| ZD
The RNZAF’s Mustangs were delivered under lend-lease in August 1945. It was intended that they would replace the Corsairs and operate with the Australians in Borneo. The first shipment (30 aircraft) were on the water when the war ended and the order was cancelled but the US would not accept them back. They arrived cocooned with full US markings but with the war ended and no immediate use apparent , they were stored as received. They were bought out of storage (still in their cocoons) in 1951-52 for use by the Territirial Air Force Squadrons, and on being unwrapped they received standard D roundels over the top of their US national markings – thus arose the ZD roundel (in ZD.7 form always). On the fuselage the bars were soon displaced by individual squadron markings, however, and wing roundels lost their bars (some may never have had them). It is unlikely that all 30 Mustangs carried the ZD.
Variations in the Mustang markings are shown as follows, Firstly NZ2423 showing ZD roundels on the fuslage and wings, no fin flash and the US serial number on the tail. On some Mustangs the numerals were removed from the fin only, but the previous identity could be ascertained by combining the two halves on either side of the rudder.
Next is NZ2406 with ZD on the fuselage and plain D on the port wing upper, no starboard wing marking but wearing the fin flash
Last is NZ2418 with ZD roundel markings similar to NZ2423 ans also shown is NZ2414 with the bars replaced by the squadron markings, D roundels and fin flash. In peace time when things should be more uniform it just gets very confusing!
ZR
Moving ahead a couple of decades we find another unusual roundel in the ZR. This was a modern version of the C roundel and was introduced when the two remaining Austers (NZ1702,’04) were camouflaged in 1968. The standard 18 inch roundel had the red and blue moved toward each other by two inches, this giving red and white diameters of eight and ten inches respectively. Application was unusual in that roundels appeared under both wings but there were none on the top. The ZR disappeared when the two aircraft were withdrawn from service in 1970. This style is shown below |