Why different marking colors for the C-47 s?

[pappy2]

Hello everyone,
I have a question regarding the color of the C-47 markings:
Why do some planes have a yellow color code and others white, even in the same squadron ?

 

I am creating missions for D-DAY and I noticed on the few color photos from the time found on the internet that not all C-47s had the same color for the large code markings. Squadrons.
The C-47s still in flying condition and those in museums also have this difference, is there a tactical reason ?

 

Thanks in advance for the response

 

 

434th TCG -  74TCS  (ID)

 

 

436th TCG-81st TCS "Buzz-Buggy" (U5)  439th TCG-94th TCS "The Argonia" (D8)

 

 

439th TCG-94th TCS "Aint Missbehavin" BASTOGNE C-47_ 42-100862 (D8)

 

 

438th TCG-88th TCS (M2)

 

 

 

438th Troop Carrier Group "Thats-all-Brother" (3X)

 

 

[jollyjack]

Different squadrons? Shortage of certain paint buckets?

[LukeFF]

I've never been able to figure this out, either, so if anyone has an answer I'd love to hear it. For now I have all the US squadrons set to white in career mode.

[Jaegermeister]

On 2/19/2024 at 1:36 PM, LukeFF said:

I've never been able to figure this out, either, so if anyone has an answer I'd love to hear it. For now I have all the US squadrons set to white in career mode.

 

This is the text from page 228 of The 9th Air Force in World War II by Kenn C. Rust.

 

 

The text is relatively self explanatory but basically early on the 9th Air Force used gray or yellow until everyone moved to England for the "Big Show" then it was more or less standardized to White or Gray. Yellow serial numbers and plane letters would have been on older 9th AF C-47s flown over from the US before the Invasion. 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2024 by Jaegermeister

[LukeFF]

17 hours ago, Jaegermeister said:

 

This is the text from page 228 of The 9th Air Force in World War II by Kenn C. Rust.

 

 

The text is relatively self explanatory but basically early on the 9th Air Force used gray or yellow until everyone moved to England for the "Big Show" then it was more or less standardized to White or Gray. Yellow codes would have been on older 9th AF C-47s flown over from the US before the Invasion. There is a table with all squadrons on the following page but you would have to look in squadron histories to see which ones were originally in the 9th AF before it moved to England.

 

 

Thanks! I had read that text (I bought a copy of that book after you recommended it to me), but I never really did much with the C-47 codes after reading this bit. So, this explains why they would have been a mix of gray, white, and yellow, even after D-Day. 

In any case, it gives me some ideas about how to vary the tactical code colors for career mode.

[pappy2]

Hello everyone,
thank you for the answer "Jaegermeister" so it's simple:
All 9th Troop Carrier Command C-47s that participated in D-DAY had Gray or White codes.
If we see C-47s with yellow codes, that means it was before D-DAY and they belonged to the 9th Air Force.

Concerning the C-47 "The Argonia" from the Sainte Mère Eglise museum, the yellow codes error was corrected in 2021, now the codes are in Gray.

 

https://airborne-museum.org/collection/largonia-avion-douglas-c-47-skytrain/

 

 

The colors of the aircraft represent the C-47 No. 43-15159 "The Argonia" the lead aircraft of Colonel Charles H. Young, commander of the 439th Troop Carrier Group which on the night of June 5 to 6, 1944 led into combat eighty one C-47. “The Argonia” dropped Colonel Robert F. Sink commanding the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

 

http://www.6juin1944.com/assaut/aeropus/page.php?page=para

 

And regarding the C-47 "D-DAY DOLL" (in photo above) it seems that it has also changed color and code :

 

 

https://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2019/06/14/aviation-history-and-nostalgia-d-day-75-commemorated/

 

With the years and the consultation of good archives, the restorers of the last C-47s in flying condition or in museums are getting closer to the true decoration of this era of WW2.

Edited February 20, 2024 by pappy2

[Jaegermeister]

1 hour ago, pappy2 said:

All 9th Troop Carrier Command C-47s that participated in D-DAY had Gray or White codes.

 

I'm not sure that is correct, but it seems to be.

 

I haven't seen stated anywhere that planes with yellow codes when they arrived in England were changed or when. It only says the serial numbers were in yellow, but they would not have had large yellow squadron codes on the fuselage as those were not applied until in they were in England and they were gray. I have never seen a period 1944 color photo of a C47 with yellow Squadron ID letters although there are a ton of contemporary repaints and images with yellow IDs. They may all be wrong, LOL. It's hard to tell the difference between yellow and grey in a B&W photo.

 

It appears that C-47s in the US continued to use yellow ID letters into 1945 when I think this picture was taken;

 

 

I think transport planes in the Pacific also had yellow ID codes but I haven't gone too far down that rabbit hole yet.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2024 by Jaegermeister

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, Jaegermeister said:

They may all be wrong, LOL. It's hard to tell the difference between yellow and grey in a B&W photo.

 

That was something pointed out in this topic: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49609&start=45

I'm tending to lean towards the idea that people have misinterpreted gray for yellow and that's why you see so many restorations today with yellow codes.

[Jaegermeister]

4 hours ago, LukeFF said:

That was something pointed out in this topic: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49609&start=45

I'm tending to lean towards the idea that people have misinterpreted gray for yellow and that's why you see so many restorations today with yellow codes.

 

That's exactly what I think too

[pappy2]

Good evening guys,
Do you know this site:
Color photographs Douglas C-47 / R4D Skytrain / Dakota

Some color photos of LIFE and IVVM

 

https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2021/06/02/douglas-c-47-r4d-skytrain-dakoda-color-photographs-part-i/

 

 

 

 

These photos were taken in France on the morning of March 24, 45, in preparation for Operation Varsity, the airborne assault aimed at crossing the Rhine into Germany. (IWM)
Transport belongs to 314TCG.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2024 by LukeFF
English only in this part of the forum, please