Royal Air Force roundels - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...

is a circular

Circle

A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....

identification mark painted on aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

to identify them to other aircraft and ground forces. In one form or another, it has been used on British military aircraft (including naval aircraft) from 1915 to the present.

Background

When the First World War started in 1914 it was the habit of ground troops to fire on all aircraft, friend or foe, which encouraged the need for some form of identification mark. At first the Union Flag

Union Flag

The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...

was painted under the wings and on the sides of the fuselage. It soon became obvious that at a distance the St George's Cross

St George's Cross

St George's Cross is a red cross on a white background used as a symbolic reference to Saint George. The red cross on white was associated with St George from medieval times....

of the Union Flag could be confused with the Iron Cross

Iron Cross

The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....

that was already being used to identify German

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

aircraft. After the use of a Union Flag inside a shield was tried it was decided to follow the lead of the French who used a tricolour Cockade

Cockade

A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colors which is usually worn on a hat.-Eighteenth century:...

(a roundel of red and white with a blue centre). The British reversed the colours and it became the standard marking on Royal Flying Corps

Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...

aircraft from 11 December 1914 The Royal Naval Air Service

Royal Naval Air Service

The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...

meanwhile used a red ring with a white centre until they too standardised on the same roundel markings as the RFC.

The official order stated:
In 1915, with the roundel carried by all RFC (and RNAS) aircraft, the use of the Union Jack was in practice discontinued. The Royal Air Force has employed several versions of the roundel during its existence.

By 1917, a white outline was being used to make the blue of the outer circle easier to distinguish on a dark background (at that time PC.10 or PC.12 camouflage doping). Between the wars it was dispensed with, as most RAF aircraft were now silver-doped. During the late 1930s, with the reintroduction of camouflage, the outline was reintroduced, but in yellow.

Use by other air arms

Aside from the RAF, the Royal Navy's Royal Naval Air Service

Royal Naval Air Service

(First World War) and later the Fleet Air Arm

Fleet Air Arm

The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...

, as well as the air elements of the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

also used the RAF roundels.

Many nations that had been a part of the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

and Commonwealth

Commonwealth

Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...

continued to use RAF roundels long after achieving independence, including Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

and others until nationalism demanded unique roundels for each of those countries. South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

replaced the red with orange (after having experimented with completely different colours), Canada changed the red dot into a maple leaf

Maple leaf

The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...

(in several different forms), Australia changed the red dot to a Kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

and New Zealand experimented with a gold, green and white fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

inset in the red dot before settling on a red Kiwi

Kiwi

Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...

. India briefly replaced the SEAC roundel (blue on blue) with a blue/white chakra

Chakra

Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...

, before adopting an orange/white/green roundel. Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...

, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation , was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia,...

and Rhodesia

Rhodesia

Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...

used variations on the RAF roundel featuring assegai

Assegai

An assegai or assagai is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron.-Iklwa:...

s before adopting a green ring with a lion and tusk on a white centre in 1970.

Roundel history

Ratio 1:3:5	Type A	On all light-coloured surfaces 1915 to late 1929, and on dark surfaces with a 2" white border (similar to later type A2) on camouflaged surfaces 1915-1919. Colours used were to VB and VR specifications (with a number from 1 - 5 defining exactly which spec), colours did not change much however early versions were prone to fading. White border also used on flying boats (including silver doped machines), and some prototypes 1923-1937 with darker Identification Blue after 1929; Prior to the introduction of the night roundel, aircraft used on night operations had the white overpainted with the prevailing camouflage colour (usually PC.10)
Ratio 1:3:5	Type A	Used after late 1929 when colours were increased in saturation until replaced by Type B during summer 1938. Official names of colours changed to Identification Red and Identification Blue.
Ratio 1:3:5	Type A	Duller colours (referred to as Identification Red (Dull) and Identification Blue (Dull) in official orders), used with Type A1 during WW2 but on light surfaces, primarily under the wings of fighters until replaced by type C in June 1942
Ratio 1:3:5:7	Type A.1	On all camouflaged surfaces 1937 - March 1939 (e.g.: Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s... ); on fuselage sides 1939 to replacement by type C1, July 1942. On some night bombers the white was overpainted with black to reduce visibility. Also used with bright pre-war colours, especially on trainers.
Ratio Approx. 1:3:5:6	Type A.2	Outer yellow ring is thicker than used during WW1. Alternative to A.1 on some aircraft 1940-1942, including the Grumman Martlet as received from the factory, indicating that it was likely official despite the lack of orders describing it.
Ratio 2:5	Type B	On some night flying aircraft, especially heavy bombers, 1918-1919. (Known at this time as the "night roundel"). On all surfaces of NIVO NIVO NIVO, abbreviated from Night Invisible Varnish Orfordness, was a dark green overall finish applied to British night bomber aircraft in the inter-war period .... -coloured night bombers from 1923 until NIVO phased out; Used on camouflaged aircraft in all positions from Summer 1938 until superseded by Type A.1 roundels. Used on upper surfaces of many aircraft until 1947. On fuselage sides and upper wings of overall PRU Blue photo-reconnaissance aircraft 1940-1944 (e.g.:Photo-reconnaissance Spitfires Supermarine Spitfire variants The British Supermarine Spitfire was facing several challenges by mid-1942. The debut of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 had caused problems for RAF fighter squadrons flying the latest Spitfire Mk Vb... ) and aircraft with "High altitude" camouflage (e.g.: de Havilland Hornet De Havilland Hornet The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was... ) 1944-1947.
Ratio 2.5.8	Type B.1	On some aircraft March-December 1939. Used on fuselage sides of some night-flying aircraft (bombers,e.g. Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... , night fighters, e.g.: Boulton Paul Defiant Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc... ) late 1940-mid 1942. Often type B with additional yellow ring (proportions do not match Type A).
Ratio 3:4:8	Type C	On light surfaces July 1942-1947; not used on upper surfaces 1942-1945.
Ratio 3:4:8:9	Type C.1	On dark surfaces except upper surfaces July 1942-January 1945; upper wings and fuselage sides of all 2 TAF bombers and photo-reconnaissance Spitfires, January 1945 to early 1947. Upper and lower wings and fuselage sides of 2 TAF fighters (e.g.: Hawker Tempest Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war.... ) January 1945 to early 1947.
Ratio 2:5	(SEAC)	Used by units under South East Asia Command South East Asia Command South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:... and in the CBI theatre mid 1942-46. Red removed to avoid confusion with the hinomaru. The normal roundel blue was mixed 50/50 with white. Many aircraft in the CBI theatre used roundels and fin flashes of approximately half the normal dimensions. A blue/white roundel, sometimes with US-style white bars, was also used on Fleet Air Arm Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters... aircraft Blue/white roundels were also used by the Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts... (RAAF), which simply over-painted the red dot in white, regardless of previous proportions.
Ratio 1:2:3	Type D	On all surfaces from June 1947 to this day, with similar proportions to the current roundel of the French Armee de l'Air. Colours reverted to Bright Identification colours but were were matched to a new British Standard colour chart so colours were different from prewar bright colours. Note the different proportions to the Type A. The Type D was first used on ground equipment, including jeeps, and with a yellow outline on rescue launches.
Ratio 1:2:3	Type D pale	A pale 'faded' version of the Type D. This was sometimes used when applied over anti-flash white Anti-flash white Anti-flash white is a brilliant white color commonly seen on United States, British and Soviet nuclear bombers. The purpose of the color was to reflect some of the thermal radiation from a nuclear explosion, protecting the aircraft and its occupants.... . An intermediate (less faded) pale version was applied to some Vickers Valiant Vickers Valiant The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s... s prior to the introduction of the definitive Type D 'faded' shading.
Ratio 1:2	Low-visibility	Low-visibility roundel used on camouflaged aircraft since the 1970s (note different proportions to Type B).
Ratio 1:2	Low-visibility	Low-visibility roundel used in conjunction with air superiority grey schemes since the 1980s. Colours are known as Salmon Pink and Baby Blue.

Pre war

Up until mid 1938 roundel sizes tended to vary widely, depending on the type of aircraft; the exception to the use of type A roundels for all aircraft was seen on the overall NIVO (dark green) painted night bombers (e.g. Handley Page Heyford

Handley Page Heyford

The Handley Page Heyford was a twin-engine British biplane bomber of the 1930s. Although it had a short service life, it equipped several squadrons of the RAF as one of the most important British bombers of the mid-1930s, and was the last biplane heavy bomber to serve with the RAF.-Design and...

s) which used type B roundels. Roundels used on aircraft painted in NIVO were duller than the normal colours. The size of the roundel was generally determined by the space available at the specified location, with a space of several inches around the edges. Some aircraft - primarily seaplanes, had a white outline around the fuselage roundel, even on silver doped finishes however this application was inconsistent so was probably not official. From 1929, the RAF switched to a new system of colour specifications, discarding the one used since the First World War, and as a result, the colour used for insignia changed, however the changeover period appears to have extended until at least 1932 for new production, and the old colours were not overpainted, but only gradually phased out as aircraft needed to be repainted.

During the Munich crisis

Munich Agreement

The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...

of mid to late 1938 most RAF aircraft adopted green and dark earth camouflage with type B roundels of reduced sizes on all upper surfaces and the fuselage sides - though based on colour photos, these remained in the bright pre-war colours. FAA aircraft largely remained silver doped overall with type A roundels predominating. To illustrate the progression up to the end of the war the Spitfire will be used as a typical single seat-single engine fighter:

1938-November 1939: The first production batches of Spitfires (K9787-K9814
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...

) were built with 37.8 inches (96 cm) roundels on the fuselage sides-these were centred 39 inches aft of the rear edge of the cockpit door. 56 inches (142.2 cm) type A1s were on the upper wings. From K9815 the fuselage roundels were moved back, to be centred 53 in aft of the cockpit door and 6 in above the main longeron, and reduced in diameter to 35 type A1. This position for the fuselage roundel was subsequently standard on all Supermarine and Westland built Spitfires and Seafires. The first 180 or so built (K9787-K9960) also had factory applied 50 in type A roundels under the wings. After K9960 there were no factory applied under-wing roundels until December 1940. With the change to type B roundels Spitfires built with type A1 roundels had were repainted by the squadrons creating a plethora of sizes and proportions.
Between K9961 and N3032 the factory paint scheme required 15 in type B roundels on the fuselage sides and a 31.2 in roundel with a 10 in red centre was painted on the upper wings. From N3033-P9374 it was intended that 25 in type B fuselage roundels would be used, although few Spitfires saw service with roundels of this size.

Most RAF aircraft went through similar transitions, as a result of which there was little conformity, depending on when the aircraft was built and how squadrons over painted or repainted the roundels.

Second World War

By the beginning of the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

on 3 September 1939, RAF roundel sizes started to show more conformity.
On 30 October, all commands were ordered to change upper wing surface Type B roundels to Type A. Further instructions ordered all but fighters and night bombers to have Type A under the wing tips. This was clarified in November to the effect that only reconnaissance maritime aircraft (eg Short Sunderland

Short Sunderland

The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....

flying boats)would have the Type A on the upper wings but all aircraft would use the Type B on the sides.

A decision was made to make roundels more conspicuous and in May 1940 the yellow outer ring was odered to be added back to fuselage sides (along with red, white and blue stripes on the fin). Where possible the yellow should be the same width as the blue, but on Spitfires with their narrower fuselages a thinner ring was acceptable. Also in May, an order was made to put red white and blue roundels on the underwings of all fighters, with an addendum that where the roundel was on a black background it should be outlined in yellow. In June orders were given for the half black/half-white underwing scheme to be replaced by "sky" Underwing roundels were dispensed with until August when they were ordered back.

It should always be borne in mind that because of the pressures of front-line service there were always exceptions to the standards set by the RAF and that deadlines were not necessarily met. Although type C and C1 roundels were meant to be in use by July 1942 some Spitfires displayed type A and A1 roundels as late as October:

Late November/early December 1939 to June 1940: All Spitfire units were instructed to replace the type B fuselage roundels with type A roundels. This led to fuselage roundels which varied in size from 25 in to 30 in. Upper wings had been set at 55 in Type B with 22 in red centres until January 1945; Fuselage sides: 35 in type A; no fin flash, no underwing roundels.
June 1940 to December 1940: Spitfires with the 35 in type A fuselage roundels had a yellow outer ring added, making them 49 in Type A1. All Spitfires built from June had standardised 35 in fuselage roundels, although many had non-standard 7-inch red centres applied at the Supermarine factory, instead of the proper 5 in. All Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...

built Spitfires had roundels with the correct 5 in centre spot; in addition all Castle Bromwich built Spitfires had the roundels centred 52.25 in aft of the cockpit door and 7.5 in above the main longeron
Longeron
In aircraft construction, a longeron or stringer or stiffener is a thin strip of wood, metal or carbon fiber, to which the skin of the aircraft is fastened. In the fuselage, longerons are attached to formers and run the longitudinal direction of the aircraft...

. Although this was not much of a difference on the slim fuselage of the Spitfire it affected the "sit" of the roundel, making it noticeable in photos. As many Spitfires as possible had type A roundels painted under the wings, along with a pale green/blue camouflage colour. The under wing roundels varied widely in size and location depending on which Maintenance Unit (MU) prepared the aircraft before delivery to the squadrons. The Spitfire 1a of 19 Squadron shown in photo 5 has 25 in Type A under the wingtips, indicating it may have been processed by 6 MU. Fin flashes were painted on starting in late May 1940. These varied in size although they were mostly 21 in wide, divided in 7 in red, white and blue strips, and covered the full height of the tailfin.
December 1940 to July 1942: 35 in type A1 fuselage roundels, 50 in type A on lower wings. Fin flash standardised at 27 in high and 24 in wide, equally divided into three eight-inch stripes.
July 1942 to January 1945: 36 in type C1 fuselage roundels. 32 in type C lower wing roundels. Fin flash 24 in square with stripe widths of 11in, two in and 11 in.
January 1945 to June 1947: On all 2 TAF
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...

aircraft Type B upper wing roundels were either converted to 55 in type C1 roundels or over-painted and 36 in type C1 roundels painted on. Under wing roundels were converted to 36 in type C1. The proportions of the rings and centre spot could vary depending on the skill of the painters carrying out the conversion.

Although the Spitfire is used as one example, because it was one of the few British aircraft to see front-line service before, during and after the Second World War, other aircraft types went through similar transitions. During the transition from A type to C type roundels some Hawker Typhoon

Hawker Typhoon

The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...

s displayed 42-inch type C1 roundels which were simply modified type A1s.
After June 1940 the official sizes for roundels were:

	Type A	From June 1940: Single and twin engine fighters, light and medium bombers, dimensions could vary but generally 50 inches for lower wings.
	Type A.1	From June 1940: Single and twin engine fighters, light and medium bombers 35 inches. Exceptions: Hawker Typhoon 42 inches, Westland Whirlwind Westland Whirlwind Westland Whirlwind may mean:* Westland Whirlwind , a fixed wing Second World War fighter aircraft* Westland Whirlwind , a post-war helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-55... 28 inches. Heavy bombers, transport aircraft 49 inches.
	Type C	From July 1942: Single and twin engine fighters, 32 inches. Not used on Night Bombers or de Havilland Mosquitoes.
	Type C.1	From July 1942: Single and twin engine fighters, light and medium bombers, General Aircraft Hotspur and Hamilcar General Aircraft Hamilcar The General Aircraft Limited GAL. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mark I was a large British military glider produced during the Second World War, which was designed to carry heavy cargo, such as the Tetrarch or M22 Locust light tank... gliders, 36 inches. Some night intruder Hurricanes and Spitfires had 18 in type C1 fuselage roundels in 1942. Heavy bombers, transport aircraft 54 inches.

Many variations could be seen because of the problems involved in interpreting instructions or repainting aircraft in front-line service, but most production aircraft conformed to these basic dimensions.

SEAC and RAAF

In the China/Burma/India (CBI) theatre and Pacific it was decided in about May 1942 that the red centre spots on RAF roundels could be confused with the red hinomaru carried by Japanese aircraft. As a result roundels were mostly modified in the field by painting over the red with white. Often the yellow outer rings of type A1 roundels were left intact. No British or American built aircraft had factory painted SEAC style roundels - all aircraft had to be repainted, and, in many cases re-camouflaged by Maintenance Units behind the lines or by front line squadrons.

When Spitfire Mk VCs
Supermarine Spitfire variants
The British Supermarine Spitfire was facing several challenges by mid-1942. The debut of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 had caused problems for RAF fighter squadrons flying the latest Spitfire Mk Vb...

reached the CBI Theatre in November 1943 their type B, C and C1 roundels were all modified by painting out the red centre spots in white, the red of the fin flash was similarly painted over. When the Mk VIIIs arrived in early 1944 most of them had their roundels overpainted completely and replaced by 16 in diameter SEAC roundels with light blue centre spots (a mix of dull roundel blue and white) of approximately 7 in diameter. The fin flashes were replaced by 24 in high by 16 in wide versions, each light blue (leading edge) and roundel blue stripe being 8 in wide.

Spitfires were first used by the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

over Northern Australia in October 1943. The Mk VCs had their 36 in type C1 fuselage roundels modified to 32 in SEAC types by painting out the yellow outer ring in the camouflage colours and over-painting the red centre in white. The lower wing type C roundels and upper wing type Bs were also modified by over-painting the red centres in white. The red fin stripe was also painted out with white and, in many cases the blue was extended forward 1 in making equal widths of 12 in. RAAF Mk VIIIs had their roundels and fin flashes modified in the same ways, although some had their 55 in upper wing roundels overpainted and replaced with 32 in SEAC roundels.

Fin flash

All Royal Air Force aircraft carry a flash on the fin

Vertical stabilizer

The vertical stabilizers, vertical stabilisers, or fins, of aircraft, missiles or bombs are typically found on the aft end of the fuselage or body, and are intended to reduce aerodynamic side slip. It is analogical to a skeg on boats and ships.On aircraft, vertical stabilizers generally point upwards...

. This is either red/white/blue, or red/blue on camouflaged aircraft, with the red stripe nearest the leading edge. The Royal Navy and Army do not use the fin flash but have the words ROYAL NAVY or ARMY on the rear fuselage or fin instead. A current exception to this are the Harrier GR7s and GR9s of the Naval Strike Wing

Naval Strike Wing

The Naval Strike Wing was a flying unit of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was formed on 9 March 2007...

, which carry similar markings to RAF Harriers. The fin flash can be rectangular, slanted or tapered, depending on aircraft type.

In a situation similar to that of the roundels, the fin flash is also shared with the air forces of Australia and New Zealand.

The fin flash evolved from the rudder stripes painted on the rudders of early RFC

Royal Flying Corps

and RAF

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

aircraft during the First World War, the markings comprising blue, white and red vertical stripes doped

Aircraft dope

thumb|right|[[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|2699]] a [[World War I]] [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2]] finished in a clear dopeAircraft dope is a plasticised lacquer that is applied to fabric-covered aircraft...

on the rudder. However, with the performance of aircraft increasing considerably during the 1930s, the practice of applying painted markings onto the (then manually-powered) control surface

Aircraft flight control systems

A conventional fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight...

s was discontinued because of the need to rebalance the controls - failure to do this could have adverse effects on the surface's aerodynamic balance, possibly leading to flutter of the control surface at high airspeed

Airspeed

Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....

s. It was for this same reason that the positioning of the wing roundels was revised so that they no longer overlapped the ailerons.

In an attempt to conform to the appearance of French military aircraft, rudder stripes reappeared on aircraft (mainly Fairey Battle

Fairey Battle

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...

s and Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

s) of the RAF based in France, starting in early September 1939. These stripes were painted in standard RAF colours in the order blue, white, red.

Fin flashes were officially adopted in June 1940. For the first six months there was no conformity in the width or height of the stripes and they were painted to cover as much of the fin area as possible. With one or two exceptions the order was red (leading edge), white, blue. In December 1940 type A fin flashes were standardised: height was 27 inches, width 24 inches, divided into three 8 inches (203.2 mm) red, white and blue stripes (e.g.: photo six, the Sea Hurricanes show this standardised fin flash). On some aircraft, e.g.; photo reconnaissance Spitfires

Supermarine Spitfire variants

The British Supermarine Spitfire was facing several challenges by mid-1942. The debut of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 had caused problems for RAF fighter squadrons flying the latest Spitfire Mk Vb...

the fin flash was about half these dimensions.

In July 1942, with the adoption of the type C and C1 roundels the fin flash became 24 in square for RAF fighters, the stripe widths becoming 11 in red, 2 in white and 11 in blue. There were some exceptions; RAF Mustangs

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

all used fin flashes which were 27 in high by 24 in wide. In early 1944 some aircraft types were painted in a "High-altitude" camouflage scheme and adopted type B roundels and fin flashes.

The then-current RAF fin flashes were also adopted for USAAF aircraft operating alongside British and Commonwealth forces in the Mediterranean theatre in 1942, appearing on US Curtiss P-40

Curtiss P-40

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...

fighters and B-25 Mitchell

B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

bombers.

Colours

Roundel and fin-flash colours changed several times during the First World War because of severe problems with fading

Fading

In wireless communications, fading is deviation of the attenuation that a carrier-modulated telecommunication signal experiences over certain propagation media. The fading may vary with time, geographical position and/or radio frequency, and is often modelled as a random process. A fading channel...

. The third standard (VB3 and VR3) would be used until the early 30's when much brighter colours replaced the red and blue at the same time that rudder stripes were omitted. The red and blue were both duller and less saturated than later versions and varied considerably as paint was usually mixed locally. The actual switchover began in 1929 but new aircraft were still being delivered in 1932 with the earlier colours.

For the period from the early 30's until 1938, Roundel Red was close to FS 595

Federal Standard 595

The Federal Standard color system, officially named Federal Standard 595C - Colors Used in Government Procurement, is a United States Federal Standard, issued by the General Services Administration...

21136 and the Roundel Blue was slightly lighter and brighter than FS 595

Federal Standard 595

15056. Trainer Yellow was close to FS 595

Federal Standard 595

23538.
Photo 2, a restored Bristol F.2 Fighter

Bristol F.2 Fighter

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...

is a fairly good representation of the late interwar colours. On fabric covered aircraft these were glossy (as was the general finish) until dulled with age, even during the First World War.

In 1938, with the threat of war looming, new markings colours were introduced along with camouflage. The Blue was darker, becoming similar to FS 595

Federal Standard 595

25050 while the Red became a slightly brownish brick-red, about FS 595

Federal Standard 595

20109. The Trainer Yellow stayed the same shade but all colours were now matt. These colours remained standard for another eight years. To further complicate matters, old stocks continued to be used up - a series of colour photos of a Miles Master show wing and fuselage roundels (C & C1) in dull colours, while the fin flash remains in the bright pre-war colours, albeit with the later proportions. Other colour photos show a mixture of bright and dull colours being used on the same insignia - though all instances found have been of trainers.

Post war colours were specified by the new BS 381 colour standard and approximate the late pre-war colours except for special cases, such as anti-flash markings and the current low visibility markings.

External links

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Background

Use by other air arms

Roundel history

Pre war

Second World War

SEAC and RAAF

Fin flash

Colours

See also

External links