Damn Airfix confusing the hell out of me – their 1/72 depicts BM144 with later-type roundels (unless it did fly like that?).

During her time as RF-D, BM144 has flown first with early and then with late style roundels. Also the Donald Duck motif was altered (but not at the same time when roundels were repainted).

thanks for the positive ID

Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other weird Polish stuff there.
Can you identify the exact East Berlin location for me? Any more photos that show the building? It has just struck me that some wartime photos of captured allied aircraft exhibition may have been taken there, too.

Voytech
thank you.
From you I’ll take that as a sizeable compliment.

“That’s why I wrote it…”

Pic 8 of the last lot – that’s dad still wearing his flying gear just beyond the officer inspecting!

A huge thank you to Mark12 for posting these photos for me. i spoke to dad this evening, unfortunately he really can’t remember a great deal however I shall show him this thread again and hopefully that will trigger the grey cells. My mum has found more pictures in the attic which I am due to collect next tuesday. Apparantly there are also some items (photos?) from my dad’s uncle (RN) who was lost in the Battle of Jutland (Great War)!

Just got back to the forum after a couple days and of course I started with this thread. Still as good as the first time!
wysiwywg, please come back with any photos your parents find in the attic or elsewhere.

After.
I made a hand written transcription of the record card and the ORB at Air Historical Branch MoD some time in the early 1970’s.
I was preparing the full history of MK959 for the Dutch Air Force, Harry van der Meer and myself having just located the true RAF ID.

Do you have reasons to believe the 15 June date is more credible for MK959 than it is for any other Spitfire at the time?
MK959 was previously WX-F in 302 (Polish) Sqn. Their ORB listed all sorts of flights, not just operations. The last entry for MK959 is (as you probably know) on 30 May. So if the 15 June date is correct, where was she for a fortnight?
The next WX-F was ML309. According to the Movement Card this Spitfire was delivered to no. 302 on 15 June (of course), but in fact it seems ML309 was flown by the unit’s pilots already in the first week of June.

Without the book in front of me I can’t be sure, but I think Pierre Clostermann was a “sous capitan” at one point.

Sure he was, but “Sous Capitan” (literally “Sub-Captain”) is called Lieutenant in French.

If however you are saying that this is a “paperwork” date then I will amend my notes, and thank you for the information.
I do not unfortunately have any other information about her movement to 329 Sqn

It would be interesting to know when MK959 first appeared in 329 ORB or pilots’ log books.

In my notes I have her going to 329 Sqn at RAF Merston on 15/06/1944 and then to 163 Sqn on 30/08/1944

May I ask what is the source of your notes?
We have already discussed this on another thread: according to Movement Cards virtually all 2 TAF Spitfire movements in June 1944 took place on 15 June. Comparison with ORBs and pilots’ log books proves that in fact (obviously) many of these movements took place on other dates. The “15 June” which must have been due to some paperwork procedure.