Serial Number Spitfire Wanted/Needed

excuses to VoyTech

I have been saying some things abouth the article in Aeroplane this month concerning the lost Spitfire. I should have checked it better and therefore i offer my excuses to VoyTech.

serial solved

We (322 guys) just got the confirmation that the Dutch Air Historic branch confirmed to us that the Mk 905 had the 3W-P registration when it crashed on september1th 1944 with Flt/Lt Plesman. So for us the mistery is solved;)

Originally Posted by PollyGrey 322
i would love to know the date it was taken ?????

Smokey, the caption for the photograph with W3-D in says it was taken late 1944.

Glad you got one ordered, was going to offer to send a copy of the magazine in the post if you had problems.

We knew what happend at the end it crashed in Poland. We knew this story for about 5 years now. It was published in the Aviodrome magazine by Harry vd Meer so i am wondering whats in the story. I havent got a copy of it yet i had to order it at the magazine store. If its the sam e it could be a copy we will wait and see. Because we sended a copy to a guy in Katowice working in a airplane museum. we met him at Radom he was with a Polish static display Spitfire from that museum:confused: Smokey

That’s interesting but not very clear.
Who is “We” (in “We knew”)?
What “crashed in Poland”?
What “was published in the Aviodrome magazine by Harry vd Meer”?
What exactly do you mean by saying “If its the same it could be a copy”?
Who was the “guy in Katowice”? (There is no “airplane museum” in Katowice.)

i would love to know the date it was taken ?????
Does this Andy Thomas have a site or email ??????

IIRC Andy didn’t know the date it was taken.

Thats why I gave you the email links to Aeroplane, they should be able to put you in contact with him.

i would love to know the date it was taken ?????
Does this Andy Thomas have a site or email ??????

The photo mentioned by TonyT and the 3W-D part enlarged.

This is more about what happened to it after it was borrowed from your Sqn…… hope it does not happen still :p

but as said, the main picture has the image of 3W-D on it and goes across both pages covering the lower third of both pages, it is ( Image) credited to the Andy Thomas Collection

:DBOY ARE YOU IN LUCK !!!

This months Aeroplane Monthly is out (Feb 2011) and there is an article in it about a Spit that gets abandoned and “stolen” as a personal run about, it eventually ends up after several owners as a silver one coded D MB and operated by a Polish Sqn and is “sold” to a Yank pilot for cigarettes and would you believe the aircraft was from YOUR Sqn, not only that there are photos of several of the aircraft, one photo is of 3W K and in the background is none other than 3W D along with 3W F 🙂

it is this issue

http://www.aeroplanemonthly.co.uk/current/

and this is the article.

Seek and Ye Shall Find!
For this month’s Hidden History feature, Polish aviation historian Wojtek Matusiak reveals the identity of the hitherto-anonymous Spitfire “borrowed” by RAF fighter ace Tom Neil during the last year of WW2

I should imagine your next port of call is

http://www.aeroplanemonthly.co.uk/contact/

😀

Forgot to add the article also states that not all of them had the serial numbers painted on, it was in trying to track the plane the article is about it caused problems, only when they were editing a picture they found the serial under one wing.

I received a copy of the crash telegram send by 322 sqn to the RAF headquarters abouth the crash of Plesman it states that it was the MJ-343
with sqn registration 3W-D !!!!! its given to me by the Dutch Air Historic Branch (so the official guys). Anyone a pic of this plane ??

Smokey

Yes i spoke to Harry vd Meer and even he is still searching for a pic from the Mk IX VL-P and even if excist a pic of the Mk IX 3W-P and even if he can’t help me were to got to then ???? Hes the guy in Holland for these matters. I set out my question with the RAF museum and the Dutch historic archieves untill now no results. Someone should know and have proof for me:confused::confused:

Good evidence! Certainly leaves it open to doubt the other sources, and I stand corrected. Thanks, VoyTech

322 Sqn Spitfire XIV with 3W codes.
Photo from Harry van der Meer collection

Sorry for the delayed answer – no access to the web during Christmas time.
I am suprised by the amount of doubt over a thing that seemed to me to be pretty easy to check. I am quite positive that a quick glance in any book on Dutch Spitfires by Harry van der Meer will produce a photo of a 3W-coded Mk XIV. I have a scan of one such photo at home and will try to post it here later.
I am also suprised that noone seems to be looking for a single photo of a VL-coded Mk IX, as if that was a foregone conslusion. To me it seems that one guy has made the mistake years ago, linking this code with Mk IXs of the unit, and since then many authors, rather than check themselves, have copied and spread this incorrect information (this also applies to the website).
According to eyewitness reports confirmed (indirectly) by paperwork, 322 Sqn Mk IXs were coded 3W from the very first days of their service with the unit in August 1944.

Very intersting theory but not in this case. The code was changed while the unit was still flying Mk XIVs (photos prove that). When they exchanged those for Mk IXs why would anyone apply wrong (old) codes on a newly received machine?

The conversion to Mk IX’s began in August with the decreasing V1 threat and the new ground-attack focus. The first operation with IXb’s was – I think from the tricky-to read online ORB – August 11th. I am interested in the photo evidence of 322 XIV’s in W3 codes. I have seen a couple of Mk XVI’s in 3W, also a spuriously marked XIV in a museum, and a couple of paintings, but no photographs. Opinions vary over the time of change of code (from August 1944 right up to early 1945), probably for the very reasons I mooted above – a delay in actually changing existing aircraft codes. So there is ample opportunity for an aircraft delivered to the squadron in August to be marked up as VL on acceptance onto strength and then not changed before September 1st.

Also note the reference provided by Topgun.

Yes that might have been one of my mates If he is called Martijn (nickname Bigfoot) yes then its possible

is it your sqn that operates the display F-16 and also has links with a flying hunter, i think i bumped into one of your guys at RIAT who gave me his card and a hunter ZAP

A quick googlywoogly: but don’t know if this is the case

If i look at this website: http://members.casema.nl/kw.jonker/Typen/S/Supermarine%20Spitfire%20IX%20KLu-UK.htm

i see two differences. the 3W- codes for MK. IX and the VL- codes for MK. IXb. I hope it can be of some assitance.

Regards,

TG1984

Fryslan Boppe 😉

Why do you say ‘Must have been 3W-P’? Without a photo, there is no reason why that has to be the case. It is very possible that the squadron codes were not changed on this aircraft – just because an order is given, the opportunity to actually get the paintbushes out might not happen for days or even weeks afterwards.

Very intersting theory but not in this case. The code was changed while the unit was still flying Mk XIVs (photos prove that). When they exchanged those for Mk IXs why would anyone apply wrong (old) codes on a newly received machine?