Dallas' Se.5

[Pips]

Just wondering if odd two-tone camouflaged Se.5 that Dallas flew with 40 Squadron was of his own creation, or was it an official trial? And was his the only two-toned Se, or did 40 Squadron have more on strength?

[StephenLawson]

I think it was more like 3 or 4 colour? I seem to remember it as experimental. There were Sopwith Snipe aircraft painted in a similar manner. low level camouflage? I seem to remember a piece on this in a Cross & Cockade USA article . I'll have to get back with you.

[Gregvan]

Hi,

I would bet that Dallas' odd camouflage job was a one-off modification carried out at 40 Squadron (no doubt done by Dallas), and was unrelated to the later low-level patterns that were official experiments. I have never seen any photos of any other 40 Squadron SE5a's painted in this way. Les Rogers said that Dallas' camouflage was "possibly green patches over the PC10". However, I agree with Stephen - it looks like more than two colors to me.

However, Capt. W.A. Tyrell (15 victories) of 'B' Flight, No. 32 Sqn, also flew an SE5a (B8391) which bore a distinctive "patch" camouflage over the fuselage and wings (not unlike Dallas'). Furthermore, the two white sloping bars that formed the Squadron marking were "toned down" with a light scumble of color applied over them. Many of the 32 Squadron SE's had their white markings (of the national roundels and rudder stripes as well) toned down. You can find a photo of Tyrell's SE5a in "SE5/5a Squadrons" by L A Rogers, published by Ray Rimell's Albatros productions. Also, other photos of Tyrell's machine and other 32 Sqn SEs are to be found in "A Yankee Ace in the RAF, The WWI Letters of Captain Bogart Rogers", edited by John H. Morrow and Earl Rogers. Rogers wrote on 10 May 1918, that he had "camouflaged all the white portions of the machine, said portions being the numbers and the emblems which were likely to attract attention."

Greg

[Pips]

So the general opinion then is that Dallas came up with the scheme off his own bat? I wonder what was going through his mind to experiment with camouflage.

There's no mention of it even in Adrian's superb "Australian Hawk Over The Western Front"; not least that I noticed.

And I gotta say that Adrian's book on Dallas is simply fantastic. Such a good read. It's now one of my favourites.