366.FG colours

[Peter S]

I have a lot of 366.FG pictures but obviously they're black&white so it is impossible to recognise the colours on them. Basically I'm struggling with cowls colours and stripes on the tails.
Olive drab razorbacks had light cowls but not sure what colour was that, white, yellow perhaps? (Holt's "Magic Carpet" or Smith's "The Chief")
There was also no "standarisation" for painting for silver bubble-tops since they arrived. Some of them had horizontal bands across fin and rudder, some of them just across fin and finally some of them were without stripes at all.
I' ve been told that someone was trying to make a Bob Brulle's "Virginia" P-47's model but pilot didn't remember the colours accurately. Lt Kennedy's son has mentioned (in an email to my colleague) that most of the 366.FG ''jugs'' had black anti-glare paint on the top of the aircraft (to the tail), most of their cowls were painted red with yellow painted propeller hubs and red tips on the prop blades. Each 366.FG sqn had different colour of the hub but probably 390.FS had them in yellow. I was also told that on the very unique colour picture of the 389.FS's plane red hub can be seen.
I've seen nice picture/drawing of Lt Fox's (391.FS) "Strossie Mae'' (nose-art in red) with black cowl and black stripe across fin and rudder.
Also a black& white invasion stripes were in use for very long time after Invasion.
Any help in this matter will be very apprieciated.
Regards

[Graham Boak]

White cowlings were standard theatre markings on P-47s, to distinguish them from Fw 190s.

[rpeck350]

The 366th FG did not have any color markings except the standard ETO markings,white on camo P-47's and black on the natural metal P-47's.
As stated above.
But towards the end of the war these stripes were removed .
The front cowling color was removed on most P-47 and tail stripes depended on the P-47 .
There is a book on this Group printed by the 366 FG association but not sure if it is still around,try here:
http://www.366fightergroupassoc.org/
Rick

[Peter S]

But towards the end of the war these stripes were removed .

Hi Rick
I think I cannot agree with you . If you see Paisley's "La Morte" B2-M 44-20545 picture taken just before the end of the war you'll see invasion stripes very clearly.
Regarding cowling and tail markings I have a few pictures where different options of them can be seen. Fox's "Strossie Mae" had stripe on her tail, flying which he claimed Arado 234 jet in Febr 1945 . Also Lt Bristol's "Topsy" A8-X had dark cowling and dark stripe across her tail (picture taken at Asch), another exapmle was "Fickled Flossie" A8-F (picture taken at Asch).
If you have an access to Manrho/Putz "Bodenplatte..." page 140 you'll see exactly what I mean. A few different planes and few different markings.

There is a book on this Group printed by the 366 FG association but not sure if it is still around,try here:

"The War we fought" - yes, I know this book.

http://www.366fightergroupassoc.org/

Yes, few nose arts but not a lot of details for my case
Regards
Peter