BUILT

Tempest Mk.V

Series 2 1/48

Cat. No. 82122

Built by Carlo Beltramini

IPMS Italia - Verona

JN803, No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron, No. 122 Wing, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, October 1944

One of the earliest Tempest Mk.V Series 2 aircraft was delivered to No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron at RAF Newchurch on May 17th, 1944. It was

flown throughout the campaign against the V-1 flying bombs, by many different pilots. It is believed that the 26 kill markings relate to claims

made by pilots flying the aircraft rather than claims by any one pilot. This total makes JN803 one of the most successful Tempests against the

V-1. At the end of September 1944 the Newchurch Tempests left No. 150 Wing and flew to join No. 122 Wing at B.60 Grimbergen in Belgium and

month later to the newly captured B.80 Volkel in the Netherlands. JN803 was often flown by F/O ‘Jack’ Stafford, who had shot down 4 of the

V-1s on its scoreboard. In December 1944 it was issued to No. 3 Squadron. However, the aircraft was lost in combat on December 30th, 1944,

when shot down by Bf 109s of IV./JG 27, its pilot captured and murdered by a security officer at Rheine airfield.

Tempest in the standard camouflage, so called Day Fighter Scheme, sports only partial recognition markings in the form of black and white

“invasion” stripes. Their application on the wing and fuselage upper surfaces was discontinued by the order dated September 10th, 1944.

The V-1 kill markings are painted under the windshield on the fuselage starboard.

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eduard

INFO Eduard - July 2021