Spitfire MKIXc BS227. FU*U.

[Rick Brown]

Oh eck!

So, was MH434 fitted with both cannon AND stub or not? And the larger bulged cover?

 

Rick.

[Mark12]

On 2/27/2017 at 11:40 AM, gingerbob said:

 

 

 

On 2/27/2017 at 11:40 AM, gingerbob said:

The Mod in question is number 820 (Seafire Mod 131) "To Remove the Outboard Cannon Front Mounting Casting" first mentioned at the LTC (Local Technical Committee) in Dec '42, again in (month unclear) '43.  The Seafire mod was at LTC 3/2/43. (Class 4B, amended to 3B on the Spitfire Mod ledger).  While we're on the subject of mods, thanks to the linked discussion above I saw the entry for "Mod 782 To introduce the single blister door called for under Mod 683 [which standardizes the armament] as a retrospective item".  Edgar's claim that this mod dates to Jan '44 refers to the "cleared" date, but it was discussed at LTC in Nov '42, and my interpretation of the cleared date (at present) is more like "all taken care of".

bob

 

Bob,

 

The period images of MH434 with 222 Squadron in March 1944 are not wonderfully clear and I cannot be 100% sure there just being a single aperture cannon and no second stub.

 

 

All Spitfires have firewall and wing modification plates and by the uniform stampings I have always read this as that some modifications were incorporated at the initial build facility.

 

Whether MH434 was built at CBAF with single cannon aperture wings, for sure, by the time it was issued to the RNethAF as H-105 it had them.

 

 

From the movement card we know that MH434 received some damage and was repaired on site and that later on 8 December 1944 it was in the works of AST, Air Service Training,

 

It was there for over four months and wings can be changed in these circumstances.

 

'Friends at Duxford' made a quick inspection of the wheel bays of MH434 today. Both the mod plates therein were applied by AST and interestingly the plate in the port bay only has the Mod 820 incorporated..

 

 

Peter

 

 

[gingerbob]

Uh oh, another Zombie thread!

 

I found my way back here while checking up on BS227.  453's ORB lists aircraft by letter and serial each month.  For April '43 I could not read which letter '227 was, because of the watermark on the PRO's online view.  However, May lists her as 'U', as does June.  '?' is given May/June as MA229.  (At the end of June they traded places and aircraft with 129 Squadron (Vs).)

 

Also, I apparently never acknowledged @Mark12 with the mod plate in the last post, though I've got an idea that I remember seeing it at the time.  So, a belated thank you!  My current guess/deduction is that Mod 820 was stopped because of the (potential) advent of the 'E armament' mod.

 

bob

[Hornet133]

BS227 was coded as FU-? immediately it was received by 453 Sqn in April 1943. It was the personal airframe of Don Andrews who used the ? as his code on at least six airframes

 

 

It was later replaced in May as FU-? by MA229 and BS227 was recoded as FU-U. However I have not seen photos of it as FU-U as given in the decal sheet.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Hornet133
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