This is my skin of a late 1944 653rd BS Mosquito Mk XVI.
The USAAF bought around 70 PR Mossies from February 1944 and equipped two squadrons of the 25th Bomb Group with them, the 653rd and 654th. These aircraft were used for a variety of jobs; weather reporting, photo reconnaisance, contacting spies in enemy territory, electronic countermeasures, radar mapping and observing pilotless drones. The 654th tended to operate more at night and the 653rd by day.
The aircraft were delivered in the standard RAF PR scheme of PRU blue all over. The USAAF painted out the RAF markings and added US insignia in four positions, the British airframe code was retained. An ID letter was applied to the vertical stab, enclosed by a circle on 653rd aircraft. The 654th's aircraft often received a coat of jet black paint on their undersides, or all over in some cases. D Day stripes were applied in June 44 and later removed from the upper surfaces. After several Mossies were lost to USAAF fighters, in mid August 25th BG Mossies had their tails painted red.
