L3 white-tails

Rich Valler · Post by **Rich Valler** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 15:22

Gentlemen, a question that has been intriguing me .... what is the significance of the white tail-end on the L3 in the photo below? (taken from the 2006 convention attendees list). I have seen photographs of a number of L3s in that scheme, and also some heavier metal including (from memory) a P40 Tomahawk and an Aircobra, but never as far as I can recall, an L4 Cub which is odd. I have tried googling for the answer, but without success. With the deep well of knowledge on here, I'm sure someone will know....

Regards
Rich
[url]http://www.aeroncapilots.com/ConvPics/N ... N46082.jpg[/url]

[size=9]my apologies, the picture doesn't seem to be appearing ... running out of ideas ...[/size]

EDIT Hope this works! Joe A

Nathan K. Hammond · Post by **Nathan K. Hammond** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 19:51

Post by **joea** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 20:25

Rich,

First I have no idea why some of the the L-3's had white tails.

Second I have no idea why the photo did not show up! Will try to figure it out.

Joe

Rich Valler · Post by **Rich Valler** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 18:39

Nathan, that's the one! Thank you for posting the pic.

Joe, could it be something in my profile settings? The script I used for the picture link looks ok to me (not that I would know .... 35 years working for a US IT corporation yet I know nothing about computer code!) The script re-size code did not work either.

Rich

Post by **joea** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 21:57

Rich,

Nope, there is nothing in anyone's profile about posting photos. Who knows, queer-trons I guess!

Joe

james gevay · Post by **james gevay** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 06:14

Rich, when I first tryed to post a picture it never came up, only the code or text like your post. Then I went back to my profile and turned on the BBC, whatever that is, and then it worked for me.

Post by **joea** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 09:32

Went into James profile and turn the BB Code back on as it had somehow been turned off sometime in the past. Have refreshed this page a couple of times and the image on his post is still not coming up.

Anyone else see the photo in his post?

Joe

Nathan K. Hammond · Post by **Nathan K. Hammond** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:13

joea wrote:Anyone else see the photo in his post?

negatory

nkh

james gevay · Post by **james gevay** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:54

When I originally tried to post photos a year ago nothing came up except the text, then I went back and turned the BBC ON and then I was able to post photos.
I did not try to post a photo today on this thread, if that's what you guys are talking about in the previous comments.

Quax1 · Post by **Quax1** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 23:31

Rich,
the white tail L-3s saw service in the Pacific theatre,in WWII, 1st Air Cav,Christmas Island. I gues the paint scheme for the area was common sense.If you go put her down in the jungle,at least the white tail sticks out.
Here is mine(even though its a 65TC/L3)
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/273968.html

Mike

Rich Valler · Post by **Rich Valler** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 15:14

Mike, thank you for that information, appreciated. Through google I found a picture of a white-tail L3 where the caption referred to the 1st Air Cavalry, but that was as far as I managed to get. I was just intrigued about the white tails’ background; there are two L3/O-58Bs here in the UK, one of which (currently on rebuild) was painted with Normandy invasion stripes - fun, if not authentic. L3s served in North Africa with the Free French and there is a 65TAC in such a scheme on the UK register, although recently sold to Eire. (for those who do not know Euro-speak, Eire is Ireland!

JoeA )

Your 65TC looks very smart - a nice airplane! A photograph of my 7BCM Champ G-TIMP appears on the same website; I’m the bearded chap standing by the propeller cap.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/259039.html

Thanks again for answering my question.
Best wishes
Rich

Quax1 · Post by **Quax1** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 23:57

You are welcome Rich,
Great looking Champ!

Mike

Tom Egbert · Post by **Tom Egbert** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 23:29

The White tail was used mainly in the Pacific Theatre of War. If a plane went down in the jungle, the tail might be the only thing showing. This is what I have been told. Slower 'L' birds this really makes since.

Tom Egbert
love2fly@sbcglobal.net
Have 1942 L-3 in Torch Invasion of North Africa colors

Quax1 · Post by **Quax1** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 23:44

came across a picture of my bird taken a few days ago. The nose art I cooked up myself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24526864@N03/5318622212/

Mike

2I2 · Post by **2I2** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 21:19

The white tails were Allied identifiers used in the CBI theatre, as well as the SWPA (think MacArthur) theatre. Most all had an angle sloping from the rear empennage toward the cockpit and were field applied. They were not national in nature and used to avoid confusion with similar appearing types in Japanese use. So Aussie, RNZAF, and USAAF types wore them in hope of an instant ID in the heat of combat. No doubt the "L" planes wore them because of the their use over the hectic front lines, as well as the use by the Japanese of so many high-winged captured military and seized civil types.

Something similar was done in the ETO with 12"(?) white stripes set about halfway in on both sides on all tailfeathers and both wings on planes with OD/Neutral Gray, so that P-51's didn't get mixed up with ME-109E's and P-47's confused with FW-190's.

Overall it seems this worked, except for the P-47's in the Europe and the Pacific- they wound up with US insignia on both sides of both wings for a total of 6 on the plane. This practice was also adopted by any units of any types that had a persistent problem of being attacked by friendly fire.

For types that had a low "confusion factor", like a P-38, these Allied/Special ID makings weren't usually applied.

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