Strana 46
AD233, S/Ldr Richard M. Milne, No. 222 Squadron, RAF North Weald,
the United Kingdom, January-May 1942
BL594, F/O Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, No. 303. Squadron, RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey,
the United Kingdom, June 1942
S/Ldr Richard Maxwell “Dickie” Milne took over
Spitfire AD233, bearing the dedication “West
Borneo I,” from his predecessor, S/Ldr Manfred
Czernin, one of the RAF’s top fighter aces of
the Battle of Britain. Dickie Milne flew AD233
in operational service from January to May
1942, and although he did not score any of his
15 aerial victories in it, his Spitfire became
famous thanks to a series of preserved color
photographs documenting the paint schemes
of Spitfires from the turn of 1941–1942. Spitfire
AD233 was manufactured in September 1941 and
painted in shades of the Temperate Land Scheme.
Following a change in the RAF fighter aircraft
camouflage scheme, AD233 was repainted in
the areas originally painted Dark Earth with
a very dark bluish shade of Mixed Grey, while
the undersides were painted Medium Sea Grey.
Spitfire AD233 had several distinctive features.
The upper engine cowling, both ailerons, the left
fuselage-wing transition section, and the right
wing tip were replaced with parts from another
Spitfire on which a lighter shade of Mixed Grey
(or possibly the factory shade Ocean Grey) had
been applied. This, along with the asymmetrically
placed cockades on the upper surface of the
wings, the heavily worn paint on the upper
surface of the left wing, and numerous signs of
camouflage being repainted, give this Spitfire
a unique appearance. On May 22, S/Ldr Milne
handed over command of No. 222 Squadron to
S/Ldr Jerzy Jankiewicz, the first Polish pilot to
lead a British squadron. However, he was killed
in the waters of the English Channel on May 25
during his second combat flight in AD233.
BL594 was delivered to No. 242 Squadron in
April 1942, but was damaged in an accident in
May, subsequently repaired and delivered to
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, which was operating
from Kirton-in-Lindsey airfield at the time.
Here it was given the code RF
-
G and became
the personal aircraft of F/O Horbaczewski, who
had his current score of four confirmed kills
and a personal emblem of a somewhat wild-
looking Pegasus painted on the fuselage. In
early February 1943, No. 303 Squadron moved
to Heston, but BL594 remained at Kirton-in-
Lindsey airfield and became the personal
aircraft of the commander of No. 2 Polish Wing,
W/Cdr Alexander Gabszewicz, with the new
code G
-
WX.
KITS 05/2026
INFO Eduard46
May 2026