KITS 04/2022

Spitfire Mk.Vb, EN794, S/Ldr Yvan du Monceau de Bergendal, No.350 (Belgian) Squadron,

RAF Redhill, Surrey, Great Britain, July–December, 1942

The most successful Belgian fighter ace, Yvan du Monceau de Bergendal was born on December 10th, 1915

in Fullham. He underwent training at Sutton Bridge

with No.56 OTU, and his first combat assignment was

with No. 253 Squadron. In April, 1941, he was transferred to No. 609 Squadron, where he would claim his

first aerial victory. In March, 1942, he became a Flight

Leader with No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron, and in June,

1943, he was named CO of No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron.

After the completion of his combat tour in June, 1944,

he was sent to North America and in 1945, he returned

to Europe as a Staff Member of the Belgian Section of

the RAF. Over the course of his military career, he is

credited with eight confirmed kills, three probables

and six damaged, giving him a ratio of 3:1:2 respectively while flying Spitfire Mk.Vb EN794. The Spitfire serialled EN794, flown by “Duke” (he did hold the title) as

B Flight Leader of No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron, showed

signs of camouflage touchups on the engine cowling

as a result of the removal of the white identification

stripes that were applied for Operation Rutter in July,

1942. The change also affected the tally of kills under

the windscreen. The presentation inscription USOKE is

in honor of the inhabitants of the Belgian Congo, which

came together for the purchase of sixteen Spitfires for

Belgian pilots fighting in the ranks of No. 350 (Belgian)

Squadron.

Spitfire Mk.Vb, AA853, W/Cdr Stefan Witorzenc, No. 1 Polish Fighter Wing, RAF Heston, Great Britain,

Beginning of July, 1942

Stefan Witorzenc was born in 1908, and joined the

Polish Air Force in the 1930’s. After the defeat of his

country, he fled to England, where between August

and September, 1940 he achieved five kills while

with No. 501 Squadron, the unit with which he served

out the Battle of Britain. On November 22, 1940, he

was reassigned to No. 306 (Polish) Squadron, where he served in the function of Flight Leader, and in

May, 1941, he was given command of No.302 (Polish)

Squadron. In February, 1942, he took command of No.

1 Polish Fighter Wing in Kirton-in-Lindsey and he

was awarded the DFC in June, 1942. His combat tour

concluded in September, when he was assigned to

the General Staff of No. 11 Group and then to Air Command as Polish Liaison Officer. In April, 1944, he took

command of No. 61 OTU and held this post through

to the end of the war. Spitfire AA853, which Witorzenc flew at the beginning of July, 1942, carried four

white quick-identification bands around the nose,

which were used as such by Fighter Command during

Operation Rutter between July 4 and 7, 1942. Besides these bands, the spinner was also painted white

(instead of the usual Sky) and two white bands were

applied to the upper surfaces of the horizontal tails.

Operation Rutter was called off for inclement weather and also other factors and was later replaced

by the well-known Operation Jubilee.

Spitfire Mk.Vb, EP829, S/Ldr John J. Lynch, No.249 Squadron, RAF Krendi, Malta, April–May, 1943

John Joseph Lynch was born on February 3, 1918 in

Alhambra, California. In 1941, he joined the RAF and

his first assignment was with No. 232 Squadron. The

following month, he was attached to No. 121 “Eagle”

Squadron. This was followed by a stint with No. 71

“Eagle” Squadron, during which he shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 on April 17, 1942. In November,

1942, he was transferred to Malta and assigned to No.

249 Squadron, with which he actively participated in

its defense. At the beginning of 1943, he was promo-

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INFO Eduard

ted to Commander of the unit, and recorded a number of victories over Axis transport aircraft supplying

Tunisia. The Ju 52 kill came about on April 28, being

the 1,000th kill recorded by the defenders of Malta. In

July 1943, he was reassigned to the USAAF, but saw no

combat with the service. Spitfire EP829, with which

Lynch flew from February to May, 1943 as a member

of No. 249 Squadron, was a part of Operation “Train”,

and represented the final shipment of Spitfires to the

defenders of Malta, delivered by an aircraft carrier.

EP829 initially had clipped wings, and later flew with

the standard span wings. The main fuel tank cover

carried the Squadron Commander marking and seven kill markings that were recorded up to April 28,

1943. Below the windscreen, there was an inscription

“Malta’s 1000”, in honor of that kill over Malta. Over

his combat career, Lynch recorded 17 kills (ten individual and seven shared), along with a single probable

and two damaged enemy aircraft.

April 2022