Wanted Lancaster In Tiger Force

[lenny100]

Can any one of you talented people out their in graphics land do me a lancaster from 617 squadron as they would of looked if their posting to the far east for the invasion of japan in 1946

[kitnut617]

lenny100, my Dad was with 617 when they were on their way east but only got as far as Calcutta when the second atomic bomb was dropped and ended the war.  He told me that the Lanc's had all white uppers with black underneath, and white code/serial letters.  I'm not sure what colour the roundels were though, but I suspect the red/blue as they hadn't got 'in theatre' at the time.

[BadersBusCompany]

Nice job Wooksta    

[kitnut617]

That is very nice Lee, my Dad had told me that the white on the fuselage only came part way down from the top though.

[kitnut617]

Yes that's right, they were like that after the war.

[Jennings]

I did this for Xtradecals a couple of years ago.  Not 617, but the appearance except for the codes would be the same..





J

[lancer]

Amazing set of decals Jennings. The TL-C code on the tiger force version struck me as funny though. The thought of a Lanc dishing out Tender Loving Care...make me chuckle.

[Cobra Kebab]

Anyone interested in doing a Tiger Force Lincoln?

[kitnut617]

I was chatting with my Dad over the weekend and of course I steered the conversation around to his time in 617 Sqn.  I was probing around for info on 617' FE role and something came up which I don't remember him telling me before.  617 took out Lancaster Mk.VIIs ! Now I had always had the idea 617 took their B.I Specials but it seems to be not the case.

Robert

[NARSES2]

Talking Tiger Force - does anyone know what scheme the fighters asigned to that force would have appeared in ?

I've seen a photo of an alleged Tempest II destined for Tiger Force and it's in the standard European scheme. 2TAF rather then Fighter Command I seem to remember.

Grateful for any info

Chris

[Mossie]

Chris, I've got a magazine article at home about Spitfires used in the occupation of Japan, but I can only post from work unless I manage to get my internet connection sorted out tonight.  I'll dig it out, but mostly they were as you & Lee mentioned, standard European scheme with white or Sky recognition stripes & SEAC roundels.  During the occupation, they were quickly stripped back to NMF, or painted in silver dope depending on the squadron & wore Type C roundels & fin flashes.

Couple of profiles on Wings Palette:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/52/9/16/67
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/52/9/16/153

[BillSlim]

I've got a small model Lanc in Tiger Force markings somewhere. I'll need to look it out and take a pic of it.

[Matt Wiser]

From my understanding of the planned invasion of Japan, Tiger Force was to be operational in the November-December 1945 timeframe. They would have operated under the U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces Pacific under Lt. Gen. Carl Spaatz (which also included the 20th Air Force in the Marianas under Major General Curtis LeMay and the newly-arrived 8th Air Force under Major General James H. Doolittle). The strategic bombers would have maintained the bombing of Japanese cities, military facilities, the aerial mining campaign, and be prepared to directly support Operations OLYMPIC and CORONET if so ordered by the JCS. Tiger Force was to have been based on Okinawa, alongside the 8th Air Force, the 2nd Marine Air Wing, and the Far East Air Force (5th, 7th, and 13th Air Forces). Target date for OLYMPIC was 1 Nov 1945, CORONET 1 March 1946. Though the RAF would've arrived just in time for Typhoon Louise in October 1945, and the invasion of Kyushu would likely have been delayed by two weeks to 14 Nov 45. The formal execute order for OLYMPIC was issued on 18 June 1945.

[NARSES2]

Lee/Mossie

Thanks for the info. I seem to remember the Tempest II photo I saw had the white ID markings but I thought that was to guard against it possibly being thought of as an FW 190 rather then SEAC ?

Mossie. I've seen photo's of those Occupation Spits with the rather strange roundle, but tha was done more to make them into "Parade Ground" aircraft better suited to impress the occupied rather then anything else - that's what I read anyway.

Still think a Tempest II in either SEAC brown/green/grey or natural metal with dark blue ID stripes would look good. Thinking of one for RAF 100

[Radish]

The Spitfire XIVs used for the Occupation forces were specially painted for the deployment. One Squadron had Grey Uppers with the usual Dark Green pattern, but with either natural metal or silver undersurfaces.

Ginger Lacey's Squadron was different. Before going on leave, he left orders (the Squadron was based in India....might have even been Indian AF) for all rhe paint to be stripped and "A" type roundels added. When he returned from leave, the stripper the workmen had used was crap (it WAS India!!) and the aircraft looked a splodgy mess. Ginger gave orders for an immediate respray, but no darker grey was available, so the aircraft were a Medium Sea Grey all over, with the standard green on the uppersurface pattern.

Later Ginger was the first Spitfire pilot to take off from Japan. He noticed the chappy in charge of the whole deployment striding towards his Spit in flying gear. Ginger raced to his. As the top chappy started his take off run from one end of the runway, Ginger started from the other and took off first, narrowly avoiding his superior.
Ginger received no more promotions.

Did quite a bit of research a few years back on this as I was going to build a diorama of Ginger racing towards his Spit.
Still got the kit, figures and decals somewhere. Might build it all, you never know! The Academy Spitfire XIV is the razorbacked one, but it needs an "E Wing" armament, easily achieved by using a Daco resin conversion (which I have) or the spare bits from an Occidental Spit XVI which I also have