PTO & CBI colourised photos

[HBPencil]

Hi all,

Along with flight sim skinning, a hobby of mine is colourising old black'n'white photos with WW2 aviation being my favorite topic. So I thought I'd share those I have done which are PTO/CBI related to help keep the community's interest engaged between dev announcements as well as the fact that I post my stuff on facebook and I know many people don't 'do' that site, which is fair enough as it's a hot mess.

If anyone here also has this hobby please feel free to share your work (not just aviation but also naval and land based subjects as well, but no A.I. colourisation thanks!), and if you wish to post another's work please credit them and be wary of where you source the images from, unfortunately there're plenty of people out there who take someone else's colourisations and crop off or remove the original watermark and claim it as their own (I see a fair bit of this on Instagram and reddit).

Cheers,

HB

Edited September 4, 2023 by HBPencil

[HBPencil]

A F6F-3N Hellcat nightfighter of VMF(N)-534 at Orate, Guam, August 1944.

VMF(N)-534 was amongst the first units to land on Guam after its capture on the 21st of June 1944 although by this time the chances of encountering the Japanese in aerial combat was low. One combat success that did occur took place on the 10th of February 1945 when a Nakajima C6N 'Myrt', bound from Truk to Iwo Jima with a high ranking officer on board, was shot down. Aircraft of VMF(N)-534 operated in three separate sectors of operations up to the end of the war; they maintained air superiority over Guam, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and flew air patrols over Saipan.

 

[Boom]

That is nicely done HB.

[ZachariasX]

They look really good!

[HBPencil]

Cheers guys, glad you like it. Admittedly much of my PTO work is of RNZAF subjects, so here's one about the Ventura:

An RNZAF PV-1 Ventura, NZ4638, belonging to No.14 SU (Servicing Unit) and flown by No.2 (BR) Squadron in flight over Buka Passage, northern Bouganville Island in the Solomon Islands.

This photo would date from some time between late October 1944 and late May 1945 when No. 14 SU was stationed on Green Island. Note the 500lb bomb under the starboard wing in place of the usual drop tank.

When the RNZAF decided to replace the aging Lockheed Hudson aircraft that equipped its Bomber-Reconnaissance squadrons it had hoped to acquire the North American B-25 Mitchell, however that was not to be and instead they received what ultimately amounted to 139 Lockheed Venturas, which was essentially a larger and more powerful evolution of the Hudson. This comprised of 23 examples of the RB-34 Ventura (known as the Lexington in USAAF service and Ventura MkIIa with the RAF) with the remaining 116 aircraft being the PV-1 variant. With the exception of a brief stint doing maritime reconnaissance from Fiji, the RB-34s were only used for training purposes with all operations in the forward area being performed by the PV-1s. The RB-34s were shipped to New Zealand however the PV-1s (as well as C-47 Dakotas and PBY Catalinas) were ferried from Hawaii to New Zealand via Palmyra and Canton Islands in a flight that would last two to three days and despite the distances involved only one PV-1 was lost on this route.

Commencing operations from October 1943 with No.1 (BR) Squadron from Guadalcanal island, RNZAF Venturas performed a variety of roles such as anti-shipping and submarine patrols, mine-laying, photo-reconnaissance, bombing and strafing land targets, dropping supplies to the Coast Watchers and providing navigation escorts for fighter ferry flights. They also followed behind US 5th Air Force bomber raids on Rabaul to search for downed allied airman to whom they would drop a dinghy and call for a rescue. And from November 1944 they also performed the 'heckle', which were night time nuisance raids over Rabaul consisting of a single aircraft circling the area and dropping small bombs or empty beer bottles at irregular intervals. The whistle the bottles made when falling sounded like that made by the actual bombs and so could cause the enemy to think delayed action bombs had been dropped.

The PV-1s were not supplied with bombsights which wasn't an issue when bombing and strafing at low level but it did make conventional level bombing from higher altitudes impossible, so to that end the RNZAF Venturas would form up on a USMC PBJ Mitchell fitted with a bombsight which would act as a bomber-leader i.e. when the PBJ dropped its bombs the Venturas would drop theirs. Later on bombsights were supplied so RNZAF Venturas started using their own bomber-leaders from April 1945, however that late in the war the Ventura operations were being wound down so by VJ-Day only two Ventura squadrons were in the forward area, and in the postwar era they were quickly removed from service.

Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR5296.
Info from Classic Warbirds No. 8 by Ventura Publications.

 

[HBPencil]

I don't have any details for this photo although it's obviously of the 80th FG (the Burma Banshees). I've coloured the spinner red (for the 89th FS) as that's what the tone in the original black'n'white seemed to indicate, but I've done so with the caveat that the small badge on the tail of the other P-40 looks kind of like that of the 90th FS.
 

Edited September 7, 2023 by HBPencil

[Boom]

Nicely done.

[HBPencil]

First photo:

At the Fighter II airfield on Guadalcanal in July 1943, Flying Officer Geoffrey Bryson Fisken of No. 14 Squadron RNZAF stands in front of P-40M-5 'Wairarapa Wildcat' (serial number NZ3072 and coded '19'), a pilot/aircraft combination famous in RNZAF history due to this photo and others taken at the same time despite the fact he only flew NZ3072 on nine occasions!

Born in Gisborne, New Zealand, in February 1916, Geoff Fisken joined the RNZAF in 1940 and after passing out as a Sergeant Pilot in January 1941 he was posted to Singapore where he eventually joined No. 243 Squadron RAF at Kallang, which was equipped with the Brewster Buffalo MkI. When the Japanese invaded Malaya in December 1941 the squadron was in the thick of the action, with Fisken scoring four victories; a Ki27, a G3M and two 'Zeroes' (in fact most likely Ki43 'Oscars') plus another two G3Ms shared. However by the end of January 1942 the squadron had suffered severe losses so the surviving pilots and aircraft joined No. 453 (RAAF) Squadron, with whom Fisken scored another two victories. On 6 February Geoff claimed a victory but was wounded in the hand and leg so was evacuated just before Singapore fell.

After returning to New Zealand Fisken was a founding member of the newly formed No. 14 Squadron, and it was at this time Fisken received his commission as a Pilot Officer. When the squadron was eventually posted to Guadalcanal in June 1943 it went straight into action, with Fisken shooting down two A6M Zeros on the squadron's second day in the theatre. Those two victories were scored while flying NZ3072 for the very first time, and that would be the only occasion he would see victory while flying NZ3072 as the remaining eight flights didn't result in air-to-air combat. However he saw plenty of more action flying other aircraft in the squadron and on 4 July he shot down three aircraft while flying NZ3060, a P-40K-15. In that fight he shot down two A6M Zeroes and claimed a G4M 'Betty' (although post war examination of Japanese records suggest it was in fact a Ki-21 'Sally'), which happened to be the only multi-engined aircraft shot down by an RNZAF fighter.

Those would be the last victories claimed by Fisken and they took his total score to eleven, and those eleven victories can be seen in this photo on the lower engine cowling, just aft of the 'Wairarapa Wildcat' nose art. This made him the highest scoring Commonwealth pilot in the Pacific theatre and earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, however complications arising from the wounds he suffered in Singapore meant he was sent back to New Zealand in mid July and then medically discharged from RNZAF in December of that year. Following that he returned to farming before retiring in 1976 and eventually passing away on 12 June 2011 aged 95.

As for NZ3072, it gained the black cat nose art (painted on both sides of the cowling) when it was being ferried from New Zealand up to the Pacific islands and suffered some collision damage at Tontouta (New Caledonia), the repairs being performed by US servicemen who then applied the black cats at the time. When Fisken found that he would be flying NZ3072 he wrote home to his wife and asked her for ideas as to what to name the aircraft, and it was her suggestion that it be named 'Wairarapa Wildcat' as the squadron had previously been based there and some of the squadron personal were from that region. Altogether NZ3072 shot down six enemy aircraft while flown by various pilots before returning to New Zealand when the P-40Ms were replaced with newer N models, where it was used as an advanced trainer and even survived a mid-air collision. However like so many of its contemporaries it was sold for scrap after the war.

Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR1206.

Second photo:

For any plastic modelers or sim skinners who wish to recreate this aircraft, please note that the white details on the cat were temporary and done in chalk so the cat would be more visible in the original black'n'white photos.

Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR1158.

[Mysticpuma]

Hb Pencil, I'll be upfront, these aren't CBI or PTO but in your initial post you did ask for people to post their colourised images. I don't really have time to do these anymore but did a few a while back. I remember it being very time-consuming to get the right look. I may have another try in the future as it was ultimately rewarding as can be seen from the results.

The text around this image says it all 🙂

Wayne Lowry - 325th FG - 317th FS 11 Victory Fighter Ace - MTO

 

[HBPencil]

On 9/10/2023 at 10:04 PM, Mysticpuma said:

Hb Pencil, I'll be upfront, these aren't CBI or PTO but in your initial post you did ask for people to post their colourised images. I don't really have time to do these anymore but did a few a while back. I remember it being very time-consuming to get the right look. I may have another try in the future as it was ultimately rewarding as can be seen from the results.

Fair enough, and yes it is a very time consuming process!

[HBPencil]

Fitters servicing the engine of Supermarine Spitfire LF Mark VIII, 'YB-M', of No. 17 Squadron RAF, under the protection of a mobile anti-aircraft gun at Sapam, Burma.
Photo source: IWM (CF 200)
 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by HBPencil

[HBPencil]

SBD-5 NZ5049 of the RNZAF's only SBD Dauntless dive-bomber unit, No.25 (DB) Squadron, heads out on another mission from Piva on Bougainville island, likely being flown by its regular crew of Flight Lieutenant T.R.F. Johnson and air gunner Sergeant R.J. Howell.

Altogether No.25 Squadron operated twenty three SBD-5s during its single operational tour, of which five were lost on operations (three of them to enemy flak) with the loss of six aircrew. Flying almost daily combat missions for eight weeks (from 24 March - 17 May 1944) the squadron flew over 530 sorties totaling approx 1,500 hours. It dropped 280 tons of bombs and fired 108,000 rounds of .50cal and 217 of .30cal, with NZ5049 flying 26 sorties for a total of 70.7 operational hours.

Following its tour the remaining aircraft were returned to the USMC (one of which, NZ5062, BuNo 28536, is still flying today with the Planes of Fame museum in the US) and the squadron was disbanded at the end of May with its aircrew transferred to other squadrons, although a new No.25 Squadron was re-formed in October 1944 and equipped with the F4U Corsair.

Sadly Thomas Johnson did not survive the war, as he was one of the eight Corsair pilots who was killed on "Black Tuesday" 15 January 1945.

Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR3443.

[Mysticpuma]

The following Colourised images are by Texas artist Craig Kelsay, bringing "The Black Sheep" of the VMF to life.

Original link here:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5366955/Images-legendary-WW2-fighter-squadron-brought-life.html

[Mysticpuma]

Unknown artist has colourised these two pictures of Greg "Pappy" Boyington

[SYN_Vander]

3 hours ago, Mysticpuma said:

Unknown artist has colourised these two pictures of Greg "Pappy" Boyington

ah yes, now I understand the inspiration... 🙂

 

[javelina]

16 minutes ago, SYN_Vander said:

ah yes, now I understand the inspiration... 🙂

 

I always loved this:

Colonel "Madman" Maddox : Identify yourself!

Captain Wild Bill Kelso : Captain Wild Bill Kelso, United States Army Air Corps. Where the hell am I?

Colonel "Madman" Maddox : Barstow. Where are you coming from?

Captain Wild Bill Kelso : San Francisco. Been chasing a Jap squadron for a day and a half. I lost 'em somewhere over Fresno.

 

[HBPencil]

Lockheed P-38L-5 Lightning, s/n 44-25419.

This aircraft was destroyed on 7 April 1945 8 miles north east of Dinjan, India while being piloted by one Edmond Schieve of the 59th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Group when it had a mid-air collision with another P-38 from the same squadron (s/n 44-25579, pilot Jerry M. Brown). Both pilots bailed out.
 

[HBPencil]

Here's one for the F4U fans:

Posing in front of a F4U Corsair of the Fighter Leaders School at RNZAF Station Ardmore, New Zealand, these pilots are believed to be of No. 4 Course, June/July 1945. In the background is a TBF Avenger target tug painted in black and yellow stripes.

Of real interest is the RAF type light duty bomb rack that has been adapted to mount under the center section and that markings appear to have been applied to the starboard canopy denoting dive angle (no doubt a training aid) which, so far as I'm aware, hasn't been seen on any other Corsair.

Source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR6870.

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by HBPencil

[Trooper117]

Good find!

[wheelsup_cavu]

Nice find @HBPencil.

 

Wheels

[HBPencil]

Taken at Kunming, China, this photo shows Curtiss P-40K-5 '255' (s/n 42-9766) of the 26th Fighter Squadron "China's Blitzer", 51st Fighter Group, known as the "Assam Dragons". In the background a C-46 Commando is coming in to land.

This P-40 was the personal mount of the squadron's commanding officer, Major Edward M. "Big Ed" Nollmeyer as indicated by the two yellow bands around the rear fuselage and his personal Bugs Bunny motif. Note that the aircraft sports five victory markings which was Nollmeyer's final tally with his final two being claimed on the 22nd of December 1943, making him the first ace of the 26th FS.

The yellow band on the nose and the "China's Blitzer" motif were markings specific to the 26th FS, and from early 1944 the shark's mouth was added to the squadron's aircraft. Although I don't know the exact date of this photo the presence of the shark's mouth would indicate that it was taken in 1944 before the aircraft was written off on the 27th of May 1944.

[HBPencil]

Flight Lieutenant Robert Lawrence 'Spud' Spurdle, DFC, of No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit, RNZAF Station Ohakea, New Zealand, in early 1943. Although 'Spud' Spurdle was a New Zealander he held a RAF short service commission (rather than a RNZAF commission) and who, after being judged operationally tired, had been seconded to the RNZAF to form the Camera Gun Assessing School within the OTU alongside fellow kiwi Flying Officer David Clouston who had been sent home from the UK due to serious injuries suffered in an accident. Spurdle had been flying Spitfires operationally since August 1940, first with No. 74 'Tiger' Squadron and then No. 91 'Nigeria' Squadron as well as performing two crossing of the Atlantic as a Hurricane pilot aboard a CAM-ship, although fortunately for him he was never required to launch during those crossings.

In his autobiography 'The Blue Arena' Spurdle states that the OTU was equipped with Harvards and Kittyhawks to teach air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery as well as some obsolete Vickers Vildebeest torpedo bombers used as target tugs, however firing practice was also done from the ground as he described so:

"David and I came up with the bright idea to train pilots in deflection shooting. We'd gathered our pupils, food and drink, ammunition, a .303 Browning machine gun, chain and clamps, a Very-pistol and flares. We'd motor to the beach where we fixed the machine gun by clamping it to a substantial log of driftwood. We were now ready and soon a lumbering Vildebeest would drone over at about 200 feet. We'd fire off a flare to advise we were ready and the exercise was on.
The ancient torpedo bomber's crew would unreel a drogue to stream 200 yards astern and they would fly up and down the beach past our gun while the pilots banged away. The bullet points had been dipped in red, green and blue paint which marked impact holes on the drogues. Each pilot had his own colour and so scores could be tallied. At the end of each group, the used drogue would be dropped and a fresh one streamed. After the day's exercise, a flare would be shot off and the Vildebesst returned to Ohakea."

However on one occasion he played a prank which had spectacular results!

"One day, at the end of the exercise, I strolled down to the ocean's edge over which the tow-plane was stooging. Using great judgement, I fired a flare at the big biplane to stir the crew up and enliven their boring day. The magnesium projectile arced up and hit the Vildebeest fair in the carburettor intake! There was a great banging and burst of flame and brown smoke from pre-ignited fuel as the ancient engine swallowed the flaming mass. Horrified at the fantastic fluke, yet proud of my feat, I stood there, mouth agape as the airplane tottered around, its engine missing and belching smoke, while the pilot considered a beach landing.
Eventually the thing staggered off and I rejoined the cheering, rolling-on-the-ground pilots. David, laughing like a hyena, clapped me on the back."

Spud soon got tired of the Gunnery School and was appointed as 'A' Flight commander for No.16 (Fighter) Squadron with which he served a tour in the Solomon Islands, scoring two victories (both A6M Zeros) and destroying a number of barges and small craft, after which he returned to the UK where he would fly Spitfire MkIXs and Tempest MkVs before ending the war as a forward air-support controller, first in the 6th Airborne Division and then the 11th Armoured Division with the rank of Squadron Leader, a Bar to his DFC and a final tally of 10 confirmed victories, 2.5 shared and 9 damaged.

He is also one of only three New Zealand pilots believed to have scored victories in both the Battle of Britain and the Pacific, the other two being John Gibson and Michael Herrick.

Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR5532.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by HBPencil

[HBPencil]

Spitfire PR.XI, coded 'T', of 681 Squadron RAF based at Alipore, India, taking off from Chittagong in India (now Bangladesh).

Original photo: IWM (CF 1245)

[Trooper117]

These colourised pics are great!

[Boom]

You're on fire HB. Keep 'em coming.