I’ve attached a photo from the French site Maquette. It shows the decal sheet from the Hit-Kit model of their Potez 25 TOE kit. I have two questions:
– What is the strange looking red, white, and blue marking? It looks like British roundel with a red “star” in the center. Also, I believe that the British didn’t use this aircraft, so what is the British-looking roundel? Is it some strange variation of the Uruguyan markings? It can’t be Paraguyan, because the colors are reversed for their roundel, the same as the French roundel.
– What are the blue-yellow-black markings? Are they Brasilian? I know they used the Potez 25 TOE. I thought the Brasilian roundels of the period contained green, though.
Thanks for any help!
By: DaveF68 - 25th August 2006 at 18:38
I don’t think any of these are this aircraft, but there were Potez 25s used by some of the French units under RAF command in the Middle East
By: Consul - 25th August 2006 at 12:21
Let’s look at it the other way round – who operated the Potez 25. I’m no guru on the type but my references state that it was made in 87 different variants, 3500 were built in France and it was also licence built in Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania and Portugal. The major production version was the TOE of which some 2270 were build of which 297 were exported. Military users of the French built examples included: China, Paraguay, Uruguay, Greece, Ethiopia, Switzerland and Estonia. Test examples were exported in small numbers to other countries including the Soviets. The type was also experted for civilian use especially air mail carriage in South America.
Of the markings shown I assume the red star over roundel to be Yugoslavia (though I don’t recall the star being represented with a segregated centre roundel circle), the strange S shaped red white blue marks are Uruguay’s.
I’m not sure about the blue/yellow/black roundel – I thought Brazil in that period used blue/yellow/green.
By: 25deg south - 25th August 2006 at 10:50
I’m not a “markings” person as so many oddities and varieties appeared on operational service aircraft as to make it a bit of a tossers’ mizmaze . For what its worth and without checking on where the Potez 25’s actually ended up:
Yes, Brazilian markings of the period appear to have had a green outer ring, then yellow(Gold?) and blue centre. Fin flash ,from the front, Blue, Gold ,Green
The diagonal striped roundel seems to be a Uruguayan variation.
Post-war Yugoslav markings are as described above but I don’t see the fin flash on the sheet. Chile and Panama (and China!) amongst others included five pointed stars in their roundels pre-war but it doesn’t look like that is what we are looking at. That is of course presuming that it is a national marking.
By: megalith - 25th August 2006 at 08:54
Just a guess here, I notice that their are also a number of Blue Lorraine crosses on white backgrounds; I’m pretty certain I have seen these used in conjunction with RAF roundals on Free French aircraft (I think the Airfix Blenhiem had such an option on the original decal sheet) – so question did any Potez 25s escape to the UK at the fall of France and serve with the Free French?
Also I think the RAF style roundals with Rred stars are Yugoslavian markings.
Don’t know what the funny ‘S’s are or the black, yellow and green roundals. could someone enlighten me?
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August 24, 2006 at 11:45 pm