Spitfire Mk VII photos

Model vs real a/c

Hi von Perthes
Well I am afraid that I was held victim of the decal co. (Aeromaster) who produced the markings. The didn’t include the outline of the codes. They also instructed the modeller to place the “Spirit of Kent” logo and the White Horse in the wrong locations. I got the Sq. leader’s pennant in the wrong location according to the photos, although I am not sure as it is not seen in the location that your photos shows it according to “Spitfire At War Vol. 3” which I used as reference. I went with the location that Aeromaster showed it.
I’m glad you liked the model. The Mk VII Spitfire is a very interesting version of that extremely fascinating a/c, the Spitfire.
Maybe you could e-mail me direct at
Cheers
Bob S.

Bob,

Pleased you liked the photos. At least they didn’t show any mistakes in your model. I bet it would look good with the code letters outlined as per the photo.

Geoff.

Spitfire Mk VII photos

Hi von Perthes
Thankyou very much for posting these rare photos. I wish that I had seen these when I did a model of MD120 as NX-O “Spirit of Kent”. I did an article about it’s construction on HyperScale. This can be viewed at –
http://www.features02.kitparade.com/spitfireviicbs_1.htm
According to my references, 131 Sq. switched to the standard wingtips on June 17th, 1944 and in late July/early August started repainting their Medium Sea Grey over PRU Blue high altitude fighter scheme back to the standard day fighter scheme of Dark Green / Ocean Grey only I have read and your extremely good belly shot proves that they left the undersides in the PRU Blue paint rather than going to all the trouble to repaint the entire underside the standard Medium Sea Grey.
Cheers
Bob S.

[email]robert.swaddling@sympatico.ca[/email]

Hi
goes to prove never trust my memory always check the notes
cheers
jerry

Hi Jerry,

I believe we corresponded many moons ago, when I was researching the history of 131 Sqdn?

Yes it is Ted.

Re NX-U, writing on the back of Cliff Rudland’s copy said it was done at Laval, though Le Mans was the airfield where 131 did the straffing.

Geoff.

seven photos

Hi
For interest,
the FAA ‘types’ servicing the spit’s were used as they were the only available qualified merlin personnel on the airfield at the time .
All photos ( except d-day stripes ) are definitely taken on Harrowbeer, on the back of the original photos there is stamped markings.

‘RAF Station Harrowbeer photographic section’

( or similar words, haven’t got it handy ) .

squadron was at culmhead d-day and I can’t definitley recognise the background in the d-day stripes pic’s and there was no stamp on the back, however I can’t say they weren’t taken at harrowbeer.

close up of MD120 cockpit shows ted king ? ( I think )

Thought NX-U damage photo was on it’s return from ops channel islands , but I could be wrong !
Cheers
Jerry ( author Harrowbeer in focus )

Another photo from the same series. Needs a bit of a clean!

There’s always one that has to be different. MD183 in what I assume to be standard low-altitude colours, though whether the underside was repainted as well… The reason for the change may have been the fact that the squadron’s Mk VIIs saw little use at high-altitude, operating as ‘normal’ Spitfires. Don’t know if any more of the 131 sqdn VIIs underwent the same change.

I’ve no idea when the change was made. MD183 was delivered new to the squadron, and there’s nothing on the Movement card to indicate it went to an MU etc. for repair and was repainted at the same time, not that that means it didn’t! Possible date for the photo is 24/8/44 when one of the squadron’s VIIs was flown for the press.

Another view of MD120, note the added outlining of the code letters, a nice touch, but did it aid readability of the light codes against the light camouflage?

The Mk VIIs all arrived brand new, and without sqdn markings. If only we could read the stores number on the paint tin, we could answer DOUGHNUT’s question about the colour of the code letters.

The Spitfire in the background is one of the squadron’s about to be replaced Mk IXs.

I’m no expert on Spitfire colour schemes, but I assume that they were all painted in the standard high altutude colour scheme, which I believe was Medium Sea Grey upper surfaces, and PRU Blue undersides.

Interesting pics! The MH434 scheme (which I like) was a development of an overall grey / blue scheme applied for an episode of the TV show Poirrot as a ‘mystery fighter’. They then changed it for a version of the ‘standard’ high altitude fighter scheme – which is what the Mk.VIIs in Von Perthes’ photos are wearing.

As to accuracy, over to you folks…

Cheers

Great pictures, even better because they show the invasion stripes as I feel most aircraft had them painted, ‘Rough!’ I don’t know the time scale between the order to paint them & when they were used but I would think it was not long so to paint all the aeroplanes with stripes would have been a mammoth task, I can’t see the care & masking that happens today to get the lines straight & 10″ apart etc etc It would have been for the most slap it on quick & get on with the next one!
Cheers…………..

There was a similar thread discussing the colour scheme of Spitfire TE184 – one of the previous schemes was a high altitude one like these (not sure of the proper name, though).

MH434 also wore a similar scheme up until about 1989, I think.

Someone will be able to confirm.

I would be interested to know your thoughts on the colour scheme that these Spitfires wore. they don not appear to be camo so what else. Also the colour of squadron codes and Spinner.

DOUGHNUT

Glad you like the photos, as for where/when,

1) Harrowbeer, sometime between 24/3/44 & 23/4/44. On the latter date ‘Token 46’MB935, and W/O Douglas Frederick Phillips (Aus) (401394), aged 25, failed to return from a patrol. Thought to have flown into the sea whilst descending through very low cloud & hit the sea.

Harrowbeer is now a common, and it seems that many of the blast pens still survive. It would probably be possible to located the same spots today, & take a comparison photo (then & now), hint hint!

2) Same location supposedly. Note naval ground crew! Looks to have D-day stripes on the wing so post D-day.

3) ‘U’ of 131 sqdn, pos MD168 (most likely), 160, or 173. Damage sustaned whilst straffing ‘Laval airfield’ but more likely Le Mans airfield, 12/6/44.

4) No info on this one, I’m afraid.

5) Harrowbeer again. MD123 was lost on the 12/6/44, Flt/Lt Vincent Kenneth Moody (hence NX-M!) (Can) (J/15362), O/C ‘A’ flt shot down & killed by flak, aged 24, whilst straffing Le Mans airfield.

6) Harrowbeer, taken between 26/2/44 & 5/6/44. Full code was NX-E.

7) No info again.

As can be seen by these photos, No 131 sqdn painted their D-day stripes much too thin, and pretty roughly too in some cases.

Geoff.

Yes indeed, thanks for posting them Von Perthes. 🙂

Wonderful pictures – where and when?

Daz,

How stupid am I ?

I have been out to Washington and actually seen EN474 and got piccies of her, but I still managed to forget all about her :confused:

Never mind, here’s one of the piccies I took of her whilst out there

John

Of course it is! Silly me – I thought it was a VII because an article in Aeroplane magazine showed it in a similar colour scheme (without the stripes).

I’ve just found a photo of the only known Spitfire VII still around – EN474 at the Air & Space Museum in the USA.