16 Squadron PRU Spitfires September 1944

Anyone got any thoughts on why in September 1944 several of this squadron's aircraft were repainted pink while the rest remained PRU blue?

 

It seems the PRU had quite a bit of freedom when it came to the colour of their aircraft.......

AMO A. 864/44 to A.P.2656A (1944-1945)

"Modifications of, or additions to the standard schemes of colouring and marking of aircraft, other than PRU aircraft, may be made only with the prior approval of the Air Ministry"

"Camouflage colouring may not conform to a standard scheme nor are the national markings invariably carried in the orthodox positions or painted in the standard colours"

Note:
The service is permitted licence in the camouflaging of PR aircraft.


Seems they were a law to themselves.

Regards
Peter

 

No.16 Squadron PRU Spitfire XI (1944)

 

If the pink was effective when operating at sunset & sunrise as this article suggests, might that be why they had some in that colour; to be the first choice aircraft at those times of day?
http://www.spitfiresite.com/reference/camouflage-markings/2007/11/early-armed-pr-spitfires.htm


I knew that there must have been a good reason for the colour.

Thanks for the clarification Adam.

I would imagine that the pilots took some ribbing from non PR Spitfire pilots regarding the colour scheme!

Regards
Tom

 

Thanks guys.....from what was contained in the booklet I'm reading at the moment it appears that CO's had carte blanche with regard to colour schemes.....but as Tom says pink wouldn't be a colour to admit your a/c was painted in......

 

Whilst doing some Arnhem air recce research I came across the following to add to this old thread;

No. 16 Squadron RAF had six FR (Fighter Reconnaissance) IX's. They were standard armed Mk IXs (Standard 'c' type wing armament consisting of two 200mm cannon and four .303 machine guns.) modified with a single port facing oblique F24 camera in the fuselage behind the pilot's head. Painted pale pink overall with invasion stripes on the under surfaces and half way up the side of the rear fuselage. The serial number in letters was 2" high and above the small PR fin flash, and two colour roundels appeared on the upper surfaces only.

These aircraft were for low altitude "Dicing" missions in tactical support of army operations, but according to Jimmy Taylor in his book One Flight Too Many, Spitfire IX's were 'a relatively rough running aircraft' compared to the Spitfire XI's, and were 'withdrawn in December 1944, as the fact that the XI's could be fitted with an F24 oblique camera rendered the IX's virtually superfluous. Apart from message dropping in Operation Market Garden they saw little operational use.'

Flight Lieutenant 'Scotty' Cadan, RAAF next to a Spitfire PF XI in Amiens-Glisy, September 1944. He along with Sandy Webb, was one of six volunteers that flew two Spitfire XI's and two Mosquitos from RAF Northolt during OMG. The following is a quote from the book Spitfire in Blue, where he mentions the event;

Here's a similar thread about a PR XI crash landing in Wolfheze on 20/9/44. It seems there's some discussion about whether at least one 16 Squadron Spitfire XI was painted pink at short notice or not, as an aid to camouflage at low level.

Tom

 

Richard Arthur Kemp was a pilot in 16 Squadron, who never talked much about his war experiences, but on an occasion when I showed him photographs of both the blue and the pink Spitfires flown by him (after the earlier Mustangs), he said, "Do you know what? It was frightening flying the blue ones, but do you know what else? It was terrifying flying the pink ones." The reason being that the latter were predominantly used at low level, the pink being used to 'hide' the aircraft in low cloud. No armaments, just speed to get the pilot out of trouble.