Douglas SBD Dauntless Color Photographs Part 3

More SBD Dauntless color photographs, if you missed the earlier posts just follow the link or the tags at the bottom of this one.

The first five pictures are from the National Air and Space Museum Archives, Rudy Arnold Photo Collection, and are an ideal illustration of one of the hazards faced by modelers in determining color schemes.   The aircraft are SBD-1 of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 132 (VMSB-132) operating from Quantico Virginia in 1941.  The aircraft are painted in the overall non-specular Light Gray scheme authorized from 30DEC40 through 20AUG41, when Blue Gray was to be added to the upper surfaces.  The pictures all depict the same aircraft on the same flight, coded 132-B-4.  During the flight the photographer has utilized different cameras with different films to capture the scene, which in this case has resulted in some very different variations in appearance.  In the last picture the upper wing surfaces are visible which reveal temporary white crosses added to the wings for identification during wargames.

The second group are a series of LIFE magazine photographs of Dauntlesses from a stateside training command.  The barred national insignia with the Insignia Blue borders became standard on 31AUG43.  A beautiful series of photographs and a useful study in paint wear.  Enjoy!

Part 4 here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/douglas-sbd-dauntless-color-photographs-part-4/