Johnny Kent's Spitfire Mk.Vb - photo needed

[DominikS]

Hi

I'm currently looking for any photos of J.Kent's Spitfire Mk.Vb which he used when he was the Wing Commander in Northolt. I've already searched in all my books about Spitfires but with no result. Can anyone help?

TIA

Dominik

[NPL]

Hi

I'm currently looking for any photos of J.Kent's Spitfire Mk.Vb which he used when he was the Wing Commander in Northolt. I've already searched in all my books about Spitfires but with no result. Can anyone help?

TIA

Dominik

Watermark Decals 48001 has one foto. Small and not too god, but it is there.

NP

[adlersieg]

Watermark Decals 48001 has one foto. Small and not too god, but it is there.

NP

Watermark provides decals for mk.I J-AK (AB 790) but not for Vb

[JackG]

I must have a reprint version of the Watermark decal set. Serial AB790 is detailed as a Vb and the Spitfire production page also has it listed as such. The photo supplied with the instructions is a completely different aircraft and has the Polish fuselage codes 'ZF'.

A b/w image search on google comes up empty. In colour though, you will find numerous images of built up models, colour profiles and decals. If an actual photo of this subject exists, the owner is keeping it well hidden.

Interesting side note, I've found two killboard listings for Johnny Kent, and none of his scores were obtained while flying a Vb.

http://ww2aces.e-monsite.com/pages/royaume...ander-kent.html

http://www.cieldegloire.com/003_kent_j_a.php

regards,

Jack

Edited May 25, 2012 by JackG

[brewerjerry]

Watermark provides decals for mk.I J-AK (AB 790) but not for Vb

Hi

AB790 is a VB spitfire.

somewhere I recall seeing a photo in a polish book, but I can't remember where .....

cheers

Jerry

AB790 Vb CBAF M45 8MU 31-7-41 452S 5-8-41 308S 1-4-42 engine failed wheels up landing Everidge Kent CE 16-4-42 ASTH SOC 38MU 13-4-43 VASM 21-4-43 fuel syst mods wing stiff 504S 29-6-43 165S 1-7-43 308S 10-10-43 FACB 6-3-44 Basta mods 130S 22-6-44 53OTU 15-8-44 FAAC 8-2-45 ros Braked hard after landing and tipped up Hibaldstow 6-5-45 recat E SOC 25-5-45

http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/_prodn%20list.txt

Edited May 25, 2012 by brewerjerry

[rossm]

There's a 5-view colour drawing of Vb AB790 J.AK used by J.Kent when Wing Leader at Northolt in the old Profile (no.166) but no photo to back it up,

Ross

Edited May 26, 2012 by rossm

[Rudolph]

Here is another profile of this plane:

Better than nothing - I hope.

Rudolph, Denmark

[DominikS]

Hi

Thanks for all answers. It's strange that there's no photo. The profiles shown by Rudolph I've already seen (Rudolph thank you). I hope one day someone finds the photo.

So I have to build the plane basing on profiles.

BTW, have you noticed that Model Alliance released decals with Sky letters instead of Medium Sea Grey for Kent's Spitfire?

[303sqn]

I discovered this by accident while searching for related material. On the grounds of better late than never, if you are still there then I will explain the actual facts about Kent's Spitfires in the summer of 1941.

There is no photograph. The reason is that AB790 is a fiction, a fantasy, a fraud, an invention, call it what you like. It is an early example of making things up and presenting them as fact. It is the imaginings someone that new nothing.

Any serious historian will tell you that it is impossible for Kent to have flown this Spitfire in June 1941, it did not exist at that time. The Northolt wing was equipped with Spitfire Mk IIs in the summer of 1941 and did not receive its first Mk V until September, well after Kent left. Kent did not use his initials at Northolt, he used RF*J as his personal code, and for two weeks after he moved to Kenley.

When Kent took over the Polish Wing at Northolt on 3^rd June 1941 he was allocated Spitfire Mk IIb P8189. This was technically on charge with 303 Squadron and they maintained it. Instead of marking it with his initials he chose RF*J, his 'lucky' codes that he used when he was with 303 Squadron. He first flew P8189 on 1th June and on 21^st June during Circus 16 he destroyed a Bf 109 with it. That was the only time he flew P8189 on operations. On 22^nd June, as part of Circus 18, it was being flown by Sgt Szlagowski when it was involved in a mid-air collision with Mk IIb P8334 RF*E flown by Maciej Lipiński. Both made it back to base and were sent for repair and later served with 306 Squadron. P8189 as UZ*G with which Sgt Wawrzyyniec Jasiński claimed a BF 109 destroyed on 16^th August. P8334 was transferred to 306 Squadron on 13 July coded UZ*E. On 23^rd July it and F/O Janusz Kosmowski failed to return from Circus 59.

For a week Kent flew a number of 303 Squadron Spitfires before adopting newly arrived Mk IIb P8518 also coded RF*J. Kent scored two victories at Northolt with P8518, Bf 109 destroyed Circus 31 3^rd July and Bf 109 destroyed Circus 53 20^th July. In July 303 Squadron left Northolt passing their aircraft to the incoming 308 squadron who took over responsibility for P8518.

On 2^nd August Kent was posted to the Kenley Wing taking P8518 with him and flew it there still with the RF*J codes and scoring a Bf 109 destroyed with it on 7^th August. On 16^th August it was flown by Sgt Archibald Stuart of 452 Squadron who scored a Bf 109 destroyed. However, P8518 remained the property of 308 Squadron and it had to go back. On 18^th August Kent wrote in his log book: “Returning good old RF J to 308 Squadron at Northolt. Damn sorry to lose that aeroplane, it was a beauty”. On return it was recoded with 308 squadron ZF codes and flown by S/Ldr Marian Pisarek.

As for AB790. It was TOC (taken on charge) at 8 MU on the last day of July 1941. From there is was allocated to 452 Squadron at Kenley on 5^th August, three days after Kent's transfer. On 16^th August Kent scored a Bf 109 with it. Nothing is known of how it was coded. There is no evidence, documentary or photographic, of how it looked.

Aerial victories officially credited to Kent.

09/09/40 1-0-0 Bf 110 Hurricane I V6665 RF-J 303 Squadron

0-1-0 Ju 88

23/09/40 1-0-0 Bf 109 Hurricane I V6681 RF-B 303 Squadron

0-1-0 Potez

27/09/40 1-0-0 Ju 88 Hurricane I V6684 RF-F 303 Squadron

01/10/40 1-1-0 Bf 109 Hurricane I V6681 RF-B 303 Squadron

01/11/40 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire I X4606 QJ-_ 92 Squadron

02/11/40 2-1-0 Bf 109 Spitfire I X4606 QJ-_ 92 Squadron

21/06/41 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire IIb P8189 RF-J Northolt Wing

03/07/41 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire IIb P8518 RF-J Northolt Wing

20/07/41 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire IIb P8518 RF-J Northolt Wing

07/08/41 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire IIb P8518 RF-J Kenley Wing

16/08/41 1-0-0 Bf 109 Spitfire Vb AB790__-_ Kenley Wing

25/01/43 0-0-1 Ju 88 Hurricane ______DG-H 17 Sector

[NPL]

if there are no fotos, then there must be descriptions of the plane, or do we have a case that some producer of decals "invented" the plane, and was copied many times by other manufacturers?

[303sqn]

The earliest appearance that I know of is in the Profile Publications series back in the sixties. If there is an earlier version I have never come across it. Since then it has been copied by people who do not question things. If there is a description of it then I have not come across that either. So unless we can find out who is the inventor, and ask them what it is based on, any explanation is speculation. My own feeling is that it might be derived from some private communication, verbal or written, that has been confused with AB790. Perhaps a Spitfire that Kent 'owned' later in his career when in a non-operational post, station commander or something like that. It is highly unlikely that Kent is the source as I don't see him being confused about what he flew at Northolt. One thing for certain, It would not have been very long before AB790 would have been repainted in the Day Fighter Scheme.

[Edgar]

According to "Combat Codes," JAK is only listed as being applied to Kent's 1945 Typhoon RN431, 1946 Tempest V NV708, and two Meteor 8s WH480 & WK731 in 1954.

[303sqn]

Combat Codes does list, in my copy anyway, JAK as used by Kent as OC Polish Wing, Northolt on Spitfire AB790 in 1941. Obviously impossible as AB790 was not around during the time that Kent was at Northolt.

The entries for the Typhoon and Tempest are also obvious errors as they have Kent as Wing Commander Flying 123 Wing, a position he never held. Kent returned to the UK from the Mediterranean in mid-1944 and then commanded No 3 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit. In 1945 he completed a RAF Staff College course and and then served at Headquarters British Air Forces of Occupation.

RN431 and NV708 belonged to W/Cdr J C Button and were coded with his initials JCB.

There is a similar error for Skalski WCF 133 Wing Spifire IX RK853. 133 Wing were the Polish Mustang Wing and Skalski's aircraft was Mustang III FZ152. RK853 was the aircraft of Sampson, both used SS.