"SNAKE" marking on RAF fuselage

[White Bear]

Forgive me for double posting but I just noticed this "research" category as opposed to "general discussion."

I've just spent some very unproductive time trying to determine the true meaning for the marking "SNAKE" that was applied to RAF aircraft destined for delivery to SEAC. One school of thought holds that the marking was an imperative preventing diversion of the aircraft to some other needy command along the way to SE Asia while another school believes the marking identifies an aircraft already modified with the special equipment needed to survive in that part of the World. Actual pictures of "SNAKE" markings are few and far between - an authoritative discussion of the meaning is apparently even rarer. I've posted this question on another active forum as well, but so far no print references or pictures have surfaced. Any help would be appreciated.

[White Bear]

Eureka! From page 189 of Michael J.F. Bowyer's bombing colors: "To hasten delivery the word SNAKE was applied aft of the serials on some Liberators passing through the Middle East to the Far East, but this seems to have been applied infrequently." Page 188 contains a drawn profile of Liberator KP136 wearing the SNAKE marking and panel no.91 on page 168 is a photograph of this same aircraft.

Although this discovery does not answer all possible questions about SNAKE, it does satisfy me that I have finally been able to lay my hands on the reference that I remembered from many years ago and for which I have recently spent far too many hours searching.

bombing colors by Michael J.F. Bowyer, for Patrick Stephens, Ltd.,Cambridge, 1973. ISBN 0 85059 128 7

[SERNAK]

Try contacting Britmodeller forum, maybe they know something about it.