Malta

Aug 2/43 Saffi Strip a/c BP978 Mod 510 Petrol Vent LAC Anderson LAC Mills Complete 3/8/43

Love the gun heater pipes.

This is a two page section of a notebook of a fitter who was on Malta Sept 1941 - December 1943, attached to 249 Sq. Could these be notes about roundels? https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6jc5S3qLM_gY2w0VzM5dGN0TjQ and the second page https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6jc5S3qLM_gc05jTHNTTzQtLWc

I do remember my Grandfather talking about some Spitfires being blue, but I cant remember the detail, bar that some pilots really liked it, and that the upper surfaces were a much darker hue than the underside.

Graham, Do you have any further detail on the Malta bomb modification? Any photos or plans? I can confirm that inbound cannons were removed on Malta, as this was described as a "local mod", in my grandfathers notes, who served on Malta.

Thought it to good to be true.

Just seen the above on Facebook, posted by a Maltese man. Caption reads "75 years ago today... the 1st USS Wasp Spitfire VCT delivery to Malta.. Operation Calendar... 601 & 603 Sqdns... 601 Sqdn flight about to take off"

Great paint job, love it. Question though, would it have not had a Vokes filter?

This looks like the same aircraft he was describing, BV187. from Z Flight RAF, Strafed in Kalafrana Harbour, Malta by 2 Bf 109s of 6/JG 53 capsizing it. Aircraft declared damaged beyond repair. http://harringtonmuseum.org.uk/Aircraft%20lost%20on%20Allied%20Forces%20Special%20Duty%20Operations.pdf

If you listen to this IWM interview http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80016949(i had to buy a copy and am not allowed to publish) Mr Raistrick, describes his Heinkel as being colored black with the original German markings. That it was kept inside all day and only used at night, to ferry agents in to Italian waters. It was taken out by the Kalafrana stn commander (who wanted to keep his flying hours up) one day, in broad daylight, and was shot down by two ME109s as it came in to land, killing all on board.

Not sure if this throws any light on which convoy, but BR226 was on Malta from before the 25/5/42.

Correction ............ Its not Malta, it is from Burg - El - Arab, in July 1941

Its from Malta, sorry don't know the Squadron.

Apologies if picture has been posted before.

BR130 a VC and BP961 a VC had the Mod 420 correction TX5160 done to them in October 1942. As far as I can see they where the only spits that had this done to them of all those mentioned in the book. Thus we do have evidence that VCs did have Mod 420 done to them.

Perhaps this may be able to shed some light on this. In the rear of my grandfathers inspection book from Malta 137MU, it has a list of signals outlining the many mods they had to carry out. One is for TX5160, which reads: Sig TX5160 Follow Transmitted to all users of Spits by signal TX812 Spitfire and Seafire gun heating manifold special instructions DA11? . Several cases reported of manifolds, Part number 17643 introduced by Mod 420 ix51, cracking at weld in front and allowing gun heater tubes to slide forward and foul prop. Pending supply of mod manifolds, with ??????? plates at front ?????contractors is supplying clips to be fitted to rear of heating tubes to restrict forward movement should ???????? /???????. During flight all manifolds concerned with and with out clips to be examined between flights for signs of cracking front end. This mod was carried out on BR130, on of Beurling's spit he worked on. Which I guess means Mod 410 had previously been applied? Here is a link to the relevant pages, https://plus.google.com/+StuartBeanCaptAhab/posts/aqrAJwb65Lk

Bob I think that f/u stands for flight unit. I am sure it is 932 that is written off,as bits are used on other a/c as well, like BR166. I transcribed the relevant section for BP932 and BP910. So the detail is... BP910 P.R.U Spit Brought from M/U self Luqa 8/3/43 Excessive vibration reported. Note package etc first aid to be replaced upon completion and issue all cowlings etc complete. Remove cowlings Remove engine fuel tanks remove rubber check in rigging positions Remove T/A (tail assembly) Check spar bolt. whole a/c for truth. Check engine bay. all hoods? formers? etc Remove interior woodwork and acid? tank in pilots foot poss NA. Co2 bottle delivery pump, Engine Bay inspect. Top up res de icing NA Placed a/c rigging poss made checks. T/A u/s .................page break............. P.R.U Spit B.P932 10/3/43 SBD m/p torn away, snapped sbd u/c jack snapped. T/A unit u/s complete a/c crashed into quarry. Hood missing and all underside cowling damaged. Engine bay u/s Top port engine bay attach lug? bent fairing u/s. rivets of f/u sheared. slun? platin? post sbd side buckled. and damage to f/u suspect twist Longerons bottom P and Sbd sides buckled Removed "S" booms for a/c 166 Removed "S" bulkhead for a/c 166 ("S" special?) W/O to Stadium 23/3/43 ........page break.... A/C to be known BP.932 BP910 P.R.U Cont T/A out of truth, fin out of c/c and Port T.Plane + 1/4" SBD 6o u/s. Checked engine bay for truth OK. Dale? Pegs? f/u OK Remove T/A and Replace S/I and recheck in rigg poss. Remove engine bay found dimme? Ex S/I bottom port engine leg engine bay bracket. Make exchange of many rivets f/u Inspect ???? inside bottom longeron bottom patch EX all tanks s/i. EX si att out. Replaced engine bay re rivet skin plating port side and sbd side from 10/11/12 hole cable to replace Poss tanks. Filter cleaned. ????? clip. cont .......................page break.............. BP932 PRU {late no BP910} cont Replaced u/c jacks Tested Hydraulics Replace special fuel tanks All final tested and inspected and charged. Plating placed to f/u. Bottom tank found to be all slack. Packing around straps used. Replace patch made by squadron frame 19 T/A. More of controls and mod 535. check T/A Air tested OK and hydraulics ok. Fitted air intake cowling tropical 6 plain spheres Remove and replace rudder ????? Affix stems to Tail well. Bracket fitted for speaker tube. Mod hood as per signal. To Kala 15/4/43 ENDS

According to the inspection book i have BP910 became BP932 in March 1943. BP932 was w/o on the 10/3/1943, after crashing into a quarry. BP132 was cannibalized to give spares to BR166, the rest sent to the Gzira stadium. I dont know why they changed BP910 to BP932 as BP910 was not w/o? BP910 was brought from Luqa with a report of excessive vibration. After test the T/A was found U/S, and replaced. The final page of notes has a few interesting bits; "plating placed on f/u, replaced special fuel tanks, bottom tank found to ??? slack packing around straps used. fitted air intake cowling tropical. 6 plain spheres.Mod hood for escape as per signal. To Kala 15/4/43

It looks like three of the planes shown were at various times flown by George Beurling those being EP706, BR130, EP135. Indeed he may have been flying BR130 when it was shot up. Looking at the record it would appear that he was very lucky to have survived as there are many hits to cockpit and surrounding areas.

This shows the range of planes covered by an inspection book I have from 137 MU on Malta. There are over 300 pages of detailed hand written notes. Below is just an overview, I put together. Most a/c have 3-4 pages of notes per aircraft. Can any of you supply any details on the history or photos of the aircraft covered, as would be great and much appreciated. Please message me if you need more details on any the repairs on the a/c listed below. z2593 Hurricane 11 22/10/1941 17/11/1941 Kalafrana P4085 Swordfish 19/11/1941 Kalafrana BV167 Hurricane 24/11/1941 17/01/1941 Kalafrana Z2396 hurricane 29/11/1941 29/11/1941 Kalafrana BG769 hurricane 10/12/1941 12/12/1941 Kalafrana BG565 Hurricane 10/01/1942 Kalafrana BD791 Hurricane 16/01/1942 29/01/1942 Gzira Bullet hole front boom c/s Z3172 hurricane 29/01/1942 Gzira to 126 Squadron BG713 hurricane 25/01/1942 Gzira Flap indicator cable severed and IFF switch u/s, to Kala BG746 hurricane 02/02/1942 Gzira Z2698 hurricane 06/03/1941 Gzira Spinner and nose group holed BG562 hurricane Gzira 180 hrs inspection Z2396 hurricane Gzira 180 hrs inspection Z2678 hurricane Gzira flap c/s u/s BD791 hurricane 25/04/1942 Gzira dispatched to Zeru 1 (where was this?) Z3574 hurricane 19/04/1942 Gzira Damage shrapnel port side c/o BR328 Spitfire vc 18/06/1942 30/08/1942 Gzira A/c BR953 W/o to replace parts on BR328 BR953 Sptifire vc 18/06/1942 06/09/1941 Gzira A/C W/O and sent to Salvage Unit Stadium BR251 Spitfire vc 16/05/1942 08/06/1942 Gzira to 603 Squadron Takala BR300 Spitfire vc 19/05/1942 31/05/1942 Gzira to 603 Squadron Takala BP845 Spitfire vb 18/05/1942 13/06/1942 Gzira to 249 Squadron Takala BR131 Spitfire vc 19/05/1942 Jun-42 to Takala, A/C converted to a 5b, incorporated cocking device to convert a/c from 5c to 5b BP915 Spitfire PRU 28/05/1942 29/05/1942 To Luqa BR290 Spitfire vc 27/05/1942 22/09/1942 Carried out Mod for attach Bomb Racks, checks carried out by C/E M'Glegg, to Takala BR226 Spitfire vc 25/05/1942 30/05/1942 Sent to Ta-Kali by CPL Wilson a liaison officer BR194 Spitfire 5c 30/06/1942 04/07/1942 damage to lower members of engine frame, to 603 Squadron Takala BR119 Spitfire vc 01/08/1942 04/09/1942 handed over to CPL Beacroft BR293 Spitfire 5b 27/07/1942 elevator and rudder missing, windscreen damaged and fold f/u BR345 Spitfire 06/08/1942 damage to t/u BR377 Spitfire 5c 10/08/1942 taken over from CPL Carttering converted to 5b to suit main planes BR365 Spitfire 10/08/1942 Haywoods adapter (what's this?) missing, ... 16 minor holes to t/u EH?973 Spitfire 10/08/1942 Landed full and badly damaged m/p 12/08/1942 19/08/1942 Work suspended to f/u. Preparation of components for use squadrons during arrival convoy, made from u/s parts. BR293 26/08/1942 Sent to Takali 2/9/1942 BR345 Spitfire 25/09/1942 Local Mod Bomb Gear Fitted BR463 Spitfire 5c 01/09/1942 to takali 10/11/1942 BP845 Spitfire 5b 28/11/1942 a/c recovered to salvage BR377 Spitfire Local Mod Bomb Gear Fitted EH?973 Spitfire 06/09/1942 a/c w/o Removed to salvage stadium BR365 Spitfire 21/09/1942 Issued to Takali 14/10/1942 BR328 Spitfire vc 29/03/1942 A/c to no 9, then attached rear of BR953 , a/c sent to stadium as found not true. BR461 Spitfire vb 10/11/1942 carried out mod tx6393 dispatched to Muscats BR194 Spitfire 06/09/1942 13/10/1942 Report of lose of flying speed, 13/10/1942 23/10/1942 Suspended work on f/u to use as components likely to be required for staff, removed tail unit from a/c BR461 for use squadrons, removed rudder cables from BR461, Prepared T/A complete for squadron ............Normal work continued upon f/u 23/10/1942 BR194 Mod 650 local, to Takali 2/11/42 EP136 06/11/1942 a/c from Muscats returned to stadium report electrical failure 136 EP706 Spitfire 5b 23/10/1942 taken over from CPL Wilson BR130 Spitfire 5c 23/10/1942 a/c belly landed.... Armored cowling u/s , instrument panel u/s armored plate u/s a/c to Kala for completion BP961 Spitfire 23/10/1942 handed over to CPL Marsh EP?135 Spitfire 23/10/1942 29/11/1942 a/c w/o Removed to salvage stadium 6/12/1942 BG713 Hurricane 22/11/1942 A/C recovered from Kala for completion of inspection left off 25/1/42. A/c W/o engine bay removed for Z3590 and BG713 moved to stadium 6/12/1942 EP259 Spitfire 5b 26/10/1942 14/10/1942 A/C Belly landed. To Takali EP716 Spitfire 5b 30/10/1942 27/11/1942 a/c to Muscots for inspection BR529 Spitfire 5c 30/05/1942 27/11/1942 Crash landed, a/c converted back to original 5b EP706 Spitfire Possible strain wing attachments a/c sent to Kala 27/01/1943 EP712 Spitfire 5b 15/12/1942 A/c made a bounce with u/c down, possible extensive damage M/P BR565 Spitfire vc Converted to 5b, taken to Kala 9/3/1943 EP709 Spitfire 5b 27/12/1942 02/03/1942 converted a/f to 5c to suit available M/P, to Kala EP712 Spitfire Converted f/u to 5c, awaiting M/P EP887 Spitfire 5b 04/01/1943 04/02/1943 a/c bad landing tires burst, to kala ep313 Spitfire 5b 06/01/1943 a/c badly damaged by walls of pen falling upon, a/c w/o sent to stadium 20/1/1943 EP728 Spitfire 5b 06/01/1943 a/c ran into an obstruction BR166 Spitfire 5c 22/01/1943 Wings bombed and fuselage crumpled EP728 cont 22/03/1942 Converted back to 5c EP187 Spitfire 5b a/c damaged by wall falling upon T/A EP712 Converted to 5c, to Kala 25/3/1942 BP910 Spitfire PRU 08/03/1943 Excessive vibration reported BP932 Spitfire PRU 10/03/1943 SBD m/p torn away t/a u/s a/c crashed into quarry. a/c w/o to stadium 29/3/42 ep444 Spitfire 5b 13/03/1943 04/04/1943 Spar checked for truth found u/s, baulkhead from BR238 used. To Kala ep330 Spitfire 5b 16/03/1943 u/s f/u BR166 baulkhead from PRU to be placed on a/c444 and baulkhead from a/c328 to be removed and offered to a/c 666 AR464 Spitfire 5c 23/03/1943 Made as delivered for flight to M/E EP652 Spitfire 18/03/1942 13/04/1943 A/c made a heavy landing upon T/A BR591 5c 31/03/1943 16/04/1943 Crumpled M/P, taken over by Sgt Duffin by Flt Sgt Harres BR166 5c 24/04/1943 Converted to 5B, to Kala BP932 PRU Late no BP910, to Kala 15/4/1943 BR177 5c a/c shot up in action, shrapnel m/p and t/p, instructed to pack for transit Middle East BR330 ? 16/04/1943 Converted, instructed to pack F/u for transit Middle East

Trying to decipher is this a description of part of the Malta Bomb Mod? or something else. See https://plus.google.com/+StuartBeanCaptAhab/posts/TNmLJi4TKrRfor image Sequence of operation of Mod Remove aileron SBD remove inner and outer flap SBD first lower flap and joggle retaining slug of return jack. Remove 1/4 bolt and SBD riser and ???? rod aileron. Remove B????? Remover aileron flap. Drill hole 5/8 3" Rear of second electrical fitting F/U. Remover seat Pass cable through F/U through rear of electrical cable. Drill holes 1/2" 9" from F/U rear and clear gun heater pipes at root end M/P. Pass cable through lightning holes and drill holes through solid riffiles? Pass cable through rear eigty? hole under jack flap and affix bracket over top of control aileron cables and through small lightning holes end of flap. Recover out to size? Use rubber on all holes made. Use of clips to tails? of slack cable round to no 12 rib. Between guns Remove two panels for ease. Cover plate and attachment plate supplied. Cut out to size holes, affix bracket use two paddy pliers?. Use wooden block for position of bolt holes for mast holes made in Plate? case? for position of block?

Graham, It is my Grand fathers inspection book, I am in the process of trying to transpose it. See https://plus.google.com/102912553915876287408/posts/Cn8N4pgTwBpwhich is the start and shows pics of EP187, (with vc wings?). He must have been invited to the show as his team had prepared her. From what I have read he was part of a group that repaired really damaged a/c and often cannibalized bits, bringing two or three planes together. There is an immense amount of detail on 300 pages, but I cant read it all and don't know many of the acronyms. But loads on local mods,and details I think of how they ran the bomb mod cables through the wings.

On Malta it appears to have happened with BR565 becoming a 5b, ep709 a 5c to "suit available m/p" EP728 became a 5c as did EP712, and ep187 a vb that became a 5c. EP 187 is described in my book as the Show kite and featured in the celebration of the island shown to the people of Malta by Sir Keith Park. see http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205209064