Taranto Swordfish serials

Hi All,
inkworm,
I came across this site just now for the How low thread if it’s any use, may have a snippet of information that could be helpful plus a video about the raid ? 😉http://maximietteita.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/battle-of-taranto.html

Geoff.

Looking through my ‘image library’ the few images I have of the Taranto raid seem to be of those shot down; they have the black distemper. I also have found a few illustrations that have a standard colour scheme (ie P4210, 5B, unit unidentified, noted as in scheme worn when taking part in Taranto Harbour raid, 1940, although Air Britain’s Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-1945 has it as being with 771NAS as R5B 10/39, RNARY Donibristle 25/7/40, 753NAS Arbroath 8/5/41 – with nothing about participating in Taranto…) without any distemper.

The moral of this observation is…get all your information from photographs with good research behind them; anything else is open to misinterpretation.

In Stuart Lloyd’s book on FAA Camouflage and Markings, he states that 815 Sq carried worn black distemper on their arrival in the Mediterranean, and retained this for the Taranto raid. To me, this phrasing implies that the other units didn’t. He suggests -with some qualifications – P4154:4M from 815 Sq and P4224:5R from 819 Sq.

There is actually some debate as to whether they did actually receive the temporary black or not for that particular raid.

Might prove a little difficult since they were given a coat of temporary black paint on their lower surfaces which covered their serials – but I am sure you already knew that, which was why you are asking.