VERY Personalised Spitfire Markings

I though it would be sad if this interesting thread faded away just like a red lion (or red herring).
1) Robert Bracken’s “Spitfire – the Canadians” vol. I has a similar shot on p. 140: it is most certainly taken in the same place (same line of trees on the horizon) and shows SM884, delivered to 402 in mid-May 1945. It looks as these two shots may have been taken on the same occasion, SM884 being in the line-up of left-pointing Spitfires visible on the right edge of this picture. Even if the two photos were not taken at the same time, presence of SM884 there means the place is Wunstorf, where 402 moved before VE-Day, and stayed there until conversion to Mk XVIs in June.
2) Do you know when Geoff (Jeff?) Northcott exchanged this high-back Mk XIV for the low-back MV263? This would provide the time frame on the “no later then” end.
3) I seem to think that for Allied personnel, both air force and the army, white/yellow nose plus the rudder in the same colour tended to be associated with German fighters. Would it not be a dangerous form of personal marking before war ended?
4) Could this kind of markings be used on a formation leader aircraft? At the time of VE-Day a lot of balbos were flown over liberated Europe (as morale boosters) and over occupied Germany (as morale busters).
5) Were replacement rudders delivered with camouflage on? Or could this be simply a case of a new rudder (in primer) and spinner (in Sky) fitted during repair and still unpainted?
OT – Do you know the serial number of the high-back JEFF?

Yes, Rob has seen it (although it’s been a few years now), and he was stumped on this one as well. There was some thought that it *might* have been F/L Ken Sleep’s aircraft, but that was just a wild guess.

Steve

I’m the webmaster for the IPMS Canada site and I posted that shot up there in the hopes of determining the serial number of the white-trimmed aircraft beside JEFF. My guess is that it was one of the senior pilots in 402 Sqn, as none of the rest of the aircraft seem to have any special/personal markings on them.

Anybody with some info on this one is asked to contact me at [email]sbsauve@rogers.com[/email]

Hello Steve and welcome,

I presume you have run this by Robert Bracken in Niagara.

Mark

I’m the webmaster for the IPMS Canada site and I posted that shot up there in the hopes of determining the serial number of the white-trimmed aircraft beside JEFF. My guess is that it was one of the senior pilots in 402 Sqn, as none of the rest of the aircraft seem to have any special/personal markings on them.

Anybody with some info on this one is asked to contact me at [email]sbsauve@rogers.com[/email]

Yawn away.

I loved the shot of painting on the D-Day stripes with a distemper brush.

No airbrush for those guys. 😉

Mark

*LOL*

found this photo, too, today when hunting for evidence material re. the Patty’s A Virgin thread – since I am no Spitfire ‘know it all’ I refrained from posting it in order not to cause widespread yawning…..

Martin