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ASR Spitfires revisited


Peter Roberts

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Halley's Squadrons of the RAF has a photo of AD562 MY.V of 278 Sqdn captioned as a IIa but it looks VB ish to me, haven't checked vs the serial yet. Codes could be Sky or Yellow but there is an Anson MY.something also shown with codes that look red!

Ross

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One of the mods on the ASR Spitfires was a rack, or racks, for smoke marker bombs (some souces state under port wing only, others under both wings?)

Are there any photos of these racks around? Perhaps attached to other aircraft, Defiants or Walruses? Google hasn't helped, and my references are light on in this area

PR

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It's a pretty safe bet that these will have been the standard RAF Light Stores Carrier, as produced by Airfix for their Swordfish, unavoidably a bit blocky however. Someone was setting out to produce etched brass examples, which will be fiddly but more representative. I don't know how that has progressed - look back through the threads dealing with the Vildebeeste, perhaps? You'll find photographs of them under midwar biplanes, but also on Lysanders and under the fuselage of Blenheims aft of the bombbay. They were also fitted to the first desert Hurribombers.

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On 7/8/2013 at 11:08 PM, Graham Boak said:

It's a pretty safe bet that these will have been the standard RAF Light Stores Carrier, as produced by Airfix for their Swordfish, unavoidably a bit blocky however. Someone was setting out to produce etched brass examples, which will be fiddly but more representative. I don't know how that has progressed - look back through the threads dealing with the Vildebeeste, perhaps? You'll find photographs of them under midwar biplanes, but also on Lysanders and under the fuselage of Blenheims aft of the bombbay. They were also fitted to the first desert Hurribombers.

They did appear, produced by a small Czech or Polish concern (named Marabu something like Kara, IIRC?). The manufacturer posted photos of them in response to my post, now apparently no longer accessible, pointing out the aftermarket opportunity the necessarily rather chunky Swordfish items represented. They looked excellent but, with the number of minuscule pieces, I could hear the carpet monster licking his lips!

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MUDM72011?result-token=bfr2B

Edited by Seahawk
To add name of manufacturer and link to product.
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One of the mods on the ASR Spitfires was a rack, or racks, for smoke marker bombs (some souces state under port wing only, others under both wings?)

Are there any photos of these racks around? Perhaps attached to other aircraft, Defiants or Walruses? Google hasn't helped, and my references are light on in this area

PR

Hi

One rack carrying two small marker smoke bombs ",under the port wing root, inboard of the oil cooler".

cheers

Jerry

some of the details can be made out in the photos

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Spitfire/Spitfire/images/Spitfire-FMkIIC-RAF-276-ASR-Sqn-AQ-C-P8131-Warmwell-Dorset-Apr-1943-01.jpg

http://www.luchtoorlog.be/img/spit_i/aqc2.jpg

http://www.luchtoorlog.be/img/spit_i/aqc.jpg

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Graham, Seahawk and Jerry, thank you, appreciate the leads

I figured they were probably a standard item, but wasnt sure which aircraft would have carried them.

I'll do a bit more searching,

PR

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Hi all, I've added "Date to squadron" and some points of interest, as well as collected code information from other posts on the thread. Please note, as I stated before, that my deductions of IIa (which they are unless noted) versus IIb differ from other sources, but are the result of careful analysis.

Note: Post 16 correctly says that Spit the Hist indicates P8325 was with 275 Sqn, but Air Britain gives it as 276. I think this is an error on Spit the Hist's part.

bob


276S Type Date to Code Other comments

P7366 05/05/1943 FNoU per link post 23 (prior squadron?)

P7616 28/04/1943 DLoB, FNoT per link post 23 (prior squadrons?)

P7732 (to Va?) 18/01/1944

P8013 14/09/1943 X per post 34

P8082 13/07/1943

P8131 30/04/1943 C per post 8 and photos

P8253 13/01/1943

P8667 29/12/1943 AQoI post 10

P8674 29/12/1943 J per post 8 lost 8/6/43

P8727 (to Va?) 13/07/1943 AQoO post 10 (early civil ‘Josephine’)

P8232 (IIb) 14/05/1943 shot down 31/8/43

P8265 (IIb) 29/12/1942 11/2/43 accident, w/o

P8325 (IIb) 05/05/1943

P8521 (IIb) 16/05/1943

P8565 (IIb) 03/12/1942 H per post 8

P8584 (IIb) 10/05/1943

277S

P7321 15/01/1943 lost or Cat.E 28/9/43

P7325 31/12/1943

P7359 04/05/1943

P7376 21/12/1942

P7490 09/01/1943

P7605 16/01/1943 G per post 8

P7628 19/04/1943

P7673 14/01/1943

P7734 18/12/1942

P7775 29/12/1943

P7818 30/01/1943

P7836 20/03/1943 to 57OTU 27/3

P7838 21/12/1942

P7858 24/01/1943

P7889 24/01/1943 to 61OTU 22/2

P7911 03/05/1943

P7915 10/01/1943 to 53OTU 14/1?

P7917 14/01/1944

P7918 29/01/1943 to 57OTU 1/2

P7994 09/02/1943 FTR 25/11/43

P8020 14/09/1943

P8022 22/12/1942

P8030 11/02/1943

P8032 02/02/1943

P8072 21/07/1943

P8079 02/02/1943

P8096 09/04/1943

P8179 31/01/1943 BAoT per post 6 to FLS 13/3

P8203 29/12/1942

P8261 29/12/1942

P8271 07/01/1943 to 53OTU 14/1?

P8274 11/01/1943 2 accidents, then to 53OTU (date unknown)

P8375 20/12/1942

P8431 14/01/1943 to 57OTU 1/2?

P8432 31/12/1943 to RAF Comm Flt Heston 11/2/44

P8441 28/01/1943 R per post 8

P8479 09/01/1943 damaged 23/4/43

P8322 (IIb) 31/3/43?

P8324 (IIb to Vb) 10/02/1944

P8509 (IIb) 21/12/1942 1/4/43 dam, but repaired on site?

Edited by gingerbob
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According to AB P1000-P9999

P8013 276 Sqn SOC 25.7.44

agrees with airhistory.org.uk:

P8013 276S 14-9-1943 AST CB 28-5-1944 recat E 25-7- 1944

So that gives us spitfire IIa P8013 'AQ-X'

Regards,

Alex

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  • 3 years later...

I've been researching Dad's flying record from his log with particular reference to his Spitfire hours.

So I was very excited to pick up this thread on 277 SQN where Dad spent most of the war ending up as AOC at Shoreham until the end of 1944 when he transferred to Typhoons on 184 SQN.

I have a photo of him in the cockpit of BA-G and was keen to identify the Spit. Many thanks for solving the mystery and identifying it as Mk 11c P7605.

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Glad there's some links to members families and certainly glad this thread's still around wonder if there's been any more ASR spitfires identified since 2013...

Edited by Rafwaffe
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  • 1 year later...

I was looking for information about the ASR Spitfires and was recommended this thread. It is great.

I tried to collect it all in a list and got this:

 

P7321    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7325    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7359    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7366    276 Sqn    Mk.IIa            
P7376    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7490    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7605    277 Sqn    Mk.II     BA-G        
P7616    276 Sqn                
P7628    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7673    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7732    276 Sqn    Mk.II            (to Va?)
P7734    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7775    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7818    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7836    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7838    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7858    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7889    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7911    277 Sqn                
P7915    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7917    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7918    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P7994    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8013    276 Sqn    Mk.IIa    AQ-X        
P8020    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8022    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8030    277 Sqn    Mk.IIa            
P8032    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8072    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8079    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8082    276 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8096    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8131    276 Sqn    Mk.IIa     AQ-C        
P8179    277 Sqn    Mk.IIa     BA-T        R6719 ???????????????
P8203    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8232    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8253    276 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8261    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8265    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8271    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8274    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8322    277 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8324    277 Sqn    Mk.IIb            (IIb to Vb)
P8325    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8375    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8431    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8432    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8441    277 Sqn   Mk.II       BA-R        
P8479    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8509    277 Sqn    Mk.II            
P8521    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8565    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb    AQ-H        Vb ???
P8584    276 Sqn    Mk.IIb            
P8667    276 Sqn    Mk.II      AQ-I        
P8674    276 Sqn    Mk.IIc     AQ-J        
P8705    277 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-C        
P8727    276 Sqn    Mk.Vb     AQ-O    EN841    (con to MkV, then to IIC) (to Va?)


             276 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-E    BL379     
             276 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-I    BL933     
             276 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-L    BM474     
             277 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-U    BL591    
             277 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-Z    AD366    
             277 Sqn    Mk.Vb     BA-Z    BM570     
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-N   W3948     
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-P    R6965      Mk.Ia ???
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-Q   BL376     
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-T   AB981    
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-U   W3893     
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-V   AD562 
             278 Sqn    Mk.Vb     MY-Y   BM418     
             275 Sqn    Mk.Vb                BL294    
             275 Sqn    Mk.Vb                BM448    
             276 Sqn    Mk.Vb                BL495    
             276 Sqn    Mk.Vb                BM414    

 

There are some question marks and the entries at the end should fit in with te P-numbers i guess or were they outside this number series?.

I hope it will be readable as the forum format doesn't seem to like lists

Edited by Orso
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  • 3 years later...

A bit of a rebirth of this subject.

 

Im looking for codes of Spitfire VB W3330 and i have its history all the way through to:

 

 

275 Squadron 4.8 44

 

and 

 

278 Squadron 18.8.44    she was repaired on base on 11.6.44

 

she was the presentation Spitfire 'VECTIS' to 92 Squadron in July 1941 followed by

611 squadron

242 Squadron

222 Squadron

65 Squadron

130 Squadron

349 Squadron 

 

 

I'd be really interested in any codes from QJ until her ASR Roles

 

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Kevin Barclay-Jay said:

A bit of a rebirth of this subject.

 

Im looking for codes of Spitfire VB W3330 and i have its history all the way through to:

 

 

275 Squadron 4.8 44

 

and 

 

278 Squadron 18.8.44    she was repaired on base on 11.6.44

 

she was the presentation Spitfire 'VECTIS' to 92 Squadron in July 1941 followed by

611 squadron

242 Squadron

222 Squadron

65 Squadron

130 Squadron

349 Squadron 

 

 

I'd be really interested in any codes from QJ until her ASR Roles

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately no code details in 'Gifts of War' but there is a photo with the name 'Vectis' (Roman name for the Isle of Wight) in script over a map of the Isle of Wight. (p. 317)

 

 

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6 hours ago, Kevin Barclay-Jay said:

I'm from the Isle of Wight and my investigation stems from an article I am writing. 

 

Is there a context to the picture? 

Nothing noted in the caption with the picture, but details from the entry state that the Mk Vb was presented from a donation of 6,285 pounds by the Isle of Wight Spitfire Fund in November 1940, and was taken on charge at No. 8 Mtce Unit at Little Rissington on 28 May 1941. Looks like you may have the rest of the info, although there is reference to Sgt J O Carpenter (92 Sqn) claiming a Bf 109E probably destroyed near Bailleul on 19 July, and being damaged on 21 August while being flown by P/O P L Archer and sent to Air Services Training at Hamble on 23 August for repair. A further note that it was damaged on 16 March 1942 when it struck a totem pole while being flown by Sgt C L B Janes on approach to landing returning from a scramble, and was repaired on site. Perhaps a further entry worth mentioning is that while serving with 278 Sqn, it was damaged on 7 June 1944 when W/O J H Beattie overshot landing at Warmwell and the undercarriage collapsed; it was subsequently repaired on site. It was ultimately struck off charge on 20 February 1945 - a very long service life with numerous episodes of repair.

 

HTH

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That expands stuff that I found a lot.. As a hiding to nothing I think I've identified 16 of the QJ codes with 8 series unallocated.. But of course some of those might be recoded on new planes.. A fair few are upgraded MK 1bs

 

I might just have to guess avoiding the ones I know. 

 

It also had a fuel system upgrade at Vickers before going to an ASR squadron.  They were doing fuel system upgrades to Seafires at the time, so it may have been a similar upgrade

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Hi

   thread on the basta fuel system mod 

 

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234983425-spitfire-basta-mod-what-exactly-was-it/

 

 

cheers

  jerry

Edited by brewerjerry
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