Painting of WWII aircraft

Having seen some wonderful restorations of WWII warbirds over the years, all are immaculately turned out with beautiful roundels, perfect invasion stripes, lovely straight lines between the upper and lower colours. I got to wondering, how much care was taken over the real thing? Were paint jobs wonderfully carried out, or was it a slap-on job to get the 'plane to the front line?

I used to work with someone that used to paint the yellow bits on the end of propellers, and she didn't seem to care too much...

-Steve

I have read about this. One story I remember reading said that it was a rush-job on the eve of D-Day to get the stripes painted on the aircraft and as straight as possible. Whether that applied to all airfields I've no idea,being interesting to find-out more about this though.

Most D-Day invasion stripes were added very last minute as the order to add them only came a day or so befor before the off. There are various pictures of gliders, tugs and paratroop aircraft that show just how rushed they were and how rough the edges are. In fact in some cases the wet paint was used by some American paratroopers to give themselves "war-paint". I've even seen a US Horsa that didn't have time to have it's "star-and-bar" finished over the top of a RAF roundel which looks very odd indeed.

As for aircraft painting, there were some basic foundation schemes but pretty much each aircraft had it's own scheme drawn up based on it's shape/profile and this was a "master". The factories would then of finished the aircraft with this standard scheme. I think in many cases rubber mats were used, pre-cut to match the pattern, layed over and then the second colour sprayed over.

It's not uncommon to find the colour reversed by accident and it happens even now - the Hotspur re-creation at Middle Wallop has it's camouflage colours inverted.

From pre hostilities there were AMOs on the subject, they were regularly amended/superceded. There were 5 basic drawings which showed the basic disruptive pattern to be employed on various configuration of ac. There was a further drawing illustrating how the upper/lower colour boundary was to be achieved. In 1944 an AP on the subject replaced the AMOs. There is a note that manufacturers have in some instances reversed patterns( the colours are referred to in the orders and the AP as shaded and unshaded areas) it says when the ac next needs a repaint then the pattern will be corrected to retain standardisation within type. Somewhere I have a shot of 2TAF groundcrew applying D Day stripes with a big brush

TED. .

As I suspected.

I've seen contemporary pictures of a Lanc with a scalloped top edge to the black like the Manchesters had, I assume it was the reapir shop that was used to doing one thing...

I agree with you on the gloss finish to camo, I don't mind the neatness so much. You can't beat a polished Mustang though...

PNK;86555 wrote:

I seem to recall that in transition periods old schemes would carry on or at least not be overpainted untile it was due. That plus replaement aircraft gave some squadrons a very haphazrad appearence. I suspect "official" photos did not show this so much.

I've seen this in evidence with pictures of Hotspur gliders. Same unit and in the line up some have A.1 some have C and the underwing are even more confusing. Half the time it looks like they've put the wings on the wrong aircraft.

Here's an extract from one of the original AMOs: www.rafweb.org/sqn_codes.htm
And the later Air Publication 2656A that replaced them: www.rafweb.org/sqn_codes2.htm