 |
303rd Bomb Group Aircraft Markings
|
303rd Bomb Group (H) Aircraft
Markings 1st Air Division - 41st Combat Wing Eighth Air Force
- Molesworth, England
B-17 AIRCRAFT
FINISH
Original B-17Fs (Without chin turrets)
- Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish. Most of the
original B-17s had medium green blotching on the wings, tail and
fuselage.
Note: A few B-17Fs were delivered with the natural
unpainted aluminum finish in late 1943. A very few B-17Fs were delivered
with factory or modification center installed chin turrets.
Replacement B-17Gs (With chin turrets)
- Many original B-17Gs were painted in Dark Olive Drab with Neutral
Gray factory finish.
- Natural unpainted aluminum finish first used on aircraft arriving in
the U.K. in February 1944
- The first B-17G was received by the 303rd BG(H) on 11 October 1943.
B-17Gs were first used on 303rd BG(H) combat mission #82 on 16 November
1943.
 EARLY B-17F - NO TRIANGLE "C" TAIL INSIGNIA -
YELLOW LETTERING #42-5157 Fast Worker MklI 359th BS
(BN-U) |
303rd BG(H) TAIL INSIGNIA (On both
sides of the tail surface)
Original B-17Fs (October 1942)
- No triangle group insignia.
- Serial number painted in yellow. The first number of the full
aircraft serial number was dropped, viz.: 41-24577 became 124577
- Aircraft Radio call letter painted in yellow, 36 inches high, below
the serial number. The 358th & 360th BS used "A" to "K", less "E"
& "I". The 359th BS & 427th BS used "O" to "W". The size was
reduced to 24 inches high around September 1943 By winter of 1943 the
whole alphabet was used by all Squadrons. On a few replacement aircraft,
the radio call letter was painted in white when yellow paint became
unavailable.
Late June / Early July 1943 to August 1944 - Group triangle
insignia added above serial number
- Equilateral white triangle with a back letter "C" in the center of
the triangle.
Note: On some aircraft the letter "C" was
painted in blue.)
- Black letter "C" placed in center of the white
triangle
Note: When natural metal finished B-17Gs were
introduced in March 1944, the Group Triangle "C" was changed to a black
triangle with a white letter "C" on some B-17s . All 1st Division B-17
Groups utilized the triangle to identify the parent division. 2nd
Division B-24 Groups utilized a circle and 3rd Division B-17 Groups
utilized a Square. Each group had its identification letter that was
placed inside the division triangle, circle or square.
 B-17F - WHITE TRIANGLE "C" TAIL INSIGNIA ADDED
- YELLOW LETTERING #41-24577 Hell's Angels 358th BS
(VK-D) |
August 1944 - Red triangle "C" Group insignia adopted and new
high visibility markings were mandated
- Red equilateral triangle with twelve foot sides
- White triangle with ten foot sides with two foot wide red border
around the white triangle
- Black letter "C" (rectangular shape) positioned in center of white
triangle.
Note: On some aircraft the black letter "C" was
painted on a bare metal triangle formed by the red surrounding triangle
- Squadron identification number painted in yellow at the apex of the
red triangle, viz.:
"1" 358th BS, "2" 359th BS, "3" 360th BS, "4"
427th BS Note: Squadron codes were not applied to many of
the new B-17Gs during 1945.
- Aircraft serial number painted in yellow on base of the red triangle
- A 24 inch high yellow aircraft radio call letter was placed below
the yellow serial number centered on the base of the red
triangle.
Note: In some instances, black was used for the
radio call letter and on some aircraft this letter was
omitted. Note: In late 1944 - Radio call letters "W, X,Y &
Z" were reserved for lead PFF equipped B-17s. Non PFF B-17s that used W,
X, Y or Z were assigned new letters.
 B-17F - FUSELAGE LETTERING CHANGED FROM YELLOW TO
GRAY #41-24605 Knockout Dropper 359th BS (BN-R)
|
FUSELAGE IDENTIFICATION On both
fuselage sides
SQUADRON CODE LETTERS & AIRCRAFT RADIO CALL LETTER
- Squadron Code - Double letters, 48 inch high, rectangular shaped -
Placed forward of the waist gunner window and after the national
insignias, viz.:
"VK" 358th BS; "BN" 359th
BS; "PU" 360th BS; "GN" 427th BS
- Aircraft Radio Call Letter -Single letter, 48 inch high, rectangular
shaped - Placed aft of the waist gunner window
Note: In making
radio transmissions to or from lead aircraft, other aircraft, control
towers, etc the aircraft was identified by using the radio call letter
plus the last three numbers of the serial number, i.e. "Cowboy leader
this is Q-590"
- Fuselage letter colors - Early B-17Fs - Yellow, late model B-17Fs
and early B-17Gs with Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish -
Gray, B-17Gs natural metal August 1944 - Black
 B-17G - NATURAL METAL FINISH - FUSELAGE LETTERING
CHANGED TO BLACK B-17G Miss Lace & Earthquake
McGoon Painting commissioned by Jim Reeves. Note the
incorrect serial number and radio call letter. Radio call letter on
tail should be in yellow. |
GROUP IDENTIFICATION ON WINGS OF THE
B-17
U.S. National Insignia - Lower side of right wing. Upper side of
left wing
- 303rd BG(H) Triangle "C" Insignia - Upper side of right wing and
lower side of left wing. The wing device did not carry the aircraft
serial number or the squadron identification number
Note:
Triangle "C" insignia was not placed on wing surface until late
June/early July 1943 when the 303rd BG(H) group insignia was adopted.
 B-17G - OLIVE DRAB AIRCRAFT -RED TRIANGLE "C"
TAIL INSIGNIA GRAY FUSELAGE LETTERING - YELLOW LETTERING ON
TAIL #42-38050 Thunderbird 359th BS (BN-U) Restored
B-17G by Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, TX Red
Triangle is too thick and is out of proper proporation. Serial
number should be centered at bottom of red triangle.
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE - MANY VARIATIONS
EXISTED
- Authorized and mandated changes in aircraft identification were not
implemented overnight. It sometimes took several weeks to implement all
of the changes.
- Some Squadrons made variations in colors, letter placement and size
on some B-17s. The aircraft markings shown apply only to the 303rd
Bombardment Group (H). Other Bombardment Groups and Divisions had
substantial differences from the 303rd in their aircraft identification
marking
INFORMATION SOURCES
- Mighty Eighth Warpaint & Heraldry by Roger A. Freeman,
London, England, Arms & Armour Press, 1997, ISBN 1-85409-373-8
- Air Force Colors, Vol. 2 ETO & MTO 1942-1945 by Dana Bell
' - Carrolton, TX, Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1980, ISBN
0-89747-108-3
- B-17 Flying Fortress in Color by Steve Birdsall, Carrolton,
TX, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1986. ISBN 0-89747-180-6
- Pride of Seattle, The Story of the First 300 B-17Fs by Steve
Birdsall, Carrollton, TX, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1998, ISBN
0-89747-389-2
- Eighth Air Force Story ... In World War II by Kevin C. Rust,
Terre Haute, IN, Sun Shine House, 4978, ISBN 0-911852-81-6
- Heavy Bombers of the Mighty Eighth by Paul M. Andrews &
William H. Adams, Eighth Air Force Memorial Museum Foundation, Project
Bits and Pieces, 1995
|