Piper L-4 tail marking ID help?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hi all,

I’m working on an ancient Meikraft 1/72 Piper L-4 model that I started more than 30 years ago when I was in high school. I’m not going to be able to make it perfect; my skills then aren’t what they are now. But, I think I can make it presentable.

Anyway, the decals that came with the model are fantastic. One of the schemes has a triangular tail marking. Can anyone ID it? The kit doesn’t give any unit details.

Tail makring.

2

Quick search found nothing. Stik will be here shortly I imagine and he knows everything!

3

Help, but no help… Star Fighter decals set 72-155 has those markings… but says unit unknow

4

[whstl] You give me far too much credit [;)]

5

I believe it is a hack for the 1st Bomb/Air Division of the 8th Air Force of which just like my Triangle C which denotes the 303rd BG of the 1st B/D Division.

6

Did a little digging. The basic Red outlined white triangle marking looks like the 1st Air Division tail marking of the 8th Air Force. The A, L, W, letter in the corners of the triangle are the respective ID letters for the 91st, 381st, and 398th Bomb Groups of the 1st Combat Wing of the 1st Air Division. So a semi educated guess says that it is a liaison aircraft assigned to 1st Combat Wing, 1st Air Division HQ, hence the 1.

7

See!

8

Awesome! You guys rock. Thanks.

I think I am going to go with this scheme. The others require me to cut out the tail numbers individually.

9

I’m curious about the two subjects with LST in their designation. What does that mean? Were they delivered to a beachhead during a landing, for example? Or does it mean something else?

10

Clever combat engineers in several theaters fitted LSTs as makeshift ‘mini carriers’ to launch – and in some cases, believe it or not, retrieve – scout/ observation a/c. Fascinating story. Here’s a typical example, via our old friend Wikipedia.

Cheers

11

I just saw something that I recognized and went from there. Otherwise useless information in my skull except for in a few select locations…

aside from being a docent in a museum or an instructor on outdated equipment or tactics, I have very few marketable job skills beyond working a shooting range…