British night colors

[Tripehound]

I've found some seemingly conflicting information on British night fighter markings and colors. Did they paint their night fighters overall black, black with CDL lower surfaces, or leave them in the standard PC10/CDL scheme?
Were the roundels used a blue outer ring and a red center with no white ring, or a white ring? The "white ring" may be the blue as it appears in early photographs, with the red center appearing almost black and thus invisible in the photos.

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Tripehound

I've found some seemingly conflicting information on British night fighter markings and colors. Did they paint their night fighters overall black, black with CDL lower surfaces, or leave them in the standard PC10/CDL scheme?
Were the roundels used a blue outer ring and a red center with no white ring, or a white ring? The "white ring" may be the blue as it appears in early photographs, with the red center appearing almost black and thus invisible in the photos.

I'm tempted to post 'all of the above', which might explain the conflicts. There doesn't appear to have been standard night fighting colours until the iontroduction of NIVO very late in the War (Too late to be standard!)

There were roundels with the white inner ring painted out with black, and also (e.g. on BE2s) simple white rings. There were also just red/blue used

[Dan_San_Abbott]

tripehound:
The F.E.2B and 2D used for night bombers were painted matt black on the undersides of the wing, tailplane, fuselage and sides of the fuselage and rudder. The white ring of the under wing cockades were painted matt black as were all struts and wheel covers. The upper surface of the wings,tailplane and fuselage were painted P.C.10 with standard cockades on the upper surface of the top wing. I don't think the HP O/100 and O/400 machines were painted black, I believe they were painted with NIVO, (Night Invisible Varnish Overall?) defined in one source as "dark slate green" overall. On HP O/100 standard roundels were used on both sides of the upper wing, fuselage and red-white-blue stripes of both rudders. With the HP O/400 the standard roundels of smaller size were used in the same positions. The rudder stripes were about half the height of the rudder and were contained in a square of three equal width stripes, red aft with and blue forward.
blue skies,
Dan-San

[Tripehound]

Thanks for the information. The white ring still intrigues me, as it doesn't make a whole lot of sense on a night-operating combat aircraft.

Hello Tripehound.

It appears that the night camouflaging of certain British aircraft varied according to Squadron and specialization of purpose.

To confirm Dan-San's statement regarding the FE's (specifically of 100 Squadron), Windsock Datafile #18 references 'Secret Operations Order No.34, 4 April 1917' giving specific coloring instructions. I imagine that this scheme was to protect 100 Squadron's aircraft (being employed offensively) as seen from below.

The aircraft of 50 Squadron, Home Defense, (mostly BE's being employed defensively) were painted to provide protection from above. Further, it has been suggested that the primary reason for this scheme was actually to protect the pilot not from enemy aircraft but from the dazzle effect produced by Holt flares employed during night landings. This explains why the struts, and even the backside of propellers of some BE's were 'lampblacked' while the undersides, and sometimes the rear fuselage were left clear-doped. I have read that gun flashes and exhaust flames also hindered night flying; and that the RNAS conducted related experiments in mid-1915.

Regarding the white-ring insignia, their inception was promulgated by Maj. M.G.Christie of 50 squadron and approved by GHQ Home Forces in August 1915. The principal intention then being to protect the planes from friendly fire during training flights and defense sorties.

Bruce Robertson writes of NIVO, (developed winter 1917/1918 at Oxfordness Experimental Station and approved in Autumn 1918): "It is doubtful if any operational aircraft of WWI were finished in NIVO other than experimentally on Sopwith F.1/3 Camels E5164 and E5165 and FE2bs D9978 and D9952...".

You mind find the following sources pertinent:
Cole & Cheesman, 'The Air Defense of Great Britian 1914-1918', Putnam, 1984
Bruce Robertson, 'WWI British Aeroplane Colours and Markings', Albatros, 1996
Les Rogers, 'British Aviation Squadron Markings',Schiffer, 2001

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Dan_San_Abbott

tripehound:
I don't think the HP O/100 and O/400 machines were painted black, I believe they were painted with NIVO, (Night Invisible Varnish Overall?) defined in one source as "dark slate green" overall. On HP O/100 standard roundels were used on both sides of the upper wing, fuselage and red-white-blue stripes of both rudders. With the HP O/400 the standard roundels of smaller size were used in the same positions. The rudder stripes were about half the height of the rudder and were contained in a square of three equal width stripes, red aft with and blue forward.

Both /100 and /400 'O' types were PC-10 overall

HTH

Dave