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More 'red letter' photos
Kyrre
Thanks for your well reasoned reply and your certainly plausible theory. Just to add some weight, the only 'red letter' photos I have seen (2 more see attachment) are of Typhoons which joined 198 Squadron after D-Day. Your photo shows MN880 TP-Q and although the TP looks nearly as dark as the centre of the roundel, the letters are viewed through a cloud of dust which may have some effect.
Attached are MN882 TP-E and MN526 TP-V, neither of which are as dark as the roundel red but they are darker than the 'sky' bands. I cannot imagine that the only paint available would be red! I think the shades are quite close to the undersides of the aircraft - Medium Sea Grey. The third shot shows MN880 TP-Q when it crashed on 2 October 1944; the codes are much lighter in this shot but still darker than the sky band. They could have been repainted of course.
MN882 TP-E was Sqn Ldr Ezanno's aircraft and he was the CO that stated the codes were definitely not red. I have just heard from John Cripps who compiles the 198 Squadron website and he states that he asked the question to 8 surviving squadron members; none could recall red letters. He has added come notes on this controversy at the end of the 198 site.
So, plausible theory or not, I still think not red until proven! Like you say - an interesting debate!
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