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Many Thanks, Frank !! Great stuff. It's generally believed/accepted (?) that Macmillan and others of 45 Sqdn encountered Voss in 103/17 in the afternoon of Sept 11. Voss downed Lt McMaking of 45 Sqn in the same fight that afternoon. There's a good reason Macmillan said "both" triplanes were 'buff all over' - they were one and the same airplane, Voss in 103/17 (who was not downed that day, obviously)! Macmillan simply made an honest mistake, both in his impression of how many triplanes were encountered, and in how he shot them down.
It's very interesting to note that the rather neutral camouflage streaking on the F.I triplanes - 102 and 103/17 - resulted in a wide range of color impressions of Allied pilots.
6 Sept., Capt F D Stevens and Lt Cambray of No 20 encountered Voss and said the triplane was "painted light green"
11 Sept, Macmillan : "buff all over"
11 Sept, Machaffie, No. 29 Sqn: "green grey"
16 Sept, Lt Strang, No 19 Sqn - "dark brown"
23 Sept - McCudden, 56 Sqn (ref to 103/17) "silvery blue"
23 Sept - Caldwell of 60 Sqn (again, 103/17) -" blue-grey"
I know there are still other impressions from B Flight of 56 Squadron, but I cannot locate them right now. It all shows, perhaps, how risky it is to assume combat report descriptions of colors are literally accurate and reliable.
Nonetheless, none of the reports mention a 'red triplane" (and you might assume they would, had they seen one ?) or, for that matter, a yellow cowling !!
Greg VanWyngarden
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Greg VanWyngarden
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