M20gull

The Operation Record Book shows Gray ferried EN190 out and EN520 in on 14 April. The squadron flew to Malta on 4-6-1943. The 1-7-1943 date on the aircraft history is probably a census date.

They do have dual controls. I went up in the back of MJ627 with TE308 flying alongside. It was every bit as amazing as it sounds.

There is a production list updated here http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/home.html

Ancestry.com suggests 1987 as a possible https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/203734937/walter-allan_grenville-conrad

Just to clarify. I looked up JF476 which is the serial in the profile, not JF467. 467 does operate from Lentini with 145Sq for about a week.

First appears in the ORB on 14th Sept on the day they leave Sicily, probably one of the batch of 10 that arrive for acceptance testing between 9th and 13tth. Timing suggests that the op would have been after flying to Grottaglie. So probably flown in Sicily but not operationally.

A quick scan through the Operation Record Books is not much help. Waddy used EP401 on three ops, two of them successful. There is no mention of tanks during his period with 92 other than one for another pilot who had trouble on a ferry flight with "overload tanks". The ops were 90, 75 and 95 minutes long, I have no idea whether that warrants a slipper tank.

Beaten to it! Supposedly three aircraft were pulled from the production line for the SS flight, so I did wonder whether it was deliberate.

BS271 and BS273 were also mis-serialled as BF. They were corrected later when they passed to squadrons from the Northolt SS flight. I think I read that parts were marked but only with the three digits.

That probably wasn't the right way to embed the link. The 2 SAAF ORB does suggest that MGs were carried sometimes with the 4 cannon setup. This is with a reduced number of rounds, presumably for weight saving. Edit: I had another look and most of the time the 4 cannon aircraft only carry 20mm ammo. I have noticed that at least one of the references to a Vc should be a VIII. The linked photos do look like they have canvas patches.

Just watched a YouTube video on Seafires where a pilot says they bought loads of furniture polish to shine the leading edges!

441 Squadron replace 611 on 31 Dec 44 and use VIIs in February and March 1945 but there are no details beyond the number of non-operational hours, 2 and 23 respectively.

I have been wandering through squadron ORBs for Skeabrae (looking for confirmation one way or the other as to whether the VIIs were modified) and in December 1944 the then-resident 611 Squadron make a number of flights in Mk VIIs. When they are flying IXs they give the serials but for the VIIs just the aircraft codes: KS-G, KS-X , KS-Y and ?A-B. The last one looks like EA-B but is a bit unclear; 611 should have been using FY-. G and Y are letters used earlier with the DU- reference. I'll keep looking.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235091216-colour-of-spitfire-mk-1-fuel-tank-filler/ i don’t think this came to a conclusion but I’ve not re-read it to check

I have experience. It was an interesting one. Mostly despair but definitely interesting

To follow this up I note that DK Decals have MB763 as KS-Z in their 313 Squadron set. This plane was damaged at Skeabrae in July 1944 when 313 Squadron were based there. Is there a photo of DU codes on VIIs other than MD114?

I think they also used the ‘clipped, clapped and cropped’ (their words) Vbs left behind by 453. Clostemann’s book describes the fun-filled train trip they had to get to the Orkneys! MD114 (corrected from my erroneous 118) arrives at Skeabrae while 602 are there and is used by them at least once.

I had a look at 602 and nothing, I also went back over 453 who were there from October 1943 and nothing. Where the VIIs are used by 453 it gives the aircraft letter but no squadron code; G=MB765, Y=MB828, Z=MB763

and a bit more on Reynolds on this link detailing his aviation experience before reaching 103 MU

Like others this is my feeling too. It must have been glorious on first flight after the Vs. I've bashed a couple of very crude XIIs just to keep them in the cabinet with all the other Spitfires but they are not my finest hour. I would love a better kit but I cannot see me buying more than a couple. XIVs on the other hand...

Q1 Are there any other flights that I have missed? I now wonder whether I have overlooked some modified SHFs hiding in plain sight on this topic! I think when this first came up I convinced myself that the modification was just a paint scheme as the planes were used for low level work in Corsica. Obviously the high altitude scheme makes no tactical sense in that scenario. 451's ORBs during this period are pretty hard to read in the digital versions but I reckon that the IXs were used in Egypt early in 1944 for interceptions before the move to Corsica. Then the possibility of modifications for high altitude work make more sense, along with the tropical filter and the high altitude scheme. This topic includes a photo showing a line of 451 IXs and I can see four that have the red/blue fin stripes. The nearest, MA466, is well represented in modelling. I suppose that MH324 (seen in a photo on this post) could be another. It was MH324 that prompted this rethink as the photo appears in this video described as "modified high-altitude Spitifirt Mk IX". (thank you to whoever pointed me in the direction of this video)

Q12 Is there any more biography for Reynolds or Gold? I've had a bit of progress on Arthur George William Gold. I have updated a biography on allspitfirepilots : https://allspitfirepilots.org/pilots/3069-arthur-gold which relies heavily on this link together with some input from Ancestry.

Q7. Were the Ju86s in the Middle East R1s or P2s? My previous comment "I think they were probably R1s given the ceiling they were able to keep. That might also explain why they were hard to identify." This link on weaponsandwarfare.com suggests that the answer is probably "both". Initially 4 86s were transferred to Crete in June 1942 which would be P2s. This core group was gradually whittled down to zero by Sept 1943 (according to this link).. Two more 86s arrived in April 1944 which could well have been the R1s. The weaponsandwarfare page is not consistent about the types. This RS Models kit has the P2 4U+1K which was (according to this link) the aircraft shot down in July 1943. And there's one avaiable on eBay! Normally I only model Spitfires but I have previously made an exception for a V1... No, there's not room in my display cabinet.

I have a 1954 English version and the wording is the same as you have quoted here. “VIIs” and “109G”

The Pierre Clostermann topic prompted me to do some more looking at Mk VIIs. “The Big Show” claims that when they arrived in the Orkneys 602’s fitters removed the machine guns leaving only the cannons, which is consistent with the suggestion referenced by Alfred Price (my question 11). Of course Price may have been relying on Clostemann’s account, though we know how reliable some of that detail is. When 602 arrive at Skeabrae in January 1944 the station has four VIIs allocated. Three early ones (MB763, MB765 and MB828) which arrived in August and were initially allocated to 312 Squadron but get transferred to the station flight on 8 November. The fourth is the photographed MD114. The photo of MD114 is from behind so it is not possible to confirm either way but of course it could be from before 602’s arrival. Three more are added during February and March: MD118, MD122 and MD138. And to contradict it, Blair’s account here confirms the use of 0.303” rounds. So still an open question. I’m glad I looked at this as it prompted me with something obvious. SF stands for Station Flight so aircraft allocated to “SF Northolt” does not necessarily indicate anything special.