KITS 05/2023
Spitfire Vc Trop, JK715, S/Ldr Evan D. Mackie, No. 243 Squadron, RAF Hal Far, Malta, June – July 1943
In the middle of 1943, when the air battle for Malta
was won, the island became a key base for the
supporting air operations. On June 11, the No. 243
Squadron was transferred from Tunisia to the Hal
Far airport. The unit, under the leadership of one
of the most successful pilots in the Mediterranean,
S/Ldr Evan Mackie, during the following month
supported the Allied landing on Sicily during the
Operation Husky. With the change of the strategic
environment, the special Malta camouflages were
not necessary anymore and became history. The
incoming No. 243 Squadron however was an
exemption as the unit altered coloration of its
Spitfires. According to the memoires of its pilot in
his book Spitfire Leader, before the arrival to Malta
his new personal Spitfire Mk.Vc JK715, which until
then sported the classic “desert“ camouflage, was
repainted in olive green color on the upper surfaces
which matched Dark Slate Grey frequently used on
Malta. During his tenure at the No. 243 Squadron,
Mackie at the controls of his JK715 flying out of
the Hal Far airport, shot down five enemy aircraft.
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Makie’s original occupation was a mechanic, so
he was always interested in the maintenance of
his Spitfire. He obtained a set of exhausts from
Spitfire Mk.IX and was pleased with the improved
performance. For the first time those exhausts had
been installed on his previous Spitfire ES347. After
it crash landed, Mackie removed the priceless
exhausts and installed them on his new JK715.
He finished his war career with a score of 23 kills
including 3 shared victories, 2 probables and 11
aircraft damaged.
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May 2023
INFO Eduard
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