UL ae AL LAY GEOFFREY PENTLAND $1% usa £ KOOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS JME S010 Co $1 aISeries 3 No.2 HISTORIC AIRCRAFT BOOKS PUBLISHED BY KOOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS DANDENONG, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA © CONTENTS COPYRIGHT KOOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS 1970 U.K, AND EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTORS ALMARK PUBLISHING CO. LTD., 104 WATLING AVE, EDGEWARE, MIDDLESEX, U.K. ALL OTHER PLACES THE PUBLISHERS KOOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS 81 POTTER ST., DANDENONG 3175, VIC., AUSTRALIA Cover. Wirraway A20-10 of the Moorabbin Air Museum seen in 1970 after a fine restoration job which included mixing camouflage colours to the old wartime formula A’ photograph of this machine at No 2 SETS in 1941 may be seen on Page 4 whilst a coloured painting appears on Page 5. Photo by Neil FollettUpper. The first production aircraft with red white and blue national markings which were soon super seded by the blue aud white type. The camouflage pattern shows particularly well here. Lower. No $ Squadron's last BF-R, A46-228 in foltage green and white finish warming up prior to a lead-in strike with RNZAF Corsairs on Bougainville in February 1945Upper. Hundreds of ex-RAAF pilots will remember the Wirraway with feelings of nostalgia. Today A20-10 is one of the few still left in good condition and may be seen on display at the Moorabbin Air Museum near Melbourne. Photo by Neil Follett. Lower. Unfortunately marred by highly innaccurate markings, this Boomerang, formerly 446-30, stands on display at the RAAF base at Williarmown, NSW. Photo by Allan Blythe.WIRRAWAY « BOOMERANG MARKINGS GEOFFREY PENTLAND bate shot of Wirraways of No 6 Service Flyini sof yellow cowlings with 36 inch wide ye numbers of the serial were repeated in yell Few aircraft have been remembered with such tion amongst Australian wartime pilots as the “old Wirraway” as it is invariably known today. Undoubtedly the most versatile aircraft of the entire RAAF, it was utilized in a number of roles ranging from trainer to interceptor fighter to dive bomber and low level artillery spotter with many an unusual task thrown in for good As Wirraways came off the production line they were allotted to the various squadrons and training units under RAAF command in Aus- tralia and Malaya. After September 1939, there followed an intense build-up to meet Australia’s art in the Empire Air Training Scheme; thus the RAAF Wirraways were mainly used at Fly Training Schools and Operational Training Units, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales. The earliest colour scheme was an overall silver Training School which shows well the interim trainer ow ban nd the wings and fuselage. Usually the won the fuselage, but these aircraft all show three doped finish with red white and blue roundels in all six- positions. The fuselage roundels were locatéd with the centre at a point 834 in hort ally from the sternpost and 24 in vertically the top of the fuselage. The red white and Circles measured 6 in, 17 in and 282 in respectively. Upper wing roundels of 371 in diameter were located with the centre 344 in forward of the wing trailing edge at a point 69 in from the wing: tip. The diameier of the white ring was 24 in and the red, 9 in, Underwing roundels were also Of the same diameter and were intially carried in the same position. However when the serials reiuched three figures, in order to make room for the extra number, it was necessary to re-locate the underwing roundels at a point SO in from the tip with the rear portion of the outside blue ring, right on the aileron hinge Tine. Black 30 in serials under the port wing laced rearwards andthose under the starboard wing faced forwards As can be seen from the colour drawings, the outer rings of the roundels were intially a bright medium blve and in fact remained so on produc tion aircraft until May 1942 when a much darker Hed dull blue or identification In the uncert the European war f the outbreak of ‘camoullage was rapidly institu © concealment of aireraft based in Australin and Malaya, This consisted of a scheme of RAAF dark earth and RAAF foliage green on upper surfaces with. alw- minium doped lower surfaces. The new specifica tion called for soft sprayed edges with upper surface colours blending into one another, not contrasting sharply like patterns in the RAF style, Consequently because of this deceptive biend of colours and the slight difference in tone intensity between them it is sometimes assumed that many ‘of these Wirraways and indeed other RAAF air- raft also used a one colour upper surface camou flage, ‘The latter was in fact relatively rare, With the introduction of the camouflage scheme the upper surface roundels were revised to red and blue only, the outside diameter remaining as before but! with 114 in red centres on the fuselaze and 22 in. diameter red centres on the wing roundels, The national marking was now almost invisible on a camouflaged surface at even a moderate distance so the former red white and blue type of fuselage roundel was quickly re introduced, the wing roundels remaining reé and blue only, Nevertheless a small number of Wirra ways could still be seen with the old red white and blue roundels on the upper surfaces of the wings. Each squadron was allocated an identification letter as follows: No 4 Sqn (D), 12 Sgn (M). 14 Sqn (P), 21 Sqn (R), 22 Sqn ), 23 Sqn (7), 24 Sgn (UW), and 25 San (V). Communications Flight was Y and. Survey Flight Z. ‘The letter in medium sea grey appeared in front of the fuselage roundel and according to regulations was ot 10 exceed four feet in height. In the case of the Wirraway a smaller letter of no fixed dimen- sions was permitted on account of lack of space. Fuselage serial numbers also appeared in medium sea grey but underwing serials remained in black Wirraways of No 21 Squadron in Malaya were under RAF command and featured the usual RAAF camouflage and markings except for three- leiter codes which were applied in medium sea grey. In order to keep a check on the flying of pupils, training aircraft were permitted to carry special markings in yellow at the discretion of the Commanding Officer. Initially this usually consisted of the lust two or sometimes three ‘numbers of the serial repeated in yellow under Two No 25 Squadron Wirraways, A20-111 at left and / medium sea prey squadron identification letter “V" the cockpit with the eowling also in yellow. Ta fan official interim scheme was introduced, this consisting of standard camouflage plus yellow bands three feet in width around the fuselage roundel, similar sized bands around the centre of each mainplane and large yellow identification numbers on the fuselage sides, It was proposed to finish all training Wirraways in. an overall yellow scheme but after Fapan attacked, steps were taken To provide a less conspicuous scheme for all home used aircraft and the orders were superseded, “The new scheme consisted of a disruptive pattern of RAAF earth brown, RAAF foliage green and RAAF sky blue®, the litter having been chosen. in aan aaltempt to decrease the tell-tale glint emanating from aluminium doped surfaces in strong stin- The lighting conditions and colours of trees, rocks, and earth differed markedly from those of European landscapes; consequently the foliage green and earth brown colours were approximately four shades darker than the dark green and dark carth of the well known British Ministry of Air craft Production requirements, whilst the sky blue was almost identical to British sky. blue The resulting modification to the Wirraway camouflage drawing was dated 19th January, 1942, and was implemented on production aircraft 1 few days afterwards, The drawing specified only brown” and “green™ but it is obvious from a study of photographs that although almost all Wirraways then featured the earth brown shade, as time went by, in the units themselves, the former RAAF dark earth colour was often re: introduced in place of earth brown when recon- ditioning became necessary. It was in, fact normal practice 10 recondition an aircraft's paintwork several times during ils service life should this be ied by wear aind tear. In the harsh Australian 1 RAAF earth brown was found to fade imately the shade of new RAAF dark in any ease; thus, even apart from. the likelihood of surplus stocks of the latter colour being held by units, the apparent interchungeability fof these two browns is hardly surprising. This contention can be supported not only by photo aphic evidence, but by wartime paint manufac- luyrers’ formulae, and by dozens of actual samples of very well preserved fabric and metal pieces of Wirtaways, Boomerangs, and other aircraft Some four months after the introduction of the new camouflage scheme, red white and blue fin stripes of equal width Were specified but were rot used on these machines until after the war. *See the large hard-bound 140 page book Aircraft and Markings of the RAAP 1939-45” by the author and available direct rom Kooka- busra Technical Publications, Particulars on application 1-112 on the right, at Peurce, 1941. The large was required 10 be as large as practicable.Wirraway December© G. Pentland Wirraway A20-137 of No 24 Squadron at Rabaul, flown by Fl-Lt Anderson, the first Allied fighter pilot to open fire on a Japanese aircraft in the South West Pacific un 61h January, 1942. The large letter "U" identified the squadron. Wirraway 420-10 as it appeared at No 2 Service Flying Training School in 1941. Note the aluminium-doped undersurfaces, medium blue of the roundels of the period, broad number and non wandard pattern aft of the wing, the latter jeaure no doubs being due to’ repainting. No 5 Squadron Boomerang BF-K, 46-57 in 1944 showing its “Pegasus” mascot forward of the cockpit. The faded dark earth camouflage was quite a striking feature. (See photograph on Page 25.) Probably because of such fading and the similarity between the two official browns, dark earth and earth brown were apparenily interchangeable although RAAF camouflage orders always stipulated he latter colour Boomerang QE-K, A46-194 of No 4 Squadron in September 1945 at Balikpapan sho green finish, macabre “Grim Reaper” motif and lack of any fin flash on the port stde. The pilot was Sqn-Ldr G. SnookSee eu EE Ep es nt Three Wirraways of No $ SETS, Uranquinty, NSW, in 1941. 1 will be noted the centre aircraft has no yellow cowling. P-O Jack Archer was fiying the far machine at the time In October 1942 the red in the national mark. ings was removed altogether, due to. the recognition errors, Thus the identification ma became and remained blue and white for the rest of the war. These details may be found on the diagram on Page IL The first production CA-12 Boomerangs were ied with a scheme of dark earth, foliage green sky blue in the pattern specified on the draw ing on Page 15 (see also photos of A46-3 on Page 19 and on the inside back cover) but most later production aircraft evidently used a factory finish Of low contrast earth brown and foliage green upper surfaces, 35 in diameter upper and lower wing roundels, + in diameter fuselage roundels and 24 in x in flashes in identification blue and white were positioned as shown in the drawings; red white nd blue being used on only the very carliest of aircraft, Serial numbers & in high were stencilled in medium sea grey whilst unit code eiters were displayed in medium sea grey or white On account of the fact that Boomerang production took place_more or less simultaneously and. in the same factory as the Wirraways it is hardly surprising thal the colour schemes of bath these virerafl. Were similar, All plywood parts were given one coat of syn- thetic varnish plus one coat of “Preparakote” gre} ‘and metal parts one coat of zine chromate primer Whilst all fabric surfaces received four brushed coats of clear nitrate dope and two sprayed coats, of pigmented nitrate dope. Camouflage colours Were sprayed on over these various undercoats, The cockpit interior was given one coat of zinc chromate yellow plus one coat of cockpit green jacquer (DTD 308), the instrument panel being finished in dull black lacquer. These specifications were substantially the same as for the Wirraway In_ 1943 a new three-letter scheme of aircraft identification was introduced, the first two letters indicating the squadron and the last the in vidual machine. These markings were usually in medium sea grey (which faded considerably in ropical conditions) or sometimes in white. Squa ron code leiters where applicable were as follows: No 4 (QE), 5 (BF), 23 (NV), 83 (MID, 84 (LR), 86 (SH), and § Communications Unit (ZA). Wirra ways also served in the following units but there is no evidence to suggest that they ever used the allotted codes: No 54 Sqn (RAF) DL, No 60 Sqn EY, No 82 Sqn FA, No 85 Sqn SH, No 87 Sqn QK, No S48 Sgn (RAF) TS, 2 Comm Unit JU, 3 Comm Unit DB, 4 Comm Unit VM and 9 LASU, TX, Fl-Lt Archer and Sgt Couiston in their famous Wirraway in January 1943, Note the Japanese “kill” marking underneath the guns, the only such marking ever carried by a Wirraway. Ph AWM. Right, The same machine after a forced landing near Point Cook on 18th May, 1954. See Page 12 for small lettering instructions carried on fuselage.WIRRAWAY A20-103 4 SQUADRON © G. Pentland Possibly the best-known Wirraway of all time, A20-103 is shown here in markings carried five days after its first “kill”. Earth brown, foliage green and sky blue finish, with squadron code in medium sea grey. Emblem was yellow, red and black, with red access panels under cockpit and “03” in white on the rudder Japanese flag was red and white. Air-minded visitors to the ACT will be interested to know that. this aircraft which had been in storage for some years was recently resurrected and repainted for display at the Australian War Memorial. The restoration was done by the Australian Society for Aircraft Preservation. a group dedicated to the esiablishment of a national air museum in Canberra. The members worked largely from the set of Kookaburra drawings shown on this page which were Initially published in the. first dition of this book. Modellers should note that by January 1943 the fast vestiges of any definite camouflage pattern had long since disappeared jrom the aircraft's upper surfacesWIRRAWAY A20-577 © G. Pentland. The personal machire of We-Cdr Kingstey Strake Ce vy School ar Cressy, Vie in 1945. This Wirravay, 20-377 was probably thi ever to be painted with pooeliedclie yenOW allenunat Two flrther features. dard rank pennants either side of the yellow ng. and a reflector puasight in the cockpit. Previously 20-877, had trained many pilois at No 7 SETS from April 1942 until January 1945 when it was delivered to its new unit to hecome the mouitt of the CO. himself.This shot of No 4 Squad the white tail markings were those of its Boomerangs were 1io!, Photo, AWM. As a further very necessary aid to identification of the radial-engined Wicraways and Boomerangs in New Guinea, white tails were introduced as fan emergency measure for all single-engined air craft in this theatre of operations as from Septem. her 1943. This was a Sth Air Force operational requirement, The scheme was later listed by the RAAF as follows: For all single-engined single seater aircraft the {ail assembly, that is the complete em. pennage shall be painted white; flashes to be deleted. A matt white strip shall also be painted on the leading edge of the m planes, approximately 9 in at root thinning down to approximately 4 in towards the tip. There was initially some confusion regarding he blue fin flash as some units retained these Exceptions being the two seater Wirrawey d Vengeance Veteran Wirraway 20-502 in folie Bi 1945. Affectionately dubbed “Th March, 1945, and had by then flown 1,100 hours aud carried ou rmed, she depended ried squadron New sory! Normally flown 1 in a blaze of glory at a 5 ‘away 20-507 was taken at Nadz roduced, the fin flashes were still retained on green and whi Year's Eve party in December 1945. Ph ab on 26th June, 1944, Usually after his unit's Wirraways, whereas temporarily over the white tail, The white tail markings were subject to three different interpre- tations, namely: factory finish and No 4 Squadron and No $ Squadron styles. Some USAAF fighters, notably Thunderbolts and Airacobras, also. bore these markings in the New Guinea theatre, When the scheme was applied to No 4 and No $ Squad: ron aircraft it proved highly effective, the white markings showing up strikingly against. the sur rounding terrain, (The exception in upplying this scheme was always to be found whilst in 1945 many newly delivered or repaired machines dis Pensed with the distinctive white markings scheme altogether. With aerial supremacy an established fact, there was little point in retaining any special identification system.) May 1944 saw the introduction of yet another major change with the issue of Aircraft Gene! Instruction Part 3 Section C Instruction No 1 Continued on Page 19 nish at the end of a No 5 Squadron line-up ai by her crews, she was three years old on 10t nweuvrability. for protection but finishe M. ArthurP ER SPR aD Left to right, top to botiom, Wirraway 420-120 of No 3 SEIS at Amberley, Q, in 1941, showing the early red white and blue upper wing roundels still carried by some aircraft ai this time. Note yellow bands 577 of the CGS as scen on Page 8. Wirraways of No 5 SFTS in 1944 with yellow cowlings and peculiar rear fuselage camouflage, Pictured on 6th April, 1943, this ex-22 Squadron Wirraway was allotted to No 2 OTU and shows mast unusual markings over iis earth brown , foliage green and sky blue finish, 20-637 ajter overshooting the Madang strip on I6th October, 1944. (See Page 20.) One of the last Wirraways, 420-718 in all-yellow finish in September 1945. Wirraways at Point Cook in 1959 showing the distinctive kangaroo roundel. Yellow training bands were carried around wings and fuselages. A post= war agricultural Wirtaway at Moorabbin, Photo, N. Follet 10WIRRAWAY CAMOUFLAGE DIAGRAM ' ALL. PAINTWORK i$ TO BE MATT FINISHED BROWN, GREEN ALUMINIUM/ RED WHITE, aLUE SKY BLUE PORT LOWER WING WITH NO SERIALS ON SKY BLUE UNDERSURFACES EARLY TYPE 3-COLOUR ROUNDEL SMALL 20° BLACK SERIALS AND 30° WING. AND BLACK SERIALS ON ROUNDELS ON OVERALL YELLOW ALUMINIUM-DOPED UNDERSURFACES WIRAAWAYS —MID~1944 ONWARDS. ati Hck PSR MIT YELLOW TIPS. BASED ON CAC DRAWING NO. O1-01002 OF 10-10-39 MODIFIED | © KqOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS ON 17-4-40, 13-3-41, 191-42, 15-542, AND 3-10-42 1970 A redrawn CAC blueprint showing the Wirraway's factory camouflage pattern and true positions of roundels, which were moved outboard once three-digit serials were introduced. Sufficient space had not heen allowed on the original drawing.REPRESENTATIVE MA ldensteatin. Suc aun en aey Wirraway 420-37 shown in 1942 markings of No 2 Service Flying Training School was typical of many which’ featured a: barely discernible two colour upper surface pattern, ‘shown dowed in. this illustration, This machine was later used at No 7 SETS and No 22 Squadron. \s_ row RUT OP twee md (eration tue 420-287 was one of many machines affected by the changeover of training aircraft scheme in mid 1944. The entire machine was repainted chrome. yellow with blue and white national markings and black serial, This aircraft was used at No 7 SETS and the Air Gunnery School. AeGess 10 REAR seth? CBSE Archer's Wirraway as it appeared until recently. After serving with No 4 Squadron it was flown back fo Australia, its “kill” marking and grotesque emblem removed. It was then used by No 3 Communi- cations Unit, a unit crest replacing the previous emblent. Finished in aluminium dope with 40 in wide yellow band on wings 44 in outhoard of the centre section. = ‘ White LE te nee on Fotinge seas —y inet erate sal uenitication_bive Ean_brows: Teoh One of the most interesting incidents in the life of A20-S6l was a belly landing at Koaru Beach, New Guinea, on 6/3/44. The pilot, Fit-Lt Clive Frees, and his passenger, Flt-Lt 1. King, salvaged the eniire aircraft themselves with the aid of friendly natives. The machine was raised on 44 gal drums and then with Us undercarriage lowered was manhandled onto an American barge which was floaed ‘out at high tide,ARKINGS SCHEMES © G. Pentland iach Mentlication ue Typical of many Boomerangs used as interceptor fighters this No 8$ Squadron machine used a single code letter for identification, this in medium sea grey which usually faded considerably. 446-167 suffered a landing accident at Guilford on 14/8/44 when it charged off the strip and finished up ver and flew again with the squadron. ina ditch, Ie was repaired h This machine shows a variation of the disruptive paticrn scheme on upper surfaces. Note wavy separae tion line on cowling. Red "Recce Robin” wih grey binoculars and brown wings on a white cloud on port side oj cowling only, as are all the emblems illustrated in this book. This aircraft was flown by P=O Rasmussen of No 5 Squadron six_blue sn mmm, Mbdhen_st8_Seer_codes and strat te start ste snows verve “SEM Sac nae QE-Z, A46-137 was one of the detachment from No 4 Squadron operating from Tsili Tsili in the Nadzub area. It was frequently employed on spotting missions to track the Japanese withdrawal until 29h June 1944 when a patrol of the Sth Australian Division saw it crash into the sea near Hansa Bay, The CA-I4A was a highly successful attempt 10 obtuin @ superior high altitude performance from the Boomerang. Fitted with a General Electric turbo-supercharger it attained a top speed of 372 mph ‘at 26,000 ft whilst at the same time retaining its exceptional manoeuvrability.BOOMERANG CAMOUFLAGE DIAGRAM BELLY TANK WHEN FITTED UNDERWING ROUNDELS ARE WAS PAINTED SKY BLUE SAME DIMENSIONS BUT DARK GREY PROPELLER WITH N 6/68" FROM WINGTIPS, YELLOW TIPS. ‘BROWN GREEN SY BLE WHITE ‘BLUE OVERALL MATT FINISH © KOOKABURRA TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS 1970. Based on the official CAC Boomerang camouflage blueprint, this redrawn diagram shows the pattern unaltered but without the red roundel centre as used or the first few aircraft only, 15Upper. Scourge of the Japanese in New Guinea, low-ffying white-tailed Boomerangs such as QE-F 446-117 shown here, seldom operated above treetop level. With their game pitats, they became familia protectors of the Australian infantryman slogging through the jungle. This machine does noi P10 ave the customary white leading edge. Lower. Followiig a tactical reconnaissance of Japanese positions + New Britain on 18th May, 1944, this Boomerang flown by P-O Stan Broudh anded in spectacular siyle at the eid of the Cape Gloucester strip. The pilot had cause t the sturdiness of the Boomerang as he managed 10 walk awa bat without a scrai reraft tahove, the serial was shown in tiny 4 inch numerals. Photo, Flt-Lt King via T. BenneBOOMERANG A46-174 4 SQUADRON © G. Pentland sdhead’s Boomerang QE-¥, A46-174 before its undignified end as seen in the photo- graph opposite. No 4 Squadron's second QE-Y, its paintwork was stil! in very good condition after ne five months of service, leading one to suspect that it had heen repainted only a short time previously following @ major overhaul. The aircraft és especially interesting in shat it provides the only known example of a Boomerang with a completely reversed camouflage pattern: =Upper. Two CA-12 Boomerangs of No 84 Squadron at Horn Island in 1943, Left. LB-E, A46-57 and LB-X A46-38. These vircrajt all appear io be in a waxed and polished earth frown,” foliage green and. sky blue finish,’ Right, LB-P, 446-65 with the Squadron's usual white codes and showing much-faded roundels and flashes. Lower. No 83 Squadron's MH-T. 446-100 with codes in. grey, after a wheels-up landing at Millin gimbi on 20th November, 1943. The aircraft had at that time, been in Service just over five manthsRear view f A46-3 showing the dark earth and foliage green upper surface pattern with 36 inch blue and white roundels in initial style. Note IS inch white centres This called for an overall foliage green scheme for all Tac/R types modified by white tails and leading edges if the aircraft were proceeding to the New Guinea sector Aircraft were required to be painted prior to departure, Trainers were now to be finished in yellow with black serials but due to the enormous Amount of work and paint required, these changes were not always effected as will be readily ap. parent from the photographs. No 4 Squadron machines displayed a dark blue or camouflaged tip to the fin and rudder. As also with No 5 Squadron, spinners were either white e flight to which the aireraft were assigned. The entire batch of CA-19 Boomerangs featured an overall foliage green factory finish except in most instances for the special white markings which were discontinued in or dark green, according to Earth conversion int mid-1943. brown, foliage green and sky blue CA-12 Boom uselage munerals were yellow 1945, CA-19 aircraft of No 5 Squadron on Bou- gainville Island had the last three numerals of the aircraft. serial number repeated in white 8 in numerals on both sides of the cowling, Individual sircraft names and decorations where carried were located on the port cowling immediately in front of the cockpit After the war the existing blue and white national markings were retained for a short time, eventually giving way to an all-silver finish on Wirraways with the familiar red white and blue roundels and flash. In 1935 the distinctive leapi red kangaroo roundel was introduced, a marking which made its first appearance on an Australian Flying Corps machine in WW I, was adopted as i piece of Australiana by No 456’ Squadron RAAF fn their UK-based Mosquitos in WW II, and now distinguishes all RAAF and RAN aireraft today. rangs of No 2 OTU, Mildura, during pilot© G, Pentland Wirraway A20-314 in modified imerim trainer scheme as seen at No 7 SETS at Deniliquin in 1941 Aecording 10 regulations the aircraft should have had black underwing serials and the 36 inch yellow wing: bands carried around the aluminiuntdoped undersurfaces as well No 4 Squadron's unusually coded Wirraway JQE, A20-637 before iis mishap at Madang on I October, 1944. (See Page 10.) Though in standard parern, one could barely tell, as the two up surface colours had almost merged into one another A No 84 Squadron interceptor Boomerang, A46-50 LB-V. This was one of the early CA-12 versions with no flame shroud over the exhaust exit. The blue of the insignia had jaded considerably on th aircraft No 5 Squadron's BF-H, 46-192 only a few days after delivery 10 the unit in April 1944 and before the earth brown’ had had a chance to fade to its usual dark earth shade, This aircraft was lost near Mulloy on 5th November 1944 during low-flying practice. White spinner was a flight identification marking. 0| ' ) These two photographs of Fl 1 Alf Clare's “Sinbad 11” taken on 25th May, 1945, near Mareeba, Q, dramatically show the normal degree of deterioration to a lacquer finish when exposed to tropical ‘operating conditions. The foliage green, a relatively stable colour, is almost unchanged but the lighter fuselage colour, originally dark carth, has faded to a washed-out light earth shade. Modellers would do well to note the vastly different shades of blue of the roundels, the many marks due to servicing, the almost vanished camouflage pattern and the bright green flight spinner, The machine at the time had been in service exactly eight months to the dayUpper. Elegant lines of the Boomerang are shown in this No 5 Squadron shot taken in April 1944. Near machine “U Beaut 2", BF-N, 446-128, flown by Sqn-Ldr Cook, had been in service since August 1943 and shows faded dark earth and foliage green upper surfaces with a bright green spinner. The other three, BF-W, Ad6-177; BF-C, A46-175; and BF-T, A-46 A46-178; all with white spinners, show upper surfaces in earth brown and foliage green. The faded grey codes of the near aircraft offer interesting comparison with those of the other three machines which had all arrived at the squadron only a month previously. Lower, Two pilots in front of waxed and polished No 84 Squadron Boomerang LB-V, A46-50, which is shown in colour on Page 20.Left to right, top 10 botiom, Three interesting prangs, Boomerang “Ht of No 2 OTU after the pilot had belly-landed on Sth June, 1944. Photo, R. Hourigan. No $ Squadron BF-T, A46-60 which charged off the sirip after @ brake jaiture on landing on 15th January, 1944. Easth brown, foliage green and sky blue scheme, Sqn-Ldr C, Daly's No 85 Squadron machine A46-135 on the beach near Fremantle after electrical wiring caught fire in the air on 10th January, 1944, Earth brown, foliage green and sky blue TB-E, 446-37 which later served in Nos 5, 83 and 86 Squadrons as well as Nos 2 and 8 OTUs for good measure! Compare with top le Unusual wavy paitern was seen on jaciory finished BER illustrated on Page 13. BF-K, 446-57 as shown on Page 5. Photo, 1. Bennett. Starboard sid F-QE, 446-187 in August 1945 showing a radio mast which was later removed. One 0 Boomerangs, foliage green and white A46-231. Phow, N. Follett