I now have evidence !

[Fencer51]

Great book.   I just got it for Christmas.  I need to get the other two volumes as well.

[Kazaa]

So, what wing type did they use for MK356/ML417.

I'm guessing it was C/E ?

[Kazaa]

Just looked up both aircraft on Google, why do both not have any strips on the top of the wing, whats the point of having them if you cannot see them lol

Any of you guys know of any other DD LFXIe Spits I can look at ?

Would be really greatful

[Krusty]

D-Day stripes were for the ground troops, so they didn't shoot their own planes down. After the initial event, the upper stripes were covered so that they didn't instantly give away the planes when seen by other planes. However the lower surfaces still told ground crews to hold fire.

[Kazaa]

Yeah sounds like A good idea, surely there was one lazy git that did not paint over his strips, Can you see that i'm still trying to hang on to this lol

P.S thanks for sharing the knowledge Krusty.

[Krusty]

Well if there was some lazy git he got shot down by enemy planes that instantly spotted his bright white stripes and didn't live to tell the tale

In war, "Lazy" usually = "dead"

[Kazaa]

So true Krusty, very nice post, that made me smile

P.S I think I found A lazy git, but It must be A replica Spitfire, it has full wing strips, but only half tail.

[Kazaa]

Actually, my mistake, it looks like A spitXI, oh well

[Fencer51]

Were not the stripes on the MkIX clipped wing birds wrap around on D-Day?

[Kev367th]

On D-Day yes they were wrap around.

spoke to the powers that be -

LF IXe - can go a XVI.
LF IXc - if high tail on the VIII, std tail on the IX.

Overall shape/armament is what matters, clipped/non clipped doesn't.

[Guppy35]

Full D-Day stripes were used until early to mid July.  Then it was half stripes on fuselage and under wings.  In September/October the wing stripes were supposed to come off the bottom of the wings.  This DID NOT always happen as I've seen numerous photos of 9th AF 38s with underwing D-Day stripes still on during the winter of 44/45.

Fuselage stripes were supposed to come off in January 45 or so.

Using a current warbird for any historical reference is always a roll of the dice.  I wouldn't use them as a reference unless I had matching historical photos to go with it.

I'd also want to see both those 443 Squadron Spits in historical photos to confirm they had E wings when they were flying on D-Day cause I'm not positive the E wing birds were in action yet.

ML407 was rebuilt by Supermarine as a 2 seat trainer post war and then restored back to single seat so it's more then likely that it had the wings replaced.  The two seat trainers had no cannon, just the two outboard MGs.

I've seen photos of the unrestored MK356 with Universal wings and a small tail as well, so it's entirely possible it got new E wings and the broad chord rudder during it's restoration to flight.

I guess my point being if I was going to skin that one, I'd be much more apt to do it on the AH IX model with the small tail and universal wing as that's what the majority of the D-Day Spits were set up as, as least from the photos taken of Spits at the time.