Andrew the colour specified for the 4 original B-17 groups (1942) was light grey, it was British paint similar to RAF " Ocean Grey" with a bluish tinge; however for some reason the 91st opted for yellow which they continued to use.
The new groups arriving in spring 1943 generally had the grey but there were variations, the 401BG usually had yellow (as on the Duxford B-17) and the 412BS used a darkish sky blue ; later in the year some squadrons changed to white for better visibility (though that negated the camouflage).
Though the actual codes were designated (by the British Air Ministry) the colour seems to have been left to the units. The tail letters could be yellow, grey or white. Some squadrons never used their codes or were not allocated any. Nick