Markings for Battle of Britain Spitfire Mk.I 1/48
COL A
P9428, S/Ldr Hilary R. L. Hood, No. 41 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, May-October 1940
Hillary Richard Lionel “Robin” Hood took command of No. 41 Squadron in April 1940. While returning from a mission providing air support for the Dunkirk evacuation on June 1, he spotted three Ju 88 bombers flying just above the sea surface. Although he had already spent all his ammunition, he dove straight at the last bomber and forced its pilot to perform an evasive maneuver, causing the German aircraft to crash into the sea. During the Battle of Britain, he scored two more kills on July 29 (a Bf 109 and a Ju 87). On September 5, during an attack on a Do 17, his Spitfire collided with another aircraft, and S/Ldr Hood crashed into the sea with his Spitfire. His body was never found. The Spitfire P9428, which S/Ldr Hood flew continuously from May through September 5, was adorned on the left side beneath the cockpit with a family crest depicting a squirrel holding a thistle. Period photographs show the aircraft without code letters, though these were applied in the standard locations during June. The livery shown here reconstructs the appearance from the second half of June during the support of the Dunkirk evacuation. In early July, P9428 was painted in a new regulation livery with Sky Type S on its undersides; in mid-August, the undersides of the wings were again marked with national insignia.
COL B
N3040, F/Lt Brian J. Lane, 19. Squadron, RAF Duxford, United Kingdom, March-June 1940
Brian “Sandy” Lane was transferred to No. 19 Squadron shortly after the outbreak of war as commander of Flight A. After the squadron’s commander, S/Ldr Geoffrey Stephenson, was killed over Dunkirk, Lane became acting squadron commander. The Spitfire he flew regularly in the first half of 1940 was serial number N3040, and he scored three aerial victories with it during the battles over Dunkirk. Lane’s Spitfire bore a personal emblem beneath the cockpit—a swastika crossed by a yellow lightning bolt and the inscription “BLITZEN.” This emblem was successively painted on four of his Spitfires. The Spitfire N3040 shown here represents the paint scheme and markings of Fighter Command Spitfires from the period immediately preceding the aerial support for the Dunkirk evacuation. The fuselage roundels do not yet have a yellow ring, and the roundels on the underside of the wings and the squadron insignia on the rudder are missing. These markings were added in May. In early June, N3040 was given a new paint scheme with undersides in Sky Type S. After No. 19 Squadron was re-equipped with Spitfire Mk.Ib aircraft, N3040 was taken over by No. 92 Squadron, where it served as the personal aircraft of the famous Robert Stanford Tuck from July to August 1940. On September 5, 1940, Brian Lane formally became commander of No. 19 Squadron. He left the unit in early June 1941. In December 1942, he was entrusted with command of No. 167 Squadron. Four days after his arrival, he was shot down during Operation Rhubarb by Lieutenant Walter Leonhardt of 6./JG 1. During his wartime career, Lane scored nine aerial victories, one of which was a shared victory. Under the pseudonym B. J. Elian, he wrote the book Spitfire (John Murray, 1942).
COL C
N3040, F/Lt Robert R. S. Tuck, 92. Squadron, RAF Pembrey, United Kingdom, July-August 1940
Robert Stanford “Bob” Tuck was one of the RAF’s most successful fighter pilots, with 29 confirmed kills. In May 1940, he was transferred to No. 92 Squadron as commander of Flight B, and during the battles over Dunkirk, he scored six kills in Spitfire N3192, designated GR-L. Further successes followed during the intense summer of the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire with which he achieved his greatest successes was N3040 QJ-Z. He flew it regularly from mid-July through August 18, 1940, and with which he shot down four Ju 88s. On August 18, after a dogfight with a Ju 88, Tuck’s Spitfire was severely damaged by return fire from the Junkers’ gunner, and Tuck had to bail out of his Spitfire. He was slightly injured upon landing, and his Spitfire crashed at Park Farm, later named Tuck’s Cottages. On September 11, 1940, he was appointed commander of No. 257 Squadron, and in December 1941, commander of the elite wing at Biggin Hill. On January 28, 1942, Tuck’s Spitfire BL336 RS-T was hit by anti-aircraft fire following a successful attack on a military train, and Tuck was forced to make an emergency landing near Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he was subsequently captured and spent the remainder of the war in the Stalag Luft III and Belaria prisoner-of-war camps. The illustration depicts a reconstruction of the appearance of Spitfire N3040 after No. 19 Squadron was re-equipped with cannon-armed Spitfire Mk.I(b) aircraft and Lane’s personal aircraft, N3040 QV-K, was taken over by No. 92 Squadron, where it received the new fuselage code QJ-Z. It is likely that Lane’s personal emblem—a swastika crossed by a lightning bolt—remained on the aircraft.
COL D
K9959, F/O Desmond F. B. Sheen, No. 72 Squadron, RAF Acklington, United Kingdom, May-August 1940
One of the longest-serving Spitfires in the RAF during the early stages of the war was the one with serial number K9959, which was flown by F/O Desmond Sheen of No. 72 Squadron. In April 1940, he was transferred to No. 212 Squadron and served in France as a photographic reconnaissance pilot. After the fall of France, he rejoined No. 72 Squadron and was reunited with his K9959 RN-J. His Spitfire was marked with a personal emblem—a red boomerang in a white circle. The Spitfire K9959 that Sheen flew underwent many visual changes during his service with No. 72 Squadron. The depicted configuration is valid for the period from June 6 to August 13, 1940, when the original black-and-white lower surfaces were repainted in Sky type S without the application of cockades on the underside of the wing. On his first flight in the new Spitfire X4109 RN-J on August 15, Sheen shot down two more aircraft (a Ju 88 and a Bf 110). In the following months, he was shot down twice, first on September 1, then on October 7, when he was burned becausehis aircraft caught fire. After recovering, he returned to the unit as a flight commander, and in April 1941 he was entrusted with command of No. 72 Squadron, which he led until October 1941. A year later, in November 1942, he took command of RAF Manston, which he led until April 1943. He subsequently commanded the Skeabrae and Drem airfields in Scotland. From 1944 to 1945, he commanded No. 148 Wing with 2 TAF. During his wartime career, Desmond Sheen shot down five aircraft, probably two more, and damaged two.
COL E
K9953, F/Lt Adolph G. Malan, No. 74 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, June-August 1940
No. 74 Squadron was re-equipped with Spitfires in February 1939. South African Adolf “Sailor” Malan, a sailor by trade, entered the war on September 6 in an incident known as the Battle of Barking Creek, when his A Flight accidentally shot down two Hurricanes from No. 56 Squadron. During Operation Dynamo, he scored five aerial victories; on the night of June 19–20, 1940, he shot down two He 111s. Malan was an opponent of line-astern formation and, with his pilots, used the more flexible finger-four formation. Legend has it that on July 28, he damaged Werner Mölders’ aircraft and wounded Mölders himself. On August 8, he took command of No. 74 Squadron, which achieved 38 aerial victories on August 11 during four operational sorties led by Malan. The event is known as Malan’s August 11. Malan himself achieved 16 aerial victories in the Battle of Britain, and by the end of his operational career in August 1941, he had 27 solo victories and seven shared victories. He was an outstanding tactician, famous for his Ten Rules of Air Combat. He retired as a Group Captain in April 1946 and subsequently farmed in South Africa. In the 1950s, he became politically active as an opponent of apartheid. The Spitfire with serial number K9953, bearing the fuselage code ZP-A, was from the early production run of Spitfires. Sailor Malan flew it regularly from the fall of 1939 until the end of August 1940, scoring 11 confirmed kills, making K9953 one of the longest-serving and most successful Spitfires in the Battle of Britain.
COL F
R6895, F/Lt Alan C. Deere, No. 54 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, July-August 1940
The Spitfire R6895 is from the late production series of the Mk.I version and was the third and final Spitfire flown by the legendary New Zealander flying ace Alan “Al” Deere. The pilot’s personal emblem, a kiwi bird, was painted on the fuselage below the cockpit. Al Deere flew a total of 30 sorties in this Spitfire from July 11, 1940, to August 31, 1940, and scored two of his 21 aerial victories in it. His Kiwi III was destroyed on August 31, 1940, while attempting to take off during the bombing of Hornchurch Airfield. At that time, No. 54 Squadron was the only one fully equipped with Spitfires fitted with Rotol RX5/1 propellers. Al Deere took part in No. 54 Squadron’s very first operation, providing air cover for retreating Allied forces in Belgium on May 16, 1940. Deere shot down his first two Bf 109s on May 23 while escorting F/Lt. J. Leathart, who was flying a Miles Magister for the commander of No. 74 Squadron, S/Ldr L. White, who had been shot down near Calais. On the evening of May 26, Operation Dynamo—the evacuation of Dunkirk—began, and two days later, Deere made an emergency landing on a Belgian beach. After a nineteen-hour ordeal, however, he managed to return to Hornchurch. Following the conclusion of the Dunkirk evacuation, No. 54 Squadron joined the Battle of Britain, during which Al Deere scored seven aerial victories. During World War II, he held a number of command posts, including commanding the elite Wing at Biggin Hill, and during the Allied invasion of the continent, he led No. 145 (Free French) Wing. His total score stands at 21 aerial victories (some sources cite 17). He retired with the rank of Air Commodore.
COL G
R6993, S/Ldr John Ellis, No. 610 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, August 1940
John Ellis was a highly experienced fighter ace credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories. After becoming commander of No. 610 Squadron on July 26, 1940, he scored five victories in August 1940 flying his personal Spitfire R6993. Spitfire R6993 was one of only ten Spitfires in the R series equipped with a Rotol RX5/4 constant-speed propeller. Like most of the Spitfires in No. 610 Squadron, R6993 was equipped with an automotive-style exterior mirror, which was procured for the squadron by technical officer W/O Bentall from local auto repair shops. No. 610 Squadron was known for its large code letters on the fuselage, and Ellis’s DW-W was no exception; it also carried the squadron commander’s pennant under the windshield. Ellis flew at the forefront of No. 610 Squadron throughout the Battle of Britain, until the unit was sent north for rest. In May 1941, he was transferred to No. 55 OTU as an instructor. Later, he was sent to the Middle East as Wing Commander of No. 701 OTU in Khartoum, Sudan. In the spring of 1943, he took command of the Krendi Wing in Malta and participated in preparations for the invasion of Sicily. On June 13, 1943, while escorting B-24 bombers attacking Gerbini Airfield, he was shot down by Hptm. Gerhard Michalski (57 victories). He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III, where he actively participated in the planning of the Great Escape as Roger Bushell’s deputy. After the war, he remained in the RAF and, with the rank of Wing Commander, became responsible for pilot training within Fighter Command.
COL H
X4352, F/O Leonard A. Haines, No. 19 Squadron, RAF Fowlmere, United Kingdom, September 1940
Leonard Haines joined the RAF in September 1937 and, after completing his training, was assigned to No. 19 Squadron, the first unit equipped with the new Spitfires. In June 1940, he took part in the fighting at Dunkirk, where he scored his first aerial victory, and subsequently performed very successfully in the Battle of Britain. From September to November, his personal aircraft was Spitfire X4352, with fuselage codes QV-P, which had a lion painted beneath the cockpit, striking a swastika with a saber. With this aircraft, he achieved five confirmed kills and had a total of 12 to his credit, eight of which were solo and four in cooperation with others. He likely destroyed two additional aircraft, making him one of the most successful pilots of No. 19 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. At the end of 1940, he was reassigned to a training unit as an instructor, but he was killed in a plane crash in April 1941.
COL I
X4338, P/O Eric S. Lock, No. 41 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, September-October 1940
Eric Lock joined No. 41 Squadron as a rookie in June 1940. On August 15, he scored the first of his 21 aerial victories during the Battle of Britain, becoming the most successful Allied fighter pilot of that battle. The Spitfire that Eric Lock flew the most during the Battle of Britain was X4338, with the code letters EB-E. He scored four confirmed and four probable kills with it. Lock’s Spitfire was severely damaged on November 8 during a dogfight with several Bf 109Es, after which he made an emergency landing in a field. On November 17, Lock himself was seriously wounded by fire from a Bf 109E, sustaining injuries to his right arm and both legs. Over the next three months, he underwent 15 major operations; he spent the following three months recovering at a rehabilitation center at the Royal Masonic Hospital, where he was operated on again by the pioneer of plastic surgery, Archibald McIndoe. He returned to No. 41 Squadron in June 1941; in July, he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and appointed commander of A Flight, No. 611 Squadron. On August 3, while returning from a Rhubarb-type mission, he attacked a German convoy near Pas-de-Calais and has been missing ever since. It is believed he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the sea. Neither the Spitfire Mk.Vb W3257 FY-E nor Lock himself were ever found. At the time of his disappearance, he had 26 aerial victories to his credit, achieved during 25 weeks of operational deployment over the course of a single year.
COL J
X4586, F/Lt John C. Dundas, 609. Squadron, RAF Warmwell, United Kingdom, October-November 1940
F/Lt John Charles Dundas of Yorkshire was the older brother of G/Cpt H. S. L. “Cocky” Dundas. Before the war, he worked as a journalist for the Yorkshire Post, and in 1938 he joined No. 609 Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force. In August 1939, he was called up for active duty and fought with No. 609 Squadron at Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain. With 16 aerial victories, he became one of the most successful fighter pilots of both No. 609 Squadron and the Battle of Britain itself. On November 28, off the Isle of Wight, he engaged in combat with Bf 109s in his beloved Spitfire X4586 PR-O, reporting over the radio that he had just scored his 16th aerial victory. Most likely, his victim was Major Helmut Wick, commander of JG 2 and at that time the Luftwaffe’s top active ace with 56 kills to his credit. A moment later, however, Dundas himself fell victim to Wick’s wingman, Lieutenant Rudi Pflanze, also an ace from JG 2. Although Wick was seen parachuting to safety, he was never found, nor was his downer, Dundas.
COL K
R6957, Sgt Alan S. Harker, No. 234 Squadron, RAF St. Eval, United Kingdom, November 1940 - March 1941
Alan Harker completed his training on twin-engine Anson aircraft in September 1939. He volunteered for the night fighters and was assigned to No. 234 Squadron, which was equipped with Blenheim Mk.If aircraft. In May 1940, however, the unit was re-equipped with Spitfires and subsequently became one of the most successful during the entire Battle of Britain. Alongside F/Lt Peterson Hughes (17 kills) and P/O Robert Doe (16 kills), Alan Harker, who achieved seven confirmed kills, four probable kills, and damaged two enemy aircraft, was another successful pilot. Sgt. Harker flew Spitfire R6957 from September 1940 to March 1941. On November 27, 1940, a new regulation for rapid friend-or-foe identification came into effect for all Fighter Command aircraft. The propeller spinner and the ring in front of the tailplane were now painted in a new shade of Sky or Sky Blue, and the underside of the left wing was now black.