RichB
Well-known member
Armed with inspiration from my newly acquired Tamiya P-38J
adding decals from Iliad Design
wheels and seat from Ultracast
and Master Model brass gun barrels with flash hiders
we were nearing the start line.
While waiting for the dog team to deliver the various bits, I delved into the story behind Miss Ann and the Night Intruder trial.
On 20 Feb 44 a 4 aircraft detachment (2 x P-38J's and 2 x P-51B/C's) stood up under the command of Maj T.L. Gates at RAF Little Snoring, the home of 515 Sqdn (operating Mosquito VI's in the night intruder role) of No. 100 Group RAF. They were assigned to operate alongside 515 Sqdn studying their tactics and techniques and evaluate the suitability of single seat fighters in the night intruder role by VIII Fighter Command. The first operational mission was flown 24/25 Mar 44 when the CO flew a P-51 to Berlin and back. Nine more missions were completed by month's end with an additional twenty-one flown in April. It was decided then that single seat fighters were not optimal for the night intruder role and the detachment was stood down.
There is little information available on the detachment's members and aircraft. It is most likely the P-51's were B/C variants as the D models were only arriving in numbers in Mar 44 and priority would have been given to equipping the 8th AF escort squadrons. There has been nothing found regarding their camouflage schemes or serial numbers, yet. The two P-38's are mentioned in the book "Aircraft of 100 Group". One is stated to have been painted overall Medium Sea Grey with Dark Green upper surfaces. There is no mention if the Green was a solid cover or a Mosquito style disruptive pattern. The second aircraft was described as Natural Metal over Black with yellow lightning bolts on the nacelles, like seen on Miss Ann.
There have been spirited discussions of the actual colours of this aircraft on modeling forums thru the years. From the early insistence of Olive Drab over Black, thru Haze Blue, PRU Blue, Natural Metal or Medium Sea Grey over Black. There are a few pictures of Miss Ann, with all the pitfalls of interpreting B&W pictures.
The upper surface appears much to light for Olive Drab when compared to the Olive Drab/Neutral Gray aircraft in the background in the top picture. Haze paint was more of system than a colour. The early oil based version was difficult and time consuming to apply and maintain and could lead to paint crews being hospitalized due to the fumes and its use largely discontinued by the end of 1942. There was Synthetic Haze paint introduced in 1943 that was much easier to apply. It in turn was being replaced by PRU Blue in 1944. PRU Blue would seem unlikely as 100 Group had no aircraft types that used that colour in their camouflage schemes. PRU Blue also appears quite dark compared to Medium Sea Grey when the two colours were used together on late war Spitfire HF VII's, HF VIII's and PR variants. With no anti-glare panel on the cockpit nacelle, Natural Metal would also seem unlikely. That leaves Medium Sea Grey as the most likely, looking very much like that in period photos of Mosquitos in the Medium Sea Grey/Dark Green scheme.
Some of the push behind the Haze/PRU Blue theory could be from a detachment of four P-38J's assigned by 8th Air Force to 192 Sqn at RAF Foulsham under the command of 100 Group RAF and their link to the 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance). While they were nominally P-38J's, they were modified "Droop Snoot" aircraft. The Norden bombsight and associated gear was removed and replaced by SIGINT gear to monitor and record radio and radar emissions from the German air defence network, U-Boats and V1/V2 operations. They were oconducted mainly daylight missions by crews from the 7th PG (R). The detachment was operational from August 1944 thru February 1945. The three surviving aircraft were assigned to the 36th Bomb Squadron were they continued their SIGINT mission until the war's end.
This has led to a belief that the Intruder Trials were led by the 7th PG (R) but this doesn't seem to be the case. Although the detachment recorded no successes during their two month trial, there was a P-38J-10LO lost to unkown cause on 12 Apr 44 and for that there is a MACR. The information provided is limited due to it being a nightime, single ship mission. However, it does provide some useful tidbits, the pilot's name and unit, mission, the aircraft serial number and departure and destination locations. The departure base, mission and date of loss confirm it as a trials aircraft. It also gives the only serial number known for any of the detachment aircraft, but if like Miss Ann, the serial numbers were over painted. (Later forms had an additional line added for "AIRCRAFT NICKNAME" which could have identified which P-38 this was.) Interestingly the parent unit is shown as 20th Fighter Group, 79th Fighter Squadron based at AFF Station F-367 (RAF King's Cliffe). From other AAF records, there was a Thomas L. Gates assigned to the 357th Fighter Group (Yoxford Boys), 362nd Fighter Squadron during this time frame flying the P-51B/C, they could one and the same. The pilots and ground crew seem to have come from VIII Fighter Command squadrons, breaking the link to the 7th PG (R).
From the photos there are a few other details that standout.
Thus concludes today's lesson.
Cheers,
RichB
adding decals from Iliad Design
wheels and seat from Ultracast
and Master Model brass gun barrels with flash hiders
we were nearing the start line.
While waiting for the dog team to deliver the various bits, I delved into the story behind Miss Ann and the Night Intruder trial.
On 20 Feb 44 a 4 aircraft detachment (2 x P-38J's and 2 x P-51B/C's) stood up under the command of Maj T.L. Gates at RAF Little Snoring, the home of 515 Sqdn (operating Mosquito VI's in the night intruder role) of No. 100 Group RAF. They were assigned to operate alongside 515 Sqdn studying their tactics and techniques and evaluate the suitability of single seat fighters in the night intruder role by VIII Fighter Command. The first operational mission was flown 24/25 Mar 44 when the CO flew a P-51 to Berlin and back. Nine more missions were completed by month's end with an additional twenty-one flown in April. It was decided then that single seat fighters were not optimal for the night intruder role and the detachment was stood down.
There is little information available on the detachment's members and aircraft. It is most likely the P-51's were B/C variants as the D models were only arriving in numbers in Mar 44 and priority would have been given to equipping the 8th AF escort squadrons. There has been nothing found regarding their camouflage schemes or serial numbers, yet. The two P-38's are mentioned in the book "Aircraft of 100 Group". One is stated to have been painted overall Medium Sea Grey with Dark Green upper surfaces. There is no mention if the Green was a solid cover or a Mosquito style disruptive pattern. The second aircraft was described as Natural Metal over Black with yellow lightning bolts on the nacelles, like seen on Miss Ann.
There have been spirited discussions of the actual colours of this aircraft on modeling forums thru the years. From the early insistence of Olive Drab over Black, thru Haze Blue, PRU Blue, Natural Metal or Medium Sea Grey over Black. There are a few pictures of Miss Ann, with all the pitfalls of interpreting B&W pictures.
The upper surface appears much to light for Olive Drab when compared to the Olive Drab/Neutral Gray aircraft in the background in the top picture. Haze paint was more of system than a colour. The early oil based version was difficult and time consuming to apply and maintain and could lead to paint crews being hospitalized due to the fumes and its use largely discontinued by the end of 1942. There was Synthetic Haze paint introduced in 1943 that was much easier to apply. It in turn was being replaced by PRU Blue in 1944. PRU Blue would seem unlikely as 100 Group had no aircraft types that used that colour in their camouflage schemes. PRU Blue also appears quite dark compared to Medium Sea Grey when the two colours were used together on late war Spitfire HF VII's, HF VIII's and PR variants. With no anti-glare panel on the cockpit nacelle, Natural Metal would also seem unlikely. That leaves Medium Sea Grey as the most likely, looking very much like that in period photos of Mosquitos in the Medium Sea Grey/Dark Green scheme.
Some of the push behind the Haze/PRU Blue theory could be from a detachment of four P-38J's assigned by 8th Air Force to 192 Sqn at RAF Foulsham under the command of 100 Group RAF and their link to the 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance). While they were nominally P-38J's, they were modified "Droop Snoot" aircraft. The Norden bombsight and associated gear was removed and replaced by SIGINT gear to monitor and record radio and radar emissions from the German air defence network, U-Boats and V1/V2 operations. They were oconducted mainly daylight missions by crews from the 7th PG (R). The detachment was operational from August 1944 thru February 1945. The three surviving aircraft were assigned to the 36th Bomb Squadron were they continued their SIGINT mission until the war's end.
This has led to a belief that the Intruder Trials were led by the 7th PG (R) but this doesn't seem to be the case. Although the detachment recorded no successes during their two month trial, there was a P-38J-10LO lost to unkown cause on 12 Apr 44 and for that there is a MACR. The information provided is limited due to it being a nightime, single ship mission. However, it does provide some useful tidbits, the pilot's name and unit, mission, the aircraft serial number and departure and destination locations. The departure base, mission and date of loss confirm it as a trials aircraft. It also gives the only serial number known for any of the detachment aircraft, but if like Miss Ann, the serial numbers were over painted. (Later forms had an additional line added for "AIRCRAFT NICKNAME" which could have identified which P-38 this was.) Interestingly the parent unit is shown as 20th Fighter Group, 79th Fighter Squadron based at AFF Station F-367 (RAF King's Cliffe). From other AAF records, there was a Thomas L. Gates assigned to the 357th Fighter Group (Yoxford Boys), 362nd Fighter Squadron during this time frame flying the P-51B/C, they could one and the same. The pilots and ground crew seem to have come from VIII Fighter Command squadrons, breaking the link to the 7th PG (R).
From the photos there are a few other details that standout.
- Covers on the wheels instead of the open spokes.
- Flash hiders on the top two centre 0.50 MGs.
- Post antenna on the underside of the cockpit nacelle (more on that in the next exciting installment).
Thus concludes today's lesson.
Cheers,
RichB
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