Posted By: Ryan Boerema <ryann1k2j@aol.com>
Date: Friday, 19 January 2001, at 8:03 p.m.
I've read so many quibbles about the exact shade of duck egg's blue for the pilot's relief tube that I wanted to share a few quotes from various books describing Japanese paint schemes. While I know the middle of an air battle is not the best time to compare color swatches -- leave us not forget the Corsair pilot returning from Rabaul who suddenly found himself flying wing on an all blue Tony with diagonal white stripes: he quickly rolled away and dove for the sea, leaving a New Zealand pilot in his olive drab P-40 curious and bemused -- I also believe the exigencies of camouflage in the war zone and the ad hoc solutions employed led to a far wider range of color schemes than we will ever know.
First, from Norman Franks' "The Air Battle of Imphal," William Kimber, telling of a daylight fight between Hurricanes of the 11th squadron and Oscars from the 50th, 64th and 204th Sentais escorting bombers of the 8th.
"One Oscar, painted black, followed him down to zero feet and chased after him for some distance, firing bursts at his Hurricane....'They were about 2,000 feet below, crossing left to right so I tried a rolling attack but no sooner had I started to fire my four cannons than I was hit by .5 fire from their escorting aircraft. Their first burst took away my air-lines to the guns....a number of unfriendly folk with high powered armament were very close and getting closer. One, a black night-fighter, was highly persistent.'"
Later, with Spitfires combating Oscars, "Hole fired from close range, so close that he felt certain it must have taken hits, but the Japs camouflage was very effective over the jungle terrain -- red, brown, green and with red patches on the engine cowling."
I'll send some more along as I come across them, and I'd certainly be interested in hearing others.
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <ryann1k2j@aol.com>
In Response To: Paint Schemes of the Unwary (Ryan Boerema)
Here are some interesting ones from "The Black Sheep" by Bruce Gamble, Presidio, a re-accounting of the Boyington, VMF 214 myth.
On October 18th, 1943 over Ballale, "Looking down as he crossed Fauro Island (Bob McClurg) spotted tow slate-colored Zekes climbing beneath him and heading in the same direction."
On December 28th, over Rabaul, Bruce Matheson "dropped onto the third Zeke, an unusual light tan color, then opened fire from its high six o'clock and bored in." And, Boyington "picked out a fighter several thousand feet below and initiated his run from directly astern. The Japanese fighter appeared to be black, with a thick fuselage and large meatballs on stubby, squared-off wings."
And, my favorite, December 25th, Fred Avey had "A black Tony with solid red wings overran him, caught by surprise, Avey kicked left rudder and brought his guns to bear."
Boyington's was ID'd as a Tojo but there were said to be nonesuch in the theatre and, indeed, no JAAF fighters in Rabaul. Eh.
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
In Response To: Re: Paint Schemes of the Unwary (Ryan Boerema)
I think this could make for an interesting display! If the model caught your eye, and you said, "if you want to learn more, hit J-Aircraft.com's "Wild Bunch" color scheme FAQ. Then the FAQ would debunk the schemes that were fakes and would prove out the ones that were true. To couple this with Don Marsh's excellent (Hi, Don!) Katabami Hien work would be a super start to getting an interesting FAQ!
Is anyone else interested in contributing to the effort? Jim Lansdale, Hiroyuki Takeuchi, David Aiken, Greg Springer, Katsushi Owaki, and a host of others might make some super additions and contributions.
--Rob
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <
ryann1k2j@aol.com>I'm at peace with that, though how one would go about "debunking" or verifying I don't sure. Even so, here're a few more from Ferguson and Pascalis' "Protect and Avenge," including my last citing of black or "ebony" Ki-43s, as they're becoming too common.
In the I-GO mission against Oro Bay on April 11th 1943 9th FS pilots of the 49th FG "...spotted a dozen black Ki-43 OSCARS of the 1st Sentai cruising above the thin overcast that blanketed the coastline at 15,000 feet. The three Knights dropped their belly tanks and peeled off to engage." An interesting variation, the next day over Port Moresby, 9th FS pilots "Alger and Fanning fired on the closest dark green bombers in the nearest vee, then plunged beneath the enemy echelon and swept across the formation to fire on the elements on the right flank. The black and dark green Oscars of the 1st Sentai immediately dropped on the American(s)who had mortally hit two of the Mitsubishi giants."
More than a year later, December 7, 1944 near Cebu in the Philippines, 7th FS pilot "Ken Martham spotted the second NICK target. The Kawasaki was southwest bound along the leading edge of (a) sprawling cloud front, which had closed in five hundred feet over the sea to the west. (2Lt.) Mathre could not spot the dark grey enemy plane against the dark seascape, so he passed the lead to Martham."
Lastly, for this book, and most interesting, January 16, 1945 near Mindoro, two 7th FS pilots "caught sight of a lone, south-bound intruder estimated at five miles distance. (2Lts.)Meschino and Manes did not hesitate and rolled to the attack. Meschino got to the target first and found it to be a rust-colored JAKE seaplane, a pontoon equipped reconnaissance type." -- That would be lovely.
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <
LRAJIM@aol.com>Please post your sister's photo on this MB if at all possible.
Photo credit: Jacques Young via Ethell/Mikesh/Bunrindo
Re: Paint Schemes of the Unwary
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <ryann1k2j@aol.com>
In Response To: Re: Paint Schemes of the Unwary (Dennis Klepper)
Thanks, Dennis. And here's another black Oscar, again from Franks' "The Air Battle of Imphal."
"McCormack dived on one that he later described as jet black with a white band surrounding the red fuselage roundel and a white lightning sign along the fuselage near the tailplane -- markings of the 50th Sentai."
And a fascinating one from Edwards Parks enchanting (and I use that adjective in a deep manly voice) "Nanette," an "exaggeration" of his days flying P-39s with the 41st squadron in New Guinea, W.W. Norton and Co.
"I climbed to clear the cliff top, and there, nestled in the grass, plain as day, was an abandoned Japanese fighter. It must have force-landed -- perhaps after a run-in with those courageous killers from Gopher Squadron -- and been left because it was impossible to remove. It was painted a splotchy pink and yellow, the camouflage for a coral airstrip. That meant it came from some base farther along the coast. There wasn't much coral here. The red circles stood out starkly against the faded paint, giving me that jolt that I always felt when I saw them -- My god! There they are! Right there! -- even though the plane now marked only a harmless memory."
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <
ryann1k2j@aol.com>A couple more Oscars, these from Ferguson and Pascalis' "Protect and Avenge," nSchiffer, on the 49th FG. The first from June 12, 1943, 9th FS Lightnings with Dick Bong calling out, "'Oscars coming down on Blue.' To their right and above at 14,000 feet, eight shiny tan Nakajimas nosed into their attack. It was their old nemesis, the 1st Sentai from Wewak, out on a strafing mission to Bena-Bena."
And, on 7 September, Lt. Daviid Harbor "...turned back to base, only to spot a pair of weather-worn radial engine fighters passing below through a break in the overcast. Harbor swung down in a firing pass on the trailing Oscar whose dirty grey camouflage had peeled away to the bare metal on its upper wing surfaces...."
Posted By:
Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>Then I heard the B&W photos were of the type where the green camo was put on around the hino surrounds. I have seen photos of other aircraft that supports this theory.
A color shot would be a super addition to the evidence! Let us know! It would be cool!
--Rob
Posted By: Dennis Klepper <
Dennis.Klepper@FAA.GOV>Rob, During the War, my sister was a Navy Air Traffic Controller. She was stationed at NAS North Island,San Diego
and NAS Vero Beach Fla. The photos she has of the "Jack" of
which I believe contains 4 different shots of which one is in color were taken from what she remembers as some kind of holding area for captured enemy equipment.She did not take the pictures and she thinks that they were given to her by a pilot friend of hers.The "Jack" is not like the one that Mr. Lansdale posted. This A/C has no identifiable tail codes and it is in natural metal. The airframe is complete including the prop and it is sitting on its landing gear. It's been a while since I have seen the photos and my sister lives in Orlando (1200 miles away from me)so I'll get in touch with her and see about digging them up to share with everyone.
Posted By: Dennis Klepper <Dennis.Klepper@FAA.GOV>
In Response To: Re: Hinomaru Schemes For The Unwary *PIC* (James F. Lansdale)
Jim, I will try to obtain the aforementioned J2M photos so
they can be posted. My sister is 75 years old & resides in Orlando, Fla. That’s about 1200 miles from me but I'll do my best. Somewhere in my basement I have the Flight test division comparison charts & write-ups on the Japanese aircraft that were tested at NAS Patuxent River, Md. I obtained these during my stint with the flight test division between 1972-1977.I'll try to locate these also.
Dennis
Posted By: Claus Krüger <
cdk59@msn.com>Claus
Posted By: Dennis Klepper <
Dennis.Klepper@FAA.GOV>Hi Ryan, You are absolutely correct. I have read many reports from the archives of precisely the same thing, yet everyone gets their shorts in a knot over what is the correct shade of Grey/Green or this & that. Once historians understand that when you are on the loosing end of a conflict, anything goes with whatever you have on hand to do it with, paint not withstanding. Although I've posted it here before, my sister who is a WW2 vet has several photos of a natural metal J2M with red surrounds around the hinomaru and yellow ID bands on the leading edges of the wings. Non-standard, you bet. Accurate, you bet again, however, there will be always a voice in the crowd to contest what the technical manuals say ain't so.
Cheers
Posted By:
Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>I think J-Aircraft could attract a lot of previously uninterested parties by showing sensational schemes that make people walk over to them, then show the URL to the source. I see a lot of possibility here, although we would have to ensure that there is a "likelihood index" attached to the scheme. Am I "whacked" or does this seem like it could be the 2002 J-Aircraft Group Entry - a "Speculative Scheme" theme?
Take care,
Rob the GOOF...
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <
LRAJIM@aol.com>A "Japanese hot pilot known to the '49ers' as, 'Sakie of Wewak,'(see photo below) ... reportedly flew a checkered Zero. Sammy Pierce recalled that the Zero was not painted in a checkerboard design, but that it was camouflaged and the scheme gave this effect when seen in the air." ("49th Fighter Group," Ernest R. McDOWELL, Squadron Signal Publications:1989, p.21)
Photo credit: "Zero Fighter," Maru:1999, p.76.
Camo Schemes of the Unwary: Oscars
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <ryann1k2j@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 30 July 2001, at 10:22 p.m.
From Norman Franks' book again. The first, encountered on 15 Jan, 1944 "appeared to be brightly polished, with green splashes on a reddy-brown background. They carried very shiny, very noticeable red roundels and the undersurfaces were very white or faded light blue."
On 20th January, in a big scrap, Flight Officer W.A. Goold of 607 Sq. looked "to my port side to see some highly coloured Jap fighter. His radial was bright orange...." while, in the same fight, "Two enemy fighters were seen by Flight Lieutenant Mike Coombes demanded his attention. They were painted light grey with red 'meat-balls' and what appeared to be dark red blobs, six inches in diameter, on the upper surfaces. Other fighters he saw were dark green."
On 9 Feb. a pilot attacked an Oscar from 350 yards. "Strikes sparkled on the Jap's port wing, then he pulled the Spitfire into a tight climbing turn, and lost sight of it, but he noticed it had a dark blue fuselage paintwork with very red meatballs surrounded by a darker red circle."
That one was cool, but the best was by F.O. Varma of 6 Indian Air Force Sq. in a Tac.R Hurricane getting into a spat with an Oscar on 15, Feb. "Varma described the enemy fighter as being yellow in colour with a dark grey cowling, square wing tips and red crosses rather than the normal red circles on the wings."
Has no one asked the survivors of the 64th Sentai about any of their paint schemes?
Camo Schemes of the Unwary: Dinahs
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <ryann1k2j@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 30 July 2001, at 10:07 p.m.
Only a couple, these from Norman Franks' "Spitfires Over the Arakan," William Kimber 1988. The first is not too interesting except for the hinomaru surround. Shot down 1 Nov, 1943 by Paul Lewis and S.L. Weggery. "The Dinah had not been camouflaged; it was just a uniform greyish/green colour overall but shiny and lacquered for speed. It carried plain red 'rising sun' roundels, edged thinly in black. On its tail had been painted a white lightning flash insignia." A second Dinah on the 16th "seen at close quarters, was black and shiny in appearance, with large fuselage roundels." All black Oscars were frequently noted in Burma, this is the first I've read of a Dinah.
Posted By: Ryan Boerema <
ryann1k2j@aol.com>Here's the latest out of the ordinary paint scheme I've come across. As usual, like the all black Tony with all red wings posted earlier, there's no way of being sure if it was a one-off scheme or the pilot's excited imagination. But this time it's Joe Foss ("A Proud American," Pocket Star Books, 1992,) Marine Corps ace, and later head of the NRA and Governor of South Dakota.
It's January 15th, north of Guadalcanal and "No sooner did we spot the two ships than we were jumped by a group of the new square-wing Zeros....Our planes got so close I could clearly see the enemy pilot and the vivid markings on the plane -- the no-glare strip of green in front of the windshield and the bright red cowling."