Volumes 1 & 2

Review by Daniel Leahy. Geoffrey Pentland’s RAAF Camouflage & Markings series attempts to explain the different markings found on aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War.

When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Australia also followed suit. Many airmen to fly in Europe were initially trained in Australia - this is the focus of the first part of Volume 1. Avro Ansons, Hawker Demons, Commonwealth Wacketts and Tiger Moths (among many others) were all used to train Australian airmen, and each unit featured their own colorings and markings.

Volume 1 then goes on to explain the different camouflage techniques used in the early stages of the Pacific war - Malaya, Darwin, Moresby, Milne Bay - this includes aircraft such as the Commonwealth Wirraway, Lockheed Hudson and Curtiss Kittyhawk. As this edition was published over twenty years ago, some of the information may now be outdataed - for example, it is now believed that the ‘U’ on Dick Creswell’s P-40E A29-113 was actually blue rather than red. But this is an excellent resource none-the-less.

The second volume concentrates on the war in the Pacific from about 1943 until 1945. Here we see the camouflage and markings used on Supermarine Spitfires, Beaufighters, Beauforts, Vultee Vengeances, B-24 Liberators and C-47 Dakotas. It also shows a number of training aircraft used later in the war in Australia - Wirraways, Kittyhawks and Tiger Moths.

Both books include many black and white photos, a handful of rare colour photos and a large number of colour profiles. Overall these books would make an excellent addition to the collection of any RAAF enthusiast and especially the model builder.