Bader Spitfire.

What a great forum.

Hi All
what a great forum this is.
Thank you all for all the help.
All I want now is a starboard view.
Anyone?
All the best from a very pleased.
Beds resident.
Andy.:D 😀 😀 😀

Re: Scan

Originally posted by Mark12
Vot Tech,

No photo as such, as far as I can see, but here is the artwork.

Mark

Mark,
1st page. Not much of the Spitfire, but the badge can be seen.

In Mark12’s blow-up, looks like 242, but I could be wrong.

IIRC, the 242 badge doesn’t have the map of Europe.

242 badge.

Certainly does Daz
I wonder if the markings around the boot top still say 242 or another squadron.
616??
Andy:confused:

Looks like that badge is an adaptation of 242 Squadron’s unofficial badge, is it not?

Bader Emblem

Thanks for that Mark XII
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Sure can.

🙂

Bader Spitfire Emblem.

Thanks all.
This is just what I wanted.
Any chance of a bigger scan of the boot emblem?
Sorry but I want to try and get this reproduced in 1/24th scale.
All the best
Andy

Scan

Vot Tech,

No photo as such, as far as I can see, but here is the artwork.

Mark

Spitfire Marking.

Hi all
if someone could get me a scan of this I’d be mighty pleased.
All the best
Andy

Re: Bader Spitfire.

Originally posted by Andy in Beds
The other observation I have is that there appears to be some marking on the aircraft under the rear-most portside exhaust stub. It could be just a blemish in the picture but I’d like further opinion.

In one of Classic Warplane issues (published by Ventura in NZ) there is a close up photo of the nose of Bader’s Spitfire with a badge. I do not have it at hand (Mark 12 do you?) to scan and post, but I think it was similar to the one he had on his Hurricane.

Originally posted by John Cooper

……but why have the call sign D B separated by the roundel advertising Baders presence, if I were a young Lieutenant in the Luftwaffe and wanted to make a name for myself that is the guy that I would be aiming for.

All pedantic I suppose :rolleyes:

This was a privelege granted to those reaching Wingco rank.

Very unusual in combat for an enemy pilot to be able to decipher the lettering, things happening fast, aircraft more often than not silhouetted against a bright sky background.

Moggy
Cyber-Terrapin

Originally posted by Moggy C
Minor point of detail.

That is a Wing Commander’s pennant not a CO’s pennant surely?

My interpretation of this is (and as always I stand to be corrected)

Chain of command

AOC Air Officer Commanding Group

Station Commander Officer Commanding

Wing Commander Commanding Officer

Squadron Commander often regarded as the CO or OC more from my recollection the CO like WINGCO or SquadronCo

I do not know whether DB was a WingCo or SquadronCo at the shot of him exiting his DB Spit but you are correct that the triangular pennant is that of a Wing Commander and that of a Squadron Commander is oblong in shape.

As Dave says it could be a stage managed shot, I suppose that this has been discussed more than once here or elsewhere but why have the call sign D B separated by the roundel advertising Baders presence, if I were a young Lieutenant in the Luftwaffe and wanted to make a name for myself that is the guy that I would be aiming for.

All pedantic I suppose :rolleyes:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by John Cooper
[B]I note on Dan’s photo that he has posted, the CO’s pennant is visible, but a question I would like to ask about DB is how long did it take to remove himself from his cockpit as I notice one erk already refuelling his Spit, with another couple of bods waiting to support him.

John, I wonder if this is a staged photo simply for the press. They always liked to make it look like all sorts of action was taking place at once – hence the refuelling while Bader is still in the cockpit. I imagine that he did take a while longer than other pilots to climb out, but not that long. I think the two ‘bods’ are more likely posing, they’re probably armourers or something.

Corgi produced a model of P7966 a while ago, in 1/32nd scale.

Originally posted by Robbo
According to Voytech’s MkV book, the fairing was necessary on Merlin 47 powered aircraft because of the protruding cabin blower gear. MkV’s didn’t use the coffman starter.

Many early Mk V’s featured this fairing even if powered by other Merlin variants.

Of course, correct. I had the image of the bulge in my mind but the book is quite correct to point out they were not installed in association with the Coffman starter on the Mk V but were a ‘carry-through’ from the Mk II cowling design for the reasons VT states.

MkII

Bader’s MkII was P7966, ‘Manxman’.

I believe a full-scale replica of it is displayed on the Isle of Man, one of the former Piece of Cake replicas.

No books here at work, but a browse on the net might bring it up.

Re: AD233…

Originally posted by DazDaMan
AD233 …doesn’t appear to have one.

But it does appear to have several different paint schemes! Can you trust a picture of what looks like the aviation equivalent of kid at a jumble sale?:D:D:D – Nermal

Bader Spitfire.

Hi All
Firstly thanks for all the information.
I’ve been having a dig around myself since my original post and I’ve discovered a couple of further things about D-B coded Spitfires.
Firstly there was a Mk.IIa coded D-B and this was also a presentation aircraft ‘Manxman’ presented by the people of the Isle of Man.
Unfortunately I don’t have the S/no of this aircraft.
In an idle moment of surmise (very dangerous) I did wonder if the picture above of the airman in shorts was of this earlier aircraft.
Also last night when I said I wondered if the blue of the fin flash extended upwards to cover the fin top I did actually mean the red (leading colour). Again this is just surmise and not based on a shred of evidence.
I am inclined to agree with Flood that I think the difference in colour could be attributed to a changed rudder.
The other observation I have is that there appears to be some marking on the aircraft under the rear-most portside exhaust stub. It could be just a blemish in the picture but I’d like further opinion.
Finally I too think that’s a Wing Commanders pennant. I think a Sqn Ldr had a rectangular pennant with the appropriate stripes on it.
All the best
Andy

😎

Sure is. AD233 in the photo above has a squadron leader pennant.