Quote:
Originally Posted by Wurger  On January the Third of 1945 on all aircraft of the Second TAF in Europe all elements of quick ID including the Sky type S stripe on fuselages were removed.From the date spinners could be painted with any colour including personal ones. |
No, this was forbidden.
Because 2nd TAF often operated from bases close to the front line they were close to enemy airfields. To reduce the vulnerability from aerial attack the Sky spinners were repainted black and the Sky band over painted, usually with one of the camouflage colours typically Ocean Grey. Typhoons and Tac Rec Mustangs (Mk I and II) had slightly different rules for camouflage and markings with their own recognition markings that were revised several times. At one time Typhoons were ordered to paint their spinners to match their cowlings and then later to paint them Sky. Mustang Mk IIIs used white bands and spinners as a recognition aid.
Typhoon squadrons seem to have been the chief culprits for painting their spinners in flight colours etc. This was not officially sanctioned and the Air Ministry sent signals reminding units what the rules were. On the 3rd January 1945 2nd TAF issued orders that all aircraft under its command were to
remove the 18in Sky band
and all individual or unit identity colours which were applied to spinners. Mostly spinners were painted black but some Mustangs had spinners in a camouflage colour. Late in the war some of the Mustang III squadrons adopted coloured spinners. The Mustang Mk IV didn’t enter service with the RAF until near the end of the War (March/April 1945). Some of these had more colourful schemes.
Late in the war Britain agreed to accept aircraft from the USA that were not camouflaged. The same did not apply to indigenous aircraft which continued to be camouflaged. On 8th March 1945 it was declared that all Mustangs were to drop their camouflage schemes but photographic evidence suggests that many did not have their camouflage removed. Some Mustang Mk IVs arrived in camouflage; these were mostly sent to North Africa, Italy and India. After the war the RAF painted some aircraft silver. The official name of the colour is High Speed Silver. The RAF always painted their aircraft, they were never bare metal. Post war many spitfires were left in camouflage. Spitfires sent to Japan as part of the occupying forces were repainted silver because the high command wanted them to look ‘smart’. The RAuxAF adopted an all-over silver scheme for their spitfires. High Speed Silver disappeared when the RAF adopted polyurethane paints. At that time it was not possible to produce polyurethane metallic paints. A new colour, Light Aircraft Grey, was substituted which was considered to look something like the silver finish.
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