Seafire MkIII LR866 / S121. The Last Dogfight 15th Aug 1945

[Grey Beema]

My entry into the Journeys End Group Build.

 

Supermarine Seafire MkIII LR866 / S121.

887 NAS HMS Indefatigable Japan.

Sub Lieutenant Victor Souter Lowden

 

Following the release of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima 6th August and Nagasaki 9th AugustAmerican Tasks Force 38 remained off the coast of Japan.  It was joined by a token Royal Navy group built around the carrier HMS Indefatigableand the battleship HMS King George Vwhich was designated Task Force 38.5.

 

Strikes were ordered to commence at dawn on 15th August.  At 0400 hrs a Firefly Ramrod was launched followed by six Avengers from 820 NAS with an escort of eight Seafire L Mk IIIs from 887 and 894 NAS.  Five L Mk IIIs led by Lt F Hockley (894 NAS) would provide close and middle cover while SLt V. Lowden (887 NAS) would fly top cover with three remaining Seafire F Mk IIIs.  As the Avengers approached their designated target, Kisarazu airfield, they found it shrouded in cloud, forcing them to attack their alternate target – a chemical factory near Odaki Bay.

 

Odaki Bay airspace was a busy place on the morning of 15th August, not only the fourteen aircraft from HMS Indefatigablebut also six Hellcats and an unknown number of Corsairs from USS Yorktownheading for the airfields at Atsugi and Hokodo

 

As the Fleet Air Arm aircraft climbed through low cloud to 6,000 to 8,000 feet a gaggle of a dozen A6M5 Zekes was seen coming down from the three o’clockhigh position.  The diving Zekes passed the top cover and headed for the Avengers and close escort Seafires.  Sufficient warnings were given to counter the bounce, but R/T failure doomed Fred Hockley and he was shot down in the first pass (the last Royal Navy Casualty of WWII).  SLt Hockley managed to bale out of his Seafire but he was later captured and executed by his captors.

 

The remaining Seafires turned into the Zekes.  With the first element of Zekes out of range SLt VS. Lowden moved his flight into line abreast and engaged the second group of Zekes.   The first Zeke was shot down was at long range, Lowden, opening fire at 800 yards and closing to 450 yards with excellent marksmanship.  His port cannon jammed causing the aircraft to yaw as the starboard cannon fired but he hit a second Zeke at 250 yards and blew it up with three short bursts.  His third victim was engaged at short range but as three more Zekes approached he left it to Slt Williams who had already destroyed an enemy aircraft in the first phase to finish it off.  Lowden was forced to fight the new arrivals in turn and, when he ran out of ammunition, he pulled through into a 425 knot dive to disengage.

 

Only Fred Hockley was lost during the engagement.  Vic Lowden was the last to land, with no ammunition and a badly over heating engine.  At 0700 a signal from Admiral Nimitz had been received which cancelled all further strike operations.  CAP however was to be maintained.  World War II was over.  Slt Victor Lowden had launched at war and landed at peace.

 

Lowdens Seafire that day LR866/S121 had been in service with 887 NAS for nearly two years by this time.  I have chosen to portray LR866 as a rather war weary aircraft although I have no proof that it wasn’t repainted recently prior to August.  887 NAS used the 90 gallon slipper tank to extend their range for sterile operations against the Home Islands..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by..

 

[Steve27752]

Very nicely done.

[stevej60]

that's a cracking build and finish GB,great back story too!

[SAT69]

I'd recently read about the Seafires work in the Pacific in the latter stages of the war and they appear to have done very well. Your model is a treat to see as I don't believe many Seafires models are built. Very nicely done!

[Stephen]

Excellent work, really nice.

[Wulfman]

Great looking Seafire, love the weathering !

 

Wulfman

 

[brianthemodeller]

This aircraft has been in my wish list for a while as my Grandfather was serving on the Indefatigable at the time. 
 

You have made a cracking job of it and I can only hope my attempt, when I get around to it, is half as good.

[Doccur]

Wonderful job 

[bigbadbadge]

What a cracking model great work, paint finish and weathering look amazing, and a great backstory too.  Fantastic work.

 

All the best

Chris

[Sky Keg]

This is a very nice Spitfire!!!!!!  I like it a lot!!!!! 

 

Mike

[thorfinn]

A beautiful build made more eloquent by the history you included. Well done that man!

[2996 Victor]

Hi GB,

This is a beautiful build of a Seafire that took part in a particularly significant mission. Superb! The back story adds an extremely poignant element to the model.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I'd forgotten that today is the 75th anniversary of Nagasaki. It's saddening that so little is being made in the media of the final end of that appalling conflict.

Thank you for a fabulous model with a touching story, and for posting today.

Kind regards,

Mark

[RMCS]

Fantastic 

[Grey Beema]

11 hours ago, brianthemodeller said:

This aircraft has been in my wish list for a while as my Grandfather was serving on the Indefatigable at the time. 
 

You have made a cracking job of it and I can only hope my attempt, when I get around to it, is half as good.

Brian,

 

Thanks for your kind comments.  

 

What did your Grandad do on Indefatigable.  Was he attached to a Squadron? 

 

[Grey Beema]

8 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Hi GB,

This is a beautiful build of a Seafire that took part in a particularly significant mission. Superb! The back story adds an extremely poignant element to the model.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I'd forgotten that today is the 75th anniversary of Nagasaki. It's saddening that so little is being made in the media of the final end of that appalling conflict.

Thank you for a fabulous model with a touching story, and for posting today.

Kind regards,

Mark

Thank you Victor.

 

I have read a lot about the rights and the wrongs of the atomic bombings over the last couple of weeks.  I am not in command of all of the facts to add to the debate it I will say one thing.  

 

My Dad was in training in the UK for Operation Olympic, invasion of the Home Islands.  He was Fleet Air Arm and training to be part of a Mobile Naval Air Base (MONAB).  The threat of Kamikaze meant they wanted to get Aircraft shore based as soon as possible.  My Dads job was to go ashore with the first wave, drop off kit at the designated temporary airfield then go and clear the area of snipers.  Casualty expectations were very high.  If he survived he would then be servicing aircraft at the forward operating airfields.  The war ended before he had to go.  That same story is probably repeated many times over.  Many of us are here because the war didn’t go on for another year.

 

[85sqn]

Top Draw Phil, well done!

[stevehnz]

A beautifully modelled Seafire & very thought provoking back story. The story of the deaths of Hockley & others about the same time, serve to bring out the final futile numbing tragedy of the whole bloody affair.

Steve.

[2996 Victor]

3 hours ago, Grey Beema said:

That same story is probably repeated many times over.  Many of us are here because the war didn’t go on for another year.

I think you are absolutely right.

I can't possibly comment of the justification for or even the morality of using such devastating weapons, but I do think that, had Operation Olympic gone ahead, there would have probably been even more catastrophic loss of life on both sides.

 

Anyway, I don't want to divert attention from your superb Seafire!

 

Kind regards,

 

Mark

[brianthemodeller]

4 hours ago, Grey Beema said:

Brian,

 

Thanks for your kind comments.  

 

What did your Grandad do on Indefatigable.  Was he attached to a Squadron? 

 

Actually no - he was a PO electrician so down in the bowels of the ship. 

[russ c]

Great looking Seafire, like the weathering on the wings esp`

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Lovely! I like the base too - how did you do it?

 

ATB

 

TT

[72modeler]

Everything the others have said goes double for me! Looks every bit the part of a well-worn and weathered Seafire! The overpainted roundels were especially well done! There's just something about the TSS on an airplane that sets it apart! Now you need to do an Avenger or Barracuda to go with your Seafires! 

Mike

[Grey Beema]

8 hours ago, brianthemodeller said:

Actually no - he was a PO electrician so down in the bowels of the ship. 

The boxing of the kit I used has a couple of 24 NFW Seafires you can go for.  Dickie Reynolds Seafire and ‘Spud’ Murphy’s that was also used in this fight can be built from this boxing.  You Grandad would hav3 known them I’m sure..

[Grey Beema]

6 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Lovely! I like the base too - how did you do it?

 

ATB

 

TT

For the bases, I did up a a series of PowerPoint Templates and slides to give ,myself a house style.  I have a base for each aircraft..

[Grey Beema]

6 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Everything the others have said goes double for me! Looks every bit the part of a well-worn and weathered Seafire! The overpainted roundels were especially well done! There's just something about the TSS on an airplane that sets it apart! Now you need to do an Avenger or Barracuda to go with your Seafires! 

Mike

I still have at least 1 x Skua, 1 x Hurricane, 3 x Fulmars, 2 x Sea Hurricanes, 1 x Hellcat I, 2 x Hellcat II to build yet - so it’ll be a while before I get round to the bombers...  I think I’ll put in a bulk order for Extra Dark Sea Grey, Dark Slate Grey and Sky...