KITS 03/2023
Lt. Luis T. Zendegui, 2nd FS, 52nd FG, 12th AF,
La Sabala, Tunis, Winter 1942–1943
One of the successful pilots flying with 2nd FS was Cpt.
Luis Zendegui who scored his first victory on December 25,
1942, during the dogfight with Mc.202. During his service
with 2nd FS he was credited with three confirmed kills
and he damaged another two enemy aircraft. Zendegui’s
Spitfire carried the pilot’s name on the drop tank and
the American flag on the fuselage sides. The original
British cockades on wings and fin flash on the vertical
tail surface remained intact. The squadron white codes
QP were not yet applied on Spitfires during this period.
Some sources assign serial number ER148 to this Spitfire,
however it cannot be found in the database of the Spitfires’
serial numbers.
MH592, S/Ldr Hinko Šoić, NOVJ No. 352 (Yugoslav)
Squadron, Vis, Yugoslav, January–February 1945
No. 352 (Yugoslav) Squadron was the first Yugoslav fighter
unit established at Royal Air Force in Mediterranean
during WWII. This unit is also known as the Prva Eskadrila
NOVJ. In June it converted to Spitfires Mk.Vb/Vc and
in August the unit was transferred to Italy to join RAF
No. 281 Wing and provide the escort for the fighter-bomber
squadrons. As of January 25, 1945, it was deployed to the
forward base on the island of Vis. Due to the absence of
the Luftwaffe aircraft the Yugoslav Spitfires had very little
opportunities for the air combat and for the rest of war
they flew the ground attack missions. Šoić’s Spitfire MH592
sported the type “B” desert camouflage scheme and as
the only Yugoslav Spitfire featured the Aboukir dust filter
(the rest of the aircraft featured Vokes filters). Also, Hinko
Šoić as one of very few Yugoslav pilots encountered the
enemy aircraft and in the cooperation with another three
pilots shot down a Henschel Hs 126 on March 20, 1945. In
this Spitfire he flew 73 missions altogether, further six
missions were flown by other No. 352 (Yugoslav) Squadron
pilots.
A58-137 (EE835), F/Lt David H. Hopton, No. 79 Squadron
RAAF, Kiriwina, Trobriand Islands, October 1943
Spitfire serial number EE835 arrived in Australia on
April 13, 1943. Before it was delivered to the combat unit
it had been repainted in Foliage Green/Earth Brown/Sky
Blue. In May it was handed over to the No. 79 Squadron
RAAF as A58-137 and the code letters UP-T were applied.
It was assigned to F/Lt David Hopton who christened his
34
INFO Eduard
new Spitfire by the phrase “Down with everything” and
had a naked girl painted on the port side of the fuselage.
Hopton flew this Spitfire until November 28, 1943, when
the fuselage drop tank was not released correctly and
damaged the aircraft’s tail. The repaired airplane was
returned to the service in October 1944, assigned to No. 85
Squadron and coded SH-W. The camouflage was stripped,
and it flew in the natural metal color finish. On February
26, 1945, during the landing at Guildford, the pilot F/O
B. O’Connell collided with another Spitfire and A58-137
was struck off charge.
March 2023