Torpedo Six Devastators
Brightly colored Torpedo Six TBD Devastators on Enterprise CV-6's flight deck, circa late 1940 or early 1941. Jack Leaming, a Scouting Six radioman, explains the prewar aircraft color schemes:
"The rudders of all were painted blue, denoting that they were off the Enterprise. The Yorktown used red. The engine cowl was painted in a full circle for the section leader, the upper half for the right wingman and the lower half for the left. ...
"Since there were 18 planes in a squadron, there were six sections of three planes each, and two divisions of three sections each. The first section was the squadron commander in No. 1, [cowl] full circle, color red with the two wingmen, upper and lower cowl in red. Planes 4, 5 & 6 were white. Usually, the flight officer was in No. 4, cowl white. 7, 8 & 9 were blue ( I think, unsure now and it was my plane!): No. 7 was usually the flight officer.
"The aforementioned was the first section. No. 10, 11 & 12 were black. With the exec in No. 10, 13, 14 & 15 were green and 16, 17 & 18 were yellow. There was a band around the fuselage aft of the after cockpit about a foot wide that was the same color as the cowl. If it was 6-S-7, the band would be through the S. The upper side of the wing was painted yellow for easy detection if the plane was forced down at sea. The fuselage was otherwise polished aluminum."
(Many thanks, Jack.)
Photo originally published in Life Magazine, 31 March 1941.