Malta's Hurricanes camo scheme (1941)

[CJE]

Hello there!

We are working on profiles of Hurricanes based at Malta early 41.
My suggestion is that they should have retained the Nothern Europe camo scheme (Dk Green/Dk Earth) together with white and black undersides.
Is this assumption correct?

When did the Tropical scheme appeared in Malta and did the Hurricane IIAs launched from HMS Argus (April 41) alreary wear it?

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[Graham Boak]

There is a colour photo showing Temperate Land Scheme with black/white undersides, although by Feb 1941 then they should have been wearing the sky/black scheme. Photographs of Hurricanes over Cyprus do show this scheme (although is the lighter colour Sky or Sky Blue?).

Hurricanes on Malta appear to have worn a mix of TLS and desert, depending on the delivery, although one view of Furious (early 1941?)appears to show Hurricanes carrying the tropical Land Scheme of Dark Green and Mid Stone. I know of no attempt to sort the deliveries by camouflage scheme. Try Brian Cull's Hurricanes Over Malta, and Shores/Cull/Malizia's Malta: The Hurricane Years.

[CJE]

Thanks Graham.
May I assume that at that time Hurricanes with Vokes filters had a Desert scheme, those without had a TLS scheme?
I've got both books but none are specific on this topic.

[Graham Boak]

A safer assumption would be that they all had the Vokes. This is without looking for photos.... however, I think that all overseas Hurricanes had the filter regardless of colour scheme, as in the Greek campaign and 73 Sq in the desert (Cull's Hurricanes over Tobruk).

The rules I use for interpreting (guessing?) the colour scheme is to look for the dark area around the canopy - that's TLS or possibly TropLS. If the lighter area is around the canopy it is Desert.

I believe that Paul Lucas quotes an earliest date for Mid Stone in one of his books for Guideline: from memory this is 1940 and some of the earliest Hurricanes on the island were in the Desert scheme, but later ones reverted to TLS.

[CJE]

Assuming they had a Desert camo in Feb 41, so what were the undersides like? Plain sky or black/white or sky/black?

There are photographs in Chris Shores' book showing Hurricane Mk.Is without tropical filters.

[Graham Boak]

ME Command is said to have rejected Sky as being too light. The date of this, or indeed the exact wording, is not known to me. Malta, however, seems to have had a special place in the command structure, so it is not clear which standard of rules applied. I believe deliveries would have been in Sky Blue undersides. This is the 1930s standard Sky Blue not the wartime pale RAE shade. Definitely proving this is another matter - but you will see it represented on Chris Thomas's artwork for Hurricanes over Tobruk and Ron Bellings' paintings of SAAF aircraft of this period.

If you check Hurricanes Over Malta you'll see the colour photo I have in mind - not sure from memory that it was black/white undersides or black with some other colour.

[VoyTech]

I believe the scheme of early 1941 was Sky underneath with just the port wing black, unlike the pre-war scheme which called for half white/half black, divided along the centreline.
AFAIK Sky Blue is just a hypothesis of some researchers, not confirmed by any RAF documents, which used the names of Sky or Duck Egg Blue (Duck Egg Green?).

[Graham Boak]

I presume you doubt the use of Sky Blue in the Mediterranean, rather than its existence. Evidence for the latter can be found in many places, not least on relics from the BoB – though there were no Air Ministry Orders covering its use. It has been recorded on the undersides of aircraft delivered to Australia (Pentland), described on Spitfires destined for the Mediterranean (Barbic), and recorded (by noted artist Ron Belling) on the undersides of earlier aircraft in South Africa. No AMOs cover those, either. I’m afraid that the AMOs do not provide a fully comprehensive description of camouflage on overseas aircraft. (Or, arguably, home-based ones either.)

It appears to be accepted that ME Command rejected the use of Sky as too light – presumably they first saw it on Blenheims. This particular despatch has not been published, to my knowledge, but many sources (e.g. Huntley) either refer to it or act as if it existed. Actual documentation on any particular colour on ME undersides appears to be thin, at best. So Sky can be ruled out, or at least discounted. Given that a light blue colour is mentioned, what could it be if not Sky Blue? It may have been the very similar Azure Blue, although I think that the date of introduction of this colour would rule it out for at least the 1940 deliveries. Even so, this is but another hypothesis, with perhaps even less in its favour. If not Sky Blue, then what?

There has been considerable confusion over the various underside options. Sky Blue (1930), Sky Blue (RAE), Sky, Azure (another 1930 colour), Azure Blue, Light Mediterranean Blue, duck egg blue, duck egg green, etc. Until recent research proved otherwise, anecdotal evidence for other colours than Sky in the Battle of Britain was regularly dismissed. It was Sky or, well, Sky. That Sky Blue was widely used on undersurfaces of RAF aircraft in tropical areas is only a suggestion (or, if you like, a hypothesis). It cannot be otherwise, given the level of evidence. Occam’s Razor suggests we adopt the simplest solution that best describes the situation: to my mind this means Sky Blue. This does not mean that every, or even any particular, Hurricane on Malta had this colour. It does suggest that Sky Blue is the likeliest colour, at least for the later 1940 deliveries.

We do need more, and harder, evidence. Or at least CJE does.

[VoyTech]

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

I presume you doubt the use of Sky Blue in the Mediterranean, rather than its existence.

Exactly

Evidence for the latter can be found in many places, not least on relics from the BoB – though there were no Air Ministry Orders covering its use. It has been recorded on the undersides of aircraft delivered to Australia (Pentland), described on Spitfires destined for the Mediterranean (Barbic), and recorded (by noted artist Ron Belling) on the undersides of earlier aircraft in South Africa.

I hope you will not mind if I point it out that you have listed three different categories of arguments: 'relics' (very strong argument, but refers to BoB so has little to do with Malta), 'recorded' (whatever that means; refers to Australia and South Africa), and merely 'described' when it refers to the topic we discuss here.

It appears to be accepted that ME Command rejected the use of Sky as too light – presumably they first saw it on Blenheims.

I find it a bit amusing that those authors/researchers who say: "ME Command rejected the use of Sky as too light, so another colour must have been introduced soon" usually also claim that "although Malta Command rejected the use of Desert Scheme as unsuited on the island, fighters continued to be delivered and used in this scheme for many months". Isn't it a case of dual standards, so to speak?

Given that a light blue colour is mentioned, what could it be if not Sky Blue? It may have been the very similar Azure Blue, although I think that the date of introduction of this colour would rule it out for at least the 1940 deliveries. Even so, this is but another hypothesis, with perhaps even less in its favour.

Much more in its favour, because Azure blue was eventually introduced in AMOs as one of the prescribed undersurface colurs, while Sky Blue was not.

Occam’s Razor suggests we adopt the simplest solution that best describes the situation: to my mind this means Sky Blue.

Well, I think it suggests the reverse: we should accept Azure, which eventually made it into official regulations, rather than Sky Blue which didn't.

[Graham Boak]

Given that there is proof that Sky Blue was used on RAF aircraft, you can't declare that it wasn't on the grounds of a lack in an AMO, and therefore rule it out where other evidence suggest its presence. As it is recorded as being used in South Africa, use elsewhere overseas is a reasonable assumption.

I don't know who "these researchers" are, nor of any evidence that Malta declared Desert Scheme as undesirable on their Hurricanes, although I can well understand it. The statement that is normally referred to was made after the arrival of the Spitfire, and only one later delivery can be seen to be affected by this. It has been suggested, on what grounds I know not, that Malta was not governed by rules made by ME Command, but Temperate Land Hurricanes were delivered into the ME apart from their use on Malta.

I was merely avoiding excessive repetition: however for "recorded" you may go to the appropriate book and see for yourself. Kookaburra's booklet on RAAF Spitifres in one case, and Ron Bellings collection of paintings of South African subjects for the other. For "described": the Vasco Barbic comment came from unpublished correspondence.