9th Air Force Markings Lookup

Olive Drab over Neutral Gray

The standard USAAF camouflage scheme through mid-1944. Upper surfaces in ANA 613 Olive Drab (a dark greenish-brown), lower surfaces in ANA 603 Neutral Gray. The demarcation line was typically a wavy, irregular boundary along the fuselage sides.

Modeling note: OD finish faded and chipped significantly in the field. 9th AF aircraft operating from forward ALGs experienced even more wear than those at permanent English bases. Show paint chips at panel edges, walk areas, and around fasteners.

Natural Metal Finish (NMF)

The USAAF began delivering unpainted aircraft from late 1943. The transition was slower in the 9th AF than the 8th because ground-attack aircraft took more paint damage, reducing the weight savings. Some P-47 groups retained OD aircraft well into 1945. Mixed OD and NMF aircraft in the same unit were common.

Modeling note: NMF aircraft carried flat black or OD anti-glare panels on the engine cowling and forward fuselage ahead of the windscreen. Fuselage codes on NMF aircraft were painted in black rather than grey or white.

Invasion Stripe Placement

• • Five alternating stripes (black-white-black-white-black from leading edge), each 18 inches wide at full scale.
• • Applied to both upper and lower wing surfaces and completely around the rear fuselage, aft of the trailing edge of the wing.
• • Use masking tape for clean edges, but consider leaving slight irregularities — these were painted in hours with brushes and mops, not spray guns.
• • In 1/48, each stripe is approximately 9.5mm wide. In 1/72, approximately 6.3mm.

Common Camouflage Schemes

• • Pre-invasion (1943–mid 1944): OD/NG with invasion stripes. Most common D-Day scheme.
• • Summer 1944: Mix of OD and NMF in same unit. Upper stripes removed from fighters.
• • Late 1944–1945: Mostly NMF with no invasion stripes. Cowling colors and group markings prominent.
• • B-26 Marauders transitioned to NMF from mid-1944 but many retained OD throughout their service.

Squadron Code Styles

• • Codes were typically 24–30 inches tall on fighters, larger on bombers.
• • Style was generally block letters, though exact fonts varied by unit and field painting crew.
• • On OD aircraft: Medium Sea Grey (or white) codes. On NMF: black codes.
• • Both letters and digits appear in 9th AF codes (e.g., “4N”, “8L”, “2Z”) — more common than in the 8th AF, which mostly used letter pairs.

Weathering Considerations

• • 9th AF aircraft were worked hard. Multiple sorties per day in the ground attack role produced extensive exhaust staining, gun blast residue, and oil streaking.
• • P-47s: Heavy exhaust stains along the lower fuselage behind the cowling. Gun port staining along the leading edge of the wings.
• • Continental ALGs meant mud splatter on gear doors, lower fuselage, and wheel wells — much more than on England-based 8th AF aircraft.
• • OD paint chipped heavily on leading edges, walk areas, and around access panels, revealing silver underneath.