Spitfire camouflage

[AUS_RAAF]

Hello,

I am seeking some clarification regarding Spitfire camouflage. This is partly related to my query last week regarding an a/c serial for 253 Sqn RAF. At the following link is a well known picture of Spitfires dated July 1944.
http://www.spitfiresite.com/photos/h...-in-italy.html

The furthest two are Mk.V (trop) aircraft of 253 Sqn. Would these have had the standard northern European camouflage of grey/green upper and light grey underside with yellow wing leading edges OR the two tone brown desert scheme with azure blue underside? I would guess the rear fuselage band, date and theatre of operation (Northern Italy/Balkans) suggests the grey/green scheme? It also looks like the spinners are red like several other Italian based units around the same time. Any help much appreciated.

Regards, Drew H

[Graham Boak]

As they possess the Sky fuselage band, that would suggest they were in the Day Fighter Scheme: Dark Green, Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey. The Desert Scheme of Mid Stone, Dark Earth over (probably) Azure Blue was largely stopped after the North African campaign. It was initially replaced by overpainting the Mid Stone with Dark Green, reproducing the earlier Temperate land Scheme. This was quite common in the RAF in Italy, with various undersides, more so than the Day Fighter scheme, at least until late on.

Red spinners were a theatre marking for North African operations, they do not seem to have been so prelevant in Italy. Sky spinners would normally go with the Sky fuselage band, but (from memory) a darker colour was often used, perhaps Dark Earth, or perhaps just squadron preference. It is a subject that needs more research.

I'm unsure how common the yellow leading edge was in Italy, but would assume it without evidence otherwise.

[Pilot]

The first one is very interesting with different type of roundel on fuselage.

[AUS_RAAF]

Thanks Graham for the information. Srecko, the roundel is an oddity for a fighter. Some PR squadrons used the red/blue roundel on the fuselage, however, EF553 was a Mk.VC (trop) with guns (as confirmed by the chalk message near the cockpit). Another unusual feature in the pic are the light coloured patches on the upper spine of all three Spitfires (just forward of the rear fuselage band).

Drew

[Graham Boak]

The light coloured patches are most likely gas-detector paint.

The simplest answer to the roundel is just that they have yet to paint the white and yellow rings.

[VoyTech]

Hello Graham,

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

The simplest answer to the roundel is just that they have yet to paint the white and yellow rings.

Well, the simplest answer is not necessarily the correct one. There are a number of photos of Spitfire V fighters in service in the Mediterranean with such blue-and-red roundels.

[Graham Boak]

Yet the two behind have the "proper" roundel, and supposedly are all the same unit at the same time.

However, I place some doubt on the caption. We have three different styles of unit/individual marking. One full coding. One with only the individual letter forward, one with the individual letter aft, and both of these are coded A. I suspect the photo is taken at an MU or similar second-line organisation.

Is there any known pattern to these "B" roundels on the fuselage? Units, timescale?

[VoyTech]

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

However, I place some doubt on the caption. We have three different styles of unit/individual marking. One full coding. One with only the individual letter forward, one with the individual letter aft, and both of these are coded A. I suspect the photo is taken at an MU or similar second-line organisation.

Exactly. I think I saw the photo in the IWM Photo Archive and the caption did mention training of Yugoslav erks but not in a regular unit. I guess whoever wrote the caption on this website was mislead by the unit code on one Spitfire.

Is there any known pattern to these "B" roundels on the fuselage? Units, timescale?

I recall two in 249 Sqn markings plus at least two of other units (don't recall which one). All late 1943 to 1944 IIRC.