P-47D-2-RA 'Beetle’Unit: Sond.Aufkl.St.103 (ex 358 FS)Serial: YF+UEx-358 FS. The Germans painted the engine cowl and prop spinner red and added Balkenkreuz and a Swaztika. However the US olive drab and neutral grey color scheme was retained along with the original US aircraft code. A very small section of the original US white cowl ring band has retained immediately adjacent to the Beetle cartoon character. Beetle was later repainted with US markings for use in a Nazi propaganda film, and although the cowling ring was repainted white to match the original US markings, a portion of the cowl was left red (the remaining red band was approximately the width of the Beetle cartoon character; the character was not painted over). The Germans also painted a horizontal white band on the tail fin, which was not part of the original US marking scheme. Later, Beetle was repainted in German markings and received the code 7+9 while under evaluation at Rechlin.
