Author Topic: 73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb  (Read 230 times)

Offline Devil 505

  • Aces High CM Staff
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 8772
73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb
« on: May 21, 2023, 12:25:58 AM »
Tomahawk Mk IIb (P-40C) operated by 73 Squadron RAF in the autumn of 1941. This squadron deployed to Egypt in December 1940 with Hurricane Mk1's and transitioned to the Tomahawk in September 1941. They transitioned to the Hurricane Mk II just 3 months later. The pennant marking over the fuselage roundel was a carryover marking from the unit's pre-war livery - the C.O. figured that being so far from London gave him the opportunity to ignore the regulations prohibiting these sort of markings during war time.

This particular aircraft was not painted in the desert scheme and instead retained the original U.S. equivalent of the RAF Temperate Land Scheme of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky Green. All the artwork depicting this scheme showed the spinner painted in Sky, but I believe this to be false since this plane was based in Egypt, where red spinners were used as an IFF measure for Desert Air Force. The photo reference is unclear as the red in the roundels and fin flash are also light in color.





 
Kommando Nowotny

FlyKommando.com

Offline lyric1

  • Skinner Team
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10562
Re: 73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2023, 03:52:35 AM »
 :aok

Offline Greebo

  • Skinner Team
  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 6909
Re: 73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb
« Reply #2 on: May 21, 2023, 06:23:13 AM »
Very nice Devil, a red spinner seems more likely to me as well.

Offline Vraciu

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 13931
Re: 73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb
« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2023, 10:28:59 AM »
Very nice.
”KILLER V”
Charter Member of the P-51 Mustang Skin Mafia
King of the Hill Champ, Tour 219
325th VFG - "The Checkertails"
King of the Hill Win Percentage - 100 (1 Win, 0 Losses)

Offline oboe

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 9762
Re: 73 Squadron RAF Tomahawk Mk IIb
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2023, 10:28:31 PM »
Love it.  Dirt/mud on the underside aft of wheel wells is sublime.