The patch of azure paint extending up the rear port fuselage and on top of the existing camouflage was probably applied to cover a combat repair, but crucially, photographic evidence of this exists and has been widely circulated over the years. As was the nature of war, aircraft that suffered superficial, reparable damage during operations were simply patched up in the field and prepared for the next day’s operations, which seems to have been the case with this particular Tomahawk. This would have been applied freehand, using a spray gun and standard dark earth/mid stone and Azure blue colours applied to RAF aircraft operating in this theatre. Tomahawk AK402 (GA-F) was delivered to the RAF wearing a US factory applied dark green/dark earth and DuPont light grey camouflage scheme and was repainted by RAF ground crews using British paint stocks whilst in the field. Over the years, researchers have unearthed more information about this particular aircraft, probably due to the fact that it was the mount of one of the leading RAF aces of WWII and an aviation celebrity in the years following the war. With many wartime photographs being taken using black and white film, obtaining definitive corroborating evidence for any aircraft scheme, or modelling project can be difficult and may rely on personal accounts and recollections which have been handed down over the years.įortunately, that was not the case with the subject of this release, Curtiss Tomahawk IIB AK402, which was engaged in fighting Axis air forces in North Africa towards the end of 1941 and one of the first Tomahawks flown by future ace Neville Duke in combat. It has to be remembered that the world was at war and the noting of particular aircraft colour shades, markings and paint stock inventories was very much of secondary importance, when the only thing that mattered was having your aircraft and pilots ready for action.
HANS JOACHIM MARSEILLE AXIS HISTORY FORUM ARCHIVE
The Aviation Archive range has a proud heritage in producing stunning representations of aircraft that took part in the aerial duels of the Second World War and whilst they have access to an extensive research library and can call on the services of several aviation experts, the corroboration of information regarding wartime aircraft can be both challenging and time consuming.
The proper use of fighters under these circumstances is to prevent the enemy from destroying your ground troops (by destroying bombers), and by destroying enemy ground troops (by use as fighter bombers).When bringing our beloved Aviation Archive models to the collector market, the Corgi development team have quite a task in ensuring everything proceeds as planned across the entire catalogue range. Even if all his claims were true (and they aren't), the effect on the British air campaign was next to nothing.
Pilot rivalry, unit rivalry, glory-seeking, etc. Not because they couldn't, but rather because their priorities were wrong. British bombers did emense damage to German ground forces and JG27 did very little to stop them.
JG27's military contribution to the campaign in North Africa was negligible. I'm certainly not the first to proffer this position. It is, without questions, one of the greatest blunders of the German military during the campaign in North Africa. JG27 certainly had the opportunity to target bombers but they didn't. The history of the Allied air war in North Africa is replete with accounts of bomber attacks on German troops with out any German fighter opposition. Especially considering the large quantity of British bombers present that could have been targeted. The point is, however, that Marseilles was more interested in fighters than bombers. Whether or not Marseilles knew the capacity in which they were flying when he attacked them is unknown to me. Click to expand.Well, the Allies used their principal types in North Africa, the Hurricane and P-40s, as fighter bombers.