Morane N Red or Black Cowling?

Hans · 19 May 2006, 02:49 AM

Forumites,
I am used to accept the cowling of Morane N-fighters as being black for french (and russian) use and red for the british examples. The photographs seem to confirm that. But...looking at the British examples I noticed that the red in the roundels beeing black ( orthocromatic film) the cowling also should be very dark. But it is not....

As pure black laquer seldom ist pure black I would suggest that the british also used black cowlings?

I also read a discussion that french Morane N used red cowlings...

No I am slightly confused....can anyone help?

Thank you!

Hans

StephenLawson · 24 May 2006, 08:16 AM

The red was a French front line recognition code. It helped differentiate between the Morane Saulnier and the contemporary Fokker E. types at long distances. Other Moranes on other fronts were known to use lt. browns and blacks. There is a nice account of British Moranes in the old C&C USA. I'll have to check on the exact volume.

Hans · 25 May 2006, 05:41 AM

Stephen, thank you! May I conclude that the british Moranes were black?

Hans

StephenLawson · 25 May 2006, 05:49 AM

If memory serves our esteemed member Alex Revell has note the red was used on the British purchased Morane Saulnier N types. Black was noted on the Imperial Russian service machines. I'll have to check on the light brown colour.

Old Man · 25 May 2006, 08:54 PM

The standard Morane-Saulnier factory finish was black enamel for the cowlings, and the various "Bullet" monoplanes delivered to the R.F.C. would have been finished in that way. I do not have my references to hand, and so am relying on memory for rough dates, but No. 60 Squadron, the principal R.F.C. user of the type, formed during April of 1916 and commenced operations in early June. Painting the cowlings red as an identification measure was not ordered until after the commencement of the Somme fighting in July. No. 60 was withdrawn from action early in August, and exchanged its "Bullets" for Nieuports. Thus, the cowlings would have been red only for a portion of their R.F.C. service, but that would have been the most intensive portion of the type's use.