Summer 2017/2018 Suppliment

[Martin Edwards]

Thanks to Gordy and John some Christmas reading for you all

Volume 8 Issue 1 Summer Supplementary 2017/2018

Attached Image

[Luig]

Thanks for the snippets of history - I had no idea about the standing kanga (reminds me of the boxing kangaroo).

Cannot add a GIF graphic? ??? I'll add the graphic where I can....

Still cannot add a graphic??? 13 Jan 2018

This post has been edited by Luig on Jan 13 2018, 10:29 PM

[Brenden S]

Another great edition.

[derekbu]

congratulations on another informative and ground-breaking issue Gordon and John!

Cheers,
Derek

[Hornet133]

Unfortunately the download link for this latest issue is dead for some reason. Could someone please fix.

[Martin Edwards]

It should be back on-line hopefully with-in the next few days

[Martin Edwards]

Back on-line now

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/newsletter/A...18%20Summer.pdf

[David M]

Two points that need clarification/correction in the Mustang portion of the Supplement:

SPINNERS
In 1947 the three units that made up 81 Wing in Japan were allocated spinner colours in accordance with AGI C11, Issue 3 of 1940. This dictated that each Squadron on a base should have its equipment distinguished from another's by being marked with specified colours allocated by the Station Commander. In this case 77Sqn spinners were painted white, 82 Sqn blue and 76 Sqn red. Had there been a fourth Squadron of Mustangs they would have had green spinners in accordance with this requirement. The practise extended to other equipment, eg 77Sqn operated Austers with white front cowling panels.

I believe the references in 77 Squadron's A50 records the units aircraft being brought up to match this standard for what was a obviously an important event showcasing the unit. The absence of equivalent records in the other unit's A50's is not unusual; unit A50s vary a lot in what is (and what is not) included and the in the amount of detail they include. There is a lot of compelling evidence that 76 and 82 Squadrons did conform to this requirement; they just didn't record the fact.

ELLIPTICAL SOLID SERIALS
This style was indeed restricted to just some of the A68-500 series Mustangs.
However, it was NOT applied at the NAA Texas factory.

All the NAA deliveries were made with the aircraft marked only by its USAAF identity in the stencilled panel in the usual place (below and forward of the cockpit on the port side) and repeated in white stencilling on the black Eronel "cocooning" that protected them during shipping.

Unlike the USAAF or the RAF, RAAF Mustang identities were only assigned and applied after arrival in Australia. Which explains why there were so many variations on the serial 'style' and placement on RAAF Mustangs as they were erected and prepared by a number of different units that were separated both geographically and by time. Which was not helped by conditions at the time or the lack of an officially standardised font.

In this instance the 'Elliptical Solid' style is unique to two small batches of Mustangs that were erected and marked at 2AD.

David Muir
Author: Southern Cross Mustangs