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Information on WWII Airfield Striping?

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GAF
  • Member since
    June 2012
  • From: Anniston, AL
Information on WWII Airfield Striping?
Posted by GAF on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 9:00 PM

In an effort to get some enthusiasm going to my stalled modeling, I thought I would try to get the diorama finished up for the C-47 and WACO glider.  I have a nice base I found at Lowes (a shelving board as a matter of fact), and did a little digging to discover that British WWII airfields such as Merryfield were concrete with a bitumen coating.  What I have not discovered is what sort of striping was present (if any) on the runway.  So I'm asking for help.  If you have any information, or pictures that may show these airfields in WWII and have striping , I would very much like to see it or them. 

Bish, have you got anything?

If nothing else, I will try contacting some of the preservation societies in England and see if they have any info.

Thanks!

Gary

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 9:43 PM

It looks like minimal markings compared to a present day airfield. Here is a shot of RAF Upottery in 1944, where the 506th PIR left for Normandy from... looks pretty basic to me

Obviously the numbers are a marking on the photo and not on the runways themselves

 

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

GAF
  • Member since
    June 2012
  • From: Anniston, AL
Posted by GAF on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 10:19 PM

Thanks, Stik!  I've looked at quite a few aerial photos of airfields, most of which are taken from such an altitude that about all I can say is "that's an airfield".  I look at the photo above and go "Is that snow on the ground?  Can I see any striping?  Is that just snow that's been piled up along the edge that looks kinda like striping?"  Kinda what I've been running into recently.

Gary

PS> A follow-up.  After perusing a couple of WWII videos of air operations, I have to say that I now believe that there is no information on striping because there was none.  In these two videos, I have looked for evidence of striping on the airfields, and have seen nothing that looks like it.  I'll continue searching, but at the moment, I don't think the runways were actually striped.  Why waste the paint, I guess?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Xj6gPKLbQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMLC1_qqgU8

 

 

 

 

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