Two Yellow Ringers
These came today,
and over the weekend, I will start preparing 9-F-20’s lower wings to receive them.
In the meantime, I decided to research exactly where the insignia with the yellow borders were placed, other than on the fuselage sides – if anywhere.
The Yellow Wings Decals sheet for Operation Torch had this interesting explanation for them.
The sheet provides U.S. national aircraft insignia with a (FS13538) yellow-orange surround that are associated with OPERATION TORCH, the allied invasion of French North Africa in 1942.
The markings arose out of the complaints from pilots who found it difficult to distinguish the then standard white star on blue circle background U.S. national insignia from the national insignia worn by German, Italian and even British aircraft. With this in mind, an amendment to the Operation Memorandum No 9, dated 25 September 1942 was issued by the Allied Force Headquarters directing that all American aircraft participating in OPERATION TORCH, display a yellow band around the white star on blue circle background U.S. national insignia on each side of the fuselage and on both lower wings.
Since the memorandum was only concerned with air to ground recognition, no mention was made of the markings on the upper surfaces of the wings. It is apparent though from period photographs that some aircraft did have the markings on the upper surface of their wings suitably altered as well.
The marking was short-lived on U.S. Navy aircraft though as they returned to the U.S. after the invasion but the marking did remain on of the U.S. Army Air Force machines used in the North Africa and Mediterranean theatres.
TBH, I thought for years that they were only applied to the fuselage sides. “Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.”
I’m also going to add something else under the wings that I missed the first time.
A pair of those will come in next week. They are positioned far more outboard than I have seen on other F4Fs.
Finally, before I mess up the underwing markings on the Martlet 4, whose artistic renderings show markings on the lower wings without the yellow borders, let’s take another look at the one photo I have of my subject.
Notice anything? Take a closer look:
It sure looks to me like the underwing of the VF-9 F4F.
It would make sense, given the instructions directing yellow circles on the lower wings, even if the Brits omitted them on the fuselage sides.
Whaddaya think?