Re: Dimples On Model Aircraft Could Greatly Extend Range

You're thinking of Special Night, the extremely matt "anti-searchlight" black finish specified for night fighters from 1940, and the underside of bombers from 1939.

Standard camouflage paints at this time had been improved from the pre-war, biplane era standard by the use of more finely ground pigment to give a smoother surface. The paints were still matt, but of a sheen we could call eggshell. These are the "Type S" paints.

Special Night was applied in two stages, an undercoat of smooth Night and a topcoat of Special Night. In January 1942, de Havilland performed speed trials with a Mosquito before and after the application of the Special Night topcoat, and discovered a loss of 26 mph. Special Night was replaced by "smooth" Night on Mosquito night fighters within a couple of months.

In August 1942 the Night Fighter scheme was redefined to be Medium Sea Grey overall with a camouflage pattern of Dark Green on the upper surfaces. This followed complaints from the squadrons that the night fighters could be detected as dark shapes on most nights, and that a lighter colour would be better.

The only single engined night fighters in RAF squadron service during the "Night" period were Hurricanes and Defiants.