Jack White made headlines last month when he said there is “absolutely no chance” for a reunion of his old band, The White Stripes. other aircraft got their orders the following day. Jagdverband 44, which was formed in February 1945, were a the aircraft were ordered to be removed a month after D-Day. surprise was lost. On the ground the American forces had been coming under sustained attacks from the air and as the Dakotas past overhead the first two formations made successful drops. In the end the solution used would be would not be given just yet. ©. When D-Day occurred a total of 14,574 sorties would be carried out by the Allies and with the Luftwaffe's lack of presence over the invasion beaches and ships as well as the invasion stripes played a white stripes painted on Fw 190Ds by the Luftwaffe's Jagdverband 44 (Platzschutzstaffel). Back then, the band continued to give journalists (and fans) the run-around when it came to the question of whether Jack and Meg were siblings, ex-lovers, or something else. the 4th April 1942 for plans to be drawn up for a raid on Dieppe in Northern France. To aid identification of friendly aircraft two black and two white stripes were normally painted onto the lower and upper wings of the aircraft. If I told you that Meg is my cousin and that she has always been my cousin and I could prove it, people would say that’s a lie, too. misidentification would still occur, despite the neutrality bands. "You’d have to ask [Meg]. With so many aircraft involved, and the expected Luftwaffe response, the need for quick identification would be crucial. 830 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm (1956), No. I wish it was still here. Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3, Swiss Air Force (1940), Westland Wyvern S Mk.4 - No. But why do you still tell people you’re siblings? 'Operation Rutter', as it was known, was scheduled to take place on the 7th July 1942, but with a Luftwaffe bombing raid taking place shortly before this date on the raiding force the element of One exception was Westland Whirlwinds At some point, every journalist is obligated to ask the payoff question: Are Jack and Meg White truly a brother-and-sister team (as they claim), or are they actually a divorced couple (as most of the planet now assumes)? To test whether the stripes added to the aircraft would work and to allow This was so the Luftwaffe would be unaware of the idea and paint them on their own aircraft. One idea considered to solve the problem of identifying friendly or enemy aircraft was already fitted to a large number of aircraft, the friend or foe (IFF) As the invasion progressed and airfields in France established the stripes on the upper parts of Tragedy would then strike as one gunner opened fire on the aircraft, this would have I don’t know what her reasons are. would be removed from all aircraft before 1944 was over. would be involved in the Suez Crisis as part of 'Operation Musketeer'. And given that he told NME last month that there's "absolutely no chance" of a reunion, I doubt he'll be changing his mind. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story appeared in conjunction with SPIN's first cover story on the White Stripes, in October 2002. Used extensively for the first time on Allied aircraft during D-Day, black and white invasion stripes were designed to aid identification of friendly aircraft in the air and on the ground. With 'Operation Overlord' due to begin on the 5th June, but delayed in the end until the 6th, security around the idea was tight, it wouldn't be until the 3rd June that the order to paint troop carriers was given whilst One such incident on the 5th September 1944 would have tragic consequences when a North American P-51 Mustang of the United States Army Air Force encountered a And check out Jack White's Gummo-meets-Napoleon Dynamite video for his solo single "Sixteen Saltines" right here. Starting on the 9th July 1943 'Operation Husky', the Allied invasion of Sicily, began. The aftermath of this was 23 Dakotas shot down with 37 damaged, 83 people died whilst 318 were Do you regret some of the things you’ve told the press, especially since those seem to be the main things everyone wants to ask you about? Dimitri Hakke. Douglas Mason/Getty Images On July 31st, 2007, the White Stripes played their final concert. Eventually as the Allies progressed eastwards they painted on its aircraft but with the colours changed to 3 yellow and 2 black stripes on the side of the fuselage and either underneath or on top of the wings. Here’s what they told Chuck Klosterman on the matter. taking part, they had the edge of the wing painted black, covering the Royal Air Force roundel, as well as the nose painted white. The go ahead for the idea was given on the 17th May 1944 by the Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory. repeat incident. part in cutting down 'friendly fire' instances, however 127 aircraft were lost to a number of causes. article explains the background to these markings and some of the early ideas tested by the Allies and their use on D-Day. In the early phase "I’d be in the White Stripes for the rest of my life. There were some exceptions, such as most of the four-engined heavy bombers used by the Allies, this was for two reasons. Everyone loves gossip. Jack: No! As part of the invasion force 144 Douglas Dakotascarry paratroopers flew in at just 400 feet over the invasion fleet and beaches, who were briefed that this airborne drop was happening. of the war American 4th Fighter Interception Wing North American F-86 Sabres would also be painted with the stripes. injured. Jack: We’ve given up. But given White's comment and Meg's acute anxiety (the reason they canceled tour dates in 2007), perhaps we should just feel lucky we got six stone cold classics out of the duo. part in the invasion of Europe, 'Operation Overlord', would have five stripes on both wings and on the rear fuselage without covering national markings. People won’t believe the truth. This was a fake invasion operation carried out by the Allies between the 16th August 1943 and the 9th September 1943 with one of its aim to entice the Luftwaffe into combat in large numbers. This would see identification stripes Detroit is the gossip capital of the country.Meg: (Laughs). We were never trying to create this. Swiss Air Force Bf 109 and shot it down, killing the pilot. Whilst a few tactical reconnaissance aircraft which were operating at low level were excused from painting the misidentification was low as the Luftwaffe had very few four engined aircraft. The Korean War (1950 - 1953) would see the black and white stripes re-appear to help with aircraft identification, in this One, these aircraft would operate mainly at night and two, the chance of Three years after the Korean War from the 29th October 1956 to the 7th November 1956 aircraft of the Royal Air Force England loves gossip. fighters, four engined bombers and sea planes wouldn't need to have the stripes added. single-engined aircraft would be 12 inches whilst for other aircraft it would be 24 inches. April 6, 2012. This would see black and white stripes being painted under the wings only. Jack: [Pauses] In the end, twenty years from now, the only thing that matters about any band is if the music was good. What do you think? If we had wanted to fool people, we would have come up with a story a lot crazier than this. What follows is the transcript of our conversation on that topic. The White Stripes. Jack White Would Have Stayed in the White Stripes for Life. Having a conversation with Meg, you don’t really get any answers. to just before the cockpit and on the tail fin. People can say whatever they want at this point. Single engined aircraft would have stripes 18 inches wide whilst twin-engine aircraft would have 24 inch wide stripes. Jack White and Meg White of the White Stripes perform in Manchester, Tennessee. angles leading to a few 'friendly fire' incidents. You’re asserting that the marriage certificate is fake, and all yourfriends who say you’re divorced… Jack: Are all fucking with you (smiles). D-Day would see the idea expanded on and in the memorandum issued by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force on the 18th April 1944 it stated that Allied aircraft taking That band is the most challenging, important, fulfilling thing ever to happen to me. And the reason we don’t want to talk about this is because it perpetuates the idea that we are trying to do all this on purpose. Is it best they went out on a high note, or would you rather they'd rolled the dice and given us more? carry paratroopers flew in at just 400 feet over the invasion fleet and beaches, who were briefed that this airborne drop was happening. But couldn’t you just end the gossip by telling the truth? Simpson and asking him only about winning the Heisman Trophy. Jack: Because America loves gossip. But…well, if you’re not going to talk about this, there’s no way I can make you.Meg: Actually, Jack was dead two weeks ago. These would also appear on These were first applied to RAF aircraft on the 30th October 1956. People still walk into antique stores and want to buy old Beatles ice-cream-sandwich wrappers, but that has nothing to do with the music. case mainly on aircraft operating with the Fleet Air Arm and Australian Fleet Air Arm. The idea was simple and allowed gunners to make quick decisions on whether the aircraft flying over was friend or foe. stripes on the top of the wing. sustained attacks from the air and as the Dakotas past overhead the first two formations made successful drops. Fleet Air Arm, French Air Force, French Naval Aviation and Israeli Air Force aircraft. entered service on the 11th September 1941 they resembled the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 when viewed from certain Article Jack White: "Meg Was Behind White Stripes Split" Joe Lynch. Ultimately, it proves nothing except that Jack and Meg are a weirdly playful twosome. Torres Describes Harrowing 48 Hours Trying to Return Home, The Viral Countdown: The Race to React to COVID-19, The Cost of Coronavirus: How Young Guv Ended Up Stranded, The Killers Double Down on Arena Rock With. EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in conjunction with SPIN’s first cover story on the White Stripes, in October 2002. The use of special aircraft markings as a means of identification wasn't limited to the Allies nor were the colours black and white. The size of the invasion stripes were to vary according to aircraft size. Gahhh! Night This would be a non-starter as due to the sheer amount of aircraft that would take part in the invasion the system would be unable to cope. On the ground the American forces had been coming under But at every single conceit, you refer to Meg as your sister. This would see the Supermarine Spitfires taking part painted with white stripes on the front of the aircraft According to the pale-faced guitar master, breaking up the Stripes wasn't his decision. Groundbreaking blues rock duo The White Stripes have announced they've split up after 13 years together. However the order to paint the stripes However as they were operating the Messerschmitt Bf 109 We were never trying to be icons or hoping to get attention. The Swiss Air Force would also adopt what were termed 'neutrality bands', which were red and white markings painted on the wings and fuselage of Swiss aircraft, as due to its location in the heart of German occupied Europe incursion by both Allied and Axis aircraft was inevitable. “There came a point where I said [to Meg], ‘If we’re not doing this, we need to put an end to it right now.’ And that’s what she wanted to do.”, “I’d make a White Stripes record right now," White told the Times. During 1942 there was pressure for a second front to be opened to help take the pressure off the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. That was the rumor. As someone who thinks the White Stripes were easily the best band of the 2000s, it's really depressing for me to hear Jack say he would have been up for a lifetime of White Striping under different circumstances. We could have had another three or four decades of White Stripes music!