BUILT

Spitfire Mk.Vb, AB276, F/Lt Václav Hájek, No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,

Great Britain, January–June, 1942

Spitfire Mk.Vb AB276 served operationally with

No.313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron from January

13, 1942 to June 8 of the same year. It was most

often flown by F/Lt Václav Hájek, who on April

10, 1942 likely shot down a I./JG 26 Fw 190 south

of Gravelines. Other pilots who flew missions in

AB276 were Sgt. K. Pavlík, Sgt. F. Bönisch and P/O

V. Michálek. No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron

Spitfires are known for their carrying Walt Disney

characters through the first half of 1942, when the

unit was a component of Hornchurch Wing. The

author of the artwork was Sgt. Karel Pavlík, who

put his talents as a graphic artist to good use and

applied the characters below the windscreen of

individual aircraft according to the wishes of the

pilots. The rendering of the kitten “Figaro” with the

inscription “Mnoho Štěstí” (Best of Luck) is probably the most recognized because of a photograph of it, in which Sgt. Pavlík is shown during

its creation. Its likeness also appears on a granite

monument near to where Sgt. Pavlík crashed, not

far from the town of Dranouter, Belgium.

Accessories used:

644113

648663

648664

648668

Spitfire Mk. V LööK (Brassin)

Spitfire Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)

Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin)

Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)

January 2023

INFO Eduard

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