The Wildest Paint Job Ever On A Warbird!!!

This is a fun thread...
<snip>
Besides the deliberately-garish B-24 formation ships mentioned, there was another heavy--also a Lib (iirc)--which had surely the strangest atitude-deception livery ever cooked up. Basically it was painted as an "infinity mirror" series of images of B-24s, one atop another, so that the effect is that of hallucinating one Lib splitting into about ten. I saw this eccentric arrangement pictured in a mag ages ago. Anyone else recall it? Someone must have ingested something seriously toxic to have advanced that for tactical use!

Steve,

I have a vague memory of a book or magazine illustration of an Olive Drab B-24D with a series of noses painted on the nose and tails paited on the tail - is that the one? I thought I read it was a formation ship too - although where/when and how it worked in practice (the theory was nice) is challenging, to say the least.

Rob / Kansan

[TimAPNY]

This is a fun thread...
<snip>
Besides the deliberately-garish B-24 formation ships mentioned, there was another heavy--also a Lib (iirc)--which had surely the strangest atitude-deception livery ever cooked up. Basically it was painted as an "infinity mirror" series of images of B-24s, one atop another, so that the effect is that of hallucinating one Lib splitting into about ten. I saw this eccentric arrangement pictured in a mag ages ago. Anyone else recall it? Someone must have ingested something seriously toxic to have advanced that for tactical use!

Steve,

I have a vague memory of a book or magazine illustration of an Olive Drab B-24D with a series of noses painted on the nose and tails paited on the tail - is that the one? I thought I read it was a formation ship too - although where/when and how it worked in practice (the theory was nice) is challenging, to say the least.

Rob / Kansan

I have a copy of that picture in a book called Fields of Little America by Martin W. Bowman. Its about the B-24 units in England. Nice book with a bunch of color photos from the war.

[wendovertom]

This is from airliners.net - it definately gets my vote for wildest paint on a warbird



I have seen the "infinity" B-24 as well - there is a photo of the plane in the book "Heavybombers of World War II"

Tom P.

[marine air]

THe Mustang may be the first "politically correct" warbird. Maybe it was painted white to show sympathy to the vanquished Japanese who were required to paint their aircraft white after VE Day. WHite being the color of surrender. It's N number tells it all N69QF; translation "I'm a lover not a fighter-QUITE FRIENDLY" THe red and yellow checkerboard when seen in the air appear to be a solid pink color, and the stripes and hash marks signal "anything goes!" The spinner and propellor blades are polished just like a woman's fingernails and the bomb racks and guns have been faired over so as to emasculate any masculinity. The blade antenna has been removed as blades aren't allowed at airports, we can't have those getting in the hands of terrorsts!
The insignia is a baby blue so as not to be confused with those awful wartime Mustangs that exerted their superiority over lesser strengthed, cultures that just wanted to express their culture in our country.
The shark's mouth is actually a big Jimmy Carter toothy grin that means "We are prepared to give you a Canal, a country or anything you want, just ask"
The armored headrest and gunsight have been taken out to be fair and the seatbelts were removed so as not do fly the P-51 in a manner not "fair" to those who don't fly P-51's !!

Now that's a lot of B. S. !!!