KITS 02/2021

P7881, S/Ldr. Michael L. Robinson, CO of No.609 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, Great Britain, April 1941

The Spitfire Mk.IIa P7881 carries type B camouflage, although it has an odd serial number. The Rotol spinner is sky-coloured with a red

stripe. There is a black B on the lower engine cover and a command pennant of the No.609 Squadron commander is on both sides of the

fuselage. The code letters are made in Medium Sea Gray and PR-B are the initials of the base commander, Group Captain Philip Reginald Barwell, who occasionally flew as wingman of "Sailor" Malan. Barwell was accidentally shot down by a Spitfire pilot on July 1st, 1942 above sea,

and his body was found on the French coast. Squadron Leader Michael Lister Robinson of No. 609 Squadron recorded with P7881 several

victories in May and June 1941. In total, he scored 16 victories, 6 of them in the Battle of Britain. He later led Biggin Hill Wing and Tangmere

Wing. He was killed on April 10th, 1942, fighting the Focke-Wulfs of II./JG 26. Along with him died his French friend and wingman Maurice

P.C. Choron.

P8387, Sgt. Stanislaw Blok, No.315 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Northolt, Great Britain, August 1941

Spitfire Mk.IIa P8387 carries camouflage type A. De Havilland spinner is in Sky color. Nickname BARTY is painted on the fuselage and the

code letter H is used for the female name Halina. Spitfire served with No.611 Squadron since May 1941, but in the same month, Canadian

ace Alfred Keith Ogilvie DFC of No.609 Squadron, used it to shoot down a Bf 109. In July 1941 the machine was taken over by the Polish

No.308 Sqn where the national insignia was added on both sides of the cowling. In July 1941 Polish colleagues from the No.315 Squadron

took over P8387. Later on, the machine was converted to the Mk.V version and was used by No.266, No.123 Sqn and 58.OTU. In July 1942,

it was written off after a collision with another Spitfire. P8387 flew 872 hours and 30 minutes. Sgt. Stanislaw "Charlie" Blok, among others,

flew with this Spitfire with No.315 Squadron. During World War Two, he recorded 5 aerial victories.

INFO Eduard - February 2021

eduard

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