Camouflage and Markings for the Hawker Hurricane.

CAMOUFLAGE.

1) Upper Surfaces.

There were three basic camouflage schemes for RAF fighters during the Second World War; the Temperate Land Scheme (Dark Earth and Dark Green) the Temperate Sea Scheme (Medium Sea Grey and Dark Green) and the Middle East Scheme (Dark Earth and Mid Stone). All were applied in one of two standardised disruptive patterns ("A" scheme and "B" scheme, a mirror-image of the "A" scheme). From March 1938 until September 1941 all British-based Hurricanes were finished in the Temperate Land Scheme, after which the increasing number of cross-channel sorties resulted in the adoption of the Temperate Sea Scheme as standard for all RAF fighters and light bombers. This remained the case until the end of the war. Some "intruder" units were finished in overall "Night" (black), others just having the undersurfaces in this colour (see below). The introduction of the Temperate Sea Scheme as standard caused a shortage of Medium Sea Grey paint; as an interim solution an Air Ministry directive allowed the use of "Mixed Grey", made by adding 10% black to Ocean Grey; this colour appeared not only on many European-based RAF Hurricanes but also on many of those sent to the USSR until the shortage was made good.

PCX templates are provided for all the schemes listed above.


2) Lower Surfaces.

The colour schemes applied to the undersurfaces of RAF fighters (particularly in the early war years) is a subject of conjecture and argument; what follows is the generally accepted description but it is by no means definitive since there were many variations. Generally, RAF fighter undersufaces were finished in a black/white scheme divided along the aircraft's centre-line (black for the port side, white for the starboard side) from March 1938 until May 1940. Some of the variations to this scheme included the black/white scheme only on the wings, with the remainder of the undersuface finished in silver dope or white. During the fighting in France during May and June 1940 it was found that although the scheme was useful for identification to anti-aircraft gunners (enemies as well as allies) it was also useful to the Luftwaffe's fighters which were a far more dangerous proposition. Several RAF squadrons in France adopted the Luftwaffe's scheme of painting the undersides of their aircraft overall light blue, and this was adopted as standard for all RAF fighters by July (though examples of the black/white undersides were still seen for some time after this). The colour chosen for the undersides was called simply "Sky" and was in fact a pale greenish grey. Later it would acquire several other names (Sky Type "S", Duck-egg Green) but none of these were official. There are also frequent mentions of a colour referred to as "Duck-egg Blue", too many for it to be a case of mistaken identity perhaps but it was not an officially sanctioned part of the colour schemes. In November 1940 a directive reintroduced the black port wing underside ( to aid British AA-gunners due to the increase in low-level fighter bomber raids by the Luftwaffe), but this was discontinued after January 1941 - see notes on "Identification Markings". With the adoption of the Temperate Sea Scheme as standard in September 1941, all British-based fighter and light bomber aircraft undersides were finished in Ocean Grey until the end of the war with the exception of "intruder" aircraft which received "Night" (black) undersides  - this particular paint seemed to wear and flake off areas of wear very quickly resulting in a rather scruffy looking paint scheme. All aircraft finsihed in the Middle East Scheme received undersides of a fairly deep blue called "Azure" or "Azure Blue".

In each case due to the limitations of the EAW British palette the undersides are finished in grey on the PCX  templates. 

3) Far East Schemes.

Aircraft allocated to the far eastern theatre were finished in European camouflage schemes.

IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS.

1) General markings.

The black/white divided undersurface scheme noted above was an identification marking, and although effective it was found to compromise the aircraft's camouflage too much. Generally the RAF roundels were not added to this scheme, though they were still carried on the fuselage sides and upper wings. With the introduction of Sky undersurfaces, it was initially felt that to gain full advantage from this scheme no underwing roundels should be carried, though perhaps as a compromise it was around this time that the fuselage roundels received a wide yellow outline. By mid-August 1940 the underwing roundels were very much in evidence, though they varied in proportion and size from one squadron (and even one aircraft) to another. In November 1940 (as noted above) the black port wing underside was reintroduced along with a sky fuselage band and propellor spinner, the first disappearing soon after but the latter two remaining until the end of the war. With the introduction of the Temperate Sea Scheme came a yellow band added to the outer third (or so) of the wing leading edge, and this too remained until the end of the war. Aircraft in the Middle East Scheme do not seem to have had many identification markings at an official level although painting the propeller spinner red seems to have been a popular unofficial pastime for fighter pilots. Aircraft in the far east carried white stripes across the upper and lower wing and tail surfaces and on the vertical tail (similar to those applied to the P-47 and P-51 in Europe), though some aircraft did not carry the full compliment of stripes.

2) Squadron and Individual Aircraft Markings.

Each RAF squadron was allocated a two-letter code to which was added a third letter representing the individual aircraft within the squadron. Generally the pattern followed was that the squadron code was toward the front of the aircraft and the aircraft letter toward the rear (i.e GL*P on the port side and P*GL on the starboard side), again, however this was by no means universally the case, and instances are known of the opposite (A*LK for the port side and LK*A for the starboard on 87 Sqn Hurricane MkI's) and a mixture (SD*A for the port side and SD*A for the starboard side on 501 Sqn Hurricanes). This last example was common on early Hurricanes until well after the Battle of Britain.

The codes were applied in Medium Sea Grey for Temperate land scheme aircraft, usually in 36" letters (though occasionally 48"). For the Temperate Sea Scheme the letters were applied in Sky and were 36" or 24". Middle East Scheme aircraft show a great deal of variety, and carried full, partial or sometimes no codes - although officially they should have carried the full complement in white 36" letters. Where code letters do appear they are sometimes in white, sometimes in Medium Sea Grey, sometimes in red, sometimes in yellow or in a mixture of any two of the preceding colours. 

FINALLY

It is notoriously difficult to interpret old black and white photographs so nobody can say with any certainty that any of the above was always the case. This is intended as a rough guide for skinner's, not an historical study. Don't get too wound up about it.


Cheers

Stew  