Spitfire colours for Albert Ross

USS Wasp Spits

If you want to cause a furore on Hyperscale, just ask about the colours of the Spits flown off the Wasp. General consensus is that it was a US Navy non-specular dark grey (or was it dark blue? – both would be available) paint that was used.

They are nice little colour profiles, but without colour photo evidence I wouldn’t put much value to them.

For one, BR112 X was most certainly all grey on top, as there exists decent quality colout photo to prove that.

Then, I don’t think any Spitfire Vs sent to Malta were finished in Day Fighter scheme of grey and green, as this was to be used solely on Fighter Command (i. e. UK-based) fighters until well into 1944.

AFAIK only few initial batches of Spitfire Vs delivered to Malta were finished in Desert scheme (brown and tan), and there are stories of them being repainted on site, but I have seen no colour photo to prove that.

Then a batch of Spitfires delivered on board USS Wasp was repainted grey overall (on top) under way.

Then, AFAIK, subsequent batches of Spitfire Vs were delivered to the Island in Temperate Land (Dark Green/Dark Earth i. e. green and brown) tops – again colour photos exist to prove that.

Many authors who write on the subject completely ignore the prevailing Temperate Land camouflage, so when they see b&w photos showing unusual tonal values they come up with various theories, reflected in colour profiles. These might (or might not) happen to be true in some cases, but do not seem credible as a general picture of what Malta Spitfires looked like.

Albert,

You were asking the other day about Spitfires painted grey/brown, and I, like a gobsheen, said I’d never heard of it, unless done locally

Well, on page 26-28 of Osprey’s Spitfires over the Mediterranean & North Africa there are three side views of Spit Vs wearing grey/brown.

Two are from 249 Squadron, S BR323, a VC flown (mainly) by George Beurling, Takali, dated July 1942. The other T~N EP829, a VB flown by Joseph Lynch, Krendi, April 1943

There is also a 185 squadron machine, X BR112, flown by Claude Weaver, Krendi, September 1942

Looks like it was done locally in Malta because the standard green/grey paten stood out like a sore thumb – ah well, you live and learn!

I look forward to lots of posts saying ‘I knew that!’ 🙂

Anyone got any photos?

Thanks for that – I also tracked down the same source!

I think there are a couple of similar aircraft in Spitfire MkV Aces 1941-1945.