381st BG Aircraft - Identification Guide

Identification of Group aircraft can be a bit tricky and requires an understanding of the various marking schemes employed. To identify aircraft within the group a "squadron code and aircraft letter" scheme was used. Each squadron had a two letter code. This code was normally painted aft of the waist windows although the location varied at times. Sometimes it placed forward of the waist windows or even over the wings.

381st BG Squadron Codes

The 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy) operated B-17Fs when it first deployed to England in the Summer of 1943, which were gradually replaced by B-17Gs.

Regarding the 381st BG, Roger Freeman writes in The Mighty Eighth: Warpaint & Heraldry (pages 81 & 82):

"Original combat B-17Fs were in Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish. SD110 squadron code letters were applied soon after arrival at Ridgewell in light gray (Sky), 36in high, placed aft of the waist windows on both sides of the fuselage with the individual aircraft call-letter forward of the cocarde*. The 532nd Bomb Squadron used VE, the 533rd OQ, the 534th JZ and 535th PL. Within a month the codes of the last three squadrons were changed, the 533rd to VP, the 534th to GD and the 535th to MS. This is the only known change of 8th Air Force bomber code letters. As these combinations were in use at that time by RAF units the assumption is that an error involving SD110 allotments occurred. The call-letters of the 532nd and 534th were from A onwards, including I, and the 533rd and 535th from Z back, and with few exceptions this remained so throughout hostilities. From the winter of 1943/44 fuselage letters were painted more distinctively in white. The original combat aircraft also carried the call-letter, 36in high in yellow, above the tail number. This was deleted when the Triangle L Group marking was introduced in late June. The Group device was to the standard dimensions and colors given in the VIII Bomber Command instruction and was fairly consistently maintained on replacements. With the Group marking, call-letters were placed below the tail number and reduced to a height of 28in."

"The change to the new national insignia partly obscured fuselage call-letters and, generally, these were not repainted further forward. The 532nd, 534th and 535th Bomb Squadrons discontinued use of the fuselage call-letter when the Triangle L was introduced, although there were a few exceptions in the 534th and 535th. But the 533rd continued to paint the call-letter forward of the national insignia throughout hostilities. Markings on bare metal B-17Gs which began to arrive as replacements in March 1944 were black squadron and call-letters and a white L on a black triangle. In late June 1944 the 1st Combat Bomb Wing's red high-visibility markings were applied to tail surfaces and wing tips. Tail numbers and call-letters were reinstated in white, the latter being 24in high. In mid May 1945 squadron and call letters were painted under the left wing, 36in high, in black or yellow as appropriate to contrast."

* A French term meaning "rosette", which is just Mr. Freeman's fancy way of referring to the "National Insignia" marking located on the fuselage.

Some people are confused by tail numbers and serial numbers. The trick is that they are really the same thing with one minor modification. The first two digits of the serial number indicate the year the aircraft was funded for construction, followed by the production number of the aircraft. A serial number of "42-97214" tells us the aircraft was funded for construction in the year 1942. To arrive at the tail number, you simply drop the first digit. So the tail number for "42-97214" would simply be "297214".

Identifying aircraft through photographs or partial data is made easier by the 8th AF identification scheme as long as the tail is visible. The tail number will specifically identify an aircraft but an ID is possible with just the last four digits or even just the last three digits of the tail number (as long as you know the Group the aircraft was assigned to).

The squadron code and aircraft letter can usually narrow down possible candidates to just one or two aircraft. Combinations of these three identifying marks are desirable when possible. Written out, this scheme would could read like this "B-17G #43-37704 (MS-J)".

In this case, we have a 1st Air Division (triangle), 381st Bomb Group aircraft ("L"), from the 533rd Bomb Squadron (VP). Looking at 533rd aircraft records, we would then know that aircraft "X" was serial #44-83872. Of course you can read the serial number if you're close enough, but often it's unreadable or partially obscured.

This aircraft happens to be "Texas Raiders" flown by the Gulf Coast Wing of the Confederate Air Force.