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Spitfire LF Mk.IXc, W/O Henryk Dygala, No. 302 (Polish) Sqn.,
ALG G10 Plumetot, France, August 1944
Spitfire HF Mk.IXc, F/Lt Otto Smik, No. 312 (Czechoslovak)
Sqn., RAF North Weald, United Kingdom, August 1944
Spitfire LF Mk.IXc, S/Lt. Pierre Clostermann, No. 602 Sqn.,
Longues-sur-Mer, France, July 1944
The No. 302 (Polish) Squadron was one of the units
that participated in the invasion of Normandy in
June 1944. The D
-
Day Invasion Stripes painted on
the bottom of the fuselage and wings indicated
it as well. This aircraft was equipped with wing
racks for 250Ib bombs. The pointed rudder was
freshly painted and so the colors appeared darker
than on the rest of the aircraft. Nose art paintings
were not common within the RAF, so this one,
the girl sitting on the bomb, is one of exceptions.
The Polish stencil right of the cockpit door
“Wycierac obuwie” means “Wipe your shoes”.
This Spitfire was flown by F/Lt Otto Smik, the CO
of B Flight of No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron.
On the cockpit door 8.5 confirmed aircraft plus
three V-1 kill marks were painted as his personal
score of that time. Smik was flying this Spitfire
during July and August on strafing missions
over occupied Europe. He was shot down by
AA fire during an attack on Gilze-Rijen Air Base
but survived and with the help of the Dutch
resistance, he returned to Great Britain. Smik
met his fate on November 28, 1944, when he was
killed during attack on the Zwolle railway station.
The camouflage and marking of this Spitfire were
typical for No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn. with the
unit badge painted on both sides of the cowling.
Available photos do not reveal the type of the
rudder. The MJ296 could have had either the
rounded or pointed type.
Pierre Clostermann, a famous French fighter
ace, became known worldwide thanks to his
book “Le Grand Cirque” (The Big Show) as well.
One of the aircraft he was flying during the war
was Spitfire MJ586. Clostermann’s score of seven
confirmed, three probable and seven damaged
enemy aircraft was portrayed below windshield.
French sources credit Clostermann with 20 kills,
but it has been a topic of debate for many years.
The post war French figures are inconsistent
with those of wartime documentation in British
archives due to different methodology of these
two Air Forces. At the end of WWII, Clostermann
flew Tempests with No. 3 Squadron RAF. Note
the squadron badge on both sides of the engine
cowling.
KITS 03/2024
INFO Eduard56
March 2024