Spotted – SNAFU air to air

They may have done ‘LOTS’ of research but the B&W photos of the original Snafu don’t show the invasion stripes going right round the fuselage….

http://media.photobucket.com/image/snafu%20p47/Bomber_12th/P-47DSnafu.jpg

Photos of the original aircraft show it at Duxford Pre D Day without stripes and the shot you mention.

So it must of had the full stripes at some stage.

Its a bit like TFCs Mk 14 Spitfire , at the time it was painted it was with the best Knowledge at the time, as JE-J then a few weeks later someone shows up with an original wartime shot showing the code letters as JEJ.

Ok it may not please everyone but at least they are flying for us to enjoy.

Just read on another forum that one of the stars and bars under the wings should be bigger than the other. Has this been replicated?

On a old B&W photo of a well worn painted aircraft at the angles it is, I don’t know how you can determine that? I can look all along that wing and see the same tone/light shading differences.
I just can’t see the definitive differences that you have drawn the conclusion from.

I can see a change of tone on the fuselage in the precise position where the stripes will have been painted over. You should indeed see a similar effect on the wing, for the stripes will have been overpainted there too. The progression of the stripes from the full over and under wings and fuselage from June 5th, to undersides only in July, then underfuselage only in September, has been well described and thoroughly documented in photographs – though the date of the overpainting of the uppersurfaces does vary from type to type.

If SNAFU was in service for D-Day, as I believe is the case, then it will have carried a full set of stripes, which will have been partially overpainted to produce the effect seen. How anyone prefers to have her represented is a matter of taste not historical accuracy.

…So does that mean that the original SNAFU was exempt from the directive issued for the application of invasion stripes before D-Day then?

Regards;
Steve

There are plenty of original photos of Snafu and none of them show the stripes extending above the star and bars. Most of these photos are of her after she bellylanded and was then scrapped so it would make more sense to recreate her as she ended her life, so to speak. Plus, as a matter of simple aesthetics the full invasion stripes look very over the top.

I was always of the understanding that the original orders for the painting of invasion stripes dictated that the stripes were to be painted all around the fuselage and above and below the wings. As time went on post D-Day, many units camouflaged over the stripes on the upper sufaces of the wings and upper portions of the fuselage. This is backed up by many photographs.

Surely, as Graham says, this is purely a question of dates, as I would imagine that TFC have gone for a period in SNAFU’s career nearer June 1944.

Regards;
Steve

The photo does however show a change of tone where the stripes have been overpainted, so it becomes a matter of dates. Both are correct, at different times.

On a old B&W photo of a well worn painted aircraft at the angles it is, I don’t know how you can determine that? I can look all along that wing and see the same tone/light shading differences.
I just can’t see the definitive differences that you have drawn the conclusion from.

They may have done ‘LOTS’ of research but the B&W photos of the original Snafu don’t show the invasion stripes going right round the fuselage….

http://media.photobucket.com/image/snafu%20p47/Bomber_12th/P-47DSnafu.jpg

The photo does however show a change of tone where the stripes have been overpainted, so it becomes a matter of dates. Both are correct, at different times.

Can you upload that picture you took of the air to air?

Unfortunately, I am not able to do that with my work system. there are many things that it won’t allow me to connect to.
Mike J, perhaps you could help me out here?

They may have done ‘LOTS’ of research but the B&W photos of the original Snafu don’t show the invasion stripes going right round the fuselage….

http://media.photobucket.com/image/snafu%20p47/Bomber_12th/P-47DSnafu.jpg

Star and Bar under both wings is correct, I think they are 63″ diameter. The TFC guys will tell you more, they did LOTS of research into it.

It was the Matadors, being shot from an RV-8. Dibbs again!

Then he jumped into a Bonanza with the door off and went up again to shoot the P-47

A certain Mr J Dibbs was noted at Duxford today. I wonder if he was involved? 😀

I would say that’s a fair 2+2 = 4 assumption Mike 🙂 Looking forward to seeing the results. There was another air-to-air taking place over Cambridge earlier today at quite some hieght with a pair of aerobatic aircraft. Far to high to see what they were, but they had smoke! 🙂

A certain Mr J Dibbs was noted at Duxford today. I wonder if he was involved? 😀

Can you upload that picture you took of the air to air?