The Cannock Chaser presentation Spitfire Vb

[Edge]

Hi All

 

I'm hoping to tap into some serious Spitfire knowledge to help me with a planned build. 

Over the weekend I spotted a Facebook article from a page I follow. Cutting a long story short, the people of my local area (like many, many others) clubbed together to purchase a Spitfire. 

A little googling turned up some history, but has left me with a few questions that may be unanswerable, but here goes!

 

Firstly I know the serial number - AD292 and that she was built at Castle Bromwich (so also pretty local). Her movements that I can follow are:

 

6MU 27.09.41

411 Squadron 2.10.41

609 Squadron 19.11.41

Air Service Training

332 Squadron 29.3.43

349 Squadron 19.08.43

 

She was coded DB-R whilst with 411.

 

While at Digby (presumably with 609 squadron), the wing leader, Howard Blatchford damaged a Do217 whilst flying AD292 on 18.02.42.

 

Unfortunately later the following year AD292 was lost, along with her pilot Flg Off Albrecht Richard Theophiel August, RAFVR in an accident in Acklington. The documentation points to an accident during a training flight caused, in part at least, by poor weather.

 

I am guessing that AD292 was built shortly before arriving at 6MU, so around August/September 1941. This seems to coincide with a change in camouflage, ordered by the Air Ministry from Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky (or possibly Medium Sea Grey from August 1941) to Ocean Grey, Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey. Both would, I think, have induced a Sky spinner & 18" fuselage band. 

Markings would be standard 56" B type roundels to upper wings

                                standard 50" A type roundels to the lower wings

                                standard 35" A1 roundels on the fuselage

                                standard 8"x8"x27" fin flash

 

So on to my questions if I may?

 

Can anyone confirm which colour scheme is most likely given the ambiguity in the documentation I can find on-line, along with which colour the squadron markings would be for AD292's first front-line posting to 411 squadron on 2nd October 1941? 

 

Below is the only image I can find of the aircraft and appears to show a difference in the colour between the fuselage band & the undersides, leading me to suspect that the lower surfaces are painted Medium Sea Grey. Unfortunately no squadron codes appear visible. and I am not learned enough to fathom out the other colours with any degree of certainty.

 

100965307_10207580469705947_7295713572502372352_n by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr

 

Thanks for any assistance!

 

Edge

 

 

[Work In Progress]

Ocean Grey, Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey, Sky rear fuselage band and spinner. It looks very new in that photo so I suspect that is before delivery to the squadron, which would explain the lack of codes. Presentation aircraft were frequently photographed before delivery. Codes when applied would have been Sky, and as you probably know would be DB for 411 plus the individual letter. Sadly ,if there is no photograph of it in 411's service then it may not be possible to determine what individual letter it had. But you may get lucky. I just leave the individual code off if I can't detect it - it is easy to add later if more information comes to light.

 

You have probably seen this thread which may have a couple more crumbs in it than what you relate above. It suggests with reasonable plausibility that the crash site may have been in Bridlington, not Acklington. Acklington is about 80 miles north of the crash site.   Other sources also have the crash site as Bridlington.

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?3021-AD292-Spitfire-V

Edited June 1, 2020 by Work In Progress

[gingerbob]

Strangely enough I was just looking at this aircraft's loss in the last few days.  As the above link indicates, the pilot was Flg Off Albrecht Richard Theophiel August van Hecke, of 349 Squadron.  They were based at Acklington (with B Flight detached to Catterick), but just the day before (11 October 1943) four pilots, including van Hecke, went to Hutton Cranswick to attend a firing course.  This site gives some information about the situation leading to the crash.  (Here's another if you want to try translating.)

 

349's ORB says this (12th): "No flying owing to bad weather conditions and fog.  In the early evening, we learn with consternation that one of our best and most popular pilots has been killed in a flying accident at Hutton Cranswick at 1500 hours.  The cause of the accident seems to be bad weather.  F/O Van Hecke is the first pilot of 349 to be killed on active service.  The loss was felt deeply by the Squadron but no sentimentality was allowed to take the upper hand."

[Smithy]

Whilst with 332 she was coded AH-X.

 

Even though like their sister Norwegian squadron 331, 332 had converted to the Mk.IXc in autumn 1942, they had a few Vbs (332 had 7, 331 had 8 ) in their use which they received in spring 1943. The Vbs were seldom used in major ops but mostly training, station defence, convoy patrols and air firing exercises. They were also used on the odd occasion on Rhubarb ops.

Edited June 1, 2020 by Smithy
Typo

[Edge]

Thanks for the information guys - it's incredibly useful! 

 

@Smithy her codes with 411 were DB-R so to now have the later ones when she was with 332 is a real bonus & perhaps offers a choice of markings. Just have to suss out how to produce the presentation lettering......

[BBRBOB]

If you do find an easy way of doing the lettering then please post!  I want to do the "Royal Eltham and New Eltham" Spitfire in 1/48 and can't find it anywhere in decal form.  Ta.

[Smithy]

17 minutes ago, BBRBOB said:

If you do find an easy way of doing the lettering then please post!  I want to do the "Royal Eltham and New Eltham" Spitfire in 1/48 and can't find it anywhere in decal form.  Ta.

 

DK Decals include it in their 1/72 sheet for 485 Spitfires but unfortunately they haven't scaled it up to 1/48. Yet.