Q. about AAF tailplane theater ID bands

[oboe]

Looking for information on the theater ID stripes often seen on US AAF fighters.  I'm finding so many variations in pics - sometimes on the tail, sometimes not, sometimes on stabilizers, sometimes not.

Is there a rhyme or reason/AAF directive as to when the different formats appeared?   I know on drab green a/c, the theater IDs were white.  When the AAF starting leaving the aircraft in natural unpainted metal (early-mid 1944?), the stripes went from white to black, but I still think they painted were on all three surfaces (vertical tail, horizontal stabilizers).

As unit markings became more colorful, for example when rudders started to carry colors, I think sometimes the black stripes were removed from the tail.   I think towards the end of the war they were removed completely.



 

 

[Devil 505]

Seems to me that the stripe across the vertical stab and rudder was used less often than the stripes across the horizontal stabs.

[Vraciu]

I think it was just a matter of expedience.   They did what they had time for. 

I have seen pictures of the same plane with bands on all three surfaces (wing, vertical tail, horizontal tail), wing and horizontal tail surfaces only, and wing only.     Others were removed and then applied again differently.   It’s a hodgepodge for sure. 

[Guppy35]

With the OD/Gray birds the white bands on the tail came off due to people mistaking the 51s for 109s.  This was not an issue with the black ID bands for some reason and they stayed on until the colored rudder colors were introduced.  Even then some remained partially.  You can find the ID bands on USAAF birds into 45 although they were delivered with out them starting in August or September 44.  Prior to that all fighters were delivered with theater ID bands painted at the Depot before going to the individual groups.

As with anything, there is no absolute as time, paint or lack thereof and the pace of combat operations got in the way of implementing the changes in markings sent down from above.  The England based Fighters were most apt to be up to date as they were at permanent bases for the most part.   The 9th AF birds can be seen with underwing D-Day stripes well in to the winter of 44-45.  They mostly disappeared do to attrition, not any concerted effort to paint them over.