Strana 45
BL336, W/Cdr Robert S. Tuck, CO of Biggin Hill Wing, RAF Biggin Hill, the United Kingdom,
December 1941 - January 1942
AB972, F/Lt Brendan E. F. Finucane, No. 452 Squadron, RAF Kenley, the United Kingdom,
October 1941
W/Cdr Robert Stanford “Bob” Tuck is one of
the most successful RAF fighter pilots with
29 confirmed kills. He achieved the first
ones with No. 92 Squadron over Dunkirk.
By September 11, 1940, when he was appointed
commander of No. 257 Squadron, he already
had 14 kills to his credit. It is believed that one
of his victims was the future Luftwaffe ace
Hans-Joachim Marseille, who was shot down
on September 23, 1940. In early December 1941,
Tuck was appointed commander of an elite wing
at Biggin Hill. However, on January 28, 1942, his
Spitfire BL336 RS
-
T was hit by flak and Tuck
had to make an emergency landing at Boulogne
sur Mer, where he was subsequently captured.
At Stalag Luft III in Sagan, he participated in
preparations for the Great Escape, but just
before it was carried out, he was transferred
to the Belaria subcamp. On February 1, 1945,
he escaped during the evacuation of the camp
and joined the Russians. He left the RAF in
the 1950s and devoted himself to farming.
While filming the movie The Battle of Britain,
he befriended Adolf Galland, whose son he was
godfather to. He died at the age of 70 on May
5, 1987.
The last Spitfire that Brendan “Paddy” Finucane
flew in combat with No. 452 Squadron was
AB972. Between October 1 and 13, 1941, “Paddy”
flew eight combat missions with it and scored
four confirmed victories and two enemy aircraft
damaged. After Finucane unfortunately broke
his heel bone on October 13, 1941, he spent
several weeks in a hospital. Upon his recovery,
he was appointed commander of No. 602
Squadron at RAF Redhill on January 20, 1942.
The Spitfire AB972 was manufactured in
September 1941 and painted in the Temperate
Land Scheme. Following an order to change
the camouflage scheme for RAF fighter aircraft,
AD233 was subsequently repainted in the new
Mixed Grey shade (a mixture of Medium Sea Grey
and Night Black in a 7:1 ratio) over the original
Dark Earth areas, while the undersides were
repainted in the new Medium Sea Grey shade.
A personal emblem—a green Irish shamrock
with black details, accompanied by the initials
BF—was applied in the standard position below
the windshield left panel. During his wartime
career, Finucane achieved 32 aerial victories,
making him the third most successful Spitfire
pilot of World War II.
KITS 05/2026
INFO Eduard
45
May 2026