[Graham Boak]

Stefaan: PR in the RAF was something of a private air force, reporting to high command and (at least later in life) largely concentrating on strategic reconnaissance. They were allowed to go their own way with camouflage schemes, although settling on the well-known PRU Blue. FR units were fighters with cameras, flying tactical missions, reporting to local authority and the relevant Army HQs. These grew out of the old Army Air Co-Operation units, and were normally camouflaged in the same schemes as fighter aircraft in the same theatre. So although both flew Spitfires with cameras, they had distinctly different roles and positions in the organisation.


Alex, you may well be right, although the need wouldn't seem that desperate and the apparent concentration of these in SAAF units does imply something else. However, if 41 Sq was dedicated to the interception of intruders, and these bare metal aircraft have been seen in other units, then we can probably rule out the search for performance limits. It begins to look as though local SAAF HQ relaxed the rules on camouflage before the RAF as a whole.

Maybe, however, someone will bring to the forum a mass of photos of baremetal RAF fighters in Italy.....