The "Hawaiian Air Depot" Camouflage Scheme

[Steve Birdsall]

The B-17E in this still from John Ford's Midway documentary is wearing a fairly unusual camouflage scheme that was first documented by Dana Bell. It was only applied to B-17Es that were operational in Hawaii in the early months of 1942. Some of those B-17s moved on to the Southwest Pacific and South Pacific areas and the paint scheme was still evident on some aircraft throughout 1943.

So far I've identified 15 of these aircraft but I suspect there were quite a few more. I'm trying to find photos of the following aircraft between the time they left the Boeing factory with the normal Olive Drab and Neutral Gray finish and the middle of 1942.

41-2396, 41-2403, 41-2413, 41-2415, 41-2420, 41-2428, 41-2431 and 41-2440 (but before she carried the Calamity Jane nose art).

Any help on this will be very welcome.

Season's Greetings to all.

[varsity07840]

They also received rudder stripes and wing insignia(2 upper, 2 lower) to conform to Navy standards at that time. The tail stripes and insignia red centers were eventually painted over, a shown in your pic.

Check out the B-17 in this video. It may be one of the eight B-17Es that flew in on Dec. 7th since it lacks a serial number on the tail as did those that arrived during the attack. Also note that while the red centers are still intact, the rudder stripes have been painted over. http://www.awn.gov.au/collection/FO4911/

Duane

[varsity07840]

Here's one from the Royce Mission. No serial on this one either.

Duane

[Steve Birdsall]

Thanks Duane. That's 41-2416 after the censor went to work with his airbrush. I think the connection with the Royce mission is incorrect because 41-2416 was written off after a collision with 41-2434, but that's another story.

Fore some reason I can't get that AWM link to work.

[JohnDell]

There are some nice photos in this Aero Vintage thread from 2008 of B-17s in this paint scheme.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=439

I’d be very interested to see more photos of this camouflage scheme.

[varsity07840]

Thanks Duane. That's 41-2416 after the censor went to work with his airbrush. I think the connection with the Royce mission is incorrect because 41-2416 was written off after a collision with 41-2434, but that's another story.

Fore some reason I can't get that AWM link to work.

Steve:

My typo on the link. Should be www.awm.gov.au/collection/FO4911/

I didn't think the flaw in the "Royce" pic was the work of a censor. I figured it was a tear in the original photo.

Duane

[Steve Birdsall]

The flaw in that photo is in the print used . . . there are better versions of that shot, but at the time that photo was taken the numbers 2416 were painted on the tail.

The correct link for that Australian War Memorial clip is a bit more complicated - http://www.awm.gov.au/view/collection/item/F04911/

That's a very interesting piece of film and I appreciate your directing me to it. I think the serial on the tail is still there, maybe faded or perhaps "muted" somehow.

Yes, the rudder would have had stripes applied soon after arrival in Hawaii, then had them painted over again.

I don't think the planes that landed in Hawaii 7 December 1941 had their serials painted over - that was the work of the censor before the photos were released. I'm in the midst of trying to prove exactly that.

[Steve Birdsall]

Here's what I'm talking about . . . both photos were taken at Townsville, Australia.



None of these aircraft had exactly the same paint job, and that's proved to be both a blessing and a curse. In this particular case, a blessing.

[varsity07840]

Thanks Steve.

The photo on the left is interesting, given the lack of the 1, representing fiscal year 1941.

Duane

[aerovin2]

I thought the same thing. Interesting in that I think the guys doing the actual painting sometimes did not have the guidance at hand. You see other such examples on occassion.

[Steve Birdsall]

I think they had their own way of doing things in Hawaii . . . this B-18, 36-433, displays a similarly abbreviated radio call number.



Still looking for any photos of 41-2396, 41-2403, 41-2413, 41-2415, 41-2420, 41-2428, 41-2431 and 41-2440 (before she carried the Calamity Jane nose art).

[Steve Birdsall]

This very famous photo comes in many guises . . . it is Signal Corps photo SC127011, it’s 90608 A.C. in the USAF collection and it’s also claimed by LIFE Magazine and probably others.

It was taken in the morning of 7 December 1941 by S/Sgt Sergeant Lee Embree, who landed at Hickam Field in 41-2408, a B-17E of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron piloted by 1/Lt Keith Barthelmess. The billowing smoke in the background is from the battleship Arizona.

Unfortunately this important historical document was immediately censored and the radio call number on the tail and the tail guns were airbrushed out, but Embree himself confirmed that it was the plane he flew in, 41-2408.

The photo below shows 41-2408 in Australia much later but still carrying the unique camouflage scheme that was applied soon after her arrival in Hawaii.

[Chris Brame]

Try to find a clear shot of Robert Richards' B-17C that overshot the runway at Bellows Field - it has a large "49" in black on the fin (40-2049).

[varsity07840]

This very famous photo comes in many guises . . . it is Signal Corps photo SC127011, it’s 90608 A.C. in the USAF collection and it’s also claimed by LIFE Magazine and probably others.

It was taken in the morning of 7 December 1941 by S/Sgt Sergeant Lee Embree, who landed at Hickam Field in 41-2408, a B-17E of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron piloted by 1/Lt Keith Barthelmess. The billowing smoke in the background is from the battleship Arizona.

Unfortunately this important historical document was immediately censored and the radio call number on the tail and the tail guns were airbrushed out, but Embree himself confirmed that it was the plane he flew in, 41-2408.

The photo below shows 41-2408 in Australia much later but still carrying the unique camouflage scheme that was applied soon after her arrival in Hawaii.

It also has the short lived rudder stripes painted out and a ball turret replacing the remote Sperry.

Duane

[Steve Birdsall]

Try to find a clear shot of Robert Richards' B-17C that overshot the runway at Bellows Field - it has a large "49" in black on the fin (40-2049).

I'm only interested in the B-17Es, but the photos of 40-2049 confirm that these aircraft carried tail numbers when they arrived in Hawaii.