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from the bundesarchive

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... SM._79.jpg

Wow great picture, thanks for sharing. The photo caption roughly says this:

'Mediterranean area, Nordafrika.-of Italian bombers Savoia-Marchetti SIAI N.M. 79 "Sparviero" (call sign 278) in the deep flight about an African [?] town; KBK Lw6'

That is an interesting photo. What's that image on the white theater band? Is that a random mottle? To my eye, it looks kind of like an octopus.

Best wishes,
Brendan

Brendan wrote:What's that image on the white theater band? Is that a random mottle? To my eye, it looks kind of like an octopus.

Brendan

Does it look like one of these?

http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/insignia/italy-2.htm

And here are some fighter insignias.

http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/insignia/italy-1.htm

pbhawkin wrote:from the bundesarchive

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... SM._79.jpg

This plane was camera happy! On page 67 of the new Ali D'Italia book #28 SIAI S.79: 1934-1950, the same plane is shown in a different photo with the caption, 'a Sparviero of 278 Sq. flying over the Sicilian coast.'

to me it looks like either the White band is coated in mud either by the wheels on landing or by the crew to help reduce it's high visability??

Perhaps, but the squiggles don't appear to be on the top of the band. To my eye, it looks like a cartoon octopus; maybe this is a Sparviero that engaged in anti-shipping attacks?

Thanks to Capitano for the squadron badges, but none of the ones contained in the links look like what I'm seeing.

Best wishes,
Brendan

I don't know about any octopus artwork on RA aircraft...I guess it's a simple random overspray of the white band to make it less visible. The upper portion may look "clean" just for the sun glaring on it. My humble opinion, others may know more.

Hard to say, for me. I'm the type who once I've interpreted something I've seen a particular way, it's difficult to see it any other way. I haven't found any clearer photos that show any kind of octopus image, so it probably is just a random blotching. Still a great photo.

Best wishes,
Brendan

This is a different aircraft but it has a similar scatter pattern on the band like the b/w one above. These images are from Ali D'Italia #28 SIAI S.79, page A-29. There is no image I can find in this book that has a similar pattern or anything that looks like an octopus. The saga continues.


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The colour pictures Capitano posted look like the White band has a delibertly applied 'criss-cross' paint markings to reduce the high visability of the White band.

Let's keep this discussion moving. The following image is the one from Ali D'Italia #28 SIAI S.79 page 67 that is the same aircraft as the one that pbhawkin first posted. I'll go out on a limb here and say that these two pictures are from the same photographer on the same flight.

What I find interesting is that the first b/w photo the fuselage number is 278-? and the color photograph fusleage number is 279-5(?). Both captions from #28 mention that the planes were in Sicily, near the coast. So then, was this squiggle pattern, octopus if you will, applied to only these planes in this squadron/group etc? Was it a group insignia or just a way to lessen the brightness of the white band?

The color photo does seem to clear it up; the squiggle applied over the fuselage number must be what made me see a cartoony character there.

Best wishes,
Brendan

Hi

I confirm that it's just a simple random overspray of the white band to make it less visible. The plane in the pic, from a torpedo bomber unit, was based in Gerbini (Sicily) in 1942 .
About an octopus insigna I remember a similar one for a fighter unit during the 1WW and in pre-WW2 period . It wasn't an octopus but the mythologic Medusa. During the 2WW I don't know any units with similar badge.


Claudio

Welcome Balbo...good to have another's input. I agree it is some sort of random camo pattern to disrupt the whiteness of the band. It would make for an interesting model, don't you think?