Special lightened high altitude African Spitfires

Great info and a very interresting story.
The new Eduard kit with the wonderful surface details gives the possibility to create a perfect nmf finished Spitfire.
I found the info ab out the Mk.Vc rebuild to the HF service in North Africa.
Its on the BritMod page.
Best regards to all and happy modeling.
I will post my finished Spits here but dont know how …. any info?
Peter

There are two photographs of lightened Mk IXcs in Classic Warbirds number 7. They are also included in the more recently published Classic Warbirds 12 “The ANZACS”.

EN399 stripped of paint. JK980 all over blue but the tiny bit of the underside (under the nose) that can be seen looks like a darker colour than the top surfaces. Credited to S/Ldr J.West. 3 MU Aboukir.

In “The Spitfire in South African Air Force service,” by Steven McLean (an inordinately difficult book to find, now,) ISBN 0-9584437-1-8, there’s a photo of stripped “S.H.F.IXs” MH931 (with .303″ armament,) and cannon (only) armed MH993, of 41 Squadron in Cyprus; these were supposed to operate in pairs (two others were MA504 & MA792,) with Browning-armed aircraft driving down the target, to be finished off by the cannon of the companion. The legend says that the armour and fireproof bulkhead were removed, and there’s no sign of an aerial mast on either.
There’s also a photo (identical to Mark 12’s second photo,) of 10 Squadron’s MH946 & MA792 ( reportedly at Idku,) which seem to be similarly armed, also without aerial masts.

The HF.IX didn’t appear (at all) until about March ’44.

bob

The initial modified Mk.Vs were not painted blue but filled and rubbed down into a patchwork finish – there is a photo of one of these in the old Aircam Spitfire book showing this effect. This was done at the Aboukir MU rather than in any of the active squadrons, a dedicated high-altitude flight being formed. Only two machine guns were retained: I wasn’t aware that these were 0.5s. A number of Mk.VIs were then sent out but these had poorer performances than the stripped Mk.Vs and I have seen it said that at least one was used in a PR role – could this be the reference to a blue one? Following on from this an Australian squadron operated with Spitfire Mk.IXs and the Aboukir filter more commonly seen on Mk.Vs, and these were painted in the high altitude fighter scheme of Medium Sea Grey over PRU Blue – photos of these have been published several times on modelling websites such as Britmodeller. Sorry, but I didn’t keep them. Presumably they were then (at one remove at least) replaced by the SAAF and these stripped Mk.IX with the later universal filter and extended wingtips. Thank you very much for these photos.

PS MA504 is simply recorded as an F Mk.IX rather than an HF, so unless it was re-engined at Aboukir than even better could have been done. I’m not sure just when the HF Mk.IXs (Merlin 70?) appeared, so it may have been later than this date.

BSG-75 can you give me more info about the mentioned “blue painted” HF Spits armed with 2x.50cal only?
Im planing to build some interesting and not well known Spitfire versions.
Many thanks for any help
Peter

Hi all.
I know its some time ago but I found this thread first now.
I started an Eduard Spit to finish such a Beauty like on the photos.
My questions are following.
Has these Spitfires any roundels under the Wings? Or on the fuselage?
Has these Spitfires the pointed wing tips?
I know the HF Version should have these but on the photos is it speculative.
Many thanks for any answer and help!
Peter

As an Aussie would say, “You little beauty!”

MA504 has to be the same aircraft that Bill flew on the 16th of April 1944 which he denoted in his logbook as 504. He took it on a height test to 47,000 feet.

Wonderful photo, thanks for digging that bit further.

fantastic…

What a fantastic little gem of history you’ve shared there – I’ve seen “blue” high altitude spits stripped down to 2 .50 calibre guns but these are great – thanks…

A little delve in to the SAAF archive brings up a few shots of at least three special HF Mk IX’s operating with both 10 an 41 Squadrons, SAAF, at St Jean and Idku – MA504, MA792 & MH946.

Note: Variations of armament on individual aircraft over time are clear together with the radio mast deletion.

Stripping the paint shows well the effect of the ‘Anodising’ on the top tank cover and is a useful reference for the discussion on the MK356 new paint scheme anti glare panel etc.

Mark

IIRC there is quite a lot of info relating to this in ‘Bing’ Cross’ ‘Straight and Level’ but my copy is awol at the mo 🙁

It’s been some time since I read it but I recall that they were MKVs which had ‘tweaked’ Merlins, four-blade props, no radio or IFF, only one oxygen bottle, no armour and only two .50 cal Brownings with very little ammo, high-altitude pointed wingtips, no rear-view mirror, individual exhaust stacks, either aboukir filter or possibly none at all, lots of filler and a very smooth highly-polished finish.

The aircraft ended up in such a ‘mod state’ after their numerous attempts to reach the Ju-86s and trying one thing at a time. With no radios they would be scrambled with a radio equipped Spit and guided until visual contact was made. After the first Ju-86 was intercepted and hit their missions over the Nile Delta ceased.

Tom

DaveH,

John Gardner of 249 Squadron sent me this print of MA504.

I believe it is one of two locally modified Mk IX’s for high altitude interception in the Med. theatre.

I think from memory they may have been operated by a SAAF unit.

Mark

If, by just removing the radio, they were able to attain 47000ft, then it must have been the same type of radio that we used to have at home in the ’60’s, a nice walnut cabinet, with a built in record player…..

The aircraft did have guns, I think he was giving them a sporting chance. They removed the radio I believe.

‘The first Desert Air Force squadron to receive Spitfires was No 145 in April 1942. These were tropicalised Mk VBs. One was stripped of armour and two 0.5-inch machine guns replaced the normal armament. Fitted with a four-bladed propeller and with its Merlin suitably ‘tweaked’ to give more power at high altitude, this aircraft climbed to 42,000 feet to shoot down a Ju-86P reconnaissance aircraft.’
http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/spit5.html

The aircraft did have guns, I think he was giving them a sporting chance. They removed the radio I believe.

Eh, surely any chance of downing a Ju 88 would have been taken, just to really push the message home and deny another usefull Axis airframe in the region? And wouldn’t removing the radio cause all sorts of problems when returning to base etc?

The aircraft did have guns, I think he was giving them a sporting chance. They removed the radio I believe.

Perhaps the most significant thing that was removed to lose weight were the guns, and that is why he “waggled” his wings at the enemy, rather than shooting at them, as per the norm?…..

Thanks. When Bill was at Idku he was no longer in 127 Squadron.

I have a photo or two from his collection of an early highback RAF Mustang at Idku so must be one of those you refer to.

I am unsure whether he was still with 127 Sqn or by then commander at Idku but I suspect these flights were from Idku.

Does anyone have any information that might tell me what marks of Spitfires these were, the nature of their modifications, which unit they belonged to (which Spitfire Sqn’s were at Idku at that time?) or any other information. I’d really appreciate it, thanks.

A little info. 213 Sqn was basically a Hurricane Squadron, but in 2/44 it moved to Idku and received Mk. Vs and Mk. IXs, (some reports say Mk. XIs)but then in 5/44 were surprisingly re-equipped with Mustangs. Maybe these Spitfires remained at Idku and transferred to 127?