Spitfire IX's of 229 & 401 sqns; information required

Hello Mark

Nice photo anyway – regardless of when it was taken – nice to see something of the ground echelon as they get left out of some many photos, and I can never get enough photos of them for personal reasons.

If it has been repainted it could have been by the time they reduced the size of the stripes to under fuselage (even if not showing in this one) – so most probably France late August or Belgium in early September. Pity we cannot make out anything other than MJ or we could check M&S to work out the time-frame.

Can you drop me a PM to let me know the Squadron No’s in the photos you hold, in case you have anything relevant to my 125 Wing project?

cheers

Allan

Allan,
The picture was part of a larger collection of photos taken throughout Europe. All the other photos are all clearly post D-Day, my assuption was that it was also post D-Day as some of the other Spitfire pictures are mid 1945.
On the original print there is what appears to be some repainting forward of the sky band, also the trees in the background are fully out, suggesting mid summer as well, the trucks and jerrycans in the background would suggest field conditions. It could well be prior to D-Day, but we have no other info than interpretation and guesswork.

MRP

401 Squadron Spitfire

I knew I had a good shot in my collection of a 401 Spit, in France after D-Day.MRP

Hi Mark – nice photo – but if it really is a 401 Spit in France after D-Day it would have clear “Invasion Stripes” showing in the photo – unless it has just flown in from 83 GSU for instance and the stripes were going to be applied in the field?

cheers

Allan

401 shot

I knew I had a good shot in my collection of a 401 Spit, in France after D-Day.
Not sure that it is the exact aircraft you are looking for, the code is probably L , but it is within the serial range. The picture also shows the use of stencils on the fin, more clearly than most shots.

Hope it helps.

MRP

You guys are AWESOME.

Thankyou very, very much.

1) MkIX (c or e subtype unkown, F/LF/HF also unknown) 229 Sqn RAF, 9R-Z (serial unknown). He crash-landed it on an ’emergency strip’ – maybe Manston or maybe ALG in France? – 23/6/44 after combat proported to have involved “bazi” weiss, an fw190 ‘ace’.

Lastly (but more of a two parter) i’d like to try and find the serial no. for 9R-Z. Then what sub-type IT was. 😮

The last might be a challenge but the reference to the crash landing and the specific date (if correct – fingers crossed!) might narrow down the seach considerably.

MH871 force-landed on ALG 23/6/44 F/O Armstrong safe (funny enough, in my notes it is 9R-O)
MH871 was a regular Mk IX (“F.IXc”) of late CBAF production batches.

I would direct you to Robert Bracken’s book ‘Spitfire-The Canadians’ (vol. 1).

Page 108 has a shot of MJ448 YO-W with the half D-Day stripes in October 1944.

Incidentally MJ951 survived the war and went on to serve with the Norwegian Air Force serving as FN-S and later A-AO.

Mark

229 Squadron Spitfires

Here a couple of shots of a 229 Squadron Spitfire showing the code style. Note the repeat individual code ‘J ‘on the top of the fin. I have also seen this on 126 Squadron Spitfires (5J).

Mark

Lastly (but more of a two parter) i’d like to try and find the serial no. for 9R-Z. Then what sub-type IT was.

For starters.

Spitfire MH907 is recorded as being coded 9R-Z.

There may of course have been more than one ‘Z’ over the period in service as aircraft were lost or sent away for repair.

MH907 was a Spitfire F.Mk IXc fitted with a Merlin 63.

It served with 229 Squadron from 26 June 1944 until lost on operations on the 29th August 1944.

Mark

P.S. Looking back at your email this would appear to be the replacement for the aircraft you mention.

I’ve tried Froogle, not google, searching on ‘Hasegawa Spitfire’ to check the box art . . .there’s a 401 sqn Mk Vb, but nothing like what you’re after – I’ll keep looking . . . 🙂

Cheers,

Andy.