mounts for combat reconnaissance operations. Four such aircraft were rebuilt and assigned to the 15th Combat Mapping Squadron in North-west Africa. Subsequent modifications of B-17Gs would be re-designated as F-9s and used for non-combat mapping missions. Between May 1942 and September 1943, 2,300 B-17Fs were produced. A handful would serve in the south and Southwest Pacific

theatres, but the majority flew in the European and Mediterranean arenas (19 would be delivered to the RAF as Fortress Mark IIs; they would serve primarily in the antisub campaign). The B-17F would be the mainstay of the AAF’s strategic European air campaign through most of 1943 – including the disastrous Schweinfurt and Regensburg missions of August and October 1943. By year’s end, replacement B-17Gs took the

Nicknames and nose art…almost a given on any B-17. Crews found individual personalities in their aircraft, often expecting the right combination of maintenance, flying skill, faith, and superstition would return them safely from the most dangerous missions. ‘Sweet and Lovely’ (553rd BS, 381st BG) survived her combat career to serve as a radio-relay aircraft, returning to the US in December 1945.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

47

in focus Probably the most famous B-17F, ‘Memphis Belle’ was the subject of a wartime documentary, a bond tour of the US, a long-time display in Tennessee and Hollywood adventure film. Today she undergoes restoration at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio.

lead role and, more critically, at the same time long-range P-51 Mustang fighters became operational and fulfilled the escort mission the B-40 could never perform.

COLORS AND MARKINGS All B-17Fs were delivered from the factories in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray camouflage. Outer wing panels, fixed tail surfaces, and fabric-covered control surfaces were fabricated and camouflaged by sub-contractors, whose paint supplies rarely matched. Even newly delivered B-17Fs exhibited a patchwork effect in

their camouflage; as the paints weathered, stained, and faded, the effects became even more pronounced. While AAF policy added Medium Green along leading and trailing edges of wings and tail planes, there is no evidence that this disruptive paint was added at the factory. Distinctive patterns within bomb groups suggest the paint may have been applied at unit level, and many units ignored the Medium Green altogether. However, photos show that at least one B-17F also carried the Medium Green pattern beneath the wings and tail.

Interiors were generally left unpainted – the AAF wanted bombers quickly, and Boeing’s lack of adequate paint facilities forced the AAF to grant a waiver from normal corrosion control practices. Painted areas of the nose, cockpit, and radio rooms were generally coated with Bronze Green or Dull Dark Green paint, while many surfaces were covered with dyed soundproofing fabrics. When, in mid-1943, the original soundproofing was found to be too light, it was replaced with darker fabrics. Douglas also unilaterally changed its cockpit colour to Interior Green, receiving AAF

The aft fuselages of most B-17Fs were open and airy–much to the discomfort of the gunners on long missions at high altitude. Early experience showed the need for additional ammunition …hence the large ‘footlockers’ beside the waste gunners’ ‘fifties’. A lack of painting facilities brought Boeing an exemption from coating the interior of the aft fuselage, where the predominant colour was oxidised grey aluminium.

48

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

approval retrospectively. In the Pacific, the 43rd Bomb Group was equipped with B-17Fs (the few other Pacific B-17 groups flew predominantly earlier models). When the 43rd began night missions, the undersides of its aircraft were repainted matt black…an unusual scheme on any B-17! As B-24s assumed most Pacific bombing missions, a handful of surviving B-17Fs were reassigned to troop carrier units as armed transports. In Europe, B-17F units followed the British practice of identifying each squadron with large, twoletter fuselage codes (usually applied in yellow), with a third letter identifying the individual aircraft in each squadron; the codes were generally removed or not applied to units transferring to North Africa. In the summer of 1943 the Eighth Air Force added a series of new high-visibility markings; aircraft of the 1st Bomb Wing received a large white triangle on each side of the fin and atop the right wing. Third Bomb Wing aircraft carried a similar white square, and each individual bomb group within the wing was distinguished by a black or Insignia Blue letter inside the geometric symbol. In a reorganisation that September, the 1st and 3rd Bomb Wings became the 1st and 3rd Bomb Divisions, with new subordinate bomb wings assigned to each. Most B-17Fs would be retired before more colourful unit markings were introduced in the summer of 1944, and a small number of aircraft would be stripped to an aluminium finish for use as staff transports.

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MODEL BUILD

Steve Budd unbolts the stable door for Tamiya’s thoroughbred 1/32 Mustang… built in the Tuskegee Airmen colours of Captain Roscoe Brown

A

1

1: Quality of construction was tested under a coat of Alclad II Aluminium, which also revealed the kit’s rich depth and crispness of detail.

50

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

good friend told me recently that you know you’re getting old when you start making involuntary noises while sitting down and getting up. For modellers, a further symptom is the increased appeal for kits of 1/32 and larger, as eyesight learns to appreciate the benefits of increased scales. Time was that 1/32 productions were fairly basic affairs; suitable platforms though for as much extra detail as inclination and skill allow.

North American P-51D/K Mustang A FLYING START

other things), ensured the gear legs were raked forward correctly, the wings reflected the appropriate dihedral and open canopies didn’t ride up into space.

MODEL SPEC

Tamiya obliterated all that however, with its sublime Zero in 2000 and sub-type releases during the intervening years before the firm’s Spitfire Mk.IXc became the new ‘king of the hill’ in 2009. Although the box contents suggested matters surely couldn’t improve further, get better they certainly did in 2011 with the launch of Tamiya’s P-51D. The modelling world was uniformly agog with the quality, options and engineering that (among

Twenty-three construction stages devote themselves to the model’s core before one is able to marry the fuselage halves. The amount of time expended during this portion of the instructions depends greatly on whether the Merlin engine is to be displayed or buried behind closed panels. The plan here was a sealed front end with the most effort invested in the cockpit and exposed turtle deck and, to that end, BarracudaCals’ BC32010 cockpit decal set was recruited. Although geared at the Mustang resin replacement sets from the same manufacturer, they were certainly amenable to surgical adaptation for Tamiya’s parts, when cut and separated at appropriate points. Notwithstanding all this and the overall quantity of work necessary to finish a kit of this complexity, a basic engine dolly was also scratch-built from plastic beam, rod and spares box scraps for personal amusement… and as somewhere to park the

2

2: AK Interactive Worn Effects was applied between the Alclad II Aluminium and Gunze 352 Chromate Yellow Primer to replicate wear.

3

North American P-51D/K Mustang ‘Pacific Theatre’ By:

Tamiya

Stock Code:

60323

Scale:

1/32

Price:

£120

Available from: The Hobby Company, www.hobbyco.net

3: The cockpit floor and rubber-covered fuel tank came as a single moulding. Sprayed Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, its finish evolved as new information came to light.

mini-Merlin during construction. The pleasure tap was unwound immediately as the powerplant slotted together easily and precisely, and the depth of its beauty really shone with a coat of Alclad II Aluminium sprayed over it. Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black then settled easily into the detail and within the hour the firewall and oil tank were united smoothly, painted in Gunze 352 Chromate

Yellow Primer, weathered with chipping and screwed securely to the engine rear. The instrument panel was intended to have a one-piece decal applied to the rear face

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

51

MODEL BUILD 4

5 4: HGW Models’ seatbelt set was great value, with two types of finish and the bonus of wooden floor decals, although these were not utilised in this particular build.

5: The HGW belt components were cut from their backing sheet and arranged on a Post-it note, suitably annotated to preserve their identification numbers.

of a clear part that, in turn, sits behind the plastic panel to give the impression of glass lenses over the instruments. It patently didn’t work though due to the clear part’s depth, so the plastic panel was assembled as intended in the instructions, bar the decal and sprayed Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black all over. The painted lenses were then brushed-painted carefully with matt black as a contrast to the NATO Black and the whole panel was thoroughly glossed for decals. A Mustang instrument panel diagram was used to plot where each device was located, and the brilliant Airscale Instrument Dial Decals (in this instance the

entirely legible. When it came to seatbelts, for me there was just one choice, the HGW Models set 132032. This wasn’t laser cut, though, so a new 10a blade went in the scalpel handle and a x3.5 Optivisor pressed into service. Some parts were truly Lilliputian and all were carefully arranged on a Post-it note annotated for assembly. Getting three belt pieces threaded through one buckle on either main strap was challenging but not an impossible, automatic ticket to the asylum. Perhaps having that beer before attempting it, rather than after, was the way to go after all? There’s little point having

52

Generic WW2 USAAF 1/48 set was employed - the 1/32 items proving to be too large) meant nearly all stations were filled authentically. These were augmented from the BarracudaCals sheet, although the one-piece items (designed to cover whole sections) were micro- separated into segments as small as 1mm to get them in. It was keenly disappointing though that the ‘stencilling’ was nothing more than white, blobby dots, with no effort apparent to make them readable - in sharp contrast to the stencilling from fündekals :) and Lifelike Decals, used on the outside of the airframe later in the build; these were all uniformly and

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

seatbelts without a seat as my granny used to say, so the kit items were united and, as a little extra contrast to the usual expanse of Interior Green, were painted Dull Dark Green via Tamiya XF-5 Green. Historian and researcher Dana Bell had advised that a batch of Mustang seats wound up in this colour due to ‘an admin error’ and as it provided a neat foil for weathering, was duly employed. The floor and fuel tank came as a single basic unit

North American P-51D/K Mustang

"Quality of construction was tested under a coat of Alclad II Aluminium"

(part D23), to which everything else appended. Tamiya would have you paint the black, non-slip area all the way back to the seat, but this should instead terminate at the mid-point of the pilot’s floor gauges, so the existing paint was adjusted after the error was discovered. Another, frankly

academic issue was the colour around the base of the fuel tank. Tamiya advise Chromate Yellow Primer but research indicated the tank sat on a sheet of balsa, so a basic wood effect became the order of the day - as

6 6: The Small Shop’s acrylic cutting tile and clear parts brace were brilliant in making the PE items visible, while ensuring they would not launch into space during cutting.

mentioned, academic, for once installed in the closed fuselage only you will know you did it right. The rubber- covered fuel tank itself was rendered in NATO Black and dabbed lightly with a white oil wash to simulate the ‘bloom’ staining this material often exhibited. The radio and battery tray (D47) was also called out in Chromate Yellow Primer but this was altered to black, in common with everything else in this area, as it made little sense within an obviously ‘low-viz/non-glare’ turtle deck. Tamiya missed a trick with the small bottle moulded into this part, as it recommended a white finish, with a silver cap. It was actually an overflow bottle for the battery to leach electrolyte into, if necessary; odd that it wasn’t offered as a clear part instead. Once the main cockpit unit was finished it was mated to the engine/firewall unit, while sidewalls and other ancillaries were added and fitted too. The radiator bath was built as Tamiya intended with the exception that its photo-

7 7: Successfully uniting and weathering of the HGW belts, as intended by the manufacturer, is broadly equal to gaining membership of The Royal College of Surgeons! SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

53

MODEL BUILD

8 7: The fündekals :) sheet for Capt Roscoe Brown’s ‘Bunnie/Miss Kentucky State’ could be fairly described as ‘minimalist’ and performed with mixed results.

etched (PE) metal parts were usurped where appropriate by Eduard replacements from that company’s set 32-302. This sub-assembly was otherwise complete but for a bracing cross bar, fashioned from brass rod, added to the radiator ramp. It was a great moment indeed when all the progress to date was loaded into the fuselage, which closed perfectly around it all. There have been reports of difficulties here on other builds, but this will undoubtedly be due to something being misaligned slightly and/ or paint on mating surfaces… tolerances being generally as fine as Wingnut Wings’ kits in this regard.

What appears in the model is, therefore, a representation rather than a replication of reality. When it came to the lighter electrical wires, it was evident these would look odd just disappearing into drilled holes in the well roof and an online search was conducted into whether there might be resin connectors available. In a stroke of luck, a French outlet looked promising, Reed Oak Rubber Composites; decidedly un-French sounding and not a company name that suggested

WELL, WELL, WELL

9 9: It didn’t take long for various parts to begin accumulating in a basic state of finishing, in what was clearly going to be a busy cockpit, with most items present.

10 10: An angled cross brace, which would later support the engine, was glued in place on the port side and the fuselage taped to ensure that it set with proper alignment.

11 11: The dry-fitted cockpit parts in their base paint fitted snugly without glue, and gave a fine impression of the care shown by Tamiya in their creation.

54

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

The project was going pleasingly until this juncture, with a marked absence of ejector pin marks being joyfully evident. Then, like buses, they all appeared at once - more than 40 of them and all in awkward places. And every one visible. It was a moot, a gathering of the clans. Ejector pin marks of every size had converged on the main wheel well from all over Tamiyaland. So, ‘pest control’ sprang into action and each blemish was sanitised ruthlessly with Gunze Mr. Dissolved Putty. Dozens of tiny pieces of 400-grade abrasive, gripped in flat-nosed tweezers, duly levelled the graves of each one in turn until ‘VWW Day’ was declared (Victory in Wheel Well) and hostilities ended. A selection of reference photographs gave a flavour of the pipe and wire matrix that inhabited the well, and in the spirit of Shep Paine’s mantra of ‘creative gizmology’, a series of holes were drilled in the bay’s strengthening sections to provide routing access.

any association with modelling! Nonetheless, its full range was ordered via www.reedoak.com and the firm was very efficient in rushing the (it is assumed) 3D-printed parts. All six 1/32 connecters were used in the bay from set RRC32C0007 and though tiny, were easy to open for wire with a round needle file rotated the opposite way to the cutting action. With pipes and cables routed, the small but perfectly judged Eduard PE set 32-302 revealed a sharp shortcoming in the Tamiya well. The forward wall it seems, had four holes either side, that the kit suggested with dimples in the plastic. It simply

12 12: Airscale’s instrument decals were as bulletproof and indispensable as ever, and a quantum improvement over the original kit item.

North American P-51D/K Mustang

"It didn’t take long for various parts to begin accumulating" wouldn’t do, so the four PE plates for each well half were fixed with gel cynocrylate and cured with accelerator. The errant dimpled plastic was drilled out correspondingly, and the resulting holes bevelled from the outside of the part with a conical cutting bit from my Minicraft tools, to make the thickness of the plastic from inside the well, invisible to the eye. The final step was to spray the conical holes on the outside with matt black, to disguise them further. Gunze 352 Chromate Yellow Primer was then diluted with cellulose and sprayed over the main and tail well parts, along with the inner main gear door sub-assembly. A wash of Michael Harding Burnt Umber and 128 Lamp Black was then applied in moderate strength, and sealed with a custom mix of satin clear, based on Tamiya’s matt and gloss products. A second wash increased the delineation and depth, and was also sealed with satin clear, bringing the undercarriage bay chapter to a close.

Fifty-mission appearance

 The base coat of Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green was over-sprayed gently with Gunze 1500 Grey Finishing Primer for the base wear, and to provide contrast for the dry-sponging to come.

 Humbrol 66 (a dark grey that inexplicably looks brown here) was drysponged. The key was to work slowly and to ensure the sponge was never wet with paint, just simply damp.

 Gunze Dark Iron followed, again drysponged; it’s a lacquer paint that can be buffed to a shine. Here the paintwork was polished with a clean chisel-ended brush, which gave an ideal level of sheen.

 Revell 371 Light Grey Silk enamel was then dry-sponged on top. It was imperative to exercise a light touch, although corrections would be easy enough to apply by using earlier colours if required.  The finished seat with HGW Models belts, weathered with a Michael Harding oil wash of 126 Burnt Umber, looked encouragingly ‘high mileage’ under a few simple paint techniques.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

55

MODEL BUILD 13

14 13: With the masking removed and Alclad II Aluminium dry, it was time to mask for the Gunze 352 Chromate Yellow Primer forward of the cockpit.

16

15

16: Mike Grant generic instrument decals were used in the floor gauges after the weathering was completed, prior to the ancillaries being married.

17 17: Readers may be forgiven for assuming that Mustang pilots always flew with a pint of ‘silver top’ milk on the turtle deck, but this was actually a battery overflow bottle!

19

15: Satin clear sealed the instrument panel, and the dial shine was reinstated with clear gloss. The panel shroud was finished in Olive Drab with satin black padding.

19 18: A Hold and Fold bending tool from The Small Shop was used for the limited shaping necessary on Eduard’s brass parts.

20

19: Tamiya’s design philosophy included removable engine panels, facilitated by small magnets and pieces of photo-etched metal glued with cyanoacrylate to the panels themselves.

56

14: Although time consuming, careful painting of the lovely Tamiya parts, topped off with BarracudaCals decals, was its own reward.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

20: The Eduard brass enhancements were much more user-friendly than the stiff Tamiya stainless steel, which needed de-burring with a Minicraft drill.

North American P-51D/K Mustang

"Wiring sourced from small discarded electric motors was added to the radio"

GALLOPING HOME

21: A small Eduard brass part under the radiator bath needed the creation of a small dome, achieved here with the stem end of a Minicraft conical grinding bit. 22: Wiring sourced from small discarded electric motors was added to the radio and battery, to add more realism to the turtle deck area.

Whether one opens one, both or neither of the gun bays, one must fit both gun bay trays, W10 and W11 into the upper wings. The bottom of the trays integrate into the cutouts in the lower wing that depict the cartridge and link ejector chutes, and are visible in the finished model. As this subject was just having the starboard bay open (and Tamiya remain silent on the point) one would be forgiven for believing that no tray is necessary

21

with a closed bay. Wrong. The otherwise visible mismatch in the finished model was rendered moot by painting all ejector chutes in matt black. Tamiya’s main tyres are provided in some kind of vinyl/ rubber material with plastic hubs. Removing the seams on such tyres was a chore avoided by having the choice of resin BarracudaCast or Eduard Brassin versions to hand. There was no contest in the final analysis and Eduard’s

resin was more appealing by a narrow margin. Fitting the resin hubs simply involved moderate reductions in the length of the axles on the Tamiya gear legs, together with their circumference. Eduard’s parts also came with handy kabuki tape hub masks to ease painting, and were much appreciated. The Hamilton Standard propeller was a joy to assemble and paint; the cuff at the base of each blade was (on the real item) made of

22

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

57

MODEL BUILD 23

23: The engine panels were perhaps at the limits of injection moulding where overall thinness was the priority; caution was necessary while handling them.

24

24: The rudder and other control surfaces all had stainless steel metal tabs and/or pins to secure them. These were, at times, surprisingly difficult to insert into their slots.

25

26 26: Small ejector pin marks needed correspondingly small solutions and, where fingers were decidedly over-scale, pieces of abrasive paper in flat-nosed tweezers were not.

27 27: Abandon hope, all ye who enter this wheel well! One’s evening will disappear under the relentless level of ejector pin marks that festoon the parts.

28

25: The narrow join immediately forward of the instrument panel shroud was treated to Gunze Mr. Dissolved Putty.

hard rubber and therefore was painted NATO Black, in contrast to the metal blades finished in Tamiya X-18 Semi-gloss Black. The spinner accommodates the expected poly cap for secure fitting to the drive shaft at the end of construction. With the build clock ticking, the windscreen and canopy were neatened and at first, it seemed Eduard’s mask set JX136 was going to be a quick fix. Sadly, the contours and curves were slightly ‘off’ however, and despite chopping individual mask pieces into four and applying separately, the result was little better. So, Eduard’s masks were removed and the everreliable Aizu tape in 0.4mm and 0.7mm widths edged everything easily and followed any tight-radius curves easily. A simple infill with Tamiya tape and ‘Project Roscoe’ was deemed ready for the paint shop.

IN THE RED

28: Tamiya ensured correct wing dihedral and post-assembly rigidity by providing a sturdy spar, which located positively and accurately.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

With the gun bay, wheel wells and cockpit masked, Gunze Mr. Surfacer 1500 Gray primed the plastic and, by being thinned with cellulose, gave a smooth and secure starting canvass for

Captain Roscoe Brown’s colourful markings. Tamiya XF-7 Flat Red was airbrushed freehand over the nose, tail and wing tips the following day, while the orangeyellow wing band areas were also applied from a custom combination of Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow and X-6 Orange. With these distinctive portions of the airframe

North American P-51D/K Mustang

29

32

29: As with any minor scratch-building, it was necessary to dry fit the loose components to verify that everything looked acceptable before committing to paint.

32: The wheel bay centre doors and door actuation arms had their inner faces sprayed with Alclad II Aluminium, with no masking proving necessary.

30

31 30: With most of the finishing paint and various washes applied and dried, it was possible to appreciate the top quality of the kit parts.

31: The gun bay was given a black oil wash and chipped with Humbrol 66 Dark Grey, dry sponged. Ground graphite altered the guns from straight black to ‘gunmetal’.

marked, tape was used to cover what needed to be retained. The key to capturing the tight radius curve of the red tail, a little forward of the aerial mask, was to produce a disc of Tamiya tape via the punch and die set, and to place that securely top dead centre of the fuselage. From there, the process of running 0.7mm Aizu

over the appropriate wing sections. An overnight cure came before a further, more extensive bout of masking to hield the existing colour in anticipation of the natural metal finish, here delivered via Alclad II 101 Aluminium. If my pristine aluminium was to look anything

tape in a straight line from the base of the rudder to the disc was a snip. The fündekals :) PDF, downloaded and printed, was a great help with all this throughout and acted as a road map to plot the positions of all colour demarcations. The next task was the custom mix for the puttied wings (see panel) and this was sprayed freehand

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD

33

36

33: The Eduard PE set provided very useful details for the extreme ends of the assembled flaps. These hid the joins perfectly.

36: The propeller blades were coated in satin black and when cured were masked for the contrasting rubber cuffs …these being XF-69 NATO Black.

35

34 34: The pristine Alclad II applied to the drop tanks was obliterated later two quite dense but lightly applied black oil washes, sealed with satin clear each time.

35: Where Eduard’s ostensibly ‘fitted’ mask set went off the rails, Aizu tape came to the rescue in its 0.4mm and 0.7mm widths, and coped easily with directional changes.

like the stained and marked fuselage of Roscoe’s ride, then it was time to unleash the Michael Harding Lamp Black oil paint. This wonderful range knocks lumps off the often-used Winsor and Newton, as it should - the fine pigments are hand ground. So much so, that resulting washes are creamy and smooth and not granular, as they are via products from other manufacturers. More expensive though the Michael Harding oils

distance, to avoid blowing the colour around, and some found its way into panel lines as a natural consequence. With the staining nearly dry, a small piece of closetextured sponge was dabbed, flicked and dragged lightly through the colour to create a patina of differing marks. As soon as this was finished, a custom satin mix of Tamiya clear acrylic, cut with cellulose, was drifted over the finish to lock in the progress. From

are, they are far from prohibitive and any difference in cost more than evaporates with their superior performance on the model. With the Mustang held with the port fuselage side uppermost, the moderately dense wash was dabbed semi-randomly over the new ‘metal’, to allow the fine colour to bleed across the panels and collide with other applications. The first collection of dabs were dried by a hairdryer held at

there, the process was repeated again, exactly as before to deepen the staining. The fuselage was then half-rolled to the left to expose the starboard side, and two layers of further staining were applied before the lowers were also rendered in the same fashion. Markings for Capt Roscoe Brown’s ‘Bunnie/Miss Kentucky State’ were sourced through fündekals :) (available in 1/72 / 1/48 and 1/32) and contain only those

"The aluminium was aged with a two-stage black oil wash"

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

North American P-51D/K Mustang

items specific to his P-51D-15-NA, 44-15569. National markings came from a Lifelike Decals sheet (32-014, North American P-51 Mustang Pt. 1), along with the included stencil data. In football parlance, Lifelike’s decals were a game of two halves. The stencils behaved themselves under Micro

Sol but the national insignia stubbornly declined to soften and conform until Daco Strong fluid flexed its considerable muscle. The fündekals :) markings were exactly the same, with the stencils happily married to Micro Sol, while the Daco Strong pummelled the main items into some semblance

of order. All that remained was to seal the decals with a light coat of Johnson’s Klear and to harmonise the shine here and there with satin clear before adding the wheels, pitot, aerial mast, homing beacon wire, propeller and guns. With that, the ref’s whistle was blown and the match declared a home win.

EQUINE REVIEW For those looking for the ultimate 1/32 Mustang, Tamiya’s rendition relegates all competing ponies to the knacker’s yard. Curiously though, it has been born out of apparently duel concepts. On one hand, it’s so very obviously a static model and its price

37

38 37: Wing puttying was carried out in accord with a suitable ‘map’ located online. Once again, Gunze Mr. Dissolved Putty reigned supreme.

38: With the red and orange-yellow areas masked, the way was clear to airbrush the wing wings with a custom mix of ‘silver-grey’. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

61

MODEL BUILD

tag and complexity underscore that. In tandem with this, it also attempts to be positively (or rather ‘negatively’) gimmicky and toy-like, with its moveable control surfaces, sliding canopy, up or down undercarriage, removable engine panels and gun covers and so on. Why? It’s as though Tamiya employed two design teams – one that concentrated on the static model aspect and the other that thought it would work on a ‘fly it around the room’ basis. The net

effect of the operating features is to make painting and finishing less straight forward than it would be otherwise, and to compromise on scale fidelity to one extent or another. It’s still a fabulous kit though, and hopefully Tamiya will, in future (if the new Mosquito is any indication), simply give up including anything and everything that isn’t geared at a normal static model and/or interferes with straightforward painting and finishing. Less is arguably more.

41 41: The aluminium was aged with a two-stage black oil wash, sealed both times with satin clear. The resulting finish was exactly what was sought.

40

39 39: Alclad II Aluminium was all that was required to close the door on the base paint of ‘Bunnie’, and tape was saved through the use of rough-cut paper.

62

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

40: The benefits of degreasing the plastic paid off as the lengthy unmasking was undertaken, and revealed that not a hint of paint had lifted.

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in focus

A Lt Clarence D ‘Lucky’ Lester sits in the cockpit of his P-51 ‘Miss-Pelt’ as his crew chief cleans the windscreen. All three of Lester’s victories were scored during a six-minute melee on July 18, 1944. (NARA)

Dana Bell recounts the story of the USA’s first African-American pilots… the famed Tuskegee Airmen

s with other World War Two veterans, their numbers are dwindling. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet one of them at a convention or lecture, wearing their distinctive red blazers, signing autographs, retelling their stories, and enjoying the respect that for so long was denied them. They are the Tuskegee Airmen, identified not just by their blazers, but by the colour of their skin. Once they were known politely as ‘coloureds’, ‘Negroes’ or ‘blacks’…but far too often they were known by far less polite names. Unlike other units of the Army Air Forces, they too often reported to superiors who expected them to fail or,

far worse, actually hoped they would fail. Their success through the hardships of aerial combat and the abuses of many of their countrymen is now a timehonoured part of their legacy.

UNJUST OPINION In the days before America entered World War II, many of the country’s leaders believed that African-Americans were incapable of serving as combat soldiers – this despite ample evidence to the contrary dating back to the American War of Independence. But most of those troops had fought in segregated units, commanded by Caucasian officers; in 1936 just two of the US Army’s line officers were Three Tuskegee aviation cadets pose for the photographer on the wing of one of the school’s AT-6 Texan trainers. (NARA)

The Tuskegee Airmen

OF ALABAMA black: Colonel Benjamin O Davis, Sr, and his newly commissioned son, Second Lieutenant Benjamin O Davis, Jr. The younger Davis was a then recent graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, only the fourth of his race to receive a degree from this famed institution. At the Point, Davis had been shunned by his fellow cadets, most of whom refused to eat, bunk, or even speak with him. Such was his character that his yearbook entry included the notation: “The courage, tenacity, and intelligence with which he conquered a problem incomparably more difficult than plebe (freshman) year won for him the sincere admiration

Pfc John Fields arms one of the 100th Fighter Squadron’s Mustangs in August 1944. (NARA)

‘Little Freddie’, one of the group’s first P-51Ds, was flown by Lt Freddie Hutchins of the 302nd FS. (Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk)

of his classmates, and his single-minded determination to continue in his chosen career cannot fail to inspire respect wherever fortune may lead him.” Unfortunately, that respect did not follow him to the Air Corps, his first choice of assignments. In 1939, Senator Harry S Truman was able to get Congress to approve one law enabling blacks to enrol in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, and a second law directing the Air Corps to support civilian training efforts and include black candidates who would, supposedly, then become eligible for military cadet training. In the spring of 1941, the Army finally authorized a civil contract to train black pilots

at the Tuskegee Institute, an all-black college in Alabama. On July 19, 1941, Tuskegee Institute accepted its first primary flight training class comprising 12 aviation cadets and one officer... Lt Benjamin O Davis, Jr. Each trainee was a college graduate, several already had private pilot licenses, but seven would not graduate. Since one student withdrew voluntarily, the first class had a success rate comparable to other Army training schools. Other classes would graduate, their pilots and groundcrew being assigned to the 99th Fighter Squadron. America had entered the war, and desperately needed qualified pilots, but

When long-range missions north of the Apennines required additional fuel, 332nd FG Mustangs were equipped with 75 gal (284 lit) wing tanks. For trips as far as Berlin, the group was provided with 165 gal (624 lit) tanks. (NARA) SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

65

in focus A formation of Tuskegee AT-6s, photographed in mid-1942. While the national insignia’s red center has been overpainted on two of the aircraft, the lead example (coded TU-28) still carries the older marking beneath the wings. (NARA)

the 99th remained in the US, accumulating training hours and awaiting a combat assignment.

FIRST CONTACT The squadron would finally arrive in North Africa on April 24, 1943, taking new Merlin-powered P-40s

into combat on a June 1 divebombing mission to Pantelleria. The first air-to-air tussle came on June 9 against Fw 190s, though neither side could claim a victory; but that changed on July 2 when the 99th registered its first kill…another Focke-Wulf that

had been attacking B-25s. In early 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group arrived in Italy with three new fighter squadrons and all-Negro personnel; the 99th was reassigned to the 332nd, with newly promoted Colonel Davis commanding. The

new squadrons were assigned P-39s until June, when all four transitioned to P-47s. On Jun 25, five of the group’s pilots attacked the German destroyer TA22 (ex-Italian torpedo boat Giuseppe ), their machine guns Missori), setting off massive secondary

‘Duchess Arlene’ was the P-51D of Lt Robert Williams, 301st FS, in March 1945. Decades later, Williams would dramatise his story for the TV movie The Tuskegee Airmen. (Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk)

100th FS commander Capt Andrew’Jug’ Turner waves from the cockpit of his P-51C ‘Skipper’s Darling III’ at the start of an August 1944 mission. (NARA)

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Many of the 99th Fighter Squadron’s P-40Ls were inherited from other units. This Warhawk had received its shark mouth during an earlier assignment. (NARA)

The Tuskegee Airmen explosions and apparently sinking the vessel. Although the ship survived the attack, her damage was so severe that she was stripped of her military equipment and scuttled two months later. In July the 332nd began its transition to P-51B/C Mustangs, handed down from other units converting to the newer P-51D. Most pilots adapted quickly to the new mounts, and the group began escorting bomber formations by the middle of the month. Newer Mustangs allowed the group to escort bombers deep into Germany, eventually scoring more than 111 aerial victories against the Luftwaffe. Significantly, the victory total

As with most tail draggers, the Mustang had limited forward visibility when taxiing; most units, including the 332nd, sat a crew chief on the wing to direct the pilot to take-off position. (NARA)

P-51D ‘Creamer’s Dream’ was the mount of 301st FS pilot Lt Charles White, who would destroy two Bf 109s in this aircraft on April 1, 1945. (Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk)

included three Me 262 jets over Berlin on March 24, 1945, and 13 additional kills over Munich on the 31st.

TENACIOUS PROTECTION An early Fifteenth Air Force report noted that no American bomber had been lost to enemy aircraft while protected by the 332nd. Subsequent reviews of individual bomb group records have since proven that enemy fighters did destroy some twodozen bombers despite the 332nd’s best efforts. In truth, there was no tactic that could have possibly prevented all enemy fighters from hitting the bombers. However, the group’s determination to stick with their charges prevented far greater losses, particularly when the Luftwaffe would try to draw defending fighters away to allow a more effective main strike. Other African-American combat units and personnel were training when the war ended. The 477th

Bomb Group was prepared for combat, but never left the US. Several air and ground crew were trained at other bases and never attended Tuskegee, and most never served in the red-tailed 332nd. But today, all share the bonds of the Tuskegee Airmen, and all have the right to wear the red jacket.

RED-TAILED MUSTANGS The 332nd’s red tail colour was first applied when the group flew P-47s, but the markings are best remembered on the group’s Mustangs. Rudder trim tabs were painted to distinguish the four squadrons: white for the 99th, black for the 100th, blue for the 301st and yellow for the 302nd. The Fifteenth Air Force identified its fighters with red noses and yellow wing bands. On Mustangs this usually meant one band near each wingtip and a second band inboard or outboard of the guns. The

‘Jug’ Turner and ‘Lucky’ Lester discuss a recent combat as they walk from Turner’s ‘Skipper’s Darling III’. (NARA)

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

67

in focus

332nd FG personnel performed all the functions required of a combat unit, filling all maintenance, medical, police, support, and administrative positions. (NARA)

Not all Tuskegee pilots flew fighters; the little-known 477th BG was preparing for combat in B-25s when the war ended. Others, such as the 93rd Infantry Division’s Ssgt Langston Caldwell shown here, flew liaison aircraft as artillery spotters. (NARA)

Lt Roscoe Brown flew ‘Bunnie’ to two aerial victories in spring 1945. Brown’s first kill was an Me 262 jet on an 8 1/2-hour mission to Munich in March of that year. (Andy Hay/www.flyingart.co.uk)

332nd generally added red wingtips, though the marking was not applied universally. Additional squadron markings were applied to aircraft noses, just aft of the red spinner. The 99th adopted a blue and white

chequerboard, and the 100th a red band (often in the form of a flash). The 301st and 302nd repeated their blue and yellow colours, generally as a band of thin, parallel stripes. All of the unit’s Mustangs were

While the 99th FS fought over the Mediterranean, three squadrons of the 332nd FG were training with P-40Fs at Oscoda Field, Michigan. In early 1944 the 99th would merge into the 332nd in Italy. (NARA)

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

uncamouflaged, with sheet Alclad on fuselages, ailerons, and flaps. The wings themselves were also Alclad, but painted with aluminised lacquer to cover the smoothing paste used to prevent rivets and surface irregularities

from disrupting the airflow. Fuselage skin would weather with time, but was often polished as a matter of unit pride. The wings, however, could be cleaned but not polished, eventually oxidising to a metallic grey finish.

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201/16

MODEL BUILD

Andy White tackles a subject with real ‘punch’… Academy’s 1/48 gun-nosed B-25G

N

orth American’s B-25 Mitchell medium was one of World War Two’s true workhorses. It served with most of the Allied air forces and almost 10,000 examples were manufactured by the end of 1945. The B-25G was an adaptation of the C model, and mounted a huge 75mm M-4 cannon in the nose in response to an urgent need for a powerful antishipping capability. Academy makes no secret that

its 1/48 B-25G is a re-boxing of Accurate Miniatures’ (AM) kit, as the latter’s logo is on the box lid and on each of the parts bags. There were nine runners in all, eight in grey styrene and one clear, and a cursory inspection showed that the parts for all B-25 variants were included. Besides the instructions, Academy provided a separate sheet that mapped out individual frames, which proved useful as the build progressed. Surface detail on the wings and

1

WHICH COLOUR? Before the build began, the first step was to paint the interior. Academy would have everything (aside from the bomb-bay) painted Zinc-Chromate Yellow, but a check of references showed that the cockpit was likely to have been Bronze Green. Tamiya’s XF-26 Deep Green replicated this shade,

2

1: Before any construction began, the inner fuselage halves needed to be painted. Deep Green was sprayed on the cockpit areas, Aluminium in the bomb-bay, and Yellow Green elsewhere, replicating Bronze Green, bare metal and Zinc-Chromate Yellow on the real airframe.

70

fuselage was extremely good and fine panel lines and rivet detail were evident throughout.

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

2: A heavier-than-usual oil wash, followed by dry-brushing, accentuated the moulded detail inside the fuselage…and ensured the effect would be visible through the side windows and other glazing.

B-25G Mitchell and XF-4 Yellow Green was sprayed elsewhere to represent the ZincChromate sections. The bomb bay was then coloured with Humbrol 56 Aluminium from an aerosol can. Once painted, the entire fuselage received a dirty oil wash of Burnt Umber/Lamp Black...this was overdone slightly, so that once the fuselage halves were joined, the exaggerated effect would still be visible through the side windows and other glazing. The cockpit was then dry-brushed with Humbrol 120 Light Green, and 90 Beige Green was added similarly over the Zinc-Chromate areas. When dry, random chips and scratches were applied with silver and brown artist’s pencils.

A BUSY BODY Attention then turned to equipping the fuselage interior. The kit provided superb detail, with a radio compartment, navigator’s position, fire extinguishers, and even a chemical

3 3: The detail inside the fuselage was superb, and it was a great shame that much would be hidden once the halves were joined.

toilet all moulded beautifully. Once painted, washed and dry-brushed, the parts were installed into their respective fuselage halves, where it became apparent that none of it would be seen once the fuselage was closed, even through the sidewindows. Still, as the saying goes: “I know it’s there!” Oddly, given that the cockpit would be highly visible, details in that area were lacking slightly. The seats were fairly basic representations that could have been better... Academy again called for them to be Zinc-Chromate, but references suggested they were unpainted aluminium. Decals were provided for the lap straps, but again these were short on emphasis, so they were replaced by Eduard’s photoetched metal (PE) items from its B-25G Mitchell Interior set (FE327), as was the kit instrument panel. After the cockpit was finished,

Kit colour schemes

• 42-64758, Army Air Forces Tactical Center, Orlando, Florida • 42-64896 ‘Little Joe’, 820th BS, 45th BG, Marshall Islands, December 1944

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

71

MODEL BUILD 4: Surprisingly, the cockpit area was not as well-appointed as the main fuselage. Photo-etched metal parts from Eduard’s B-25G Interior set embellished the seats and replaced the kit instrument panel.

6: Located below the cockpit floor, the cannon in its cradle was another well-detailed sub-assembly, which would be hidden once the fuselage halves were joined.

6

4

5: The starboard fuselage looked very busy with cockpit, navigator’s position, bomb-bay and even chemical toilet sub-assemblies fitted prior to the port half being added.

MODEL SPEC

5

72

B-25G Mitchell By:

Academy

Stock Code:

12290

Scale:

1/48

Price:

£39.99

Available from: www.pocketbond.co.uk

all other fuselage sub-assemblies were prepared. The M-4 cannon unit was represented fairly well, although the muzzle was solid and needed drilling to create a realistic muzzle aperture. It was then brush-painted with Humbrol 27004 MetalCote Gunmetal, and dry-brushed with Citadel Boltgun Metal, which caused the detail to ‘pop out’, even though it would be hidden below the cockpit floor. Similarly, the dorsal turret would have all but its uppermost structure concealed inside the aircraft. A belly turret was also

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

provided, but for the decal option chosen this was not fitted, and a blanking panel was installed over the hole. The navigator’s position was then glued to the bulkhead that also formed the forward bomb-bay wall. This bulkhead (and its rear counterpart) had integrally moulded spars that fitted through holes in the fuselage to support the wings.

A NOSE FOR TROUBLE With all the work to embellish the wonderful detail, it was now time to marry the fuselage halves, even

though this meant hiding it all. Academy suggested fitting the dorsal turret before closure, but this would mean tricky masking later, plus the prospect of breaking the gun barrels as the build progressed, so it was left out until the end. The nosewheel leg needed to be glued into position at this stage, as there would be no way to eventually get it into its narrow aperture. Unfortunately, this meant it was at constant risk of breakage and the

B-25G Mitchell

"The M-4 75mm cannon was brush-painted"

7 fuselage needed supporting (with a used yoghurt pot) every time it was put down, just to keep the leg away from the modelling table. The fuselage halves were joined without issue, and left just a minor seam that was tidied easily with light sanding and Gunze’s Mr. Surfacer 1000; lost panel lines were re-scribed afterwards. The stubby nose of the B-25G also held a pair of .50 cal machine guns above the 75mm cannon, and there was an option to open the hatch over them to display the gun breeches and ammunition boxes. However, closer inspection showed that this would cause a problem–there would be nowhere for the substantial amount of weight needed to prevent this model becoming a tail-sitter. So,

the internal detail was left out, lead weight was crammed into the compartment and the space adjacent to the cannon cradle under the cockpit floor. More of that later… The nose guns were installed at this point, since they needed to be glued into the inside of the nose, but inevitably they were

7: The M-4 75mm cannon was brush-painted with Humbrol 27004 MetalCote Gunmetal, then dry-brushed with Boltgun Metal. Once dry, the muzzle was opened with a drill bit.

snapped further down the line. With hindsight it would have been better to cut the barrels away from the breeches, and then attach them from the outside later on… lesson learned. For the decal option chosen, the aircraft had twin .50 cal guns mounted in the tail, with a glazed housing for the gunner between the tail fins. Based on experience with the nose guns, these were omitted until the end, again to prevent breakage.

8: Just a minimum of tidying was required for the fuselage seam. Later, the wings would be attached over the spars that projected from the bomb-bay bulkheads.

8

LIFT AND POWER The wing halves went together well. There was an option to fit underwing bomb racks, but in this case, they were left off. Each engine nacelle/main undercarriage housing was provided in halves, which were then glued under their respective wings. The completed wings then slid easily onto their spars and butted neatly against the fuselage, and the very small gap was closed with a dribble of thin cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive. The Wright Cyclone engines were represented beautifully, and each engine comprised two banks of seven cylinders, which were sprayed with XF-56 Metallic Grey. Ignition looms and crankcases were provided as a single piece, and were glued to the front of the cylinders before the loom was sprayed with XF-16 Flat Aluminium, and the crankcase

9 9: With the glazing in place, Eduard pre-cut masks were applied in readiness for subsequent painting; they also protected the styrene from scratches during the remainder of the build.

10

10: The nosewheel leg and nose guns proved vulnerable throughout the build, and eventually the latter broke. They were set aside and not re-attached until the final stages.

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XF-82 Ocean Grey 2 (RAF). The completed motors then received a Lamp Black oil wash to make them appear used. Rather than add the engines and cowlings to the wings at this stage (as directed by the instructions), they were sidelined until after the main painting stage.

NOT-SO-(OLIVE) DRAB

11 11: The wing-to-fuselage join was yet another example of the excellent fit and little, if any filling was required.

12 12: Preparation for the camouflage and weathering began by masking the fuselage windows, mid-upper and tail turret transparencies. The yoghurt pot was the most effective method for protecting the vulnerable nosewheel leg. 13: Accurate Miniatures’ examples of the Wright Cyclone engines were faithful replicas, with separate banks of seven cylinders.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

The decal option chosen was for ‘Little Joe’, a B-25G from the 45th Bombardment Group, based in the Marshall Islands in December 1944. Its colour scheme was the standard US Olive Drab upper over Neutral Gray undersides, but with a Medium Green disruptive pattern

over parts of the Olive Drab. The latter was notorious for fading, the more so under the weather conditions present in the Pacific theatre of operations, so licence for weathering the model was extensive! First, the clear parts were coated with their respective interior framing colours: Deep Green for the cockpit canopy and Yellow Green for the tail gun and dorsal turrets. Eduard’s pre-cut masks (EX126) protected the necessary clear areas before spraying. Once done, the entire model was undercoated with Halfords Grey aerosol primer.

B-25G Mitchell

Next was the first weathering stage–pre-shading. Well-thinned matt black was sprayed along the major panel lines, control surface joins, and into main shadow areas such as wing roots. Pre-shading doesn’t have to be precise, since weathering is far from uniform and regular. The undersides then received a base coat of XF-53 Neutral Grey, misted in thin layers to allow the pre-shading to be just visible through the colour. Aside from a panel line wash later, this was the only weathering to the undersides, since they were protected from the worst of the weather and therefore faded less

than the upper surfaces. The latter were treated rather differently (see panel). Next, the Medium Green disruptive pattern was added to the wings and tail surfaces. The original idea was that this would break up the monotone of the Olive Drab with a lighter colour along the leading and trailing edges of the flying surfaces. In reality, the Medium Green paint weathered at a slower rate and could often look darker than the Olive Drab. Blu-Tack worms were applied to the appropriate areas, and XF-5 Flat Green sprayed to represent Medium Green. Again, drops of Yellow Green were added, and the mix was post-shaded onto the Flat Green to replicate fading. With painting finished, a coat of Johnson’s Klear preceded the decal stage, and the superb Cartografprinted markings settled easily into the panel lines with minimal help from setting agents. There were just seven decals–such refreshing change from endless stencilling– and everything was then sealed with a second coat of Klear.

Patchy and faded Olive Drab was renowned for the manner in which it aged (see pages 76-81). For this build, it also meant that colouring the upper surfaces would be the fun part. Light coats of XF-62 Olive Drab were sprayed over these areas, again to allow the pre-shading to show through. The demarcation between the Olive Drab and Neutral Gray lower surfaces was feathered very finely on the real aircraft, so this was done freehand rather than with Blu-Tack worms, which would have given a harder edge. With the base coat applied, selected panels were weathered with a lightened Olive Drab. A hint of XF-4 Yellow Green was added to the mix to give a paler hue, which was then airbrushed lightly over the centre of major panels, along hard- wear areas (such as wing and tail leading edges) and engine intakes. A photograph of the actual ‘Little Joe’ was found online, which indicated the entire nose section was a lighter shade than the rest of the aircraft, and was therefore coated with the paler mix. Control surfaces often weathered at a faster rate than the rest of the fuselage, so an even lighter Olive Drab was mixed by adding a few more drops of Yellow Green. This was then applied to the ailerons, rudders and horizontal stabilisers, as well as in random mottles and streaks elsewhere on the wings. The final result looked a little stark, but the effect would darken with washes and matt varnishing.

FINAL WEATHERING A panel line wash, along with paint chipping and exhaust staining, were the last elements in reproducing a ‘tired’ airframe. As the Olive Drab was a dark colour, thinned Lamp Black oil paint was used for the wash. Once dry, cotton buds moistened with white spirit were used to clear any excess wash, but swiped in the direction of the airflow to create dirty streaks over the paintwork. This also created a filter between the Olive Drab and Flat Green disruptive pattern, thus softening the effect. Small amounts of paint chipping were applied with a silver pen to the panels that would have been removed often, such as engine

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reference B-25G Mitchell, www.joebaugher.com From Alaska to Africa the B-25 Mitchell in Combat with the USAAF, by Tomasz Szlagor (Kagero), ISBN: 978-83-61220-39-8 B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium by NL Avery (Phalanx), ISBN: 978-0962586057 B-25 Aircraft in Action, by David Doyle (Squadron Signal), ISBN: 978-0897476256 B-25 Mitchell Walkaround by David Doyle (Squadron Signal), ISBN: 978-0897476966

cowlings, and to high-wear areas such as the leading edges of the flying surfaces and refuelling points. Random scratches were also dotted elsewhere around the model; the chipping seemed bright at this stage, but would be muted by a later coat of matt varnish.

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14: Painting began by spraying the interior colours over the glazed parts to replicate the inner framing. Tubes of paper were employed to mask the engines and mid-upper turret apertures.

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15: Once the Halfords Grey Primer had cured fully, the model was pre-shaded with a heavily thinned mixture of matt black, applied roughly over panel lines and areas of shadow.

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Photographs of Pacific-based aircraft often show very pale exhaust streaking, caused by a combination of lean mixture, altitude, weather and atmospheric conditions. To represent this, a highly thinned 50-50 mix of XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown

was sprayed in streaks from each of the exhaust outlets on the cowling (28 in all!) along the top and bottom of the wings and along the engine nacelles, and the bottoms of the tail fins. Next, two drops of XF-21 Flat Base were added and mixed thoroughly,

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17: In contrast to the upper surfaces, weathering on the undersides was restricted to just pre-shading and an oil wash along the panel lines.

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16: Blu-Tack worms were used to mask the leading and trailing edges of the wings and horizontal and vertical stabilisers, in preparation for the Medium Green disruptive pattern.

B-25G Mitchell 18: Once the masking was removed, there was a stark contrast between the various tones. This would subsequently be muted by oil washes and a final coat of matt varnish.

19: Chipping effects were created with the aid of a silver pen, with particular attention paid to areas such as the engine cowlings, leading edges of the flying surfaces and refuelling points.

18

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before being sprayed in thin streaks over the original staining; this produced the characteristic pale, chalky effect. Once dried, the whole model was then airbrushed with matt varnish and put aside to cure thoroughly.

ODDS, ENDS AND WEIGHT All that remained was to add the peripherals. The main undercarriage was pleasingly simple; the oleos slotted easily into their recesses, followed by the wheels. Each had a flat spot moulded at the bottom, well-moulded tread patterns and a ‘Goodyear’ logo on the tyre

walls. These were brush-painted with Vallejo Panzer Aces 306 Dark Rubber before a black oil wash was applied to the treads and detail was accentuated by dry-brushed 305 Light Rubber over the same area. Citadel Devlan Mud Wash was then applied over the oleos, wheels, and wheel hubs. The engines, cowlings and propellers were slotted neatly into position on the wings before the crew access doors, with their extended ladders, were installed in the fuselage belly. A variety of bombs and stores were supplied to fit in the bomb bay, but these were omitted to highlight the detail in this area, and the doors were set in the open position. The dorsal turret was then dropped into place through its orifice in the top of

the fuselage...it was a tight fit, and minor fettling was needed to get the glazing to sit properly in the hole. After that, the tail guns went into their recess at the rear, and the clear observation cupola slid over them. Once the pitot tube had been added to the wing, the fuselage upper aerials were added, and a length of EZ-Line stretched between them to represent antenna wire. The finished model was then placed onto its undercarriage for the first time and, hey presto, it promptly rocked onto its tail...even with the mass of weight in the nose. To resolve this, thick CA was poured into the nosewheel bay, followed by as much Deluxe Materials Liquid Gravity as could be fitted. Eventually,

there was just enough weight to get the B-25 to sit properly, although a slight breeze would probably be enough to tip the balance!

ON FINALS Although not the newest of mouldings, the Academy/Accurate Miniatures B-25 is arguably still the best representation of the type in 1/48 scale. The kit went together very well, and presented little in the way of difficulty for the modeller (if peripherals such as the guns are left off until the end), and careful reading of the instructions and planning ahead proved invaluable. The only shame is that all that fantastic detail inside the fuselage is lost forever as soon as the halves are closed.

"Chipping effects were created with the aid of a silver pen"

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IN FOCUS

DRAB AFFAIR Dana Bell explores the often confusing subject of Olive Drab camouflage on US aircraft of World War Two

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orld War Two’s Olive Drab camouflage scheme involved a tangle of personalities, military politics and production shortcuts… mixed with a smattering of camouflage science. The prime mover behind the new scheme was Major General Henry Harley ‘Hap’ Arnold, commander of the Army Air Corps. In early 1939, Air Corps camouflage used temporary, water-based paints in a variety of colours, with schemes keyed to local topography and weather. As Arnold learned that the US was producing Lockheed Hudson bombers in standardised, permanent camouflage for Britain, he fixed on the idea of similar camouflage for America’s military, directing the Materiel Division, then based at Wright Field (near Dayton, Ohio), to explore similar permanent liveries for US aircraft. The Materiel Division, which had spent almost a decade developing those temporary camouflages and paints, responded on April 24, that: “The distinguishing requirement of American airplane camouflage is the need for flexibility. This feature is attained by the use of temporary finishes best adapted to the immediate purpose...” Wright Field had no interest in permanent camouflage. Arnold,

however, was interested, and in May again instructed the Materiel Division to investigate the matter. Receiving no answer, on July 13 he again directed the division to report...and quickly! He also announced that the Air Corps Board (at that time based at Maxwell Field, Alabama) would assume responsibility for an exhaustive study of camouflage, and that the Materiel Division was expected to fully support the Board’s efforts. A loss of authority can be a serious rebuke for any military organisation but, incredibly, the Materiel Division responded with two memos explaining why permanent camouflage was still a bad idea.

Above: The author’s 1940 sample of the Bulletin 41 Color Card shows the aging effects of the acidic paper and gluedon chips; note the glue stains migrating through the cover of the single-sheet document. Left: With deliveries beginning in early 1940, the Curtiss P-40 was the first aircraft to have Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray applied at the factory. The colours were matched to Army water paint standards, and national markings were the same used on un-camouflaged aircraft. (NASM)

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Olive Drab Camouflage TOEING THE LINE After a few months without paint (delivery had somehow been delayed at Wright Field), the Air Corps Board began practical experiments to determine the optimum colour combinations under the most diverse conditions. The first discovery showed that the conventional Light Blue underside colour was not the most effective celestial camouflage. The colour was adequate for lower altitudes, but actually increased visibility at higher altitudes above 10,000ft (3,000m). At those higher altitudes, the earth’s atmosphere reflected enough light upwards that lighter paints shone like beacons. Neutral Gray, a dark grey developed for ground camouflage, soon proved to be the most effective camouflage for all altitudes. For camouflage from above, the Board first suggested a disruptive scheme combining the standard Dark Olive Drab used in waterbased camouflage and a new Light Olive Drab developed at Maxwell Field. This camouflage was applied to early production Douglas A-20s, which were delivered in 1940. Subsequent tests showed that the Light Olive Drab was too light, and that multi-tone camouflages were relatively ineffective from any real distance. With the first Curtiss P-40s nearing the end of production, Arnold asked the Air Corps Board for a practical scheme. On March 9, 1940 the Board radioed: • Recommend neutral gray shade number 32 for sky camouflage

Photographed during the August-September 1941 Louisiana Manoeuvres, a pair of new liaison aircraft show off their pristine camouflage. In the background, a Stinson O-49 (later designated L-1) Reliant displays factory-applied Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray camouflage. The civilian Piper J3 Cub in the foreground wears a thin coat of Dark Olive Drab water paint over the Cub Yellow factory finish. Favorable reports of the Cub’s performance led to AAF orders for hundreds as L-4s. (NASM)

and dark olive drab shade number 31 for ground camouflage[.] Neutral gray should be brought up the side of the fuselage two to three inches and should flow into the dark olive drab in an irregular wavy line[.] Tests to date do not indicate necessity of breaking up lines of small airplanes hence no patterns recommended[.] Advise if color sketches desired[.] This short transmission was the first description of what was to become the Army’s standard camouflage for World War Two. The paints’ two-digit colour numbers were the Materiel Division’s standards for water-based hues, and paint manufacturers were expected to

match those using permanent lacquers, enamels, and dopes. One contract at a time, Wright Field began negotiating factory camouflage application on other aircraft, but Arnold would soon be disappointed in the lack of progress. He particularly wanted his bomber force combat ready, but neither the factories nor the Air Corps’ own depots were painting these aircraft. And as

late as August 1940, the Materiel Division had not yet amended its general specifications and technical orders to disseminate the new camouflage policy. Finally, on October 1940, Wright Field issued Specification 24114 ‘Camouflage Finishes for Aircraft’ which explained how Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray were to be applied without requiring their application; use of the spec would be negotiated with each manufacturing contract. Tech Order 07-1-1 ‘Aircraft Markings and Insignia’ was revised in April 1941, to order the camouflage described in Spec 24114 for all Air Corps and federalised National Guard combat aircraft. Specification 3-100 ‘General Specification for Protective Coatings and Finishes for Aircraft and Aircraft Parts’ required aluminium finish for tactical aircraft until September 1941, when the phrase “...unless specifically required by the Procuring Agency” was added. Specification 98-24113A ‘Color for Army Air Corps Airplanes’ also called for an aluminium finish on all tactical aircraft until a July 1942 amendment added the words “... for which camouflage finishes are not specified.”

DARK OLIVE DRAB

Camouflaged for 1932 experiments, a Douglas O-25A carries Dark Olive Drab, Dark Green, and Purple water paints on upper surfaces and sides; evaluators brushed excess samples of the paint onto this schematic of the aircraft to better document the scheme. (NARA)

The original Army ‘Olive Drab’ (derived from an earlier colour called Khaki) was colour #22 in the 1919 Quartermaster Corps Specification 3-1. When, in 1930, Wright Field began developing its first water-based camouflages, SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS

A newly completed Martin B-26B Marauder warms its engines prior to a delivery flight. The doped fabric on the rudder contrasts dramatically with the lacquer on adjacent aluminium surfaces, even though the aircraft is yet to enter service. (NASM)

Olive Drab 22 was found to be too light; adding a measure of black to darken OD resulted in a more effective camouflage shade subsequently named ‘Dark Olive Drab’ (designated colour #31 in 1938). In September 1940, the Materiel Division released Air Corps Bulletin 41 ‘Color Card for [permanent] Camouflage Finishes’ and the colour was re-designated colour #41. While differences can be seen in today’s surviving specifications, contemporary correspondence suggests that Dark Olive Drab 31 and Dark Olive Drab 41 were two designations of the same shade. Although today we often refer to the paint simply as Olive Drab or OD, contemporary records always called for Dark Olive Drab.

It is nearly impossible to know what Dark Olive Drab was supposed to look like in 1940. The standard colour cards comprised 1 x 3in (2.5 x 7.6cm) paint chips glued to a folded 8x10in (20 x 25cm) sheet of highly acidic paper. Over the decades, the glues securing those chips and the gases and acids released by the paper have conspired to alter the nature of the paint chips. Add in any deterioration resulting from storage conditions (particularly variations in heat and humidity) and it would be remarkable if any surviving Bulletin 41 chips matched the original standards. Also, unlike the Navy, the Army did not specify formulas for its paints. Manufacturers were provided standards for how paint

was to perform, a copy of Bulletin 41 to match the colour, and an opportunity to submit dope, lacquer, and enamel samples for evaluation. The Materiel Division tested those samples stringently, and failure on any of a number of parameters – adhesion, flexibility, reflectance, or weight, for example – resulted in rejection and an invitation to submit an improved sample for further examination. However, a review of Materiel Command (as the Materiel Division was renamed in April 1942) records shows that no paints were rejected for failure to match the colour standards. Many paints failed to match those standards – reports carried notes such as: “slightly dark”, “slightly light”, “slightly off-shade”, “color

did not match standard of Bulletin 41” and “color slightly gray”... but all of these samples were approved. Manufacturers were instructed to adjust the colour, but were not required to submit a new sample for retesting. Materiel Command approved more than 85 different Dark Olive Drab paints, and there was little chance that any two were exact matches. All approved paints received four-digit inventory codes, and were added to a bulletin circulated among aircraft manufacturers and depots; any approved paint could then be purchased directly without further Wright Field approval. The first two digits of the inventory code identified the paint: Dark Olive Drab used 70 for lacquer, 80 for dope, and 90 for enamel; Medium Green used 71 for lacquer, etc. The last two digits designated the manufacture: 00 for E. I. DuPont de Nemours, 01 for Sherwin-Williams, 02 for Berry Brothers, and so forth. An approved Berry Brothers Dark OD lacquer, for example, would have carried the code 9002. The codes were applied to aircraft as they were camouflaged, allowing field units to accurately report any paint failures to Wright Field for further investigation. In July 1942, Materiel Command instructed all paint companies to reformulate their Dark Olive Drab paints to reduce infrared (IR) reflectance, restarting

The transition from aluminium-finish to camouflage was slow – this wonderful image of the Wright Field hardstanding, seen in late summer 1941, shows half of the aircraft have yet to receive war paint. (NASM)

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Olive Drab Camouflage Dark Olive Drab weathered quickly, as this Eglin-based P-38 shows. The original OD has faded to buff, while a fresh replacement coat is already scuffing badly. The unpainted leading edge of the left wing appears to be a replacement, either due to earlier damage or to the installation of a leading edge fuel tank. (NASM)

the entire process. Newly approved IR-sensitive paints carried the same inventory codes as their predecessors, introducing confusion in the AAF’s worldwide stockrooms. A second reformulation was forced in 1943 when a shortage of the precious chromium oxide pigment used in IR paints caused manufacturers to substitute organic pigments; again, the new paints used the same inventory numbers. In February 1943, the Joint Aircraft Committee adopted a new Olive Drab camouflage standard based on the Army’s armour colour, ignoring Wright Field’s warnings that the new standard was too light. Under the new Army-Navy Aeronautical (ANA) Standards, the Army colour became ANA color #613 in May 1943. Materiel Command could not force a return to Dark Olive Drab 41, but it could ensure that the switch to Olive Drab 613 proceeded slowly, even ignoring a February 1944 recommendation that AAF camouflage shades should be cancelled once the ANA standards were distributed completely. The April 1944 edition of TO 07-1-1 Aircraft Markings and Insignia called for either Olive Drab 613 or Dark Olive Drab 41. Dark OD continued to appear in the tech order until July 1945. And Spec 24114 Camouflage Finishes for Aircraft was never revised to include the ANA colour.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST Paint manufacturers soon became confused. The Murphy Varnish Company noted in January 1944: “There seems to be a diversity of opinion here as to whether it is mandatory to continue the use of Olive Drab #41 Infra-Red, or whether a switch has to be made to the new ANA color standard for Olive Drab. The pigment composition of the Olive Drab we are submitting matches the Olive Drab #41 Infra-Red and not the new ANA color standard for Olive Drab.” Wright Field

noted that the ANA standard was now in effect, but then accepted Murphy’s sample as a satisfactory match – thus the paint container might say ANA 613, while the contents were still OD 41! While today’s modellers can become mired in long discussions about which model paint best represents World War Two Olive Drab, the AAF was far less concerned with the colour. A variety of reddish or brownish greens can be considered 'accurate', especially when weathering and fading are taken

into account. Modellers should be comfortable with 'that looks about right', especially when the AAF was comfortable with 'close enough for government work!' Aircraft manufacturers, at least those still camouflaging their aircraft, also received conflicting information. As old stocks of Dark OD 41 were depleted, new stocks could still be ordered. Many contacts continued to mention the AAF colour, without mention of the ANA standard. The written record suggests that little – if any – use was made of ANA 613 by the war’s end.

When night fighter camouflage tests suggested that matt black was no more effective than Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, P-61s were then delivered in the standard AAF camouflage. Again, the Olive Drab-doped rudders and elevator contrast markedly with the lacquered areas. (NARA)

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Photographed over England in 1943, these B-17Fs show major variations in camouflage. Tail and outer wing and panels were painted by sub-contractors prior to final assembly, and contrast with the adjacent panels painted by Boeing; doped control surfaces provide a third variation. Medium Green disruptive paint has been applied to the nearest aircraft only, and covers a much larger area than called for by the specs. (NARA)

NEUTRAL GRAY Neutral Gray 32 was one of the Materiel Division’s water-based paints, used on aircraft upper surfaces and sides to reduce visibility from above. As an undersurface colour, the Air Corps Board determined that it was most effective at 10,000ft (3,048m) and above. With the September 1940

Air Corps Bulletin No. 41 “Color Card for Camouflage Finishes”, Neutral Gray was re-designated colour number 43. It remained the standard undersurface shade for day camouflage, and was found equal in effectiveness to matt black for night camouflage (high-gloss Jet Black paint would subsequently prove superior to Neutral Gray

or matt black.) Beginning in November 1944, Neutral Gray was used by the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy as an overall camouflage for radar-equipped B-17s and B-24s, while the Seventh Air Force in the Central Pacific continued to use Neutral Gray as an underside camouflage on some of its aluminium-finished B-24s.

SEA GREEN/MEDIUM GREEN

Wounded troops await evacuation in the shade of a C-47’s wing. The aircraft exemplifies the confusion caused by the order to apply Medium Green to leading and trailing edges of flying surfaces – the green was never meant to be applied below the aircraft! (NARA)

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While recommending Dark Olive Drab as the most generally effective terrestrial camouflage, in 1940 the Air Corps Board noted, “in certain localities where the vegetation is extremely green, Sea Green has been found to be somewhat more effective”, and recommended, “a dark green top paint offers best concealment in the summer time when viewed against a predominantly green terrain background.” Sea Green would be renamed Medium Green 42 (though there were minor differences between the two) in September’s release of Air Corps Bulletin 41 “Color Card for Camouflage Finishes.” There is no evidence that any operational AAF aircraft flew in Medium Green camouflage, though any such official scheme could have been applied in the field. In 1942, when Materiel Command recommended the production of a water-based paint similar to Medium Green, Sea Green was reintroduced for field use. Again, there is no evidence that this temporary camouflage

was ever used in service. In a May 1942 memo, General Arnold’s office ordered: “...the following action should be taken immediately, either by the Materiel Command or by the Air Service Command, according to the division of responsibility between the two, and which is in the best position to take required action.... Along the leading edges, tips, and trailing edges of the wing, vertical and horizontal stabilizers and rudders, splotches or patches of Medium Green No. 42 should be allowed to break the continuity in appearance of the wing, stabilizer, and rudder outlines. The size of the splotches or stripes should extend inward from the edges at various distances ranging from zero to 20% of the wing, stabilizer, or rudder [chord].” Tech orders and specifications were revised later that summer, with minor changes in wording. Although the Medium Green leading and trailing edge modification was now considered standard for all aircraft, in practice several aircraft types (such as the P-47, P-51, and B-29) made little or no use of it. As specified, fresh Medium Green was lighter than Dark Olive Drab and should have softened the appearance of the hard edges of wing and tail surfaces. In practice, however, the tones were often reversed, especially as OD began to fade. Another issue came with the AAF’s assumption that Medium

Olive Drab Camouflage Green would be applied to the leading and trailing edges of upper surfaces only; orders made no mention of this requirement, and several manufacturers delivered aircraft with the Medium Green pattern on undersides also. While this went unnoticed for several months, in June 1943 specifications were amended with the words “on the upper side.”

THE END OF CAMOUFLAGE In an October 1943 policy change, the AAF recommended that most newly manufactured aircraft be delivered without camouflage. Paint would be provided to field organisations that required camouflage, and camouflage remained the standard for all night fighters, liaison aircraft, and several other tactical types. Douglas A-20 Havocs – used for tactical bombing in Italy, Northern Europe, and the Western Pacific – continued to leave the factories in OD/Neutral Gray camouflage. Many Martin B-26 Marauders, were delivered with factory-applied OD upper surfaces over aluminium undersides to satisfy Ninth Air Force needs. In August 1945, Materiel Command reported that a “...darkened zinc chromate primer, in lieu of standard camouflage, was applied to B-25J Aircraft, Serial 44-86792, delivered 4 July 1945 and A-26 Aircraft, Serial 44-34556, delivered 26 June 1945, and all subsequent aircraft delivered to FEAF [Far East Air Forces],

When the Twelfth Air Force began to receive uncamouflaged B-25s, units quickly painted the upper surfaces in Dark Olive Drab, leaving lower surfaces in aluminium. This pair of 321st BG Mitchells was photographed over Northern Italy in early 1945. (NARA)

requiring camouflage.” The simple, stained primer protected the aircraft upper surfaces and sides from corrosion while offering a lightweight, smooth-surfaced camouflage. The war’s end meant that few of these aircraft flew in combat, and no documents record just how many Mitchells or Invaders wore the little-known camouflage. ANA 613 Olive Drab would be used increasingly after the war, and Army aviation would develop several darker shades in the early 1960s, but that tale is for another time... While the AAF experimented with a number of anti-submarine camouflage schemes, the easiest to apply was a simple layer of white to lower surfaces and sides. This 16th Anti-sub Squadron Mitchell was photographed at Charleston, South Carolina. (USAF)

This story will be covered in greater detail in Dana’s forthcoming book on the history of Dark Olive Drab.

Below: Trained to fight forest fires, African-American paratroopers prepare for a post-war jump. Their C-47 shows a variety of OD and Medium Green applications, some the result of pre-painted sub-assemblies, while others cover wartime unit markings. (NARA)

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Jen Wright tangles with a snake from dusty climbs, in the shape of Eduard’s 1/48 P-39 Airacobra

1 1: Interior assembly was integrated around the nose gear and engine bays. As is the norm for a ProfiPACK boxing, PE was included but all parts were reproduced properly in plastic for those that might prefer it.

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3 2: The kit seat had its edges thinned a little and was then painted with Alclad Aluminium, followed by a coat of hairspray. After the Interior Green colour was applied, it was then chipped to represent wear.

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3: A drop of Micro Kristal Klear in each instrument face really made the PE panel come alive. If the outer part is matt-coated first, it makes for an even more noticeable improvement.

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B

ell’s P-39 is arguably one of those aircraft of which everyone is aware, yet doesn’t really notice. In many respects it was an advanced concept for its time, and the RAF, desperate for modern fighter aircraft, placed a large order for P-39s based on advertised capabilities. Unfortunately, the airframes delivered were unable to meet the performance targets desired. After a single mission by just four aircraft, the RAF withdrew the aircraft from service, diverting the remainder of the order to the Soviet Union and the USAAF. The aircraft to be modelled in this feature, 42-4514 ‘Wildflower’, of the 81st Fighter Group in Tunisia, was one of these.

Eduard’s 1/48 Airacobra is a true turn-of-the-century products as it dates to 2000, and while it isn’t up to the standard of the latest releases from the manufacturer, it would take a harsh modeller indeed to be truly disappointed by the kit as presented. Crisply moulded with very well-rendered detail throughout, and with a host of options included, there were no signs of flash or any other problems due to ageing moulds. As normal with a ProfiPACK release, photo-etched (PE) metal was included to augment or replace various parts of the model. Alongside this were a sheet of pre-cut masks for windows, wheels and walkways, and a large Cartograf decal sheet with five scheme choices.

Bell P-39L Airacobra

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7

4: Here's the finished instrument panel, with kit-supplied decals meant for the plastic version shown.

7: After the main part of the canopy was fitted, masking was carried out with Bare Metal Foil. The frames are extremely easy to see and subsequently cut along when using this method.

5: In this view of the completed cockpit, the various areas of chipping and accumulated grime are readily evident.

6: The completed assembly was fitted into one fuselage half; there were no interference problems anywhere, despite the relatively complex arrangement. Note the nose weight.

6

MODEL SPEC

5 CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORTS

P-39L/N By:

Eduard

Stock Code:

8066

Scale:

1/48

Price:

€22.45

Available from: www.eduard.com

As one might expect, the interior was tackled first, although the unique layout of the type provided variation. The cockpit was built onto a platform that also provided the bare bones of the engine bay, and the nose undercarriage bay extended from the front. Of note

here, and throughout the build, was that the supplied PE always provided a replacement for the plastic part. So a fully detailed plastic instrument panel was included, which may be of some relief to those who dislike working with PE. In this case, the detail was shaved off the plastic panel, which

was then cut down and used as a base for the PE version, to provide a more substantial gluing surface than would otherwise be present. It might seem odd to talk about the final finish of the build at this stage, but in actuality a completed model starts at the beginning so to speak. The aircraft in question

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MODEL BUILD

8

Skills and drills I feel like I’m always going on about it to my fellow modellers, but one really can make an immense difference to any build just by drilling out items that are meant to be hollow. Here the exhausts have been drilled...a simple task because they were round. The central 20mm cannon barrel received the same treatment, and the cowl gun apertures were deepened. These were later improved even further by the addition of tiny pieces of brass tube to represent the machine guns. The only tools needed are a good set of small drill bits and a pin vice. In this case, both were provided by Tamiya.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

9 8 Although the fit around the canopy was good, there was a shelf all around the rear part where the fuselage was too wide. This was removed with a micro chisel, and then finished with Gunze Mr. Surfacer and sanding. 9: The reason for leaving off the nose gun panel until so late in the build was to doublecheck that enough weight had been fitted. More was required, and this time was added via aquarium strip weights.

was operated in the desert, so a faded, chipped, and dusty finish was the order of the day. It follows, then, that the same approach was carried out on the cockpit parts. After painting the whole thing in Alclad Aluminium, hairspray was decanted into the airbrush to spray it onto the parts. Once dry, the interior colour, Mr. Hobby H58 Interior Green was applied and then scrubbed gingerly with a wet paint brush to reveal the Aluminium underneath. After this, a brown wash was used to deepen the detail; finishing with light drybrushing and pigment to represent dust accumulation. Fitting the interior construction into the

fuselage and then closing it was absolutely trouble-free, which very much set the tone for the rest of the project. A little filler was employed to fair in the main wing joins, and a very short time later the model was constructed and ready for the canopy to be fitted. And that’s where the fun started. The canopy outline was a very precise fit, but the plinth moulded into the fuselage on which it sat was too wide on both sides. I was unwilling to leave it like that, so after masking the windows, the plinth was carved and blended in until the canopy fitted as it should. Any self-congratulation at this stage was cut short swiftly, though, when the cockpit doors were offered to the fuselage; it turns out there’s a good reason why most built Eduard P-39 models have their doors open! The previous work to fair in the main canopy made fixing the doors even harder, so the extreme measure of cutting the windows away from the doors was taken to allow remedial action. This was plenty of extra work and many modellers may be happy to leave the doors open, which does at least display all the work on the cockpit interior to good advantage. After the doors were fitted, the final task was to ensure the nose weight was adequate. Blu-Tack was used to hold the undercarriage legs into position, and it was obvious instantly that not enough weight had been used. Extra weight was

Bell P-39L Airacobra

added into the area immediately behind the spinner until the model sat properly, and then the nose gun panel was fitted.

PAINT PONDERINGS Eduard’s paint instructions stated that this aircraft was in an RAF desert scheme, with US-coloured touch-ups and theatre markings. After some discussion with historian Dana Bell, it transpired that in fact, this aircraft was painted in the standard RAF day fighter scheme of the time; that

being Dark Earth and Dark Green disruptive camouflage over Sky undersides. Since the RAF colours were applied in the US, there is room for interpretation as to the exact shades, but I decided to use Mr. Color C368 for the Sky, with Mr. Hobby H72 Dark Earth and Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green. After painting the canopy areas Interior Green, the first step was to paint all necessary areas with Alclad Aluminium, which was also an excellent way to check that seams had been dealt with

properly. Since chipping was to be a feature, and Mr. Color is a lacquer-based paint, the hairspray method was not suitable so instead, salt was used as a mask. Salt granules were sprinkled onto the dampened surface of the model, and then pushed around with a paintbrush until they looked convincing. Beware of using standard granulated salt for this, as it is too regular in size and shape. Once happy with the ‘seasoning’, the Aluminiumpainted areas received Tamiya

XF-4 Yellow Green over a layer of hairspray, to represent ZincChromate primer, and the Sky was finally added. The latter shade was then darkened with both brown and black paints to produce a dirty shade, which was applied according to reference photos. A final layer of heavily thinned, and slightly lightened Sky blended the shading somewhat and left a smooth surface. Once the paint was dry, the salt could be removed with fine sanding sponges and a little water to knock it out and

13

10 10: After all the work to blend the canopy, the sense of disappointment on fitting the doors was large! The fit of the perimeter was good, but just look at that gap at the top…

13: Since chipping was set to be a feature of the finished model, the first paint to be applied was a dose of Alclad Aluminium in all areas to be chipped. Salt was stuck to the leading edges with tiny amounts of water to act as a mask.

11 12

11: To get the doors to fit, it was necessary to separate the windows from the doors. The door was then fettled to fit, and the window fitted separately with a Blu-Tack hook as shown.

12: After the cut-and-shut process, both doors fitted properly. Much effort expended, but the smooth lines of the finished result made it all worthwhile. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD references Bell P-39 Airacobra, by Artur Juszczak and Robert Peczkowski (Mushroom Model Publishing), ISBN: 978 83 614212 8 3 P-39 Airacobra in Action, by Ernie McDowell (Squadron Signal), ISBN: 978 08 974710 2 2 P-39 Airacobra in detail, by Bert Kinzey (Detail & Scale), ISBN: 978 1888 971 6 4

smooth all the edges. The next step was to chip all the Yellow Green paint before the top colours were applied. This was concentrated along panel edges and areas of high wear, so when the top coat was chipped later, certain areas would show metal colour but others primer. Another coat of hairspray was applied and then the Sky was masked. Upper colouring started with the Dark Earth which, with Mr. Hobby

H72, was sprayed freehand according to the camouflage diagram. Shading was rendered by adding white to the paint and lightening various areas to taste, with a final heavily thinned blend coat as per the underside. Instead of moving directly to painting the green, the chipping was then carried out. With a fairly stiff paintbrush loaded with water, the paint was scrubbed in areas where chips were

desired. As the water worked its way into the acrylic paint layer, the underlying hairspray was dissolved, and as that happened, the paint began to flake away. It is possible to create absolutely realistic looking chips in this way, and is very simple to do. When happy, another coat of hairspray was applied to the remaining bare areas, before moving on and applying the Dark Green. This was also applied freehand,

but with some attention paid to obtaining a sharp demarcation. Shading was added, but this time yellow was included as well as white to the fading mixture. After chipping, the masking was removed from the Sky underside and two coats of Tamiya X-22 Clear applied to seal and protect the previous work. If there is one big disadvantage with the type of chipping method used here, it is the marginal paint adhesion

15

14 14: Tamiya XF-4 Yellow Green was used to represent Zinc-Chromate primer. This would leave an edge on all the chips, plus an option to chip paint just to the primer layer.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

15: Gunze Mr. Color C368 Sky was applied to the underside. Being a very opaque paint, two light coats were sufficient to achieve coverage.

Bell P-39L Airacobra

19

16 16: With help from a photograph found on the Intenet, darker areas were applied, following the patterns shown on the photo. This streaking and staining was blended somewhat with a slightly lightened coat of Sky, to finish the basic paintwork underneath.

19: Immediately after application, the desired chipping effects were scrubbed in with an old paintbrush dampened in water. Smaller scratches and chips were added with careful use of a cocktail stick.

17

18

17: After removing the salt from the leading edges, the previously applied Zinc Chromate was also chipped and scrubbed back. The resulting finish was then coated with hairspray ready for the top colours.

18: Freehand-airbrushed Mr. Hobby H72 replicated Dark Earth, but precisely where required. The colour was lightened progressively and faded as it was added, to begin to depict a sun-bleached finish.

that results. Painting the surface with the clear coat goes some way towards mitigating this, but a great deal of care was required during subsequent masking.

of freehand and masked edges depending on the situation. The yellow wing bands were masked and Tamiya XF-3 used over a light base of white for depth. Looking suitably hotch-potch, the model had another coat of X-22, ready for decals to be added. As mentioned in the captions, the decals were something of a

IN-THEATRE UPKEEP Perhaps the most interesting part of this particular paint scheme was in the touch-ups and theatre

markings. Eduard’s instructions depicted large areas of Olive Drab used to re-paint engine access panels and areas of the camouflage. I reasoned that, in fact, the RAF roundels must have been covered at some point too, so I added those to the mix. Tamiya XF-62 was used to represent Olive Drab over-spraying, with a mixture

disappointment in use. Although they looked great on the sheet, they were quite troublesome to apply. They were both very ‘grabby’ on the surface of the model, and also quick to tear or fracture...not a good combination. They were also quite resistant to decal solvents, and did not appear as if they would settle at all well.

"Smaller scratches and chips were added with a cocktail stick" SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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MODEL BUILD

After drying overnight, though, they looked much better and with the aid of a few scalpel cuts and more solvent, all was well. They did, however, stick out like a sore thumb against the drab and faded paintwork, lending a slightly clownish look to the model. This simply would not do, so the weathering tools were broken out in force. The first step of the weathering process was to add a filter...to encourage the blending of those brightly coloured decals, and to add a muted, dusty look to the model. To that end a tan filter was applied to the entire surface with a large soft brush. This was

20: Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green was added freehand, and again shaded as it was applied. The edge was kept as tight as possible and as with the brown, chips were added immediately after application.

20

not a heavy or flooded layer, just an even finish; much the same as if one were applying a layer of Johnson’s Klear by brush. This was left to dry thoroughly before any wash was used, to avoid the filter being removed by the wash. Two colours of wash were employed, neutral for all the removable or opening panels, and dark around the control surfaces for slightly greater definition. At this stage, the paintwork looked good and the panel lines were accented subtly, but the markings still looked too bright. The solution was a very thin mix of Tamiya XF-57 Buff, literally 10% paint in the thinner. This was sprayed over the decals, and over

Condiments and controversies

21 21: Olive Drab (Tamiya XF-62) touch-ups were applied freehand with somewhat more loosely defined demarcations than the camouflage, except where separate panels were painted. The yellow theatre markings, and then a further coat of X-22 completed this phase of the painting. 22: The beautiful Cartograf markings sheet turned out to be quite tricky in practice, with decals prone to cracking and seemingly unaffected by normal decal solvents...

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Seeing this photo of all the weathering tools used on this model got me thinking. I’ve seen a backlash of late against these ready-made weathering products, which I think is a little unfair. It is true that the majority of products shown here are simply washes of varying thickness and colour, but I think the key point to consider is convenience. It is absolutely true that most of these products are not necessary to make a good model, and equally, these are not a one-stop shop to weathering excellence. They are simply convenient solutions, which work together well to provide an easyto-use weathering regime for the majority of modellers. When one thinks about it, that’s not really so different from having ready-mixed paint colours, is it?

Bell P-39L Airacobra

26

23 23: ...but after drying overnight, the decals had shrunk and conformed very well. Patience is a virtue after all!

26: With washes and filters applied, the model did indeed look dusty and faded. The markings still seemed very bright though, so further action was required.

25

24 24: Weathering started with a sand-coloured filter. This began to blend in the very bright decals, and add a dusty look to the entire model. Application was simply with a large, soft paintbrush.

25: Once the filter was dry, selected panel lines were highlighted with Neutral or Dark Brown washes applied sparingly with a fine brush. Just panel lines depicting removable panels were treated in this way.

the uppermost areas, and the decals at last looked as though they belonged in the rest of the finish. A closing weathering touch was applied before the matt coat, in the form of dirty footprints on

blocks are also excellent for this type of effect. AMMO MIG Flat varnish was used for the final finish, which bleached and faded the colours even further, but for once this was not

the wing walkways. A tiny piece of sponge held in tweezers was ideal for this task, used with Earth Effects, which is essentially a thick wash made with pigment. Pastels, pigments or Tamiya-type powder

an unwanted side effect. Exhaust staining was applied over the matt coat with a 50:50 black-brown mix in the airbrush. Many period references show quite marked exhaust stains on these aircraft,

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MODEL BUILD

COLOUR AND SHAPE TH E S E O F F I C I A L D RA W I N G S S H O W TH E A C TUA L PA TTE R N A P P L I E D TO RA F P - 3 9 S I N WO R L D WA R TWO.

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SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Bell P-39L Airacobra

"well-integrated weathered finishes are no accident"

but here it was kept quite subtle as the model was already rather battered looking. Final assembly was as much of a non-event as most of the rest of the build, and testimony to the kit’s good quality.

JUST DESSERTS This was such an interesting project, looking in detail at an underrated and somewhat un-noticed type, sharing research with Dana Bell and learning about

27 27: Highly thinned Tamiya XF-57 Buff was applied over the markings and across the uppermost areas. The decals already appear far more in keeping with the rest of the finish.

the pitfalls and shortcomings of what could have been a great aircraft. It was also an exercise in planning; hopefully this text illustrates that wellintegrated weathered finishes

are no accident, but instead the result of many separate stages implemented at specific times in the process. All this was made easy by what was a genuinely excellent and enjoyable kit.

30 30: As usual, all the details and ‘dangly bits’ were painted and weathered along with the model for consistency.

29

28 28: The final act before the matt coat was to add noticeable footfall on the non-slip areas, with a sponge. While AMMO MIG Earth Effects was used here, similar results can be obtained with a sponge and pastels or pigments.

29: The final matt coat was applied via a product from AMMO MIG. This faded and blended everything even further, resulting in a very sun-scorched appearance across the entire airframe. SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS

VENOM DILUTED The original design of the P-39 was built around the 37mm cannon. Here, a Sixth Air Force armorer loads that weapon in Panama. This aircraft’s white underside was common with AAF units in the Caribbean – where German U-boats would surface to fire at any aircraft they encountered! (NARA)

The chequered career of the P-39 Airacobra, and its colours and markings, are imparted by Dana Bell

B

ell’s sleek and clean P-39 Airacobra looked like a futuristic, war-winning fighter when it was introduced in 1938. Perched on its tricycle landing gear, its nose raised to rocket

into the sky, the Airacobra would prove the exception to the commonly held impression that if an aircraft looked right, it would indeed fly right. The Airacobra was conceived at a time when the Air Corps

The first P-39Cs were assigned to the 31st Pursuit (later Fighter) Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan. Prop blades remain unpainted on these aircraft, and unique main landing gear is fitted to 31P/22. (NARA)

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was enamoured with the 37mm T9 aircraft cannon, a confused love affair that would continue into the early war years (the AAF also hoped to develop 37mm gun turrets as defensive weapons for B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s!). The heavy cannon, backed by lighter machine guns, was expected to destroy easily any enemy fighters or bombers US forces might encounter. To counterbalance the weight of the armament and nose wheel, Bell engineers placed the engine behind the pilot, with a driveshaft leading to a gearbox behind the propeller. The 37mm cannon (replaced by a 20mm cannon in several variants) fired through the centre of the prop hub, with synchronised machine guns firing through the propeller arc and wing machine guns outside the arc.

FALSE DAWN Early flight test reports were encouraging, if somewhat erroneous. Articles in the popular press described the P-39 exceeding 400mph (643km/h) in

a dive, a figure subsequently downgraded in substantial terms with the discovery of instrumentation errors. Plans for a turbo-supercharger were dropped to save weight, ruining performance at 20,000ft (6,096m), where German bombers flew most of their missions. Increased armament added the weight, further restricting altitude performance. By January 1941 the Air Corps had given up on the Airacobra as a high-altitude interceptor, and planned to add bomb racks for ground-attack missions. The RAF, which planned to use the aircraft as a low-altitude fighter, requested an armament revision with a 20mm cannon firing through the prop hub, two .50 cal guns firing through the prop arc, and a pair of 20mm cannon in each wing – a modification plan dropped quickly once the aircraft’s actual performance was discovered. Ultimately, nearly all British Airacobras were transferred to the Soviet Union or retained by the AAF once America entered the war. The US had tried to prepare for war while insisting there

P-39 Airacobra

One of the first YP-39s carried this temporary camouflage scheme while displayed at the January 1940 Bolling Field Exposition. The display was close enough to the capitol to allow government leaders to see the latest in Air Corps designs. (Pellitier)

was no reason to get involved in an overseas conflict. When war came, most fighter units were equipped or equipping with P-40E Warhawks, with a few operational squadrons of P-39s. Desperate for combatcapable aircraft, the AAF retained a number of airframes purchased for foreign air forces; this included 179 of the RAF’s Airacobra Mark Is, which the US designated the P-400 (halfjokingly referred to as a P-40 with a Zero on its tail!). When possible, the first P-39 units were shipped to secondary fronts – such as Iceland, Panama, Canton Island, Alaska, and Ascension

Island – where little enemy action was expected. By the spring of 1942, two P-39 groups were sent to Australia for combat in New Guinea, and by late summer a squadron was preparing for combat over Guadalcanal. Early combat reports were disheartening – speed, altitude, and manoeuvrability were all unsatisfactory against enemy fighters. Ground-attack missions and bomber interceptions further demonstrated the Airacobra’s vulnerability; fuel, oil, hydraulic, and coolant lines were extremely susceptible to enemy fire, and several aircraft were lost when a single bullet or shrapnel fragment severed one of the lines.

The RAF received a number of Bell 14s as the Airacobra Mark I. Bell’s original attempt at matching the British camouflage scheme included an unusually high and sharp demarcation between upper and lower colours. (NASM)

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

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IN FOCUS The Thirteenth Air Force was one of the last AAF units to fly Airacobras in combat. These P-39Qs, based on Torokina, Bougainville, at the end of 1943, were flown by several squadrons as their personnel rotated through the northern Solomons. They would continue in service through the following June. (NARA)

British Airacobras retained by the AAF were designated P-400s. The 67th Fighter Squadron flew some of these aircraft (still in British camouflage, but with AAF markings) in the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign. (NARA)

Nonetheless, the P-39 was often the only aircraft available, and AAF pilots flew Airacobras in combat missions through late summer 1944. Russian deliveries of P-39s continued, even as production switched to the P-63 (an upgraded P-39 with laminar flow wings); both types were also passed to French and Italian allies, where they continued in use even after the war.

marking would be omitted on the production line in late 1942, but was rarely overpainted on aircraft already in service. Beginning in mid-1942, blotches

of Medium Green were applied to leading and trailing edges of wings and tails to break up the hard outlines of those surfaces; this additional camouflage was

frequently added to aircraft already in service. Airacobras built for the RAF were to be painted to that air arm's standards for the Temperate Land Scheme, a disruptive pattern of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky under surfaces. A March 1942 memo shows that the British Air Commission had communicated its colour requirements to the (US) Defense Aid Organization with duPont colour numbers and chips for identification. The memo explained: “I have quoted the duPont colour numbers since these are in a booklet which the Defense Aid Organization has and further it may accelerate the ordering of paints. The British Air Commission has no special

COLOURS AND MARKINGS While all experimental (XP) and developmental (YP) P-39s were delivered in aluminium finish, the first production P-39Cs arrived wearing the Air Corps’ new camouflage of Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, with national insignia above the left wing, below the right wing, and on either side of the fuselage. ‘U.S. ARMY’ was applied beneath the wing in two-foot-high (60cm), Insignia Blue block letters; the

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When the Japanese moved into the Aleutians in June 1942, the P-39s of the 54th FG rushed to Alaska; the wolf’s head emblem identified several aircraft of the group’s 57th FS. (NARA)

P-39 Airacobra preference for duPont, but it gives an easy reference.” The Dark Green listed in Bell’s factory drawing was duPont 71-013, a poor, but acceptable, match for the British standard. Dark Earth 71-009 was a very poor match, being far too light and sandy. DuPont would eventually replace this shade with Dark Earth 71-035, which was, at least, closer to the original RAF standard. By March 1942 the earlier hue was dropped from most correspondence, but there is no clear indication if, or when, Bell might have adopted the darker brown colour. Sky Type S Grey 71-021 is more difficult to pin down, though, and can still provoke arguments between researchers. The first British colour charts available to US manufacturers would have included two shades with the name ‘sky’ – Sky Blue and Sky Grey. In spring 1940, the new colour Sky was introduced and standardised immediately for use in the Temperate Land Scheme. Sky, also called Sky Type S to stress the point that it was to be a Type S smooth-surfaced paint, was a pale green unlike the pastel blue of Sky Blue or the pale neutral grey of Sky Grey. One problem for US manufacturers came from the British Purchasing Commission, which generally referred to the new colour as Sky Type S Grey in planning sessions. The name suggested a smoothsurfaced version of Sky Grey rather than the new colour Sky. Surviving, but undated samples of duPont 71-021, and 1943 US military equivalent charts, show a colour greener than Sky Grey but much paler than Sky; this

‘The Pantie Bandit’ was a P-39L assigned to the 93rd FG in Tunisia in 1943. The American-applied camouflage is still Dark Earth and Dark Green with a variation of Sky, not a desert scheme. Its paint has been faded dramatically by the North African sun. (Levy)

Although the P-39 had ‘car door’ entrances on both sides, the throttle quadrant on the left side forced most crews to enter on the right. Note the Dull Dark Green cockpit colour…standard on early versions of the Airacobra. (NARA)

was probably the colour used by Bell on its Airacobras, though some original 4x5in colour transparencies suggest it could have been the neutral Sky Grey. Each modeller should choose an underside colour to fit individual tastes and expectations. It should be noted that, despite published colour artwork to the contrary, P-39s and P-400s were not painted in a version of the RAF desert camouflage. While the Temperate Land Scheme upper-surface colours faded dramatically in normal conditions, the desert sun wreaked havoc on the paints, particularly the already light version of Dark Earth. While the altered contrast found in some black and white photos suggested the use of desert paints, a careful comparison with photos taken in the UK, the original factory drawings, and suspicious desert photos shows that no repainting had occurred.

The first P-39Ds, which introduced a pair of .30 cal guns to each wing, were also delivered to the 31st PG. By this time most unit markings were in black, though the large cobra insignia of the 39th PS was applied in full colour. (NARA)

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IN FOCUS Sun damage and replacement parts add to the ‘patchwork’ quality of this Sixth AF P-39K. Portions of the aircraft appear to carry a disruptive camouflage of dark green; the white underside paint has begun chipping away to reveal the original Neutral Gray, and the wingtips appear to be yellow. (NARA)

Armourers load the twin .30 cal machine guns in the wing of a Panama-based P-39. Although the four wing guns increased the Airacobra’s firepower, they increased the aircraft’s weight considerably, and were often removed in the field. (Key Collection)

UNUSUAL HUES One of the more interesting Airacobra liveries was carried by the 15th Fighter Group’s 46th Fighter Squadron on Canton Island (in the Phoenix Islands) from March to December 1943. Undersides of the aircraft were a pale blue, possible the same mix of 1 gal white to 1/8th pint blue, which was being specified by the Corps of Engineers in Northwest Africa at the same time. (Interestingly, the blue tint was never identified in mixing instructions!) The Olive Drab upper surfaces were repainted to better blend with the island sands, and two possible colours seem most likely: Corps of Engineers Sand (light beige) and AAF Sand (terra cotta pink, very similar to the Corps of Engineers colour Desert Sand). There’s little surviving evidence as to which was used, but the

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caption to a contemporary Army photo explains that the Corps of Engineers was painting everything on the island white. And in the 1960s, unit veterans recalled that

SCALE MODELLING: United States Army Air Forces

Stationed on Canton Island in late 1943, ‘Devastating Devil’ was a 46th FS P-39Q. The aircraft appears to wear beige-toned Corps of Engineers Sand, with pale blue under-surfaces. (Lambert)

confused as to the colour. Without better documentation, Corps of Engineers Sand seems to have been the more likely camouflage. In June 1943, the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, and Thirteenth Air Force in the South Pacific devised an identification marking for single-engined Allied aircraft that might share missions over Rabaul: all tail surfaces were to be painted white. In September the Fifth AF added white leading edges to its wings, a marking never adopted by the Thirteenth. The markings, which were applied universally to Fifth AF Airacobras, were not worn by the Thirteenth’s P-39s. The exclusion was not mentioned in records,

‘Sweats’ was a P-39N of the 118th Recon Squadron (formerly Connecticut National Guard) in the summer of 1943. After training in Airacobras, the squadron converted to Mustangs and moved to China. (NARA)

their aircraft had been painted pale grey. While beige can be mistaken for off-white or pale grey, it would be unusual for anyone looking at a pink aircraft to be

but may have resulted from expectations that, before moving to New Guinea, the Thirteenth’s Airacobras usually operated solely in the Solomons.