In the White Lightning Campaign we are flying as squadrons in the 474th Fighter Group of the US 9th Tactical Air Force. It sounds like we will mainly be flying as the 428th Fighter Squadron but possibly as the 429th and 430th which were the other two squadrons in the group. I did a little poking around online and here are some profiles of what some of the aircraft in these squadrons looked like.
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/4919/474th38jpod.jpg)
(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3073/474th38j.jpg)
(http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/298/pics/3_42.jpg)
(http://www.cieldegloire.com/as_usa/p38_474fg.jpg)
(http://steeljawscribe.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/3_73.jpg)
Always interesting to know what kind of markings the planes had when we're flying these campaigns.
DW
Ok, I'm ready, bring on da jerries!
(http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/8827/328th.png)
DW
Cool, Duck and yellow spinners in HD please. :cool:
I've been looking into these squadron's markings more and I've figured out the codes and tail shapes for each squadron :
428th - F5 - Square
429th - 7Y - Triangle
430th - K6 - Circle
But the colors are kind of confusing. You can see from the above profiles there is some conflicting information. Over at WarbirdInformationExchange there is a guy who is a historian for the 474th Fighter Group Association and in answering another question he mentioned that the 428th FS colors were actually a dark blue, which is often mistaken for black on old photos. I suspect the 429th used red and am pretty sure the 430th used yellow. I'm hoping the historian chap will get back to me with a confirmation on that.
DW
Once I hear back from that chap, I'll do up a pack of basic skins with the squadron markings.
(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6752/474v.png)
DW
old image i had in my archives, no intel though. could it be one of our birds?
(http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/thegodofhellfire/2106873441/1/tumblr_lcyhnvwKCS1qznvi3)
It sure looks like it, appears to be F5 on the boom with a square on the tail so that's the 428th FS. The way the intake is painted under the spinner looks like the profiles too. It really illustrates what the historian was saying about the dark blue squadron color being mistaken for black on the old photos. Nice find.
DW
ooff, looks cold.
Funny how when you asked if it could be one of our birds, my eyes went straight to the boom and stab.
Thanks for the history DW and thanks for the pic Auto.
S!