Spitfire EN398??

This link http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev3/2701-2800/rev2756-VPD32003/00.shtm shows a drawing of MK329 JEJ jr, and I have found a photo of it, on another of these decals sheets, but cannot track down a decent copy tonight!!

With regard to the comment by Cranswick “Johnson is known to have flown Mk.XIVs with 125 Wing immediately postwar.” JEJ not only flew XIV’s immediately postwar but also from taking over command of 125 Wing on 28 March 1945 – 125 Wing ORB “W/Cdr Johnny Johnson, D.S.O, D.F.C, assumed command of the Wing vice G/Capt Scott-Malden who is leaving to take up another appointment” – in “Wing Leader” he mentions flying over Berlin, so that is at least one operational flight, and he flew in to visit the ground echelon at B.104 Damm “The C.O. flew in, probably the first Spitfire to land – voluntarily – east of the Rhine” on 3 April 1945, without me consulting the ORB for other occasions.

cheers

Allan

There’s always MK329, which he only flew twice, and which carried no armament (“Spitfire Ace of Aces,” by Dilip Sarkar.) He said that it was made up from parts of salvaged aircraft, and there’s an apparent mismatch in the lower line of the camouflage pattern, at the transport joint, which looks like a possible replacement back end.
He seems (in the same book) to have flown a clipped-wing IX or XVI, post-war, which appears to have his personal codes; it’s mis-captioned as being during his time at Lashenden, but aircraft, in the background, are sporting post-war roundels.

For me it is a personal postwar IXE or XVI when Johnnie Johnson commanded from September 45 to March 46 124 Wing just in Eindhoven, see http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Johnson_JE.htm

Johnson is known to have flown Mk.XIVs with 125 Wing immediately postwar. When that Wing was disbanded in July 45 he took over 124 Wing which was then equipped with Tempests and Meteors and later (Sept 45) Tempests, Spit XIs, XIVs and Mosquitos. So he is unlikely to have had a personal Mk.IX or XVI then.

For me it is a personal postwar IXE or XVI when Johnnie Johnson commanded from September 45 to March 46 124 Wing just in Eindhoven, see http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Johnson_JE.htm

As far as I know there are only two other photographs of MK392, July 1944 with Sky band and spinner and partial black and white stripes, Jan 1945 no Sky band and black spinner, no stripes. The rudder was not pointed. The above photograph will date from the beginning of 1945 as it does not have a Sky band and the spinner is probably black.

You can see the later photograph here (at the bottom). It is very similar to the one above, perhaps the codes are thinner but the letter E has the same distinctive shorter middle bar.

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev1/001-100/rev060-WaterMark48004/05.shtm

This was posted on a Spitfire page on Facebook.

Yes, it looks like Johnnie Johnson’s Spit, but my gut feeling tells me “no”.

Pointed rudder? The camouflage doesn’t look “right” either (yes, I know it’s black and white, but it doesn’t look the same as contemporary aircraft).

Any guesses?

Yes, I’d put money on it being MK392, JEJ’s Spit IX from March 1944 to April 1945 during which period he was Wing Commander Flying (or Operations) 144 and then 127 Wings. The distinctive squared letters with serifs are visible in other shots of his Spit during this period – quite unlike the lettering on his earlier EN398.