56th FG Thunderbolts

RE: 56th FG Thunderbolts

The book ‘Fighters of the Mighty Eighth’ states that the bluish-grey scheme was “prominant amongst 56thFG aircraft at this time (1945)” so it seems there were a reasonable number of M’s painted in this guise.
The Confederate Air Force’s P47N is painted as one of the M’s of the 56th with the codes ‘UN-S’.This machine is painted in the same strange bluish colour scheme.

RE: 56th FG Thunderbolts

Thanks thats a big help! I’m trying to build a kit of one and the actual shades are a nightmare!

RE: 56th FG Thunderbolts

The 56th’s Thunderbolts were painted in a variety of colour schemes during wartime.To begin with,in 1942-43,they wore the standard olive drab top surfaces and slate grey undersides,and were without thier characteristic red cowling rings until about the summer of 1943,instead wearing the standard white ID markings on the nose and and tail surfaces.
You do see some later machines in RAF style grey/green camouflage (such as the aircraft of Gabby Gabreski),aswell as unpainted natural metal schemes (eg LM-Q ‘Penrod & Sam’ flown by Robert Johnson).To add to this diversity,there was also a mixture of Razorback and low-back models.
I can’t find anything on the blue scheme you refer to,but I think some P47M’s that were supplied to the 56th may have been painted in two tone bluish grey camouflage,although the majority of the 56th’s M’s were in natural metal.
Just as additional information,all the groups aircraft had the charactersitic red cowling,with the 63rd squadron having blue rudders and the codes ‘UN’,the 62nd yellow rudders and the codes ‘LM’ and the 61st squadron had red rudders and the codes ‘HV’.
Hope this is of some help. 🙂