wellsprop Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) Hi,I have a particular interest in the Spitfire XIVe RV (low back). I'm looking for the serials and codes of XIVs in Europe during the war.I've already made three XIVs from the continent;MV268 JEJNH745 EB-V andMV263 GCKI have the osprey aircraft of the aces book which says they are two more that were on the continent NH915 EB H and MV260 EB Q. These are the only two I know of however NH915 didn't arrive till post VE Day according to the production list (just found out that NH915 was in Germany before VE day).Anyone know of any others?Regards,Ben. Edited January 25, 2015 by wellsprop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 You can add MV348 "S" of 414 (Canadian" Sqn. There's a picture of this in Bracken's "Spitfire, the Canadians" dated April 1945. This is consistent with the details for this aircraft in the History, that have MV348 delivered in the same month to the unit 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPL Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 If decals and 1:48: Aviaeology AOD48009 Canadians in Fighter Command 2: RCAF FR Spitfires (I believe it is also available from Hannants in 1:72) NPL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 I don't suppose anyone knows the codes for XIVe EB-N? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I don't suppose anyone knows the codes for XIVe EB-N? The code for EB-N is err....................... EB-N! I assume you mean the serial No? Selwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 The code for EB-N is err....................... EB-N! I assume you mean the serial No? Selwyn I do, oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRK4m Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 And what about teardrop-canopy Mk XIV in SEAC - were any of them delivered to the operational units before the VJ day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 No Mk.XIVs saw operations in SEAC in WW2, of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I can't think of any but I'll have a look through my 2nd TAF volumes. There are lists of aircraft with serials and codes that may reveal your EB-N. We're talking Europe/ 2nd. TAF. Not SEAC by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (just found out that NH915 was in Germany before VE day).Yes, it was, and Fl/Lt Derek Rake shot down 41 Squadron's 200th (and final) enemy aircraft in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) We're talking Europe/ 2nd. TAF. Not SEAC by the way. You are indeed, though the title of the threat is less specific. However, the question about SEAC is posed in #7 and deserved an answer. Fortunately a very short digression. Edited February 17, 2015 by Graham Boak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Interesting- I guess I failed to examine the comment about NH915 before. The individual history (as given in Spit the Hist) says it went to 41 Sqn 12-7, but that 7 could easily have been a mis-read handwritten 4. (This aircraft went on to 416 Squadron in September '45 when 41 handed off their XIVs to convert to Tempests.) bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 wellsprop....EB*N was a high-back with the serial SM820.. It went on to serve with 416 Sqn John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 wellsprop....EB*N was a high-back with the serial SM820.. It went on to serve with 416 Sqn John Cheers John! Interesting.. I assumed it was a low back, especially given this painting. Obviously, a piece of artwork as a source is unreliable, I do wonder where he got his information/mis-information. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Ermm, nothing to say that one serial was one letter for its entire career with a unit- it is possible that there were different 'N's at different times. On the other hand, John may know in more detail (or with more precision) than what he said here, and I'd love to hear the excruciating detail. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi Ben, The painting may reflect an earlier a/c. SM820 didn't arrive onto 416 Sqn until September '45. All indications are that the 41 Sqn individual code letters were kept with only the sqn codes changing. You have listed NH745 as EB-V but there was as later 'V' with the serial of NH832 (also a low-back). John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Roberts Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Ben, with regards your original post, I have MV260 as EB-P (from a photo) - not to say it wasn't EB-Q at one stage though, as you have written. I have MV264 as an EB-Q (also from a photo). Both are low back Spit Mk XIVs. PR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 The painting may reflect an earlier a/c. SM820 didn't arrive onto 416 Sqn until September '45. All indications are that the 41 Sqn individual code letters were kept with only the sqn codes changing. You have listed NH745 as EB-V but there was as later 'V' with the serial of NH832 (also a low-back). NH745 struck an object on takeoff 16 April '45 and was not repaired. NH832 is given as joining 41 Squadron "12-7", like NH915. So if it in fact joined 12 April, it would have been well positioned to become the new 'V'. SM823 actually IS recorded as joining on 12 April. (Also supposedly joining on "12-7" are high-backs NH692 and NH715- any evidence of them being on the squadron from 12 April?) All of these aircraft that came on 12 April and/or July were passed on to 416 Squadron, which had been on the Spit XVI until being handed 41's XIVs in September. No surprise that the individual letters were retained- they'd have been busy enough painting on the new squadron letters (from EB to DN). bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Cheers guys, Wish I had more access to resources (as well as time and money) for researching this sort of stuff haha! Squadron codes and serials seem to get very mixed Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Digging up an old thread here and possibly answering my own question from 7 years ago (I was still in 6th form then!)... From 41 Squadrons records from 1st May 1945, ref AIR 27/426/32 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8457156 P Cowell and W Jallands flew 2 sorties on this day, the first P Cowell was in SM820 and W Jallands NH692. For the second, Cowell was in NH915 and Jallands again in NH692. The information with the painting suggests the engagement between 41 Sqn and the 190's was around 1PM, from AIR 27/426/32, we know that the first sortie landed at 13:25 (the second sortie was much later between 19:30 and 21:20. Therefore, Cowell was flying SM820 at the time of the engagement. NH915 certainly was a low back, I assume NH692 was too. This thread has subsequently been referenced over on keyaero where SM845 has been identified as a low back and SM820 has already been identified here as a high back. I have subsequently found the following low back XIVs (only the FR versions would have had clipped wings); MV260 EB-P MV264 EB-Q NH915 EB-H MV257 JEJ (post war) MV348 S (FR) NH903 VC-P (FR) NH648 P (FR) and, from earlier in the thread; MV268 JEJ NH745 EB-V MV263 GCK JEFF All of these, except where noted, were operational before VE day. At some point, I'll get round to going through 41 Sqns records to work out all the aircraft they had and which were low back Spitfires. Ben 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Here's a list that I'm compiling of the Spit XIVe's operated by 402 Squadron (RCAF) prior to the end of the war ... 402 Squadron Spitfire Mk XIVe's, 1944 & 1945 (from various sources) XIVe (unsure as to variant) RN126 AE*M Flt Ldr D.R. Drummond (believed to be highback) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mk XIVe (Highback) RM727 AE*P F/L H. Cowan, Heesch, March 1945 RN119 AE*J Flt Off C.B. MacConnell, Shot down a Ju 88 on 19 April 1945, while based at Wunstorf, Germany. RM933 AE*T Sqn Ldr D.C. Gordon, Wunstorf, Germany, April, 1945 also S/L Laubman (shot down by flak 14/04/45 - S/L Laubman POW) RM687 AE*G F/S W.G. Austin (Maple leaf, lower invasion stripes) also F/O E.A. Kean RM682 AE*K Sqn Ldr L.A. Moore, Heesch, Feb 1945 RM683 AE*N Sqn Ldr W.G. Dodd, Hawkinge, Aug 1944 RM651 AE*Y F/O T.B. Lee claimed a Fw190 flying this a/c on 20 Apr 1945. RM862 AE*K Flt Lt K.S. Sleep, Heesch, Feb 1945 RM875 AE*H Flt Off H.K. Nicholson, Heesch, March 1945 RM804 AE*E Flt Off R.W. Lawson , Heesch, March 1945 NH703 AE*B Flt Off C.B. MacConnell, ('Emily') -------------------------------------------------------------------------- F XIVe (Bubbletop, full span wings, no camera) NH744 AE*Z S/L Laubman , Rheine, Germany,April, 1945 (shot down by flak 14/04/45 - S/L Laubman POW) MV252 AE*Q Flt Lt M.V. Knight, Wunstorf, Germany, April, 1945 MV256 AE*K - CO's a/c (White rudder) - S/L Gordon MV258 AE* ? - shot down by flak 25/03/45 - S/L Moore KIA MV265 AE*I MV263 *JEFF Wing Com G.W. Northcott, Sept, 1945 --------------------------------------------------------------- FR XIVe (Bubbletop, clipped wings, with camera) MV310 AE*C Sqn Ldr Gordon, Wunstorf, Germany, May, 1945 NH905 AE*N My attempt ... 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncarina Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 Just resurrecting this thread to see if any of you have photos of DC Gordons MV256 bubbletop with the white rudder. Any evidence is much appreciated! Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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