684 Squadron Mosquito Mk 16

[Fencer51]

USAFM Mosquito.

The aircraft on display is a British-built B. Mk. 35 manufactured in 1946 (later converted for towing targets) and is similar to the P.R. Mk. XVIs used by the USAAF. It was flown to the museum in February 1985. This Mosquito, serial RS709, has been restored to a Mk. XVI configuration and painted as NS519, a weather reconnaissance aircraft of the 653rd Bombardment Squadron based in England in 1944-1945.

Mosquito Markings
Just before D-Day (the June 6, 1944, invasion of France), black and white stripes were applied almost overnight to a vast majority of U.S. and British aircraft to clearly identify them during the Normandy landings. In the rush to mark all the aircraft, masking and spraying sometimes gave way to more expeditious method of painting them by hand.

Invasion stripes, like the ones being applied by the ground crewman in the museum's exhibit, would have completely encircled the wings and fuselage. The 25th Bombardment Group adopted a red tail for their Mosquitoes in August 1944 and removed the invasion stripes from the upper wing and upper fuselage surfaces in September 1944.

[Plazus]

Looks really nice, got any other in the works?

Cactus is working on a 305 Squadron Mosquito Mk.6. Last I heard, he had everything finished except for the small details. Not sure how much is left he has to do. It's been driving me crazy! I can't wait to see what it is like when he finishes it.

Not easy finding pictures of the XVI with the partial black schemes here is what I have.

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The American aircraft are interesting the only problem is I can't find a complete picture of one or I can only find a profile as in the examples below. These are all 492ND bomb group.

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Lyric1, I like the profile with the "K" on the vertical stabilizer. Where did you get those profiles?

[Greebo]

Thanks for all the photos Lyric, I think I'll do GB-F from 105 Sqn after the 140 Sqn PRU blue one. After that it will be one of the 25th BG night schemes, haven't decided which yet.

I noticed the USAAF black is a bit glossier than the RAF colour from the photos.

[lyric1]

Cactus is working on a 305 Squadron Mosquito Mk.6. Last I heard, he had everything finished except for the small details. Not sure how much is left he has to do. It's been driving me crazy! I can't wait to see what it is like when he finishes it.

Lyric1, I like the profile with the "K" on the vertical stabilizer. Where did you get that profile?

http://www.mossie.org/books/aeroslides/mosquito_cd.htm The others are from the web & books I have.

[Plazus]

Ah yes I know that website. Thank you for sharing!

[lyric1]

A few more profiles for you all.





Found a profile for this aircraft that I had posted a photo of before. I guess this one is all black the only problem is the profile has a typo. It should read 492ND.

[lyric1]

Lyric1, I like the profile with the "K" on the vertical stabilizer. Where did you get those profiles?

Found a photo of the K mossie profile I listed in this thread earlier.

[lyric1]

This aircraft is very interesting it is a 25TH bomb group aircraft that was shot down by mistake by B17 gunners. The only issue is I cant make out the letter code on the tail? Playing around with it on Kodak's easy share it looks as if it could be a K or a R,my personal opinion it is a strange shaped letter X? Can't tell for sure. If any one has a better picture I think this would make a good addition only because of the nose art.



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http://forum.armyairforces.com/25th-bg-mosquitos-m78041.aspx

I found a clearer photo of Patches the letter on the tail is I.
If anyone wanted to do it.

[lyric1]

While on XVI's here is a RAF 128 squadron nothing special with markings we just don't have this squadron in game though.





http://www.1y2gm.net/t3026-reviendo-al-de-havilland-dh-98-mosquito

[Scherf]

Great pics Lyric, but the serial number on the profile immediately above should be RV297, not RV927.

(Yes, I am pathetic ... )

[lyric1]

Great pics Lyric, but the serial number on the profile immediately above should be RV297, not RV927.

(Yes, I am pathetic ... )

Good catch.

Another example of beware of inaccuracy's of profiles.

[Scherf]

True, though that "Oboe Leader" profile is interesting, wasn't aware of that before.

There's a (large!) colour picture of RG157 Q of the Carpetbaggers here:

http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib/rfc/FRE_005447.jpg

[lyric1]

There's a (large!) colour picture of RG157 Q of the Carpetbaggers here:

http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib/rfc/FRE_005447.jpg

I only seen this photo a few weeks ago of RG157 it clearly had a change of paint at some point in time from a red Q and a white Q as seen in the black and white photos. Painting a red ring around the nose glass I thought was most striking feature about that colour photo.

[Scherf]

Yeah, there were some pretty unique aircraft on that unit - Greex, Patty, this one...

[Greebo]

There's a (large!) colour picture of RG157 Q of the Carpetbaggers here:
http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib/rfc/FRE_005447.jpg

That photo is of NS581, so presumably NS157 was shot down, transferred or retired and the squadron letter Q reassigned to it. The scheme appears to be US Jet black undersides with RAF PRU blue above. A couple of odd things I noticed; the upper nose and cowlings appear to be PRU blue but I can't see that colour on on the upper rear fuselage. Also the rudder looks to have been painted olive drab.