Mitsubishi Type 96 Carrier Fighter (A5M3 Claude)

[Jeffrey Ethell Collection]

Mitsubishi T96 A5M Claude Trainer Purpose of Wing Stripes?

eBay Auction A5M Claude at Okazaki Photo

An upturned A5M Kansen (艦戦) trainer of the 1st Okazaki Kaigun Kokutai at Okazaki, a training airfield on Honshu Island, Aichi Prefecture Japan, post war (11/09/1945). Note the unusual wing stripe (IFF Yellow or Trainer Orange?) which a second photo reveals to be 2 parallel stripes. (SEE BELOW)

Remember, trainers were originally painted overall trainer yellow-orange until 1944 when, in this case in Japan, the Navy Air Force Headquarters, Kaigun Koku Hombu, issued a directive for all training aircraft with overall Yellow-Orange paint scheme to be painted Navy Dark Green on the upper & side surfaces of Fuselage; upper surfaces of wings and horizontal stabilizers; side surfaces of vertical stabilizer. The engine cowl/cowls were to remain overall black. (SEE BELOW)

Navy A5M3 Claude trainer model

Fortunately, there were a number of photos taken at Okazaki airfield by a US serviceman on 9/11/1945. One shows the same upturned Claude from the rear with a good view of the under surfaces which being light grey is what we would expect is the monochrome equivalent of trainer yellow- range. (SEE BELOW)

eBay Auction: Japanese Aircraft Wrecks Okazaki Airfield Japan 1945

My question is what are those 2 stripes on the wing surfaces there for?

Credit: eBay Auctions, Reddit.com, Moky Collection

Moky

 

[Wurger]

Actually the colour of the undersides looks like the yellow but not the grey. Especially if the Cloude was used as the advanced training kite.