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Warbirdsim P-51 B/C paintkit.

Thanks you to all who responded at my call :encouragement:. I have received multiple versions of the paint kit and as you can see below I already did something with them. There are already many great repaints for this model, but I nevertheless I hope to add some more :biggrin-new:.

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One of the 3 converted Mustang Mk.III fighters. used by 541 squadron RAF, between July 1944 and June 1945 for photo reconnaissance over occupied Europe.
Cheers,
Huub
 
Huub,
did they all wear the invasion stripes, or was there a time when one wore a simple PR blue scheme ?

Thanks in advance for any info,
Ro

:encouragement:
 
rohan said:
Huub,
did they all wear the invasion stripes, or was there a time when one wore a simple PR blue scheme ?

Thanks in advance for any info,
Ro

:encouragement:
Click to expand...

Perhaps somebody else here knows the answer, but I really don't know. But here is my best guess.

I haven't been able to find many pictures from the PRU blue Mustangs, but those I was able to find, carry the invasion strips at all pictures. But I assume these were all taken in the same period, summer 1944. Before the invasion stripes, or AEAF (Allied Expeditionary Air Force) stripes, as they were officially called, the British Mustangs already had white stripes to make the easier to recognise and avoid confusion with square winged German fighters (The American Mustangs carried these lines as well).

This weekend I flew a recon mission in the WBS Mustang to France and I realised these flights must have been pretty lonely. These recon aircraft didn't fly in groups, so I can imagine pilots preferred to be easily recognisable. Especially as the Allied had supremacy in the skies by 1944.

There are pictures on which you can see the invasion stripes are applied on the PRU blue aircraft (Spitfires) from 541 squadron. These were carefully masked and sprayed, so I can imagine these were applied with the intention to last.

So I do have some reasons to believe the aircraft kept the invasion striped (or at least some and especially the Mustangs), but I don't have any evidence.

Cheers,
Huub
 
rohan said:
Huub,
did they all wear the invasion stripes, or was there a time when one wore a simple PR blue scheme ?

Thanks in advance for any info,
Ro

:encouragement:
Click to expand...
Beautiful repaint, Hubb. And interesting question rohan.

Did a little research. No photos, but some details and a little logic.

D-day was in June 1944, so all aircraft had the invasion stripes. The 541 Squadron operated Mustangs the following month starting from July 1944 to June 1945 according to Wikipedia. So, it's safe to assume all wore invasion stripes.
 
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