A little history quiz

[Cajunn]

1st off, any of you history buffs know if there were any Spitfires that fought in the pacific theater during WW2?

2nd is a little history quiz question, does anyone know when the black and white stripes on the planes of the allies showed up and what they were put there for?

Hint: they were put there for an event in European theater.

[texastc316]

#1 yes

#2 DDay invasion to help with identification

[nipper]

1) Australian squadrons 79, 85, 452 and 457 flew Spit V and VIII in the SW Pacific area.

2) The black and White wing strips (invasion stripes) were used on allied aircraft during the D-day landings to prevent friendly fire incidents but they had been used before. Typhoons had them as early as 1942 to distinguish them from the  FW190 (some people had problems!)

[4propjoe]

"problems" and If i kill a brit he can't make more seemed to coincide.

[oakranger]

1) Yes there where spits in the pacific.  They where with the RAAF.
    - No 79 squadron in New Guinea (1943) had Spit F.Mk Vc.  In mid 1944 Spit F.Mk. III at Morotai and early 1945 Netherlands East Indies. 1944, mid , SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai.  1945, early, SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies.

    - No 1

    - No 85 Squadron at Guildford, Western Australia had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc

    - No 80 Fighter Wing RAAF. Sattler Field, Northern Territory, Australia had Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.VIII and at Morotai, Moluccas 1945, Summer

    - No 452 Squadron at Australia-NT had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc(1943), 1943 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc at Darwin and 1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII.

    - No 457 Squadron at Darwin, Australia had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc in 1943, 1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Clark Field, Australia and 1945, February, Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai and 1945, June Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Labuan Island off Borneo

    - No 548 Squadron,  1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Australia-NT

2)  I am throwing this out, each strip has to do with a major invasion (Normandy, Italy, Sicily)  that they where part of?  

[JunkyII]

1) Yes there where spits in the pacific.  They where with the RAAF.
    - No 79 squadron in New Guinea (1943) had Spit F.Mk Vc.  In mid 1944 Spit F.Mk. III at Morotai and early 1945 Netherlands East Indies. 1944, mid , SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai.  1945, early, SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies.

    - No 1

    - No 85 Squadron at Guildford, Western Australia had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc

    - No 80 Fighter Wing RAAF. Sattler Field, Northern Territory, Australia had Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.VIII and at Morotai, Moluccas 1945, Summer

    - No 452 Squadron at Australia-NT had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc(1943), 1943 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc at Darwin and 1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII.

    - No 457 Squadron at Darwin, Australia had Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.Vc in 1943, 1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Clark Field, Australia and 1945, February, Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Morotai and 1945, June Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Labuan Island off Borneo

    - No 548 Squadron,  1944 Supermarine SPITFIRE F.Mk.VIII at Australia-NT

2)  I am throwing this out, each strip has to do with a major invasion (Normandy, Italy, Sicily)  that they where part of?  

I doubt they use the same idea as dress uniforms for the military on planes, but maybe

[ColKLink]

O'cmon   the stripes were from san fransisco fashion designer.....they thought they looked pretty. Geez i thought everyone knew that..... <S> as you were.

[RTHolmes]

1. FAA Seafires operated in the Pacific too, mostly for fleet defense (eg. at Iwo Jima)

SEAC RAF spits operated as far East as Hong Kong, not sure if that counts as "Pacific."

2. Plenty of Typhoons had stripes way before D-Day because apparently they looked a bit like 190s, I'm sure Ive also seen stripes on RAF aircraft from 41/42 onwards. Maybe they were used for any major invasion/raid?

[Twizzty]

  Stripes make my Tiffie look fat! 

[RTHolmes]

ok couldn't resist googling this one

2. First use of invasion stripes I found was during the 1942 Dieppe raid on the Westland Whirlwind:

[RipChord929]

Well, during the Sicily invasion, some goonies carrying
the 82nd airborn flew over the allied invasion fleet offshore..
They got slaughtered by the ack...

So, invasion stripes!!!

RC

[Guppy35]

Spit Vs and VIIIs as well as some PRXI photo recce birds in the CBI and PTO both with the RAF and RAAF

Black and white stripes on Tiffies from 42 on.  RAF in 39 had half black, half white undersides on fighters for ID too but later went to gray undersides.  There were black and white ID bands on RAF fighters for Operation Starkey in the summer of 43 also, and the RAF and RN birds in Korea had black and white stripes on Spits, Seafires, Sea Furies etc.

I believe the C47s shot down during  the Sicily invasion were shot down at night, so ID bands wouldn't have helped.

[Cajunn]

Nice job on the question, I had just recently found that bit of info out thought it was interesting. And thanks for the info on the spits in the pacific!

[ScottyK]

another quiz       does anyone know of pilots whining about HEAD ONs during WW2        Go

[Harp00n]

another quiz       does anyone know of pilots whining about HEAD ONs during WW2        Go

Pilots who lost the HO were probably not able to whine anymore...and they had no forums to do this anyways