Invader Paint and Markings

World War II

All of the first 5 Invaders to come out of the factory (A-26B-1-DL) were painted in all-over Olive Drab Green. To my knowledge, none of these Invaders were assigned to combat theaters. They appear to have been assigned to stateside training units. Subsequent to that, Invaders were painted differently based on theater of operations, squadron, and mission.

European Invaders

Fuselage Codes

Invaders in Europe were stationed in England and France. Because of their close proximity to RAF aircraft, the squadrons adopted the fuselage squadron code system similar to the British. A 2-digit alpha-numeric code indicates the Squadron, while the third symbol (usually on the other side of the US roundel) indicates the specific plane within that unit.

Tail Patterns

Tail Patterns were painted based on the Bomb Group the squadron was assigned to. Typically, a bomb group contained 4 squadrons.

Colors

At the start of their service life in Europe all invaders were unpainted silver aluminum with black serial numbers and group markings. The group colors were applied to the tails. Many of the Invaders had their inboard engine cowlings and the top of their nose painted in either OD green or flat black to serve as anti-glare surfaces to keep the sun from shining the crew's eyes.

A handful of Invaders assigned to the 47th Bomb Group based in Italy painted their Invaders flat black with White unit numbers and red serial numbers. These invaders were specifically assigned to night time raids and the black served as better camouflage.

Details by Unit

344th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a white triangle with black trim on the tail. Squadron codes were:

• 494th - K9
• 495th - Y5
• 496th - N3
• 497th - 7I

386th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a thick yellow band horizontally across the tail with black trim. Squadron codes were:

• 552nd - RG
• 553rd - AN
• 554th - RU
• 555th - YA

391st Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a yellow triangle with black trim on the tail. Squadron codes were:

• 572nd - P2
• 573rd - T6
• 574th - 4L
• 575th - 08

397th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a diagonal yellow stripe with black trim on the tail. Squadron codes were:

• 596th - U2
• 597th - 9F
• 598th - X2
• 599th - 6B

409th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a vertical yellow stripe on the back half of the rudder. Squadron codes were:

• 640th - W5
• 641st - 7G
• 642nd - D6
• 643rd - 5I

410th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a vertical stripe that alternated 3 white and 3 black squares on the back half of the rudder. Squadron codes were:

• 644th - 5D
• 645th - 7X
• 646th - 8U
• 647th - 6Q

416th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a vertical solid black stripe on the back half of the rudder. Squadron codes were:

• 668th - 5H
• 669th - 2A
• 670th - F6
• 671st - 5C

69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had a thick red horizontal band across the tail with large black numbers in it. They did not use squadron codes as far as I know.

47th Bomb Group

These planes were unpainted aluminum. They had no color symbol on the tails. Big black two digit codes were painted on the tail. A handful of these planes assigned to night missions had a flat black finish with large white numbers on the tail. Serial numbers and USAF on these planes were in red. They did not use Squadron codes as far as I know.

Pacific Invaders

3rd Bomb Group

The bombers assigned to the 3rd Bomb Group during WW2 were painted uniquely compared to any other invader. For one thing, they are OD green with a neutral grey rudder. Many sources indicate that the belly of these planes were supposed to be painted neutral grey, however, I have yet to see any photographic evidence that this actually occurred. Serial numbers were painted in yellow. Plane identifiers (typically letters, but not always) where painted white on the forward part of the tail. The tips of the tails, and the wing tips were painted different colors based on squadrons.

• 8th - Yellow
• 13th - Red
• 89th - Green
• 90th - White

319th Bomb Group

In theory, these planes were painted neutral grey. The tails were painted blue, with large white group numbers on them. Serial numbers were in white. However, in practice, photographic evidence shows that this was not uniformly done. These Invaders were acquired quickly and rushed into combat. Some photos depict only the rudder painted blue with the front part of the tail grey. Other photos depict no tail markings (except the serial number) whatsoever.