P-400 Airacobra | 1-color “RAF Sky Grey” Tags

RAF Sky Grey tags were crafted from an underside wing panel of the ex-Soviet Air Force P-400 Airacobra, serial number BX 168. Manufactured by Bell Aircraft in 1940, BX 168 was among the 675 Airacobras initially ordered by the Royal Air Force (RAF). While the P-400 was faster than the British Spitfire, its climb rate and high-altitude performance fell short of the RAF’s needs for aerial combat over mainland Europe, where dogfights predominantly occurred at high altitudes. As a result, 212 P-400s, including BX 168, were soon transferred to the Soviet Air Force, which already had been looking for a low-altitude attack aircraft with heavy armament.

Soviets retained all original RAF colors of the Airacobras and immediately put them in action. BX 168 was one of the first Airacobras to arrive in the Soviet Union and was assigned to the 19th GIAP (Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment). It later became the personal aircraft of Ivan Bochkov, the 1st Squadron Executive Officer, credited with several victories. On April 4, 1943, Bochkov achieved his final kill, a Messerschmitt Bf 109G, before being shot down by a young German pilot, Walter Schuck. The remains of BX 168 were discovered in a Murmansk swamp 50 years later by an American recovery team, who salvaged numerous parts of the wreckage and returned them to the United States.

The grey tags are painted in RAF Sky Grey, a rare color applied to only a few RAF aircraft during the early stages of WWII. Tag numbers 001, 002, and 003 feature remnants of the brush strokes from the Soviet AF Red Star, though heavily faded over decades spent in the swamp. Tag number 12 is the only tag in the P-400 release having the zinc chromate primer. Tags 013 and 014 are hinge tags crafted from stainless steel, while tag number 015 includes a portion made of stainless steel.