08/2021

• Page 1

  Vol 20, August 2021Vol 20, August 2021

  ISSUE 138

  

  INFOINFO

• Page 2

  INFO

  EDUARDEDUARD

  ISSUE 138

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2021

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

  or graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other media form

  or otherwise distributed without the prior written

  permission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.

  Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.

• Page 3

  eduardeduard

  EDITORIAL

  AUGUST 2021

  KITS

  HISTORY

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO-ETCHED SETS

  BIGED

  RELEASE

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  August 2021

  September 2021

  Tempest Mk.II early version ProPACK 1/48

  EAGLES CALL Limited edition 1/48

  Fw 190D-9 Weekend edition 1/48

  Spitre F Mk.IX Weekend edition 1/48

  MiG-21MF ProPACK 1/48

  P-51D Mustang 1/48

  CONTENTS

  EAGLE’S CALL - Americans in Spitres

  TAMER OF PAPER DRAGONS

  A poet in Spitre

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

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  Dear Friends,

  Today’s introduction to this month’s

  newsletter isn’t gonna be a long affair,

  because, as I write it, I am actually on

  vacation and have temporarily readjus-

  ted my priorities. Vacations are not typi-

  cally ideally suited for the production of

  intellectually fuelled planning, especially

  if said vacation is being spent with family,

  friends and other disruptions, welcome

  or otherwise. A working man should

  also avoid working on his vacation. It’s

  what makes it a vacation, after all. So,

  having already broken this fundamental

  rule already, I will keep this short and to

  the point. To top it off, it’s raining outside,

  and should the rest of our group return

  from what they are doing now early, I will,

  again, get nothing done.

  Perhaps, you were a bit surprised by our

  internet sale that went into effect without

  any prior warning before last weekend.

  We wanted to get back into the habit of

  organizing such things, which we want

  to also do over the second half August.

  It stems from the unfortunate fact that,

  alas, we will not be able to attend this

  year’s IPMS Nationals for the second

  year in a row. Current conditions and

  rules brought out by them will simply

  not allow it. Travel to the United States

  is not possible, so our participation has

  to be put off. We will, at least, have our

  afterparty event, and this will run from

  August 19th to pretty much the end of

  the month, and we will maybe even have

  a chat on the theme of new fall releases.

  This won’t replace the act of actual parti-

  cipation, but it is at least something.

  The epidemic situation is still a complex

  one and is wreaking havoc on all our li-

  ves. I expected a quicker pace to the lif-

  ting of restrictions by governments, but

  these governments have been airing on

  the side of caution, which is becoming, at

  least to me, a source of increasing an-

  noyance. These same restrictions have

  delayed our get together at Vnitroblok

  premises and is also threatening E-day.

  Parts of current restrictions would make

  its realization impossible. As of last Mon-

  day, the Czech Republic has modified its

  rules and when I return from my vaca-

  tion, we’ll sit down and have a closer,

  detailed look at what they mean, and

  make a decision by the end of August as

  to whether or not E-day is a go or is po-

  stponed yet again. We have some alter-

  nate scenarios prepared, but let’s face it,

  E-day is E-day. One such alternate event

  would be an aviation day, similar to last

  year’s event, with the inclusion of aircraft

  that would bear a strong connection to

  October’s new releases. I will save any

  details for September’s newsletter, when

  we will be armed with a definite ‘yay’ or

  ‘nay’ on E-day. At least, hopefully we will

  have the answer, because the ability of

  governments to nowadays issue clear

  and understandable rules consistent

  with reality is, bluntly, incredible.

  Five´s premier the American way

  Let’s look at new releases and the con-

  tents of this month’s newsletter. We don’t

  have a hundred new items for August,

  as we alluded to as a possibility a month

  ago, but there are around ninety of them.

  Even that’s not a bad number, though. The

  most extensive of the new items is Eagle’s

  Call, a Limited Edition issue. It is dedica-

  ted to the theme of American pilots on

  the Spitfire Mk.V. It is THE item we were

  preparing to take to the IPMS Nationals

  in Las Vegas, and is one of the main rea-

  sons for my disappointment on the can-

  cellation on our participation. This is the

  first release of our Mk.V family of Spits,

  and covers two sub variants right off the

  bat, the Mk.Vb and Mk.Vc. The box yields

  two sets of plastic, one for each versi-

  on. The Mk.Vb is of a later arrangement,

  with an asymmetric arrangement of the

  cannon fairings below the wings. The

  Spitfire Mk.Vc comes with, as you proba-

  bly know, a different wing with a differing

  gun arrangement, and a modified lan-

  ding gear installation. This also changed

  the wheel well design for the gear. That

  became essentially identical in the later

  Mk.IX. Releasing the Spitfire Mk.Vc has

  been basically avoided by manufacturers

  in the past. The only exception is Spe-

  cial Hobby, that way back when issued

  a Spitfire Mk.Vc still using short-run

  technology. It was feverishly repackaged

  time and again, including by us. This new

  one is our work, done in our style. The

  marking options include aircraft that

  were equipped with Vokes dust filters,

  which is, of course, included as an opti-

  on in the plastic. These also include the

  Aboukir filter but is not used when mode-

  ling one of the marking options included

  in the kit. It will, however, come into play

  in later releases of our Mk.V, which will

  be numerous. I am also not leaving out

  the possibility of releases kits dedicated

  to desert Spitfires. These desert Spitfires

  represent some of the nicest options for

  schemes and markings in the kit, if not

  for the Spitfire as a whole. The options in

  this kit specifically carry you through the

  history of Americans flying the type, be-

  ginning with US pilots serving in the RAF,

  including in Eagle Squadron, through the

  4th Fighter Group, 8th AF of the USAAF,

  into which Eagle Squadron was integra-

  ted at the end of September, 1942, all the

  way through to the 31st and 52nd Fighter

  Groups in North Africa and Italy. In the

  markings options, you’ll find some big

  names along with some well known, and

  also lesser-known, aircraft. The marking

  schemes are also quite varied. The the-

  me of American Spitfires is as varied as

  America itself, with powerful stories and

  striking machines. This is consistent with

  EDITORIAL

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 5

  the size of the decal sheet, being one of

  the biggest we have ever produced for

  inclusion in a kit. I think it very probable

  that there will eventually be a return to

  the theme of American Spitfires, at the

  very least to American Spitfire Mk.VIIIs

  and IXs. This theme is also covered by the

  main historical article within this month’s

  newsletter. It carries the same title as the

  kit, and describes the service of Ameri-

  can citizens in the RAF, the formation of

  the Eagle Squadron, its integration into

  the USAAF, and the history of the 31st and

  52nd Fighter Groups, their operations in

  North Africa and in Italy. It also describes

  the service of other American units that

  flew Spitfires, and even touches on indi-

  vidual Spitfires flown in the United States

  for test and development purposes. I am

  listed as the article’s author, but in fact

  this was a collective effort made possi-

  ble through the co-operation of myself,

  Jan Zdiarsky and Jan Bobek, to which

  I extend my gratitude.

  Today’s new releases also include a wide

  range of items dedicated to the Spitfi-

  re Mk.V. The masks offer the dual sided

  (inner and outer surface) type TFace,

  photoetching includes landing flaps and

  steel seatbelts, and there are LooK and

  Space sets, and to put the icing on the

  cake, there is a Brassin engine set.

  Second´s premier the British way

  Another premier item for this month

  is the Tempest Mk.II in 1:48th scale, de-

  picting the early version of that bird. Ori-

  ginally, we were under the impression

  that minor physical differences in the

  Tempest Mk.IIs were between the Tem-

  pest F Mk.II and the FB Mk.II, but further

  digging revealed that this was an over-

  simplification, and so we went back to the

  tried, tested and true system of designa-

  tion known as simply ‘Early’ and ‘Late’.

  As per our agreement, this kit was first

  released by Special Hobby, which I think

  presents no problem, and I think that re-

  ally, we all know that there is no equal to

  the Eduard ProfiPACK kits. This Tempest

  kit’s decal sheet is also pretty monumen-

  tal, and there is a list of accessories that

  will be difficult to resist. These include

  TFace masks, photoetched landing flaps,

  pre-painted, steel seatbelts, Space and

  Look sets, and a Brassin cockpit, exhaust

  and rocket set. We also have decals that

  include roundels and stencil data. Which

  reminds me, stencil data are also availa-

  ble for the Spitfire Mk.V.

  The remaining three kits for the month

  are well known. In the WEEKEND line, we

  have the Fw 190D-9, which is making its

  first post-fire return to our catalog, and

  the Spitfire Mk.IX, known also as the Spit-

  fire Mk.IX Early. Both kits are supported

  by new ZOOM sets, and for the D-9, steel

  seatbelts. The MiG-21MF is being re-re-

  leased as a 1:48th scale ProfiPACK kit.

  Accessories

  Over the recent past, we have received

  a lot of questions regarding the decals

  in the new releases , specifically if they

  are the type where the carrier film can

  be peeled off them. It seems that those

  that love ‘em and those that think they

  are the work of the devil are on the rise,

  but those in the former are gaining mo-

  mentum over those in the latter category.

  They are of the peeling variety, as are the

  ones produced for our Eduard Decals. We

  have mentioned some of the ones being

  released now, and among the others are

  stencil data for the Su-7, a kit originally

  released by OEZ Letohrad, and is cu-

  rrently offered by SMER. Interesting for

  many will also be a set of markings for

  the GWH 1:48th scale Su-27.

  Going back for a moment to accesso-

  ry items, which typically form the bulk

  of new releases, it is normal for us to

  focus most of these on specific kits.

  In 1:32nd scale, this is made up of a co-

  llection of masks for the Ah-1G from ICM,

  and in 48th for the Mi-24P from Zvezda,

  the Lancaster B Mk.I from HKM and the

  Gaspatch Me 163B. The last two are also

  covered by new Space sets. There are

  also single sets, such as the second one

  for the trumpeter F-100C in 1:32nd scale,

  masks for the 1:72nd scale F-4E Phantom

  II from Fine Molds and a photoetched set

  for the Fujimi A-4B, repackaged by the

  Polish firm HOBBY2000. We also have

  a set for the Cromwell Mk.IV from Air-

  fix in 1:35th and two for the USS Langley

  AV-3 in 1:350th from Trumpeter. Besides

  the aforementioned Brassin sets, we

  have interesting weapons items in va-

  rious scales, and some smaller sets, too,

  such as a wheel set for the 1:32nd scale

  Tiger Moth and a Look set for the Sabre

  Mk.4. There are six new BigEd sets, and

  a new BigSin for the B-17F from HKM.

  And with that, I can slowly wrap up toda-

  y’s introduction. It’s even a little bit lon-

  ger than I had originally planned, maybe

  because of the influence of the spirit of

  Ernest Hemingway, who stayed here du-

  ring the First World War, during which

  he was an ambulance driver and was

  seriously wounded in an evacuation of

  an Italian soldier during bombardment

  by Austro-Hungarian artillery. Under the

  influence of all this, I have been wande-

  ring around the local town of Stres with

  a notebook, in case any inspired thoughts

  enter my mind and I end up writing so-

  mething significant and inspired. Yester-

  day, my notebook accompanied me up to

  the top of the mountain Sasso del Ferro,

  to the opposite side of the lake, but it did

  little to inspire me. So the end result of

  the trip to Italy has been this introduction

  to the newsletter and a piece of the ar-

  ticle for the Eagle’s Call kit. Fortunately,

  others took up the slack and we have

  a couple of other articles in this newsle-

  tter. One was penned by Mira Bradic,

  and talks about John Magee, an Ameri-

  can Spitfire pilot, famous for his poem

  ‘High Flight’, and to keep from being

  monotonous, with respect to themes,

  we also have an article entitled ‘Tamer

  of Paper Dragons’. It was written by

  Richard Plos and is a biography of Eugen

  Siempelkamp.

  I wish you a pleasant read of today’s

  newsletter.

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimir Sulc

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 6

  Eagle Squadrons RAF

  Several interesting personalities stood at the birth of the Ame-

  rican Eagle Squadrons operating within RAF. One of them was

  Charles Francis Sweeny, a wealthy American businessman living

  in London. He convinced the British government to allow Ame-

  rican citizens to serve in the British armed forces. To organize

  the recruitment of the Americans to join RAF, Sweeny worked

  with the Canadian Clayton Knight Committee, CKC. This commi-

  ttee was founded by Billy Bishop, the Canadian WWI ghter ace

  and Clayton Knight, the American aviation artist, and an aviator

  himself, a member of the US Signal Corps, having served with

  RFC during WWI.

  The initial purpose of CKC was to engage the American aviation indu-

  stry in the British program of the air power build up, BCATP (British

  Commonwealth Air Training Plan). The committee, headquartered

  at the famous New York hotel Waldorf-Astoria, came to existence in

  the spring 1940 and gradually created a network of nine recruiting

  oces in the large American cities such as Dallas, San Francisco,

  or Kansas City. After the USA joined the war eorts, almost 6,700

  applications of the American citizens for service in RAF were recei-

  ved. However, 86 percentiles of them were rejected, so the nal

  number of Americans accepted to RAF was around 1,000.

  It has to be said that the service in the foreign army was illegal

  in the USA and breaking the law could result in the loss of the

  American citizenship. For all accepted candidates, the committee

  provided all necessary documents and organized their travel to Ca-

  nada. Beside it also compensated them for their travel expenses,

  ocially in the form of a loan. Since the recruits typically did not

  repay the loans, they were in fact gifts which was also breaking the

  law prohibiting the American citizens to serve in the foreign armed

  forces. Only thanks to the tolerance of the US Department of State

  and other authorities, including President Roosevelt himself, who

  secretly supported CKC activities, its operation and new candida-

  tes’ recruitment could continue until the USA entered the war. Re-

  gardless CKC activities were often blocked and disrupted by US De-

  partment of State and FBI, especially in 1940. In 1941 the attitude

  of various American institutions, including US Department of Defen-

  se and the Air Command, gradually changed as it became apparent

  that US entry into war is inevitable. That on the other hand meant

  that CKC activities represented a competition to the American own

  eorts to strengthen the armed forces one of which was the inten-

  se recruitment for all its branches. Besides the recruitment for RAF

  and RCAF, CKC also negotiated the civilian contracts for the ight

  instructors or pilots delivering the aircraft to the units.

  According to some sources as many as 10,000 Americans served in

  RAF and RCAF in various capacities, be it soldiers or civilian em-

  ployees. The motivation for joining RAF varied, from the desire

  to participate in the war eorts against Germany or seeking the

  better position than the American armed forces allowed. For in-

  stance, the American Air Force required at least two years of the

  university studies in order to commence the pilot training. RAF did

  not have such a strict requirement. To start the pilot training high

  school graduation was required, not even the prior military service

  was necessary however at least 300 ight hours were required. For

  example, the future ghter ace, Dominic „Don“ Gentile joined the

  Canadian Air Force especially because of the lack of the universi-

  ty education which was common for many future Eagle squadron

  members.

  The pilots who completed the training in Canada gradually formed

  three American units called Eagle Squadrons. Not all Americans in

  RAF joined them however, many remained serving with British or

  Title photo: In 1968 William R. Dunn was ocially recognized as the rst American ace of WWII. In the picture he is seated in the cockpit

  of his Spitre Mk. IIa (P7308; XR-D) in RAF uniform. In 1939 he joined the Canadian armed forces having answered the call for pilots who

  had logged more than 500 ight hours (Photo: IWM, American Air Museum in Britain).

  eduard

  6

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 7

  Eagle Squadrons RAF

  Several interesting personalities stood at the birth of the Ame-

  rican Eagle Squadrons operating within RAF. One of them was

  Charles Francis Sweeny, a wealthy American businessman living

  in London. He convinced the British government to allow Ame-

  rican citizens to serve in the British armed forces. To organize

  the recruitment of the Americans to join RAF, Sweeny worked

  with the Canadian Clayton Knight Committee, CKC. This commi-

  ttee was founded by Billy Bishop, the Canadian WWI ghter ace

  and Clayton Knight, the American aviation artist, and an aviator

  himself, a member of the US Signal Corps, having served with

  RFC during WWI.

  The initial purpose of CKC was to engage the American aviation indu-

  stry in the British program of the air power build up, BCATP (British

  Commonwealth Air Training Plan). The committee, headquartered

  at the famous New York hotel Waldorf-Astoria, came to existence in

  the spring 1940 and gradually created a network of nine recruiting

  oces in the large American cities such as Dallas, San Francisco,

  or Kansas City. After the USA joined the war eorts, almost 6,700

  applications of the American citizens for service in RAF were recei-

  ved. However, 86 percentiles of them were rejected, so the nal

  number of Americans accepted to RAF was around 1,000.

  It has to be said that the service in the foreign army was illegal

  in the USA and breaking the law could result in the loss of the

  American citizenship. For all accepted candidates, the committee

  provided all necessary documents and organized their travel to Ca-

  nada. Beside it also compensated them for their travel expenses,

  ocially in the form of a loan. Since the recruits typically did not

  repay the loans, they were in fact gifts which was also breaking the

  law prohibiting the American citizens to serve in the foreign armed

  forces. Only thanks to the tolerance of the US Department of State

  and other authorities, including President Roosevelt himself, who

  secretly supported CKC activities, its operation and new candida-

  tes’ recruitment could continue until the USA entered the war. Re-

  gardless CKC activities were often blocked and disrupted by US De-

  partment of State and FBI, especially in 1940. In 1941 the attitude

  of various American institutions, including US Department of Defen-

  se and the Air Command, gradually changed as it became apparent

  that US entry into war is inevitable. That on the other hand meant

  that CKC activities represented a competition to the American own

  eorts to strengthen the armed forces one of which was the inten-

  se recruitment for all its branches. Besides the recruitment for RAF

  and RCAF, CKC also negotiated the civilian contracts for the ight

  instructors or pilots delivering the aircraft to the units.

  According to some sources as many as 10,000 Americans served in

  RAF and RCAF in various capacities, be it soldiers or civilian em-

  ployees. The motivation for joining RAF varied, from the desire

  to participate in the war eorts against Germany or seeking the

  better position than the American armed forces allowed. For in-

  stance, the American Air Force required at least two years of the

  university studies in order to commence the pilot training. RAF did

  not have such a strict requirement. To start the pilot training high

  school graduation was required, not even the prior military service

  was necessary however at least 300 ight hours were required. For

  example, the future ghter ace, Dominic „Don“ Gentile joined the

  Canadian Air Force especially because of the lack of the universi-

  ty education which was common for many future Eagle squadron

  members.

  The pilots who completed the training in Canada gradually formed

  three American units called Eagle Squadrons. Not all Americans in

  RAF joined them however, many remained serving with British or

  Title photo: In 1968 William R. Dunn was ocially recognized as the rst American ace of WWII. In the picture he is seated in the cockpit

  of his Spitre Mk. IIa (P7308; XR-D) in RAF uniform. In 1939 he joined the Canadian armed forces having answered the call for pilots who

  had logged more than 500 ight hours (Photo: IWM, American Air Museum in Britain).

  Canadian squadrons. For instance, another future ace and 4th Figh-

  ter Group, 8th Air Force commander Donald Blakeslee, who served

  with Canadian No. 401 Squadron, purposely avoided joining the

  Eagle squadron, supposedly due to the poor relations among the

  personnel and pilots overclaiming the kills. He changed his opinion

  after he completed his tour of duty with No. 401 Squadron RCAF

  and the only option to continue ying combat missions was joining

  the No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron. On the other side, a number of the

  Eagle Squadrons members, after they completed their tours of duty,

  were for similar reasons leaving for British squadrons, quite often

  based in Malta or North Africa.

  No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron

  The rst American unit within RAF, No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron was

  formed out of the American volunteers who at that time already

  served with RAF. Many of them were Battle of Britain veterans and

  some had even served with the French air force. The squadron was

  established at RAF airbase Church Fenton on September 19, 1940.

  During the operational training it ew the American Brewster Bua-

  loes which, due to their obsolescence, were replaced by Hurricanes

  in November 1940. On February 5, 1941, at Kirton in Lindsey airba-

  se, the unit was declared operational and in April commenced its

  combat ying at RAF airbase Martlesham Heath in Suolk. In May it

  recorded its rst combat loss when Mike Kolendorski was shot down

  and killed during the oensive sweep over the Netherlands. In June

  the unit was deployed to RAF airbase North Weald under the No. 11

  Group command. On June 21 Nathaniel Maranz was shot down and

  captured becoming the rst American POW in WWII. A month later,

  Instruction on Miles Master trainer at the RAF Flying Training School where Eagle Squadron pilots underwent the training. All Eagle

  Squadrons’ pilots had own prior to their recruitment but since their level of experience diered widely, they all were put through the

  RAF standard pilot training curriculum (Photo: IWM).

  on July 21 P/O William R. Dunn scored the rst Eagle Squadron kill

  when he shot down a Bf 109F over Lille. Soon P/O Dunn became

  the rst American ghter ace in WWII after he scored his fourth and

  fth kills on August 27. In August 1941 No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron was

  re-equipped with Spitres Mk.IIa just to replace them with more

  powerful Spitres Mk.Vb in a short time. In December the unit was

  re-deployed to Martlesham Heath and in May 1942 relocated to

  Debden, where on September 29, 1942, together with the other

  two Eagle Squadrons, was transferred under USAAF command.

  No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron

  The second RAF American squadron, No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron, was

  established in May 1941 at RAF airbase Kirton in Lindsey. In July the

  unit was declared operational and initially ew Hurricanes Mk.IIb

  on the patrol sorties to protect the convoys. On September 15 the

  Founding members of the No. 71 ‚Eagle‘ Squadron at Church Fenton,

  Yorkshire, October 1940. From left: F/O Andrew Mamedo of Thom-

  pson, Connecticut, P/O Vernon Charles Keough of Brooklyn, New

  York, and P/O Gene Tobin of Los Angeles. Mamedo was a former

  stunt pilot in an air circus. Keough was a professional parachutist

  with 480 drops at the time this photograph was taken. Tobin was

  a commercial pilot who also did some lm work in Los Angeles

  (Photo: IWM).

  eduard

  7

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 8

  unit scored its rst victory. Between August and September it was

  re-equipped with Spitres Mk.II and in November received new

  Mk.Vs. In December it replaced No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron at RAF air-

  base North Weald and joined the RAF oensive against the targets

  in occupied Western Europe.

  No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron

  The last of the Eagle Squadrons was formed at RAF airbase Col-

  tishall in July 1941, equipped with Hurricanes Mk.IIb. In August

  it was declared operational at RAF airbase Duxford. In January

  1942 it was re-equipped with Spitres Mk.V. In May 1942 No. 133

  In June 1942 Supermarine Spire Mk. Vb EN951 built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory was assigned to No. 133 ´Eagle´ Squadron,

  coded “MD-U” and own by Lt. Don Blakeslee. In April 1942 she was transferred to No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF and assigned to the

  legendary ace Jan Zumbach (Photo: IWM).

  Squadron became the part of the Bi-

  ggin Hill Wing. In September the No.

  133 Squadron was re-equipped with

  Spitres F Mk.IX as the only Eagle

  squadron. On September 26, 1942,

  however, the squadron suered a

  loss of 12 aircraft and 11 pilots du-

  ring the escort of 19 B-17Fs from 97th

  Bombing Group on their raid to Mor-

  laix. No. 133, 401 and 64 Squadrons

  participated in this operation as

  the ghter cover. Due to the strong

  wind reaching 40 knots and overcast

  skies, the ghter escort, which did

  not even meet the bombers, drifted

  too far south beyond Brest. Upon re-

  turn, No. 133 Squadron led by F/Lt

  Brettel tried to land at the German

  airport in Brest by mistake. Eleven

  Spitres fell victims to Flak re and

  scrambled Fw 190As from JG 2. The

  twelfth Spitre made the emergency

  landing on the British coast. The No.

  64 Squadron commander Tony Gaze

  who led the escort was relieved of

  his command due to this incident. He

  was accused of the insucient pre-

  parations of the operation and mis-

  takes committed during its executi-

  on. F/Lt Brettel became POW and in

  1944 was one of the victims of the

  famous Great Escape. This event is

  surrounded by some curious and strange circumstances. One of the

  interesting facts is that 13 Spitres of No. 133 Squadron took o for

  the mission actually. Thirteenth Spitre, the only one that survived

  Morlaix disaster unscathed, turned back to the base before the

  formation reached the French coast. The reason for this was that

  this aircraft was designated as “a spare” in case one of the aircraft

  committed to the operation had to return, for instance due to the

  mechanical trouble. Then “the spare” would assume its position in

  the formation. If nothing occurred and all designated aircraft nor-

  mally continued on their path, the spare returned to the airbase,

  typically from the line of enemy coast. That day a spare was own

  by Dominic Gentile.

  No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron personnel is looking on as three Spitres Mk.Vb are landing after a -

  ghter sweep over northern France. Some of the houses used for the Squadron acommodation are

  visible in the background, as well as several civilian houses (Photo: IWM).

  eduard

  8

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 9

  unit scored its rst victory. Between August and September it was

  re-equipped with Spitres Mk.II and in November received new

  Mk.Vs. In December it replaced No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron at RAF air-

  base North Weald and joined the RAF oensive against the targets

  in occupied Western Europe.

  No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron

  The last of the Eagle Squadrons was formed at RAF airbase Col-

  tishall in July 1941, equipped with Hurricanes Mk.IIb. In August

  it was declared operational at RAF airbase Duxford. In January

  1942 it was re-equipped with Spitres Mk.V. In May 1942 No. 133

  In June 1942 Supermarine Spire Mk. Vb EN951 built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory was assigned to No. 133 ´Eagle´ Squadron,

  coded “MD-U” and own by Lt. Don Blakeslee. In April 1942 she was transferred to No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF and assigned to the

  legendary ace Jan Zumbach (Photo: IWM).

  Squadron became the part of the Bi-

  ggin Hill Wing. In September the No.

  133 Squadron was re-equipped with

  Spitres F Mk.IX as the only Eagle

  squadron. On September 26, 1942,

  however, the squadron suered a

  loss of 12 aircraft and 11 pilots du-

  ring the escort of 19 B-17Fs from 97th

  Bombing Group on their raid to Mor-

  laix. No. 133, 401 and 64 Squadrons

  participated in this operation as

  the ghter cover. Due to the strong

  wind reaching 40 knots and overcast

  skies, the ghter escort, which did

  not even meet the bombers, drifted

  too far south beyond Brest. Upon re-

  turn, No. 133 Squadron led by F/Lt

  Brettel tried to land at the German

  airport in Brest by mistake. Eleven

  Spitres fell victims to Flak re and

  scrambled Fw 190As from JG 2. The

  twelfth Spitre made the emergency

  landing on the British coast. The No.

  64 Squadron commander Tony Gaze

  who led the escort was relieved of

  his command due to this incident. He

  was accused of the insucient pre-

  parations of the operation and mis-

  takes committed during its executi-

  on. F/Lt Brettel became POW and in

  1944 was one of the victims of the

  famous Great Escape. This event is

  surrounded by some curious and strange circumstances. One of the

  interesting facts is that 13 Spitres of No. 133 Squadron took o for

  the mission actually. Thirteenth Spitre, the only one that survived

  Morlaix disaster unscathed, turned back to the base before the

  formation reached the French coast. The reason for this was that

  this aircraft was designated as “a spare” in case one of the aircraft

  committed to the operation had to return, for instance due to the

  mechanical trouble. Then “the spare” would assume its position in

  the formation. If nothing occurred and all designated aircraft nor-

  mally continued on their path, the spare returned to the airbase,

  typically from the line of enemy coast. That day a spare was own

  by Dominic Gentile.

  No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron personnel is looking on as three Spitres Mk.Vb are landing after a -

  ghter sweep over northern France. Some of the houses used for the Squadron acommodation are

  visible in the background, as well as several civilian houses (Photo: IWM).

  In the end of September 1942 No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron

  (further 133 Squadron) as a rst out of these American units,

  was re-equipped with new Spitres Mk. IX. On September 26

  133 Squadron pilots ew as a part of the escort of nineteen

  B-17 Flying Fortresses belonging to 97th Bombing Group 8th

  AF of the USAAF which were to raid the airport in Morlaix.

  The bombers escort was provided by three RAF squadrons

  operating out of three dierent hom bases: 64 Squadron out

  of Hornchurch, 133rd Squadron out of Biggin Hill and Ca-

  nadian 401st Squadron out of Kenley. The whole operation

  was plagued by the series of unfortunate, and in some ca-

  ses plainly strange events. During that period the process of

  transferring the American Eagle Squadrons under the USAAF

  command was under way and several squadron ocers, inc-

  luding the commander Carroll McColpin, stayed at the USAF

  8th AF Headquarters in London. Therefore the squadron was

  led into combat by its British member and ight leader F/

  Lt Edward Brettell. The whole ghter escort formation was

  led by the 64th Squadron‘s commanding ocer, Australian

  S/L Tony Gaze. It’s interesting to note that the ghter escort

  command had not been given to the senior ocer, Kenley

  Wing commander Brian Kingcombe who on this mission led the

  401st Squadron. Before the mission all three units gathered

  at the small airport Bold Head with unpaved runways located

  on the south coast of Devon approximately one mile south of

  the town of Salcombe. RAF Bold Head was a satellite airport

  of the RAF base Exeter and featured two unpaved runways.

  From there to the target, Morlaix in Bretagne, it’s some 110

  miles by air, kind of „round the corner“.

  Refuelling, brieng and ghter escort formation took place at

  this airport. According to some sources the rendezvous with

  the bombers was supposed to take place there as well but

  it did not happen. Not only there, it did not happen at all

  even though the 401st Squadron combat report states that the

  contact with the bombers had been made. According to the

  available information it seems that the mission preparation

  was not too meticulous. The Americans as well as Canadian la-

  ter stated that due to the inadequate airport equipment they

  could not have fully refuelled all aircraft. Also the brieng

  was supposedly rather sloppy, at least as far as the American

  is concerned since only F/Lt. Brettell with another pilot par-

  ticipated. The brieng was however crucial for the further

  chain of events because the weather forecast warned about

  35 knots headwind (17.5 mps, 65 kph). In reality, in addition

  to 8/8 clouds coverage, the aviators faced 40 knots (20 mps,

  74 kph) tailwind as per the Canadian combat report. The Ame-

  ricans reported even stronger wind, as high as 100 knots (50

  mps, 180 kph) which is rather improbable.

  At any rate, the current weather conditions caused the si-

  tuation that the ghter escort never made contact with the

  bombers. Those, due to the advert weather conditions, and

  ghter escort recall, returned to the base. For some reason

  the ghter escort commander Tony Gaze never received the

  information about the mission cancellation so the ghters ca-

  rried on in the eort to nd the bombers. The strong tailwind

  drifted them far to the south, below Brest over the Bay of

  Biscay. The German sources state the Spitres even reached

  the Spanish coast and only then turned back. Now they were

  returning with a strong headwind and 8/8 cloud coverage

  without seeing the ground. Over Brest the American were ru-

  nning out of fuel and when they spotted the airport through

  the gap in the clouds they decided to land under impression

  they had already crossed the English coast.

  They did not mind Tony Gaze‘s warning who shortly before

  had requested the vectoring and received the message that

  the formation is located approximately 160 miles south of

  the English coast. This information would correspond to the

  position above the south coast of Bretagne approximately 30

  miles south from Brest. At that point in time all the squadrons

  evidently still held the formation despite the strong headwid

  and bad visibility. The airbase where 133rd Squadron was

  attempting to land was Guipavas airport near Brest, nowadays

  Brest Bretange Airport (BES), from where the German JG 2

  operated. 8./JG 2 ghters scrambled at 18:46 and within next

  fteen minutes shot down six 133rd Squadron Spitres.

  Another three Spitres were shot down by AA re and two

  more crash-landed having exhausted their fuel. Only one out

  twelve pilots made it to the English coast, P/O Beaty who

  crash-landed on the eld near Kingsbridge and with serious

  Morlaix Disaster

  A 92nd Bomb Group B-17E formation. On September 26th, 1942 this group attacked Cherbourg as a diversionary operation

  (Photo: IWM).

  eduard

  9

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 10

  RAF airport Bolt Head was built in 1941 at the southern coast

  of Devonshire County as a satellite airport for the RAF Exeter

  base. The ying and ground personnel facilities were initially

  minimal. During the war the wooden lodgings and hangars were

  built. First unit to occupy the base was 16 Squadron RAF ying

  Lysanders. Among other occupants was the 313 Czechoslovak

  Squadron (June 10, 1942-June 28, 1943) and from this period

  date the recollections of Antonin Vendl based on which he pain-

  ted the attached picture featuring „his“ Spitre Mk. V ‚RY-V“

  in the foreground. In 1941 the RAF Hope Cove ground control

  station was established nearby to support the ghter missions in

  this sector of the Channel.

  The airport also served as a gathering point of the RAF ghter

  squadrons participating in the support of the USAAF 8th AF on

  their missions to raid Morlaix and Cherebourg on September 26,

  1942. RAF Bolt Head was closed in 1945. Nowadays there is a

  memorial at the crossing point of the runways. A small private

  airdrome is located here.

  Col. Antonin Vendl was born on June 9, 1919 in the village of

  Skrivanek nearby Nemecky (nowadays Havlickuv) Brod. In 1937

  he enlisted in the

  School of the Avia-

  tion Youth with the

  objective to beco-

  me a military pilot.

  The training howe-

  ver was interrupted

  by the German oc-

  cupation. The de-

  sire to ee abroad

  and join the ght

  against the enemy

  materialized only

  in June 1939 after

  several unsuccessful

  attempts. Then the

  usual calvary of the

  Czechoslovak pilots

  in Poland and Fran-

  ce followed. After

  France collapsed he

  managed to make

  to the Great Britain

  where he joined the

  RAF Volunteer Re-

  serve. He nished the British pilot training after that was

  posted to 501 Squadron RAF. In June 1942 he was reassig-

  ned to 313 Squadron and after nishing his tour of duty in

  April 1943 he was temporarily attached to Ferry Command.

  After „the rest“ at No. 1 Delivery Fligh RAF Tony Vendl star-

  ted to seek another combat assignment. Coincidentally the

  oer came from his respected and beloved commander

  S/Lr Frantisek Fajtl who was recruiting volunteers to form

  the ghter unit in the Soviet Union. After the two months long

  journey to the East and following training on La-5FN the unit

  was surprised by the outbreak of the Slovak National Upris-

  ing. The 1. Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron in the USSR broke

  a record of being the ghter unit operating in the enemy’s

  rear for the longest time. Af the supression of the Uprising

  and unit’s withdrawal back behind the front lines Tony was

  busy with training new pilots at 1st Czechoslovak Combined

  Air Division and also ying combat missions in support of the

  advancing ground troops, including the Ostrava Operation.

  After the WWII Antonin Vendl joined the transportation

  squadron at Prague Kbely where he ew C-47 and Ju-52.

  After the communist coup Antonin Vendl did not avoid the

  persecution of the aviators who had fought in the West. In

  1949 he was dismissed from the Army. The troubles to obtain

  a civilian job followed. Over the years he worked his way

  up from a helper to a salesman and later manager of the

  Mototechna store in Prague. In his tiny oce the former RAF

  comrades-in-arms secretely met. The communist police and

  their lackeys‘ harrassment continued until the end of 1989.

  After the Revolution, together with many other members

  of Czechoslovak foreign resistance Tony was rehabilitated

  and promoted to the rank of Colonel. At least once he used

  his contacts to prevent his promotion to General. „There

  is plenty of other chaps who would deserve it much more

  than myself“ he said. Until his death he worked hard so as

  his fallen comrads were remembered and he was an acti-

  ve member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Airmen Association

  1039-45. He passed away on April 2, 2002 due to the compli-

  cations from an accident.

  For his combat achievements Antonin Vendl was (among

  many others) decorated with four Czechoslovak War Cross

  1939, three Medals for Bravery, British Star 1939-1945, Atlan-

  tic Star, Defence Medal, Order of the Slovak National Upris-

  ing I. Class and Medal of Merit I. Class.

  Bolt Head in the painting of Antonin Vendl, No. 313 Czechoslovak Sqadron RAF

  wounds was transported to

  the hospital. His testimony

  was the main source of the

  information about the 133rd

  Squadron fate above Brest.

  It has to be said that with

  many inaccuracies. Out of

  eleven remaining pilots six

  perished, four became POWs

  and one successfully bailed

  out of the damaged aircraft,

  avoided the capture and re-

  turned back to Britain. F/L

  Edward Brettell was among

  POWs. During the night of

  24-25 March, 1944 he parti-

  cipated in the „Great Esca-

  pe“ from Sagan (Stalag Luft

  III) but after the capture was

  murdered by Gestapo.

  Another pilot who had taken

  o on the mission survived

  the Morlaix disaster, P/O Do-

  minic Gentile, who after the

  ghter escort was formed

  eduard

  10

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 11

  RAF airport Bolt Head was built in 1941 at the southern coast

  of Devonshire County as a satellite airport for the RAF Exeter

  base. The ying and ground personnel facilities were initially

  minimal. During the war the wooden lodgings and hangars were

  built. First unit to occupy the base was 16 Squadron RAF ying

  Lysanders. Among other occupants was the 313 Czechoslovak

  Squadron (June 10, 1942-June 28, 1943) and from this period

  date the recollections of Antonin Vendl based on which he pain-

  ted the attached picture featuring „his“ Spitre Mk. V ‚RY-V“

  in the foreground. In 1941 the RAF Hope Cove ground control

  station was established nearby to support the ghter missions in

  this sector of the Channel.

  The airport also served as a gathering point of the RAF ghter

  squadrons participating in the support of the USAAF 8th AF on

  their missions to raid Morlaix and Cherebourg on September 26,

  1942. RAF Bolt Head was closed in 1945. Nowadays there is a

  memorial at the crossing point of the runways. A small private

  airdrome is located here.

  Col. Antonin Vendl was born on June 9, 1919 in the village of

  Skrivanek nearby Nemecky (nowadays Havlickuv) Brod. In 1937

  he enlisted in the

  School of the Avia-

  tion Youth with the

  objective to beco-

  me a military pilot.

  The training howe-

  ver was interrupted

  by the German oc-

  cupation. The de-

  sire to ee abroad

  and join the ght

  against the enemy

  materialized only

  in June 1939 after

  several unsuccessful

  attempts. Then the

  usual calvary of the

  Czechoslovak pilots

  in Poland and Fran-

  ce followed. After

  France collapsed he

  managed to make

  to the Great Britain

  where he joined the

  RAF Volunteer Re-

  serve. He nished the British pilot training after that was

  posted to 501 Squadron RAF. In June 1942 he was reassig-

  ned to 313 Squadron and after nishing his tour of duty in

  April 1943 he was temporarily attached to Ferry Command.

  After „the rest“ at No. 1 Delivery Fligh RAF Tony Vendl star-

  ted to seek another combat assignment. Coincidentally the

  oer came from his respected and beloved commander

  S/Lr Frantisek Fajtl who was recruiting volunteers to form

  the ghter unit in the Soviet Union. After the two months long

  journey to the East and following training on La-5FN the unit

  was surprised by the outbreak of the Slovak National Upris-

  ing. The 1. Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron in the USSR broke

  a record of being the ghter unit operating in the enemy’s

  rear for the longest time. Af the supression of the Uprising

  and unit’s withdrawal back behind the front lines Tony was

  busy with training new pilots at 1st Czechoslovak Combined

  Air Division and also ying combat missions in support of the

  advancing ground troops, including the Ostrava Operation.

  After the WWII Antonin Vendl joined the transportation

  squadron at Prague Kbely where he ew C-47 and Ju-52.

  After the communist coup Antonin Vendl did not avoid the

  persecution of the aviators who had fought in the West. In

  1949 he was dismissed from the Army. The troubles to obtain

  a civilian job followed. Over the years he worked his way

  up from a helper to a salesman and later manager of the

  Mototechna store in Prague. In his tiny oce the former RAF

  comrades-in-arms secretely met. The communist police and

  their lackeys‘ harrassment continued until the end of 1989.

  After the Revolution, together with many other members

  of Czechoslovak foreign resistance Tony was rehabilitated

  and promoted to the rank of Colonel. At least once he used

  his contacts to prevent his promotion to General. „There

  is plenty of other chaps who would deserve it much more

  than myself“ he said. Until his death he worked hard so as

  his fallen comrads were remembered and he was an acti-

  ve member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Airmen Association

  1039-45. He passed away on April 2, 2002 due to the compli-

  cations from an accident.

  For his combat achievements Antonin Vendl was (among

  many others) decorated with four Czechoslovak War Cross

  1939, three Medals for Bravery, British Star 1939-1945, Atlan-

  tic Star, Defence Medal, Order of the Slovak National Upris-

  ing I. Class and Medal of Merit I. Class.

  Bolt Head in the painting of Antonin Vendl, No. 313 Czechoslovak Sqadron RAF

  wounds was transported to

  the hospital. His testimony

  was the main source of the

  information about the 133rd

  Squadron fate above Brest.

  It has to be said that with

  many inaccuracies. Out of

  eleven remaining pilots six

  perished, four became POWs

  and one successfully bailed

  out of the damaged aircraft,

  avoided the capture and re-

  turned back to Britain. F/L

  Edward Brettell was among

  POWs. During the night of

  24-25 March, 1944 he parti-

  cipated in the „Great Esca-

  pe“ from Sagan (Stalag Luft

  III) but after the capture was

  murdered by Gestapo.

  Another pilot who had taken

  o on the mission survived

  the Morlaix disaster, P/O Do-

  minic Gentile, who after the

  ghter escort was formed

  Armorers of the

  92nd BG loading

  500lb bombs into

  one of their B-17Es

  (Photo: IWM).

  and reached the French coast split o the formation and

  returned to the base. This was a standard procedure later

  applied by all American 8th AF squadrons when one or two

  pilots ew as so-called „spares“. In case any of the aircraft

  had to return, for example due to the mechanical failure, the

  spare assumed his position. If no problems occurred, which

  was the case of September 26 mission, the spare ew back

  home. The fact that P/O Gentile returned without problems

  indicates that the weather conditions shortly after the take

  o were not that critical.

  Morlaix raid on September 26, 1942 was part of the 8th USA-

  AF Mission No.12. Another two raids were part of it. Actually

  92nd BG was supposed to bomb Cherbourg. Eighteen out of

  thirty BG B-17 did attack the target. 301st BG was scheduled

  to bomb the airport Maupertus near Cherbourg but the missi-

  on was cancelled due to the ghter escort recall. The weather

  conditions were

  supposedly within

  acceptable limits

  but the wind most

  probably did not

  reach 100 knots as

  133rd Squadron re-

  ported. It’s unlikely

  that at such wind

  conditions the 8./

  JG 2 ghter would

  have scrambled.

  The fact that the

  Germans were suc-

  cessful in intercep-

  ting the American

  Spitres and did not

  sustain any losses

  due to the weather

  conditions points to

  the weather condi-

  tions German eva-

  luated as operatio-

  nal. The most probable wind value is 40 knots reported by

  the 401st Squadron which is considered rather strong wind.

  Therefore the weather forecast had not been quite accurate,

  it had stated the wind at lower speed. Worth noting though is

  a controversy in the wind heading. Basically the weather fore-

  cast was correct and would be acceptable even today.

  As a ghter escort commander Tony Gaze can be blamed for

  rather sloppy brieng commented by Canadians as „rather

  sketchy“. By the way the 401st Squadron combat report is

  unusually long and one can sense certain frustration reading

  between the lines. Another question is why the ghter forma-

  tion continued ying south even after missing the rendezvous

  with the bombers, why the commander reportedly did not re-

  ceive the information about the bombers recall and why he

  did not request the vectoring earlier. Typically it is stated that

  he lost the communication with the Flight Control which, con-

  Refuelling of a Boeing B-17E s/n 41-9023 of the 97th Bomb Group (Photo IWM).

  eduard

  11

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 12

  sidering the circumstances is

  plausible. Later, while retur-

  ning he resumed the commu-

  nication with the Flight Cont-

  rol and has never commented

  on anything out of ordinary in

  terms of the communication.

  Morlaix disaster cost S/L Tony

  Gaze the position and rank.

  Until the end war he served

  with various squadrons usu-

  ally as a ight leader with

  the rank of Flight Lieute-

  nant. Tony Gaze blamed 11th

  Group, Flight Control and the

  meteorological service for

  the poor mission preparation

  and considered himself a sca-

  pegoat of the botched ope-

  ration. His opinion is usually

  accepted by the authors of

  the articles dealing with this

  event. Question is if this is

  justied. The series of events

  really points to not fully com-

  petent handling of the whole

  mission and certain cover up

  on both Tony Gaze‘s and Ame-

  rican side as well.

  B-17E, 41-9023, of the 97th Bomb Group being serviced by ground crew. This unit´s mission for September 26th, 1942 was to

  attack the main target of the mission – the airport at Ploujean-Morlaix. Due to overcast above the target area and miscalcula-

  ted tail wind, the group turned back over Biscay (Photo: IWM).

  The 92nd Bomb Group was the only one of three bombardment groups involved in Mission No. 12 that successfully located

  and attacked its target on September 26th, 1942. The Cherbourg Air Base was bombed by 16 of their 30 B-17Es (Photo: IWM).

  eduard

  12

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 13

  sidering the circumstances is

  plausible. Later, while retur-

  ning he resumed the commu-

  nication with the Flight Cont-

  rol and has never commented

  on anything out of ordinary in

  terms of the communication.

  Morlaix disaster cost S/L Tony

  Gaze the position and rank.

  Until the end war he served

  with various squadrons usu-

  ally as a ight leader with

  the rank of Flight Lieute-

  nant. Tony Gaze blamed 11th

  Group, Flight Control and the

  meteorological service for

  the poor mission preparation

  and considered himself a sca-

  pegoat of the botched ope-

  ration. His opinion is usually

  accepted by the authors of

  the articles dealing with this

  event. Question is if this is

  justied. The series of events

  really points to not fully com-

  petent handling of the whole

  mission and certain cover up

  on both Tony Gaze‘s and Ame-

  rican side as well.

  B-17E, 41-9023, of the 97th Bomb Group being serviced by ground crew. This unit´s mission for September 26th, 1942 was to

  attack the main target of the mission – the airport at Ploujean-Morlaix. Due to overcast above the target area and miscalcula-

  ted tail wind, the group turned back over Biscay (Photo: IWM).

  The 92nd Bomb Group was the only one of three bombardment groups involved in Mission No. 12 that successfully located

  and attacked its target on September 26th, 1942. The Cherbourg Air Base was bombed by 16 of their 30 B-17Es (Photo: IWM).

  Dieppe/Operation Jubilee

  The American squadrons never merged

  into any larger unit. They operated inde-

  pendently or within the British wings. The

  only operation where all three squadrons

  participated in was the Operation Jubilee,

  Dieppe landing. Not even in this case they

  were deployed under one command. No.

  71 Squadron ew to Dieppe out of RAF air-

  base Gravesend and No. 133 Squadron re-

  located to Lympne. During this operation,

  the American squadrons shot down eight

  enemy aircraft and lost six Spitres. One

  pilot was killed, and one became POW.

  In total until September 29, 1942, when

  they were transferred under the USAAF

  command, all three squadrons shot down

  73.5 enemy aircraft. No. 71 Squadron

  claimed 41 kills, No. 121 Squadron 18 kills

  and No. 133 Squadron 14.5 kills. The price

  paid for this success were lives of 77 Ame-

  rican and ve British personnel.

  Capt. Donald Willis of the 335th FS, 4th FG, before the unit‘s conversion to Thunderbolts. Willis was serving in the air forces of Finland,

  Norway and England before the RAF‘s No. 121 Squadron was absorbed into the Army Air Forces. Willis served as the 335th Operations

  Ocer before transferring to the VIII. Fighter Command Headquarters. On April 10, 1944 he crashed his 20th FG P-38 in The Netherlands

  and evaded the capture (Photo: US National Archives, Fold3).

  An abandoned British Daimler Dingo scout

  car on the Dieppe beach after the unsuc-

  cessful raid of August 19th, 1942 (Photo:

  Bundesarchiv).

  eduard

  13

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 14

  Dominic Salvatore Gentile

  (6 December 1920 – 28 January 1951)

  Native of Piqua, Ohio, Dominic Salvatore Gentile was born to the

  Italian immigrants Pasquale and Josena Gentile on December

  6, 1920. Since the childhood he loved airplanes and ying and

  he started with his pilot training when he was sixteen years old.

  Later his father bought for him a single seat biplane Aerosport

  for 450 dollars. In this aircraft he „terorrized the town of Piqua“

  in his own words. Allegedly he ew under the local bridge over

  the river Miami (Great Miami River). By August 1941, when he

  enlisted in the RCAF, he had logged 300 hours required to join

  RCAF. Don Gentile signed with Canadian airforce because the

  American airforce required two years of the colledge education

  in order to be accepted into the pilot training, the condition he

  did not comply with. He underwent his pilot training in Glendale,

  California and in December 1941 set sail for Britain. He started

  his career with RAF as an instructor and later joined the 133

  Squadron (133 Eagle Squadron). He scored his rst two ocially

  conrmed kills while ying air cover for the operation Jubilee,

  the landing at Dieppe. On September 29, 1942 he transferred

  with a whole squadron under the USAAF command with the rank

  of 2nd Lieutenant. While serving with 334th Fighter Squadron

  he ew Spitre Mk.V. Like his colleagues he was a bit skeptical

  about the unit’s conversion to P-47D. Regardless ying the Thun-

  derbolt he quickly increased his score when during two months,

  between December 16, 1943 and February 25, 1944 he was cre-

  dited with 5 kills.

  The aircraft in which he enjoyed his greatest successes was

  P-51B. Between March 3 and April 8, 1944 his total score stood

  at 15.5 kills and including the aircraft destroyed on the ground

  he surpassed Edie Rickenbaker’s tally from WWI, 26 victories.

  Interestingly, the 8th AF included the enemy aircraft destroyed

  on the gound into the total score of its pilots but the 9th AF only

  honored the aerial kills. On April 13, 1944 when his tour of duty

  was about to nish, upon returning from the combat mission,

  during the low level pass over Debden airport, he destroyed his

  Shangri-La. Afterwards he was sent back to the USA. There he

  toured the country to help selling the war bonds. In 1945 he got

  married. After the war he worked as a test pilot at Wright Field

  base in Dayton, Ohio (at present Wright-Patterson AFB). He pe-

  rished in the crash of T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer on January

  28, 1951 near Forestville in Maryland. At present his total com-

  bat score is said to be 19.83 kills.

  The end of the line for ‘Shangri-La’ after a forced landing on April 13th, 1944, on return from Gentile’s nal combat mission

  over Schweinfurt. What the Luftwae couldn’t do, lack of discipline could… (Photo: IWM)

  P-51B 43-6913, Capt. Donald S. Gentile,

  336th FS, 4th Fighter Group, April 1944

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  14

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 15

  Dominic Salvatore Gentile

  (6 December 1920 – 28 January 1951)

  Native of Piqua, Ohio, Dominic Salvatore Gentile was born to the

  Italian immigrants Pasquale and Josena Gentile on December

  6, 1920. Since the childhood he loved airplanes and ying and

  he started with his pilot training when he was sixteen years old.

  Later his father bought for him a single seat biplane Aerosport

  for 450 dollars. In this aircraft he „terorrized the town of Piqua“

  in his own words. Allegedly he ew under the local bridge over

  the river Miami (Great Miami River). By August 1941, when he

  enlisted in the RCAF, he had logged 300 hours required to join

  RCAF. Don Gentile signed with Canadian airforce because the

  American airforce required two years of the colledge education

  in order to be accepted into the pilot training, the condition he

  did not comply with. He underwent his pilot training in Glendale,

  California and in December 1941 set sail for Britain. He started

  his career with RAF as an instructor and later joined the 133

  Squadron (133 Eagle Squadron). He scored his rst two ocially

  conrmed kills while ying air cover for the operation Jubilee,

  the landing at Dieppe. On September 29, 1942 he transferred

  with a whole squadron under the USAAF command with the rank

  of 2nd Lieutenant. While serving with 334th Fighter Squadron

  he ew Spitre Mk.V. Like his colleagues he was a bit skeptical

  about the unit’s conversion to P-47D. Regardless ying the Thun-

  derbolt he quickly increased his score when during two months,

  between December 16, 1943 and February 25, 1944 he was cre-

  dited with 5 kills.

  The aircraft in which he enjoyed his greatest successes was

  P-51B. Between March 3 and April 8, 1944 his total score stood

  at 15.5 kills and including the aircraft destroyed on the ground

  he surpassed Edie Rickenbaker’s tally from WWI, 26 victories.

  Interestingly, the 8th AF included the enemy aircraft destroyed

  on the gound into the total score of its pilots but the 9th AF only

  honored the aerial kills. On April 13, 1944 when his tour of duty

  was about to nish, upon returning from the combat mission,

  during the low level pass over Debden airport, he destroyed his

  Shangri-La. Afterwards he was sent back to the USA. There he

  toured the country to help selling the war bonds. In 1945 he got

  married. After the war he worked as a test pilot at Wright Field

  base in Dayton, Ohio (at present Wright-Patterson AFB). He pe-

  rished in the crash of T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer on January

  28, 1951 near Forestville in Maryland. At present his total com-

  bat score is said to be 19.83 kills.

  The end of the line for ‘Shangri-La’ after a forced landing on April 13th, 1944, on return from Gentile’s nal combat mission

  over Schweinfurt. What the Luftwae couldn’t do, lack of discipline could… (Photo: IWM)

  P-51B 43-6913, Capt. Donald S. Gentile,

  336th FS, 4th Fighter Group, April 1944

  The 4th Fighter Group, the 8th Air Force

  Eagle squadrons‘ pilots’ integration into the USAAF was not an easy

  task as it might seem from today’s point of view. Enormous number

  of administrative issues had to be resolved and the actual transfer

  from RAF to USAAF was preceded by lengthy negotiations at all le-

  vels, including the top one. For example, President Roosevelt was

  involved in pardoning the infractions of the law on service in foreign

  armed forces. Practically none of the Americans in RAF undertook

  the American pilot training and therefore did not have a right to

  carry the American pilot’s badge. Major topic of the ongoing nego-

  tiations was certifying the Canadian and British pilots‘ tests. After

  this matter was resolved, the new issue was the right to carry the

  British pilot’s badge on the American uniform. This seemingly minor

  problem was resolved by granting the former American members of

  RAF the right to carry a smaller version of the British pilot’s badge

  on the opposite side of the American pilot’s badge. The British na-

  turally presented their claims as well, for example the compensati-

  on for the loss of three complete and trained ghter squadrons. No

  wonder that the nal agreement was reached after almost a year

  of intense negotiations. If we look closer this may remind us of the

  dicult negotiations between UK and EU about Brexit.

  All is well that ends well, in the summer of 1942 all issues were

  resolved and for the Americans serving in RAF, and other British and

  Canadian armed forces, the door was opened to join the American

  armed forces. On September 29, 1942, all three Eagle squadrons

  were ocially transferred under the USAAF command and together

  formed the 4th Fighter Group of the 8th AF. No. 71 Squadron RAF

  became 334th USAAF Fighter Squadron, No. 121 Squadron became

  335th FS and No. 133 Squadron was renamed 336th FS.

  All units continued operating out of Debden. Lt. Col. Edward W.

  Anderson was appointed the commander of 4th FG, the ghter

  squadrons were commanded by Majors Daymond, Daley and Mc-

  Colpin. The transfer under full 8th AF command was gradual and

  in October the operational command was still within RAF and RAF

  Debden station commander was responsible for it. 4th FG was si-

  multaneously operated as Debden Wing within RAF and mostly ew

  convoy patrols, coastal patrols, and oensive sweeps over France.

  Only later the operational command was fully handed over to the

  USAAF and Debden became USAAF Debden AFB. On November 22,

  Major Blakeslee was appointed commander of 335th FS and set on

  the path to become one of the most respected battle comman-

  ders in the history of the American AF. 4th FG ew Spitres until

  March 1943. In February 334th FS started its re-equipment with

  Thunderbolts. In the beginning of April, all three squadrons were

  operational on Thunderbolts and on April 8, led by Col. Anderson,

  they made their combat debut in the operation type Circus. On

  March 15, 1943, Donald Blakeslee scored the rst 4th FG victory on

  P-47D Thunderbolt and on July 28 he led 4th FG over Germany for

  the rst time after becoming the group’s operational ocer in May.

  In February 1944, 4th FG was re-equipped with P-51B Mustang as

  one of the rst 8th AF ghter groups.

  In the course of several months, 4th FG was the only ghter group

  available to the 8th AF command. Another ghter group assigned

  to 8th AF was 78th FG equipped with P-38 Lightnings. It arrived in

  Britain in November 1942 but in February 1943 it was re-deployed

  to the North Africa under 12th AF command. In March it was back in

  England re-equipped with Thunderbolts. Since the summer howe-

  ver, the number of new ghter groups rapidly increased within 8th

  AF. In the end of 1943, there were eleven out of the nal fteen

  ghter groups located in Britain, which was the 8th AF inventory in

  the beginning of 1944.

  Thunderbolt pilots of the 4th Fighter Group in the brieng room at Debden (Photo: American Air Museum in Britain).

  eduard

  15

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 16

  Col. Donald J. Blakeslee

  (11 September 1917 – 3 September 2008)

  Although with 14.5 conrmed kills Donald Blakeslee does not

  rank among the top American ghter aces of the the WWII he

  was a remarkable pilot and respected commander. Love for the

  airplanes accompanied his life since the childhood. In his desire

  to learn how to y in the end of 30s, together with his friend he

  bought Piper J-3 Cub which he leased to the local aviation club

  in exchange for the pilot training. After the crash of his Cub

  in 1940 Blakeslee sought other opportunities to continue ying.

  The only nancially feasibly option seemed to be to enlist into

  the Air Corps. However, there was an obstacle on the path of

  the young pilot. Since he did not meet the eduacational requi-

  rements he was denied the access to the cadet course in the

  USA so he was able to join RCAF instead. After the training in

  Canada he was dispatched to the Great Britain where he arrived

  in the middle of May 1941. He ew his rst combat mission as a

  member of the 401 Squadron RCAF and enjoyed his rst combat

  success on November 18, 1941 when he damaged a Bf 109 in the

  Tourqueet area. After a short stint with 121 Squadron he left for

  the squadron numbered 133 where all the American volunteers

  gathered and where he became a ight leader. On September 29,

  1942 he left the RAF service and with the rank of Captain joined

  the USAAF where his home squadron became a part of the newly

  formed 4th Fighter Group.

  This move also meant exchanging the trusty Spitres Mk. V for

  P-47s. From the end of November 1942 till the middle of May

  1943 Don Blakeslee acted as the 335th FS commander and later

  became the Operations Ocer of the whole ghter group. In the

  course of his service he was gradually promoted up to the rank

  of Lt.Colonel (July 7, 1943) and increased both his personal

  score (in 1943 it stood at 5 conrmed kills, 2 probables and 7

  enemy aircraft damaged) and his leadership experience above

  all. At this stage of his career he also accomplished one of his

  extraordinary feats-he became the rst P-47 pilot in the world to

  shoot down an enemy aircraft. In December 1943 he was posted

  to 354th FG in order to facilitate their accomodation in the ETO

  (European Theater of Operation). The unit ew new P-51B and

  Blakeslee immediately fell in love with it. After returning to 4th

  FG he started to lobby for its re-equippment with Mustangs. His

  eort met quite some resistance since it would have broken the

  established rules according to which the new units arriving in

  ETO had the priority to convert to P-51. Blakeslee’s eort did not

  bring fruits even after he was promoted to command the whole

  4th FG on January 1, 1944. The VIII. Fighter Command was afraid

  of the interruption of the operational ying which the conversion

  to the new type would have caused. Don Blakeslee’s negotiati-

  ons with VIII. FC commander nally resulted in authorizing P-51

  deliveries to the 4th FG under the condition that the pilots had

  to convert to them within 24 hour i.e. without the interruption

  in ying the combat missions. Lt. Col. Blakeslee approached this

  unusual condition in a way contradicting the standard procedu-

  res-he told his pilots that they could familiarize themselves with

  the new type during the actual combat mission! This took place

  on February 28, 1944. Some pilots in the units in fact did not log

  more than one hour on P-51. Barely a week later Don Blakeslee,

  already a Colonel, became the rst American aviator who rea-

  ched Berlin area while leading the escort of the „Big Brotheres“

  over „Big B“.

  He also led larger formations in the consequent operations. The

  most crucial was commanding the ghter escort on the missi-

  on Frantic I.- longhaul ight of the 8th

  USAAF bombers and ghter to Soviet

  Union, further to Italy and back to the

  Great Britain during June 21-May 7,

  1944. During this mission Col. Blakeslee

  also scored his last aerial victory when

  on July 2, 1944 he shot down a Bf 109

  in Budapest area. His nal score was

  14.5/3/11.

  After a leave in the USA during Sep-

  tember and October 1944, having spent

  three and half years away, Blakeslee

  returned to the combat ying. Oddly it

  was stopped by the loss of another out-

  standing pilot, Hub Zemke, 56th FG lea-

  der on October 30, 1944. Gen. Kepner,

  VIII. FC commanding ocer decided to

  „ground“ Blakeslee reasoning that the

  Air Force cannot aord to loose ano-

  ther commander of such caliber. On No-

  vember 4, 1944 Col. Blakeslee handed

  Pilot Ocer Don Blakeslee is seen here

  climbing into his Spitre Mk.V while

  serving with No. 401 Squadron RCAF in

  the spring of 1942. Blakeslee‘s soon-

  -to-be wife‘s name, Leola, is painted

  under the windscreen (Photo: IWM).

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  16

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 17

  Col. Donald J. Blakeslee

  (11 September 1917 – 3 September 2008)

  Although with 14.5 conrmed kills Donald Blakeslee does not

  rank among the top American ghter aces of the the WWII he

  was a remarkable pilot and respected commander. Love for the

  airplanes accompanied his life since the childhood. In his desire

  to learn how to y in the end of 30s, together with his friend he

  bought Piper J-3 Cub which he leased to the local aviation club

  in exchange for the pilot training. After the crash of his Cub

  in 1940 Blakeslee sought other opportunities to continue ying.

  The only nancially feasibly option seemed to be to enlist into

  the Air Corps. However, there was an obstacle on the path of

  the young pilot. Since he did not meet the eduacational requi-

  rements he was denied the access to the cadet course in the

  USA so he was able to join RCAF instead. After the training in

  Canada he was dispatched to the Great Britain where he arrived

  in the middle of May 1941. He ew his rst combat mission as a

  member of the 401 Squadron RCAF and enjoyed his rst combat

  success on November 18, 1941 when he damaged a Bf 109 in the

  Tourqueet area. After a short stint with 121 Squadron he left for

  the squadron numbered 133 where all the American volunteers

  gathered and where he became a ight leader. On September 29,

  1942 he left the RAF service and with the rank of Captain joined

  the USAAF where his home squadron became a part of the newly

  formed 4th Fighter Group.

  This move also meant exchanging the trusty Spitres Mk. V for

  P-47s. From the end of November 1942 till the middle of May

  1943 Don Blakeslee acted as the 335th FS commander and later

  became the Operations Ocer of the whole ghter group. In the

  course of his service he was gradually promoted up to the rank

  of Lt.Colonel (July 7, 1943) and increased both his personal

  score (in 1943 it stood at 5 conrmed kills, 2 probables and 7

  enemy aircraft damaged) and his leadership experience above

  all. At this stage of his career he also accomplished one of his

  extraordinary feats-he became the rst P-47 pilot in the world to

  shoot down an enemy aircraft. In December 1943 he was posted

  to 354th FG in order to facilitate their accomodation in the ETO

  (European Theater of Operation). The unit ew new P-51B and

  Blakeslee immediately fell in love with it. After returning to 4th

  FG he started to lobby for its re-equippment with Mustangs. His

  eort met quite some resistance since it would have broken the

  established rules according to which the new units arriving in

  ETO had the priority to convert to P-51. Blakeslee’s eort did not

  bring fruits even after he was promoted to command the whole

  4th FG on January 1, 1944. The VIII. Fighter Command was afraid

  of the interruption of the operational ying which the conversion

  to the new type would have caused. Don Blakeslee’s negotiati-

  ons with VIII. FC commander nally resulted in authorizing P-51

  deliveries to the 4th FG under the condition that the pilots had

  to convert to them within 24 hour i.e. without the interruption

  in ying the combat missions. Lt. Col. Blakeslee approached this

  unusual condition in a way contradicting the standard procedu-

  res-he told his pilots that they could familiarize themselves with

  the new type during the actual combat mission! This took place

  on February 28, 1944. Some pilots in the units in fact did not log

  more than one hour on P-51. Barely a week later Don Blakeslee,

  already a Colonel, became the rst American aviator who rea-

  ched Berlin area while leading the escort of the „Big Brotheres“

  over „Big B“.

  He also led larger formations in the consequent operations. The

  most crucial was commanding the ghter escort on the missi-

  on Frantic I.- longhaul ight of the 8th

  USAAF bombers and ghter to Soviet

  Union, further to Italy and back to the

  Great Britain during June 21-May 7,

  1944. During this mission Col. Blakeslee

  also scored his last aerial victory when

  on July 2, 1944 he shot down a Bf 109

  in Budapest area. His nal score was

  14.5/3/11.

  After a leave in the USA during Sep-

  tember and October 1944, having spent

  three and half years away, Blakeslee

  returned to the combat ying. Oddly it

  was stopped by the loss of another out-

  standing pilot, Hub Zemke, 56th FG lea-

  der on October 30, 1944. Gen. Kepner,

  VIII. FC commanding ocer decided to

  „ground“ Blakeslee reasoning that the

  Air Force cannot aord to loose ano-

  ther commander of such caliber. On No-

  vember 4, 1944 Col. Blakeslee handed

  Pilot Ocer Don Blakeslee is seen here

  climbing into his Spitre Mk.V while

  serving with No. 401 Squadron RCAF in

  the spring of 1942. Blakeslee‘s soon-

  -to-be wife‘s name, Leola, is painted

  under the windscreen (Photo: IWM).

  over the command of the 4th FG and several

  days later set on his journey back to the United

  States. His incredible career spanned the past

  four years starting with bumpy entry into RCAF,

  service in the RAF and all the way up to the post

  of one of the most respected ghter comman-

  ders the USAAF in Europe ever had. He logged

  500 combat missions and more than 1000 ight

  hours. It was said that he had his administrati-

  on ocers record some of his combat missions

  as training ights not to reach the combat tour

  quota too soon. He spent the rest of the war

  „tucked away“ as a commander of Page Field

  base in Florida. He remained in the Air Force

  after the war and for example commanded the

  31st FG and 27th Fighter Escort Wing ying P-82

  Twin Mustan in the Pacic. After that he served

  two tours witha the occupational forces in Ge-

  rmany and one in Korea where he served at the

  Tactical Air Command headquarters. He served

  in various commanding posts, primarily 17th Air

  Force until April 30, 1965 when he retired.

  4th FG

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  17

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 18

  Building the USAAF. The 31st Fighter Group

  After the WWII outbreak in Europe, it became clear to the American

  government and President Roosevelt that the USA will need the

  equally powerful, and ideally stronger armed forces which are at

  the disposal of their potential enemies, Japan, and Germany above

  all. Major General Arnold, Chief of Sta of the United States Army

  Air Corps was commissioned to strengthen and modernize up until

  now relatively small air forces and bring them up to the competiti-

  ve level. Before the WWII outbreak and in its beginning, the USAAC

  had only one ghter group, the 1st Pursuit Group. Its personnel

  formed the base of the 31st Pursuit Group established at Selfridge

  Field airbase in Michigan.

  The group equipment was initially represented by obsolete aircraft,

  P-26, and P-35. Only in the middle of 1939 the unit was re-equi-

  pped with the new P-39 Airacobra. In the upcoming period, the 31st

  PG underwent rather complicated evolution when it changed seve-

  ral bases, in particular in the South of the USA. After the attack on

  Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the unit was ordered to the West

  Coast, Payne Field airbase north of Seattle in Washington state. In

  January 1942, a new group, 35th PG, was built on its base utilizing

  its aircraft and already trained personnel. The rest of the 31st PG

  moved to New Orleans. It was equipped with P-40B aircraft, and

  the unit was rebuilt. At that time, the USAAC was already renamed

  to the US Army Air Force and since May 1942 the ghter groups

  continued to be designated as Fighter Group and ghter squadrons

  as Fighter Squadron. In New Orleans, now known as 31st Fighter

  Group, it was re-equipped with Airacobras. The Group was now

  formed by three squadrons: 307th FS, 308th FS and 309th FS and in

  May it was ready for deployment in the Great Britain.

  The 52nd Fighter Group

  The 52nd Fighter Group had similar genesis, established as the 52nd

  Pursuit Group based on 1st and 31st PG personnel on January 15,

  1941. The new unit was composed of the sta squadron and typi-

  cally three combat squadrons: 2nd PS, 4th PS and 5th PS. The equi-

  pment was again initially represented by obsolete aircraft, P-35,

  P-36, and P-43. The basic training was conducted on PT-17 Kaydet

  biplanes. Not even 52nd FG avoided the personnel transfer and

  transfers among the airports during which it met 31st PG on the

  regular basis. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the unit was re-equi-

  pped with P-39 Airacobra with which it participated in the large

  military exercises starting on January 1, 1942. During that time,

  2nd PS was based in New York, 4th PS in Norfolk, Virginia and 5th PS

  at nearby airbase Langley Field at Hampton, Virginia. On January

  15, all three squadrons moved back to Selfridge but as early as

  February 18 they moved again to various bases in South and North

  Carolina. In May, now 52nd FG, was ordered to deploy to the Great

  Britain and on May 11 it transferred to the Northeast to get ready

  for crossing the Atlantic.

  Deployment to Britain

  While establishing VIII. Fighter Command of the USAAF 8th Air For-

  ce, the USAAF headquarters anticipated that P-39 Airacobra will be

  suitable for the European theater of operations. It was one of the

  factors why 31st and 52nd FGs were selected rst to build up the

  adequate ghter force of the 8th AF. While searching for the solu-

  tion how to transfer the ghter groups to Britain, the ight across

  the Atlantic was considered. Owing to the distance, complicated

  weather and navigational conditions as well as insucient pilots‘

  training in the instrument ying it was assumed, they’ll y in the

  groups led by a B-17 bomber which will provide navigation for the

  whole group. The route was plotted via Newfoundland, Greenland,

  Iceland, and Ireland to England. Both units were transferred to

  Grenier Field airbase and together with B-17 were training for the

  long-distance ights. In April however, the majority of the involved

  B-17s was deployed to Pacic in the preparation to counter the

  anticipated Japanese assault on the Aleutians. At the same time,

  two 52nd FG pilots crashed and were killed during the training. But

  above all, the USAAF headquarters, based on the evaluation of the

  combat reports from the ETO, simultaneously arrived at the conc-

  lusion that Airacobra will not be a match for German ghters and

  opted for another solution which was a transport of both groups

  by ships equipped with battle proven Spitres. It is interesting to

  notice how little attention was paid to the naval transport of both

  the personnel and aircraft which was later became a standard me-

  ans of transporting more units from the USA to Britain. The 31st

  FG, in two contingents, ground and aviation, was rst transferred

  by train to Fort Dix base in New Jersey, boarded on the ship and

  Jochen Müncheberg & Ted Sweetland

  Major Joachim Müncheberg was one of the Luftwae‘s most out-

  standing ghter commanders. He was born on December 31, 1918,

  in Friedrichsdorf, Pomerania (now Darskowo, Poland). He joined

  the armed forces in 1936 and was accepted into the Luftwae two

  years later. He served for a number of years with JG 26 „Schlage-

  ter“ and in September 1941 became commander of its II. Gruppe.

  In the summer of 1942, he served on the Eastern Front in command

  of JG 51 and in October 1942 he became Kommodore of JG 77 -

  ghting in Africa on Messerschmitts Bf 109G. He achieved a total of

  135 victories and was awarded the Knight‘s Cross with Oak Leaves

  and Swords. His last kill Müncheberg achieved on March 23, 1943,

  during his 500th combat ight, which proved fatal.

  In the morning hours Müncheberg took o with his Adjutant Lt.

  Strasen from La Fauconnerie aireld in Tunisia to reconnoiter the

  situation over the front in the Sened/El Guettar area. At an altitu-

  de of 10,000 to 13,000 ft they spotted several Spitres and Curti-

  sses. The two German pilots attacked a pair of American Spitres

  from the 2nd FS, 52nd FG at 0950 from above and rear. Müncheberg

  red at his opponent at point blank range and, according to Stra-

  sen‘s report, the Spitre broke apart. The American pilot, in Stra-

  sen‘s opinion, failed to notice the attack. Müncheberg, however,

  ew into the debris of the enemy aircraft and failed to jump from

  his damaged machine. Two minutes later, Strasen shot down the

  other Spitre. All three aircraft crashed in the vicinity of the 82nd

  kilometer of the Gabes-Gafsa road.

  The Spitre shot down by Strasen was piloted by Capt. Hugh L.

  Williamson, who was captured and later reported that his leader

  had deliberately crashed his damaged Spitre into Müncheberg‘s

  Messerschmitt. The leader was Capt. Theodore Reilly Sweetland,

  who was born in New Jersey on June 27, 1919. As his name su-

  ggests, he was of Irish descent on his mother‘s side. After three

  years of study at Williams College in Berkeley, CA, and work as a

  photographer for Oakland Tribune, he joined the Air Force in Cali-

  fornia in April 1941. He received the Purple Heart, Silver Star and

  Air Medal for his service. His name is recorded in the missing in ac-

  tion section of the North African American Cemetery and Memorial

  in Carthage, Tunisia.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

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  Building the USAAF. The 31st Fighter Group

  After the WWII outbreak in Europe, it became clear to the American

  government and President Roosevelt that the USA will need the

  equally powerful, and ideally stronger armed forces which are at

  the disposal of their potential enemies, Japan, and Germany above

  all. Major General Arnold, Chief of Sta of the United States Army

  Air Corps was commissioned to strengthen and modernize up until

  now relatively small air forces and bring them up to the competiti-

  ve level. Before the WWII outbreak and in its beginning, the USAAC

  had only one ghter group, the 1st Pursuit Group. Its personnel

  formed the base of the 31st Pursuit Group established at Selfridge

  Field airbase in Michigan.

  The group equipment was initially represented by obsolete aircraft,

  P-26, and P-35. Only in the middle of 1939 the unit was re-equi-

  pped with the new P-39 Airacobra. In the upcoming period, the 31st

  PG underwent rather complicated evolution when it changed seve-

  ral bases, in particular in the South of the USA. After the attack on

  Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the unit was ordered to the West

  Coast, Payne Field airbase north of Seattle in Washington state. In

  January 1942, a new group, 35th PG, was built on its base utilizing

  its aircraft and already trained personnel. The rest of the 31st PG

  moved to New Orleans. It was equipped with P-40B aircraft, and

  the unit was rebuilt. At that time, the USAAC was already renamed

  to the US Army Air Force and since May 1942 the ghter groups

  continued to be designated as Fighter Group and ghter squadrons

  as Fighter Squadron. In New Orleans, now known as 31st Fighter

  Group, it was re-equipped with Airacobras. The Group was now

  formed by three squadrons: 307th FS, 308th FS and 309th FS and in

  May it was ready for deployment in the Great Britain.

  The 52nd Fighter Group

  The 52nd Fighter Group had similar genesis, established as the 52nd

  Pursuit Group based on 1st and 31st PG personnel on January 15,

  1941. The new unit was composed of the sta squadron and typi-

  cally three combat squadrons: 2nd PS, 4th PS and 5th PS. The equi-

  pment was again initially represented by obsolete aircraft, P-35,

  P-36, and P-43. The basic training was conducted on PT-17 Kaydet

  biplanes. Not even 52nd FG avoided the personnel transfer and

  transfers among the airports during which it met 31st PG on the

  regular basis. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the unit was re-equi-

  pped with P-39 Airacobra with which it participated in the large

  military exercises starting on January 1, 1942. During that time,

  2nd PS was based in New York, 4th PS in Norfolk, Virginia and 5th PS

  at nearby airbase Langley Field at Hampton, Virginia. On January

  15, all three squadrons moved back to Selfridge but as early as

  February 18 they moved again to various bases in South and North

  Carolina. In May, now 52nd FG, was ordered to deploy to the Great

  Britain and on May 11 it transferred to the Northeast to get ready

  for crossing the Atlantic.

  Deployment to Britain

  While establishing VIII. Fighter Command of the USAAF 8th Air For-

  ce, the USAAF headquarters anticipated that P-39 Airacobra will be

  suitable for the European theater of operations. It was one of the

  factors why 31st and 52nd FGs were selected rst to build up the

  adequate ghter force of the 8th AF. While searching for the solu-

  tion how to transfer the ghter groups to Britain, the ight across

  the Atlantic was considered. Owing to the distance, complicated

  weather and navigational conditions as well as insucient pilots‘

  training in the instrument ying it was assumed, they’ll y in the

  groups led by a B-17 bomber which will provide navigation for the

  whole group. The route was plotted via Newfoundland, Greenland,

  Iceland, and Ireland to England. Both units were transferred to

  Grenier Field airbase and together with B-17 were training for the

  long-distance ights. In April however, the majority of the involved

  B-17s was deployed to Pacic in the preparation to counter the

  anticipated Japanese assault on the Aleutians. At the same time,

  two 52nd FG pilots crashed and were killed during the training. But

  above all, the USAAF headquarters, based on the evaluation of the

  combat reports from the ETO, simultaneously arrived at the conc-

  lusion that Airacobra will not be a match for German ghters and

  opted for another solution which was a transport of both groups

  by ships equipped with battle proven Spitres. It is interesting to

  notice how little attention was paid to the naval transport of both

  the personnel and aircraft which was later became a standard me-

  ans of transporting more units from the USA to Britain. The 31st

  FG, in two contingents, ground and aviation, was rst transferred

  by train to Fort Dix base in New Jersey, boarded on the ship and

  Jochen Müncheberg & Ted Sweetland

  Major Joachim Müncheberg was one of the Luftwae‘s most out-

  standing ghter commanders. He was born on December 31, 1918,

  in Friedrichsdorf, Pomerania (now Darskowo, Poland). He joined

  the armed forces in 1936 and was accepted into the Luftwae two

  years later. He served for a number of years with JG 26 „Schlage-

  ter“ and in September 1941 became commander of its II. Gruppe.

  In the summer of 1942, he served on the Eastern Front in command

  of JG 51 and in October 1942 he became Kommodore of JG 77 -

  ghting in Africa on Messerschmitts Bf 109G. He achieved a total of

  135 victories and was awarded the Knight‘s Cross with Oak Leaves

  and Swords. His last kill Müncheberg achieved on March 23, 1943,

  during his 500th combat ight, which proved fatal.

  In the morning hours Müncheberg took o with his Adjutant Lt.

  Strasen from La Fauconnerie aireld in Tunisia to reconnoiter the

  situation over the front in the Sened/El Guettar area. At an altitu-

  de of 10,000 to 13,000 ft they spotted several Spitres and Curti-

  sses. The two German pilots attacked a pair of American Spitres

  from the 2nd FS, 52nd FG at 0950 from above and rear. Müncheberg

  red at his opponent at point blank range and, according to Stra-

  sen‘s report, the Spitre broke apart. The American pilot, in Stra-

  sen‘s opinion, failed to notice the attack. Müncheberg, however,

  ew into the debris of the enemy aircraft and failed to jump from

  his damaged machine. Two minutes later, Strasen shot down the

  other Spitre. All three aircraft crashed in the vicinity of the 82nd

  kilometer of the Gabes-Gafsa road.

  The Spitre shot down by Strasen was piloted by Capt. Hugh L.

  Williamson, who was captured and later reported that his leader

  had deliberately crashed his damaged Spitre into Müncheberg‘s

  Messerschmitt. The leader was Capt. Theodore Reilly Sweetland,

  who was born in New Jersey on June 27, 1919. As his name su-

  ggests, he was of Irish descent on his mother‘s side. After three

  years of study at Williams College in Berkeley, CA, and work as a

  photographer for Oakland Tribune, he joined the Air Force in Cali-

  fornia in April 1941. He received the Purple Heart, Silver Star and

  Air Medal for his service. His name is recorded in the missing in ac-

  tion section of the North African American Cemetery and Memorial

  in Carthage, Tunisia.

  crossed Atlantic. The ground contingent reached Britain on June

  10, 1942, the aviation one two weeks later, on June 25. The group

  headquarters, 307th and 308th FS, were again transported by train

  to RAF airbase Atcham and 309th FS to RAF airbase High Ercall.

  All squadrons received Spitres Mk.Vb at their bases and commen-

  ced the training. On August 1 they were declared operational and

  transferred to the operational bases: 307th FS to RAF Biggin Hill,

  308th FS to RAF Kenley and 308th to RAF Westhampnett. On Au-

  gust 16, the units saw their rst combat under the RAF operational

  command, Circus 204 over Lille and on August 19 the operation Ju-

  bilee, landing at Dieppe, during which the group scored two enemy

  aircraft shot down, three probables and one damaged at the loss of

  eight aircraft. At the end of August, all group squadrons gathered at

  RAF airbase Westhampnett and in September they took part in the

  further combat operations, patrols and oensive operations type

  Circus, typically over Abbeville and Le Havre. On September 14,

  the 31st FG was transferred from VIII. Fighter Command to XII. FC,

  on October 13 it was declared non-operational and on October 23 it

  boarded the ship for transport to Gibraltar.

  The 52nd Fighter Group arrived in Liverpool in the middle of July

  1942 and was transported by trains to Eglinton in Northern Ireland

  where it received Spitres Mk.Vb and commenced the training. Du-

  ring the rst half of August the squadrons gradually achieved the

  operational status: 2nd FS on August 5, 4th FS on August 7 and 4th

  FS on August 19, the date when Operation Jubilee was launched.

  The 52nd FG was not included among the units which directly par-

  ticipated in the air cover for Dieppe landing. On August 27, 2nd FS

  and 4th FS ew their rst sorties, 5th FS did not manage to y any

  sorties before the transfer under XII. Fighter Command. The 52nd

  FG was transferred under the XII.FC at the same time as 31st FG

  and its ying sta sailed for Gibraltar. Pilots of both groups arrived

  in Gibraltar on November 6, 1942.

  Operation Torch

  In the beginning of November, both ghter groups received in Gi-

  braltar new Spitres Mk.Vb and Vc with large Vokes dust lters.

  On November 8, 1942, before the operation Torch, the Gibraltar

  airport was packed with aircraft. They were parked in all avai-

  lable areas around the airport including the adjacent North Front

  Cemetery. On November 8, the mission of both groups was the air

  cover of the landing at Oran in Algeria. The sorties were own from

  Gibraltar. According to the invasion plan, both groups should have

  landed and operated on the French base La Senia south of Oran

  but because La Senia was ercely defended by French, who had

  shot down several Allied aircraft, the individual squadrons of both

  groups landed on November 8 evening and November 9 at already

  captured, further south located airport Tafraoui. The ground per-

  sonnel were transported by ship. While 31st FG ground personnel

  landed at the port of Arzew on the night of November 8 reaching

  Tafraoui on trucks, 52nd FG personnel landed at Oran. Even though

  it is closer, some 35 km versus 60 from Arzew, the personnel went

  to Tafraoui by foot. Until they arrived, the pilots had to help them-

  selves with basic maintenance and refueling. Fueling was done

  from drums and naturally the maintenance was not up to the speed.

  After the arrival at Tafraoui, 52nd FG ground personnel described

  their aircraft as war weary. Both groups ew sorties out of Tafraoui

  to support ground forces, missions against the Vichy AF as well as

  ground attacks. On November 9 they ew ground attacks against

  the armor columns of the French Foreign Legion advancing from

  their base at Sidi bel Abbes towards Oran. On November 9, the 2nd

  FS (52nd FG) escorted a B-17 with General Doolittle on board who

  was, with his sta, on the way to Tafraoui. Due to the inclement

  weather, several 2nd FS ghters got lost and after they exhausted

  their fuel, they had to perform the emergency landings. Luckily,

  there was no loss of life during this operation. On November 13,

  the armistice was signed and as early as November 14, the 31st FG

  transferred to La Senia airbase followed by 52nd FG on November

  19. Until the end of the year the air operations were restricted

  due to the bad weather. On January 11 the 308th FS transferred to

  Cases airport near Casablanca to provide the air trac during the

  conference between prime minister Churchill and President Roose-

  velt held at Casablanca.

  Fighting in Tunisia

  On February 8, 1943, the 31st FG relocated to the east to Thelep-

  te aireld in Tunisia, closer to the front. At this airbase they met

  with 33rd FG ying P-40 Warhawks, French GC II/5 Lafayette ying

  P-40Fs and the old friend, 52nd FG. All ghter groups ew escorts

  for P-39s and A-20s performing the ground attacks against German

  and Italian positions in Tunisia. On February 14, Afrikakorps and

  Italians launched the counterattack in the Kasserine Pass together

  with increased Luftwae activity. Due to the frequent shelling,

  RAF tters running a test on an overhauled Rolls Royce Merlin engine installed in a Supermarine Spitre Mk.Vc (possibly JG 873) undergo-

  ing repair at No. 144 Maintenance Unit, Maison Blanche, Algeria. The aircraft still sports the markings of the 4th Fighter Squadron/52nd

  Fighter Group, 12th USAAF, with whom it formerly operated (Photo: IWM).

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 20

  Thelepte airport was vacated and both groups retreated to Tebessa

  and on February 21 relocated to Du Kouif aireld. On March 8, af-

  ter repelling the last German oensive in Africa, they returned to

  Thelepte. For the rest of March and April they continued escorting

  the bombers. On April 6, the re-equipment to Spitres Mk.IX and

  Mk.VIII started, however the individual Spitres Mk.Vb and Vc re-

  mained in the 31st and 52nd FGs inventory well into 1944. On May

  10 and 11 the German and Italian armed forces in Tunisia unconditi-

  onally capitulated and ghting in North Africa ceased.

  MACAF

  After the end of ghting in North Africa, 31st FG and 52nd FG par-

  ted their ways. The 52nd FG, together with No. 322 Wing RAF were

  transferred under the Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force (MA-

  CAF) command. The mission of this Allied command was the convoy

  protection in the Mediterranean Sea, anti-submarine patrols, ports

  patrols and attacks on the enemy shipping in the Mediterranean.

  While completing their missions the 52nd FG squadrons were gra-

  dually moving among the airports in MTO. On June 17, the group

  hosted the visit of King George V, Winston Churchill, and General

  de Gaulle. On July 23, the unit relocated to Sicily, Boca di Falco

  aireld, where it also dedicated itself to the night interception. In

  November 1943 it relocated to Corsica, where 2nd and 5th FS ew

  out of Borgo airport and 4th FS out of Calvi. During this period, the

  unit also performed dive bombing on enemy shipping and ports and

  while doing it frequently engaged the Luftwae aircraft in combat

  and recorded several kills. In the beginning of April 1944, the re-

  -equipment to P-51B Mustang was commenced. On May 1, the 52nd

  FG was integrated into the 15th AF and on May 10 performed its

  rst mission escorting B-17s on their raid to Nice in France. Whi-

  le ying Spitres, 52nd FG scored in total 164 victories over the

  enemy aircraft. Flying P-51 Mustangs of all versions the score was

  increased by another 257 kills.

  The 31st FG in Italy

  After the ghting in Africa ceased, the preparations for landing in

  Italy commenced. As a part of the preparations intense bombing of

  Pantelleria island, which is located midway between Cape Bon in

  Tunisia and Sicily and served as an Italian Air Force base, was per-

  formed. The air attacks on Pantelleria were under way from May 14

  until June 11, 1943, and the 31st FG participated in both bomber

  escorts and strangs of Korba airport.

  Sicily, Operation Husky

  In June 1943 31st FG was transferred under 64th Fighter Wing

  command led by Col. Hawkins and relocated to Gozo island

  northwest from Malta. Gozo is the second largest island of the Mal-

  ta archipelago. On 10 and 11 June the group provided air cover

  for the invasion convoy which was accompanied by heavy shelling

  from the invading ships. On June 11, the group shot down 7 enemy

  aircraft attacking the Allied shipping. On June 14, the unit reloca-

  ted to Ponte Olivo airport at little town of Gela and became the

  rst Alllied ghter unit operating from the Italian territory. On June

  23 the national insignia was changed, white rectangles were added

  to the sides of the blue circle and red outline was introduced. On

  August 14 it was replaced by blue one. In the end of 1943, the color

  of propeller spinners was changed from white to red. On July 26

  Benito Mussolini resigned. On August 2 31st FG relocated to Termini

  airport southeast of Palermo and on August 17 the Sicilian cam-

  paign was completed after the Allies occupied the whole island. On

  August 31 31st FG aircraft escorted the airplane bringing the Italian

  delegation to the armistice negotiations held in Rimini which was

  concluded on September 3. As of September 1, the 31st FG was

  based at Milazzo airport on Sicilian east coast.

  Operation Avalanche, landing at Salerno

  On September 9, the Allied forces invasion of Italy at Salerno

  commenced resulting in a week-long bloody ghting. As early as

  September 11 the preparation of the aireld at Monte Corvino star-

  ted which was however subject to heavy shelling. On September

  18, the artillery re destroyed a B-25 and killed III. Air Support

  Command inspector preparing the airport for the operational use.

  On September 20 the 31st FG landed here. On October 14, the unit

  relocated to Pomigliano near Naples and even though this airport

  Supermarine Spitre Mk. Vc JK707 of 307th FS, 31st FG shot down by return re of of the KG 100 Do 217. Pilot Major Virgil C. Fields Jr.

  claimed the Do 217 as damaged, but crash landed on beach o Salerno on September 9, 1943 (Photo: US National Archives, Fold3).

  eduard

  20

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 21

  Thelepte airport was vacated and both groups retreated to Tebessa

  and on February 21 relocated to Du Kouif aireld. On March 8, af-

  ter repelling the last German oensive in Africa, they returned to

  Thelepte. For the rest of March and April they continued escorting

  the bombers. On April 6, the re-equipment to Spitres Mk.IX and

  Mk.VIII started, however the individual Spitres Mk.Vb and Vc re-

  mained in the 31st and 52nd FGs inventory well into 1944. On May

  10 and 11 the German and Italian armed forces in Tunisia unconditi-

  onally capitulated and ghting in North Africa ceased.

  MACAF

  After the end of ghting in North Africa, 31st FG and 52nd FG par-

  ted their ways. The 52nd FG, together with No. 322 Wing RAF were

  transferred under the Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force (MA-

  CAF) command. The mission of this Allied command was the convoy

  protection in the Mediterranean Sea, anti-submarine patrols, ports

  patrols and attacks on the enemy shipping in the Mediterranean.

  While completing their missions the 52nd FG squadrons were gra-

  dually moving among the airports in MTO. On June 17, the group

  hosted the visit of King George V, Winston Churchill, and General

  de Gaulle. On July 23, the unit relocated to Sicily, Boca di Falco

  aireld, where it also dedicated itself to the night interception. In

  November 1943 it relocated to Corsica, where 2nd and 5th FS ew

  out of Borgo airport and 4th FS out of Calvi. During this period, the

  unit also performed dive bombing on enemy shipping and ports and

  while doing it frequently engaged the Luftwae aircraft in combat

  and recorded several kills. In the beginning of April 1944, the re-

  -equipment to P-51B Mustang was commenced. On May 1, the 52nd

  FG was integrated into the 15th AF and on May 10 performed its

  rst mission escorting B-17s on their raid to Nice in France. Whi-

  le ying Spitres, 52nd FG scored in total 164 victories over the

  enemy aircraft. Flying P-51 Mustangs of all versions the score was

  increased by another 257 kills.

  The 31st FG in Italy

  After the ghting in Africa ceased, the preparations for landing in

  Italy commenced. As a part of the preparations intense bombing of

  Pantelleria island, which is located midway between Cape Bon in

  Tunisia and Sicily and served as an Italian Air Force base, was per-

  formed. The air attacks on Pantelleria were under way from May 14

  until June 11, 1943, and the 31st FG participated in both bomber

  escorts and strangs of Korba airport.

  Sicily, Operation Husky

  In June 1943 31st FG was transferred under 64th Fighter Wing

  command led by Col. Hawkins and relocated to Gozo island

  northwest from Malta. Gozo is the second largest island of the Mal-

  ta archipelago. On 10 and 11 June the group provided air cover

  for the invasion convoy which was accompanied by heavy shelling

  from the invading ships. On June 11, the group shot down 7 enemy

  aircraft attacking the Allied shipping. On June 14, the unit reloca-

  ted to Ponte Olivo airport at little town of Gela and became the

  rst Alllied ghter unit operating from the Italian territory. On June

  23 the national insignia was changed, white rectangles were added

  to the sides of the blue circle and red outline was introduced. On

  August 14 it was replaced by blue one. In the end of 1943, the color

  of propeller spinners was changed from white to red. On July 26

  Benito Mussolini resigned. On August 2 31st FG relocated to Termini

  airport southeast of Palermo and on August 17 the Sicilian cam-

  paign was completed after the Allies occupied the whole island. On

  August 31 31st FG aircraft escorted the airplane bringing the Italian

  delegation to the armistice negotiations held in Rimini which was

  concluded on September 3. As of September 1, the 31st FG was

  based at Milazzo airport on Sicilian east coast.

  Operation Avalanche, landing at Salerno

  On September 9, the Allied forces invasion of Italy at Salerno

  commenced resulting in a week-long bloody ghting. As early as

  September 11 the preparation of the aireld at Monte Corvino star-

  ted which was however subject to heavy shelling. On September

  18, the artillery re destroyed a B-25 and killed III. Air Support

  Command inspector preparing the airport for the operational use.

  On September 20 the 31st FG landed here. On October 14, the unit

  relocated to Pomigliano near Naples and even though this airport

  Supermarine Spitre Mk. Vc JK707 of 307th FS, 31st FG shot down by return re of of the KG 100 Do 217. Pilot Major Virgil C. Fields Jr.

  claimed the Do 217 as damaged, but crash landed on beach o Salerno on September 9, 1943 (Photo: US National Archives, Fold3).

  was frequently strafed by attacking Fw 190s the personnel could

  enjoy unusual comfort, when for the rst time since February, they

  could sleep in houses instead of tents. Also, for the rst time since

  31st FG left England, the American girls showed up, being from

  women’s auxiliary corps, Red Cross nurses and there were chances

  to meet the local girls as well. The resting camp on Capri was also

  available. In November the group was ying sorties to Rome and

  Monte Cassino. Spitres Mk.V usually ew at the lower altitudes

  with Spitres Mk.IX and Mk.VIII covering them at higher altitudes.

  The 307th and 308th squadrons ew Spitres Mk.IX, 309th squadron

  Mk.VIII. Spitres Mk.VIII were camouaged in Desert Scheme while

  Spitres Mk.IX in Day Fighter Scheme. On November 11 Pomigliano

  airport was bombed. On January 18, 1944, the group relocated to

  Castel Volturno aireld which featured runway with PSP (Perfora-

  ted Steel Plates) surface.

  Operation Shingle, Anzio landing

  Landing at Anzio commenced on January 22, 1944, with the mi-

  ssion to bypass the German positions in Gustav Line, barely 150

  km south of Rome. The 31st FG task was air cover of the beaches

  and invading units. As early as January 28, the 307th FS ground

  personnel was transported by boats to Nettuno, the port and city

  section of Anzio, with the intention to build a runway there. The

  307th FS ew over there on February 1 and maintained a small

  contingent there, however the airport was constantly under re

  and on February 25 the 307th FS retreated from Nettuno to return

  to Castel Volturno in the middle of March. At the same time, the

  new P-51B started to arrive from Algeria to Castel Volturno and the

  31st FG squadrons started the transition to them. On March 14, the

  mock combat between the new Mustang and Spitre Mk.IX took

  place. Despite the conclusion that Spitre is better in dogght the

  further transition process remained unaected. On March 24 the

  Vesuvius erupted. On March 29, 36 Spitres ew the last sortie of

  this type with 31st FG to Rome. As of April 1, 31st FG was transfe-

  rred under 15th AF command and with its new P-51B Mustangs re-

  located to San Severo airbase at the Italian east coast from where

  it continued ying escorts for 15th AF strategic bombers raiding the

  targets in Europe. During the month of April, the group ew twice

  to Ploesti in Romania, Soa in Bulgaria, Wiener Neustadt in Austria,

  Piombino, Milano and Monfalcone in Italy and also Toulon in France.

  During these missions the pilots of the group shot down 51 enemy

  aircraft. Flying Spitres of all versions the 31st FG shot down in

  total 185 enemy aircraft.

  486th Fighter Training Group

  One of the less known American units ying Spitres was 486th

  Fighter Training Group based at RAF Coxhill since December 1943.

  In February 1944 the unit relocated to RAF base Halesworth where

  it remained until the end of hostilities. Its inventory was composed

  of the older Spitres Mk.V of various versions discharged from RAF

  units. First of all however it operated the mix of the American

  types, Lightnings, Mustangs and Thunderbolts. It also ew the tar-

  get-towing aircraft.

  US NAVY Spitres – VCS-7

  VCS-7 a US Navy unit was established in April 1944 in Glasgow equi-

  pped with a mix of reconnaissance aircraft Curtiss SOC Seagull and

  OS2U Kingsher trasferred from the US Navy battleships. The unit’s

  mission was to direct the artillery re from the battleships during

  the operation Overlord. The old aircraft were stored in Ipswitch

  and pilots from six battleships were grouped at RAF base Middle

  Wallop. The training on Spitres was conducted by experienced

  Spitre pilots form 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and

  67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. The unit was commanded by

  Lt. Commander William Denton Jr. from the battleship USS Quincy.

  Due to the shortage of the ground crews the aircraft maintenance

  was performed by civilian contractors. After the training the unit

  was relocated to the Royal Naval Air Station base in Lee-on-Solent.

  In pairs the pilots completed 34 missions of directing the battle-

  ships‘ artillery re. One pilot was shot down but after several days

  successfully made it back home. Ater June 10 the VCS-7 activity, to-

  gether with battleship artillery re at Normandy beaches dropped

  and ultimately, on June 23 the unit was disbanded.

  Photo from Normandy Invasion in June 1944 shows Lieutenant Robert F. Doyle, USNR, shaking hands with his wingman, Ensign John F.

  Mudge, USNR, after their return from a gunre-spotting and strang mission over the German lines, in which they broke up an enemy

  armored column moving toward the Normandy front. Both ocers are pilots of U.S. Navy Cruiser Scouting Squadron Seven (VCS-7), which

  switched from their usual SOC oatplanes to British Spitre ghters during the Normandy operation (Photo: US National Archives).

  eduard

  21

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 22

  67th Reconnaissance Group

  After the USA entry in the war the US Air Force reconnaissance

  units were equipped with North American O-47 Owl, the aircraft

  designed for an old fashioned battleeld observation and manually

  operated camera by a specialized crew member. Considering the

  contemporary battleeld conditions the units conceived in such

  manner became obsolete. In 1943 Brigadier General Lawrence Ku-

  ter re-dened the tactical reconnaissance mission doctrine. The

  fast, low ying aircraft with automatic cameras were required.

  67th Reconnaissance Group was formed as 67th Observer Group at

  Esler Field airport in Luisiana on September 1, 1941. In September

  1942 it arrived in Britain and in May 1943 it was renamed as 67th

  Reconnaissance Group composed of four Tactical Reconnaissance

  Squadrons (TSR):

  15th TSR continued the legacy of the WWI 15th reconnaissance

  squadron. It became part of 67th RG on December 30, 1943 when

  it was transferred under IX. Fighter Command. Within 67th RG it

  operated from RAF base Aldermaston until the end of war. In Ja-

  nuary 1944 Capt.Clyde East, one of the Americans serving in RCAF,

  assumed the squadron command. His personal score stood at 13

  kills, all achieved in F-6 Mustang. 15th TSR total score was 65 kills,

  all while ying F-6 of various versions. The squadron ew Spitres

  Mk. V left behind in England by 31st FG when it left for North Africa.

  107th TSR was another squadron with WWI tradition and later Nati-

  onal Guards. Since September 1942 it ew out of RAF base Membu-

  ry. On June 28, 1944 as a rst 67th RG squadron, it ew over to Nor-

  mandy aireld. Its score was 4 kills all achieved on F-6B Mustang.

  109th TSR was also formed on the National Guards reconnaissance

  squadron foundation. It has been located in the Great Britain since

  September 1942. It was renamed as 109th TSR in May 1943 with a

  base at RAF Membury. It ew Spitres left behind by 31st FG. In

  June 1944 it ew over to France already fully equipped with F-6B

  Mustang. Its total score stood at 11 kills all achieved ying F-6.

  153rd LS (Liaison Squadron) was also integrated into 67th RG in De-

  cember 1943. It ew several Spitres inherited from 52nd FG and

  31st FG with changing the code letters.

  12th TSR also ew Spitres left behind by 31st FG and 52nd FG. As a

  part of 67th RG it operated until June 1944 when in was integrated

  into the 10th RG.

  During the training after its formation the 67th RG ew „second

  hand“ Spitres. The unit entered the actual combat as the eyes of

  the 1st US Army fully re-equipped with dedicated reconnaissance

  F-6B Mustangs and later switched to F-6Ds. In the beginning of the

  Operation Overlord 67th RG operated out of the bases in England.

  In June 1944 the whole outt was relocated to France. Tactical re-

  connaissance was a very dynamic category of the air combat. The

  missions were own at low altitudes, the pilots aggressively eng-

  aged in the dogghts and strang the ground transportation, air-

  ports and other enemy’s infrastructures was also part of the sorties.

  67th RG was commanded by Col.George W. Peck since December 6,

  1943 until the end of hostilities.

  7th Photo Reconnaissance Group

  7th PG was a strategic reconnaissance group of the 8th Air Army of

  the USAAF. It was comprised of four squadrons, 13th, 14th, 22nd

  and 27th. Since May 1943 it operated Lockheed F-5 Lightning. Stra-

  tegic reconnaissance, as opposed to the tactical one, was condu-

  cted at the high altitudes above 30 000 feet. At these ight levels

  however the Lightnings suered from serious problems, besides in-

  sucient cockpit heating the engine and supercharger failures ocu-

  rred. Surprisingly another problem presented itself in the form of

  insucient range limited to 300 miles. On August 14, 1943 7th PG

  command was assumed by Col. Homer Sanders, Pacic war veteran.

  Immediately after taking command he ew the mock dogght with

  Spitre Mk. V during which his supercharger exploded and splin-

  ters damaged the other parts of the airframe as well. Lightning

  superchargers exploded rather frequently and therefore the armor

  protection was provided for the pilots. Sanders convinced Major

  General Ike Eaker that his group, in order to successfully complete

  its missions, needs Spitres Mk. XI. In November 1943 rst Spitres

  PR Mk. XI were delivered to 7th PG.

  Spitre PR MK. XI was unarmed, photo-reconnaissaince special ver-

  sion equipped with a set of automatic cameras and ecient heating

  of both the cockpit and camera installation spaces. In addition it

  carried the increased fuel supply featuring 218 gal tanks as opposed

  to 65 gallons in the standard ghter version Spitre. The MK. XI

  cruising altitude was 44 000 feet and the airspeed at 27 500 feet

  was 675 kph. The range was impressive 2 200 km. With a drop tank

  Spitre Mk. XI was able to y round trip to Berlin. However it lac-

  ked the pressurized cockpit which was probably its only weak point.

  Initially the new Spitres were distributed among all squadrons of

  the group but later were consolidated at 14th PS which, during the

  training, ew Spitres Mk. V and therefore its personnel had the

  experience with Spitre maintenance. The Lightnings were alloca-

  ted to the other group squadrons.

  Two Mark V Spitres (serial numbers EN904, ‚War Weary‘ and Serial number AR404, ‚War Weary‘) of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance

  Group at Mount Farm. Image by Robert Astrella, 7th PRG (Photo: Roger Freeman Collection, American Air Museum in Britain).

  eduard

  22

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 23

  67th Reconnaissance Group

  After the USA entry in the war the US Air Force reconnaissance

  units were equipped with North American O-47 Owl, the aircraft

  designed for an old fashioned battleeld observation and manually

  operated camera by a specialized crew member. Considering the

  contemporary battleeld conditions the units conceived in such

  manner became obsolete. In 1943 Brigadier General Lawrence Ku-

  ter re-dened the tactical reconnaissance mission doctrine. The

  fast, low ying aircraft with automatic cameras were required.

  67th Reconnaissance Group was formed as 67th Observer Group at

  Esler Field airport in Luisiana on September 1, 1941. In September

  1942 it arrived in Britain and in May 1943 it was renamed as 67th

  Reconnaissance Group composed of four Tactical Reconnaissance

  Squadrons (TSR):

  15th TSR continued the legacy of the WWI 15th reconnaissance

  squadron. It became part of 67th RG on December 30, 1943 when

  it was transferred under IX. Fighter Command. Within 67th RG it

  operated from RAF base Aldermaston until the end of war. In Ja-

  nuary 1944 Capt.Clyde East, one of the Americans serving in RCAF,

  assumed the squadron command. His personal score stood at 13

  kills, all achieved in F-6 Mustang. 15th TSR total score was 65 kills,

  all while ying F-6 of various versions. The squadron ew Spitres

  Mk. V left behind in England by 31st FG when it left for North Africa.

  107th TSR was another squadron with WWI tradition and later Nati-

  onal Guards. Since September 1942 it ew out of RAF base Membu-

  ry. On June 28, 1944 as a rst 67th RG squadron, it ew over to Nor-

  mandy aireld. Its score was 4 kills all achieved on F-6B Mustang.

  109th TSR was also formed on the National Guards reconnaissance

  squadron foundation. It has been located in the Great Britain since

  September 1942. It was renamed as 109th TSR in May 1943 with a

  base at RAF Membury. It ew Spitres left behind by 31st FG. In

  June 1944 it ew over to France already fully equipped with F-6B

  Mustang. Its total score stood at 11 kills all achieved ying F-6.

  153rd LS (Liaison Squadron) was also integrated into 67th RG in De-

  cember 1943. It ew several Spitres inherited from 52nd FG and

  31st FG with changing the code letters.

  12th TSR also ew Spitres left behind by 31st FG and 52nd FG. As a

  part of 67th RG it operated until June 1944 when in was integrated

  into the 10th RG.

  During the training after its formation the 67th RG ew „second

  hand“ Spitres. The unit entered the actual combat as the eyes of

  the 1st US Army fully re-equipped with dedicated reconnaissance

  F-6B Mustangs and later switched to F-6Ds. In the beginning of the

  Operation Overlord 67th RG operated out of the bases in England.

  In June 1944 the whole outt was relocated to France. Tactical re-

  connaissance was a very dynamic category of the air combat. The

  missions were own at low altitudes, the pilots aggressively eng-

  aged in the dogghts and strang the ground transportation, air-

  ports and other enemy’s infrastructures was also part of the sorties.

  67th RG was commanded by Col.George W. Peck since December 6,

  1943 until the end of hostilities.

  7th Photo Reconnaissance Group

  7th PG was a strategic reconnaissance group of the 8th Air Army of

  the USAAF. It was comprised of four squadrons, 13th, 14th, 22nd

  and 27th. Since May 1943 it operated Lockheed F-5 Lightning. Stra-

  tegic reconnaissance, as opposed to the tactical one, was condu-

  cted at the high altitudes above 30 000 feet. At these ight levels

  however the Lightnings suered from serious problems, besides in-

  sucient cockpit heating the engine and supercharger failures ocu-

  rred. Surprisingly another problem presented itself in the form of

  insucient range limited to 300 miles. On August 14, 1943 7th PG

  command was assumed by Col. Homer Sanders, Pacic war veteran.

  Immediately after taking command he ew the mock dogght with

  Spitre Mk. V during which his supercharger exploded and splin-

  ters damaged the other parts of the airframe as well. Lightning

  superchargers exploded rather frequently and therefore the armor

  protection was provided for the pilots. Sanders convinced Major

  General Ike Eaker that his group, in order to successfully complete

  its missions, needs Spitres Mk. XI. In November 1943 rst Spitres

  PR Mk. XI were delivered to 7th PG.

  Spitre PR MK. XI was unarmed, photo-reconnaissaince special ver-

  sion equipped with a set of automatic cameras and ecient heating

  of both the cockpit and camera installation spaces. In addition it

  carried the increased fuel supply featuring 218 gal tanks as opposed

  to 65 gallons in the standard ghter version Spitre. The MK. XI

  cruising altitude was 44 000 feet and the airspeed at 27 500 feet

  was 675 kph. The range was impressive 2 200 km. With a drop tank

  Spitre Mk. XI was able to y round trip to Berlin. However it lac-

  ked the pressurized cockpit which was probably its only weak point.

  Initially the new Spitres were distributed among all squadrons of

  the group but later were consolidated at 14th PS which, during the

  training, ew Spitres Mk. V and therefore its personnel had the

  experience with Spitre maintenance. The Lightnings were alloca-

  ted to the other group squadrons.

  Two Mark V Spitres (serial numbers EN904, ‚War Weary‘ and Serial number AR404, ‚War Weary‘) of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance

  Group at Mount Farm. Image by Robert Astrella, 7th PRG (Photo: Roger Freeman Collection, American Air Museum in Britain).

  At the beginning of 1944 the character of 7th PG missions changed.

  The shuttle ights between British bases and bases in Italy were

  implemented. The rst shuttle mission was own by Maj. Norris

  Hartwell on January 29, 1944 in F-5 Lightning. As the invasion date

  was approaching the combat activity intensied and number of sor-

  ties increased dramatically. Reconnaissance missions were own

  along the whole Atlantic coast from the Spanish border all the way

  up to Norway. To confuse the German Command the most activity

  was conducted in the Pas de Calais area. One of the most famous

  reconnaissance ights was performed by Capt. Walter Weitner after

  the rst USAAF large scale raid on Berlin on March 6, 1944. Weit-

  ner’s Mk. XI „High Lady“ landed from the mission with only a few

  drops of fuel left in the tanks. On March 8, after the second USAAF

  raid on Berlin, this mission was repeated by Lt. Charles Parker. He

  however ran out of fuel earlier and had to land at RAF base Bra-

  dwell Bay on the England’s east coast. Both pilots cruised at the

  altitude of 41 000 feet.

  In order to provide high quality aerial reconnaissance before and

  during the Invasion in February 1944 the supreme commander of

  the Allied Expeditionary Corps General Eisenhower established the

  8th Reconnaissance Wing (Provisional) and 7th PG was integrated

  into it. 8th RW command was given to Col. Elliot Roosewelt, one

  of four sons of the president Franklin D. Roosewelt. Col. Roosewelt

  pioneered the aircraft transportation from the US to Europe by air.

  He also commanded 3rd PG and later in the Mediterranean the

  Mediterranean Allied Photographic Reconnaissance Command. In

  the beginning of March 1944 the 8th RW was transferred under 9th

  AF command and redesigned as 325th RW, still commanded by Col.

  Roosewelt.

  Even after the Invasion 7th PG provided the strategic reconnai-

  ssance for all important Allied operations. During the war the unit

  ew 4 251 missions and took more than 3 million photographs. It

  was disbanded on November 21, 1945. Spitres Mk. XI remained in

  7th PG service until the end of war. The sported the camouage in

  PRU Blue on all surfaces. Later in 1945 part of the Spitre ew in

  natural metal nish.

  Fighter Airplane Range Extension Program

  One of the most important tasks of the Allied technicians and de-

  signers during the WWII was to develop an escort ghter aircraft

  with sucient range to escort the heavy bombers on their whole

  ight route to the target and back. Until January 1944 the USA-

  AF relied on P-38 Lightning. The winner of the USAAF Fighter Air-

  plane Range Extension Program was unexpectedly P-51B Mustang.

  Before that however General Arnold had requested the evaluation

  of Spitre Mk. IX range extention. Since 1942 RAF operated the

  high altitude photo-reconnaissance Spitre Mk. XI with amazing

  range of 2 200 km but was not interested in the development of

  the long-range escort ghter version. USAAF technicians at Wright

  Field base in Dayton, Ohio modied two Spitres Mk.IX by install-

  Spitre Mk.IX, MK210,

  Lt. Col. Gustav E. Lundquist,

  Blue West 8, Greenland, May 1943

  ing the fuel tanks in all available airframe spaces and added two

  underwing drop tanks. The result was 2 560 km range. General Ar-

  nold wanted to demonstrate the Spitre’s range potential to the

  RAF and therefore, in May 1943 dispatched these two airplanes

  across the Atlantic, from Dayton, Ohio to Boscombe Down in En-

  gland. The ight was routed through Goose Bay in Labrador, Bluie

  West 8 in Greenland, Keavik in Iceland and Prestwick in Scottland.

  B-25 Mitchell was to navigate and escort the formation. One of the

  Spitres suered the engine malfunction right after the take o

  and was forced to return. The pilot of the second Spitre MK210,

  Lt.Col. Gustav Lundquist and the crew of the escorting Mitchell

  therefore waited for this aircraft at Bluie West 8 base in Greenland.

  Lundquist and his mechanic Peta were killing the time by painting

  the large nose art on MK210 in the form of naked lady making the

  phone call, supposedly to RAF Headquarters to await the arrival

  of those long range Spitres. The lady was named Tolly which was

  Lundquist wife’s name. What Mrs. Lundquist had to say about this

  remains unknown but at any rate these two airmen created one of

  the most attractive and colorful Spitre nose arts of all times. And

  as it was said earlier, the winner nally became rather underesti-

  mated Mustang launching its unstoppable career, forever recorded

  in the world‘s aviation history.

  Before the conclusion US NAVY one more time

  Tolly Lundquist could have concluded our story about American

  Spitres if only US NAVY had not own one Seare LF Mk. IIc for

  comparison tests with new Grumman F8F Bearcat. The tests were

  conducted at US NAVY Naval Air Test Station Patuxent River in 1944

  and Bearcat surpassed Seare in all tested parameters. And that is

  really the end of our story.

  SOURCES:

  HOLMES T.: American Eagles, Volume 1: American Volunteer Fighter Pilots in the RAF, 1937-43

  LUDWIG P., LAIRD M.: American Spitre camouage and markings Part 1 & 2

  McAULAY L.: Spitre Ace 1941-45: The Flying Career of Squadron Leader Tony Gaze DFC. Ama-

  zon Kindle edition

  OLYNYK F.: STARS AND BARS: A tribute to the American Fighter Ace 1920-1973

  PRIEN J.: Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77, Teil 3

  SHORES C., WILLIAMS C.: ACES HIGH

  SHORES C., MASSIMELLO G., GUEST R., OLYNYK F., BOCK W.: A History of the Mediterranean Air

  War, 1940–1945: Tunisia and the End in Africa, November 1942–1943

  THOMAS A.: American Spitre Aces of World War 2

  WILSSON S.: Almost Unknown - The Story of Squadron Leader Tony Gaze OAM DFC

  OLYNYK F.: STARS AND BARS: A tribute to the American Fighter Ace 1920-1973

  SHORES Christopher, WILLIAMS Clive: Aces High

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_campaign_of_World_War_II

  acesofww2.com/USA/aces/gentile/

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Knight_Committee

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweinfurt%E2%80%93Regensburg_mission

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Schweinfurt_raid

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Bomber_Oensive

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointblank_directive

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Knight

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin_(RAF_campaign)

  veterantributes.org/

  www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/08/obituary-colonel-don-blakeslee

  valor.militarytimes.com/hero/6028

  eduard

  23

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 24

  HISTORY

  Eugen Siempelkamp, an ace with five con-

  firmed kills, attracted attention from aviati-

  on enthusiasts and historians alike mostly

  via his Pfalz D.IIIa, which also became the

  subject of the boxart of a recently released

  Eduard kit (Catalog Number 8414). The at-

  tractive artwork and the instructions inclu-

  ded with the kit depict this aircraft based on

  the newest information uncovered by well-

  -known researchers Bruno Schmäling and

  Jörn Leckscheid (Jasta Colors, Volume 1;

  Aeronaut Books 2020). As opposed to ear-

  lier interpretations of his aircraft, the new

  research revealed that Siempelkamp’s Pfalz

  had a yellow nose, which was consistent

  with Jasta 29 coloring, and frankly, suited

  them well. What sets the markings apart,

  though, is the rather bizarre artwork on the

  fuselage. According to earlier assumptions,

  this was the Tatzelwurm, a mystical being

  coming out of Alpine folklore. Tatzelwurm

  is reminiscent of a lizard, but only has two

  legs, claws, and a head of a feline beast. The

  problem is that Siempelkamp didn’t come

  from the Alpine region. He was born, and re-

  sided his whole life in Krefeld, a town not far

  from Duisburg, so a fair distance from any

  Alpine peak. He himself later explained that

  the artwork was a bit of a mundane referen-

  ce to the company mentioned earlier…

  Eugen Siempelkamp was born on June 11,

  1894, in, as mentioned, Krefeld to his pa-

  rents, Gerhard and Maria. At the time, his

  father had been developing for eleven years

  a company that specialized in the production

  of industrial presses. In 1883, he develo-

  ped hot plates that were directly heated by

  means of drilled piping. These plates were

  used to refine fabrics, giving them an ele-

  gant sheen in the process. This type of press

  did a lot to liven up the textile industry, and

  because it was particularly useful in the pro-

  duction of silk, it should come as no surprise

  that among Siempelkamp’s business clients

  were representatives of the Chinese com-

  panies. These would bring the young Eugen

  Chinese paper dragons as gifts, which would

  later become the inspiration for the unique

  artwork on his aircraft.

  Two Camels to start with

  Eugen entered combat as a fighter pilot

  on March 22, 1918 (though some sources

  suggest March 2), after completion of his

  training at Jagdstaffelschule II in Nivelles

  and assignment to Jasta 4. Unfortunately,

  not much is known about his previous fly-

  ing history. Jasta 4 was a component unit

  of Richthofen’s JG 1 and Eugen started out

  there flying the Fokker Dr.I. On April 1, he

  would also claim his first victory flying the

  type. His victim was a Sopwith Camel (D1811)

  of No. 64 Squadron, flown by 2Lt. Percy Re-

  ginald Cann. This event occurred at 0800h

  southeast of Fouilloy and as such, Siempel-

  kamp’s became the first victory of the Luft-

  streitkräfte over the RAF, that on that day

  EUGEN SIEMPELKAMP

  A slew of First World War pilots became successful busi-

  nessmen after the war ended. Some started their own,

  mostly aviation themed companies, while others picked

  up on long standing family traditions. Not all succeeded,

  though, forcing some into bankruptcy, some sold their

  assets to more powerful competitors, or were simply

  victims of fate. Eugen Siempelkamp was among those

  that were successful and earned a spot among the more

  significant of German industrialists.

  RICHARD PLOS

  TAMER OF PAPER DRAGONS

  Eugen Siempelkamp in front of his Pfalz D.IIIa with the artwork depicting a paper

  dragon on the fuselage. He downed one aircraft with this plane.

  TAMER OF PAPER DRAGONS

  Photo via Greg VanWyngarden

  eduard

  24

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 25

  HISTORY

  officially was formed by amalgamation of

  the RFC and RNAS. It was in conjunction with

  a separate event that occurred at the same

  time about 40 km east of Siempelkamp’s kill,

  where Franz Hemer downed a BF.2b.

  Siempelkamp´s victim Cann survived being

  shot down but succumbed to his injuries

  the following day. A week after his first kill,

  Siempelkamp was transferred to Jasta 29,

  where he converted onto the Pfalz D.IIIa and

  probably for the first time had the stylized

  paper dragon painted on his aircraft. With

  this plane, he achieved his second victory on

  June 6 in the downing of another Camel not

  far from Estaires. This time, the aircraft had

  serial number D9631 and was flown by 2Lt W.

  J. Saunders of No. 210 Squadron (formerly

  No. 10 Squadron RNAS). This kill is the focus

  of the boxart for Kit No. 8414.

  Leader of His Own Unit

  No. 210 Squadron Camels took off on June

  6 from Sainte-Marie-Cappel at 1030h, and

  the formation was led by Capt. Lawren-

  ce Percival Coombes, who later reported:

  “At 1155h, our formation was attacked by five

  Pfalz aircraft not far from Lestre. I spotted

  enemy aircraft hanging on the tail of Lieut.

  Buchanan, so I dived down in behind and fi

  -

  red off about fifty rounds from point blank

  range. I didn’t see the effect of the rounds,

  because I immediately disengaged from the

  fight to attack another enemy aircraft, but

  Lieut. Buchanan reported seeing the aircraft

  in flames.”

  This kill was not confirmed to Co-

  ombes anyway. Besides the description of

  his own actions, he added details pertaining

  to Saunders:

  “last spotted at 1155h during our

  combat with five enemy aircraft over Lestre.

  I saw him in a dive with an enemy plane on

  his tail.”

  The enemy aircraft, by all accounts,

  was Siempelkamp. Saunders landed his da-

  maged Camel but was injured and became

  POW.

  Five days later, Siempelkamp would get his

  third kill. Sources agree that it was on July

  11 and that the victim was a D.H.9 (D5647) of

  No. 107 Squadron. Both crews, 2Lt A. T. Si-

  mons and Lt T. F. Blight, were wounded and

  taken prisoner. Up to this point, everything is

  more or less certain. However, ambiguities

  arise regarding the affiliation to the unit and

  the machine on which Siempelkamp achie-

  ved this victory. According to some sour-

  ces, he took command of Jasta 64w (Royal

  Württemberg) already on July 7, on the day

  when the unit’s acting CO, Ltn. August Han-

  ko fell seriously ill. Other sources state that

  he didn’t take on this command until July 25,

  which lacks sense, because Jasta 64w and

  Jasta 65 combined to form Jagdgruppe Si-

  empelkamp on July 18, and it was very unli-

  kely that a unit would be named after a pilot

  that not only did not command it but wasn’t

  even its member yet. To top it off, Siempel-

  kamp converted onto the Fokker D.VII while

  with Jasta 64w, and as far as can be deter-

  mined, this aircraft also carried his paper

  dragon artwork. There is at least one foto

  showing part of the D.VII sporting similar tail

  of the paper dragon, as known from Siem-

  pelkamp´s Pfalz D.IIIa.

  In any case, the last two victories attained by

  Eugen Siempelkamp were as the Comman-

  ding Officer of Jagdgruppe Siempelkamp.

  His fourth and fifth victims were aircraft of

  American pilots. First, on September 4, he

  shot down a Salmson 2A2 (No. 12) of the 91st

  Aero Squadron over Thiaucourt. The Ameri-

  can Salmson aircraft were bounced by a for-

  mation of Siempelkamp’s Fokker D.VIIs and

  it was very likely Siempelkamp himself that

  fired the rounds that took the life of observer

  2Lt. R. R. Sebring, one of the unit’s rookies.

  “I was one of a formation of four (Salmson)

  aircraft, and acting as protection, when I was

  shot down on September 4th. The day was

  a very cloudy one and we were surprised by

  several Fokkers. The first I knew of their pre

  -

  sence was was when I heard my observer

  firing. There were at least four of them and

  they were right on top of us. I was almost

  immediately hit a glancing blow on the head

  and knocked unconscious, and my observer,

  Lieut. R. R. Sebring, was killed,”

  recounted

  later Lt. Foster. As described by other par-

  ticipants of the clash, Foster´s 2A2 went into

  a dive and began to spiral, but Foster came

  to in time to set down in an emergency lan-

  ding. One of the German fighters was re-

  ported to have stuck to Foster’s tail, but was

  shot down by Lt. Hughey, and another of the

  German fighters was downed by Lt. Strahm.

  For the German pilots, the encounter was

  not a stunning success…

  Barely an Ace

  Before noon on September 14, Eugen Siem-

  pelkamp took off on his final combat flight.

  During this mission, he shot down another

  Salmson 2A2, this time from the 99th Aero

  Squadron. He hit the aircraft’s engine, but

  the pilot managed to nurse it back home

  and crash land at his home field. Both crew-

  members, 1Lt. J. Hayes-Davis and 1Lt. C. E.

  Spencer went through the ordeal unscathed,

  and both were with their unit the same day.

  Siempelkamp didn’t fair quite so well in en-

  suing combat with French fighters from Spa

  90. He confronted three Spads, which were

  flown by Adj. Charles Mace (twelve kills),

  Lt. Marius Ambrogi (fourteen kills), and Lt.

  Lemaire. These scored several hits, and one

  of them was to Siempelkamp’s hand. He

  managed to disengage from the fight, esca-

  pe, and crash land. All three of the menti-

  oned French pilots were credited with only

  a probable kill over Siempelkamp. As a side

  note, the book ‘The Jasta War Chronology’

  (N. Franks, F. Bailey, and R. Duiven) credits

  Siempelkamp with another kill on that day

  of an unidentified Spad but it is unconfir-

  med anywhere else and so his total tally

  stands at five victories. The injury sustained

  to his hand prevented Siempelkamp from

  going into combat again. His two-year ol-

  der brother Ewald (born in March 1892) did

  not escape injury either during the War. He

  Siempelkamp’s fourth victim was a Salmson 2A2 of the 91st Aero Squadron USAAS.Siempelkamp’s fourth victim was a Salmson 2A2 of the 91st Aero Squadron USAAS.

  Photo: commons.wikimedia.com

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  25

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 26

  HISTORIE

  was wounded on two occasions, first whi-

  le serving with an unknown unit on May 28,

  1915, and then again as a member of the Jas-

  ta 15 on February 20, 1917. Of the former, not

  much is known, but of the latter, it is known

  that it occurred during landing, and was li-

  kely very serious, because he did not rejoin

  combat unit until fifteen months later, on

  May 19, 1918. He joined Jasta 30 as Offizier

  zur besondere Verwendung (Deputy Com-

  mander), which was generally a flying po-

  sition. He lasted there until August 23, after

  which he was hospitalized, according to one

  of the unit members this was the result of

  complications from previously sustained in-

  juries. As a result, Ewald ended his combat

  career three weeks prior to injuries forcing

  his younger brother to do the same.

  Unlike Eugen, Ewald returned to flying after

  the war. He joined the newly formed Luftwa-

  ffe in 1943 as a Major in the reserve at Luft-

  gaukommando (Air County Headquarters)

  XII, which included Krefeld area, meaning he

  stayed at home and did not participate in any

  combat flying.

  From Aircraft to Presses

  After the war, both brothers involved them-

  selves with their father’s business and

  eventually took it over. The main role in the

  development of the firm was played by Eu-

  gen. His son Dieter recalled in an interview

  printed in a Siempelkamp newsletter:

  “My

  father started managing the company at

  the age of 25. He was very strong-willed.

  He managed the company during the diffi

  -

  cult period following the First World War –

  through the inflation, the global depression

  and the crippling lack of raw materials that

  existed during the 1920s. He faced different

  challenges than my grandfather had. And

  he overcame them with hard work and his

  strong will.”

  As an example, Dieter Siempelkamp said:

  “Siempelkamp then received an order from

  Russia for 20 hot-platen dryers for veneer

  production – on condition that the first dryer

  was supplied free of charge. My father took

  the risk (Ed: his father had experience with

  Russian clients in the past but dealing with

  Soviets was uncharted territory) and shi

  -

  pped the prototype free of charge after three

  months. The total order – for around 400 hot

  platens – was placed six months later”.

  This

  order pulled the company out of some very

  tough times, and we can only hazard a gue-

  ss as to whether or not this equipment was

  used in the production of plywood twenty

  years later for Soviet fighters…

  “

  My father, just like my grandfather, was

  also always interested in establishing inter

  -

  national contacts to extend the company’s

  reach. Furthermore, his innovative capaci

  -

  ties and foresight resulted in additional Si-

  empelkamp patents (Eugen Siempelkamp

  was the holder of several patents, Ed.). His

  commitment to his workforce was also re

  -

  markable: before the currency reform in the

  period following the First World War, it was

  often customary for orders to be settled in

  kind. When a farmer ordered a screw pre

  -

  ss for pressing potatoes or apples to pro-

  duce high-volume spirits, it was frequent-

  ly paid for in potatoes or apples – and we

  often supplied rubber presses in return for

  rubber boots and bicycle tyres. Such barter

  transactions often benefited the workforce

  and were not unusual during the post-war

  period,”

  explained Dieter Siempelkamp whi-

  le describing how difficult it was to conduct

  business for his father and uncle in the in-

  ter-war years. In any case, the company

  survived and by the latter half of the twen-

  ties, virtually all plywood manufacturing

  facilities used presses bearing the Siem-

  pelkamp name. Development continued in

  a wide range of manufacturing equipment

  serving the wood, rubber, plastic, and me-

  tal working industries, such as vulcanizing

  presses for belts and rubber, presses for

  plastics, straightening presses for Bakelite

  and, later, presses for the production of par-

  ticleboard and MDF.

  In the years immediately following the Se-

  cond World War, the Siempelkamp company

  returned to its roots, producing simple ma-

  chinery such as hand screw presses, but Eu-

  gen was again able to navigate tough times

  and ensure expansion despite, for example,

  ignoring the American market.

  “He had bad

  experiences with Americans, resulting in

  a deep mistrust. He sold a license for the ma-

  nufacture of one of our presses to the USA.

  HISTORY

  Consular Certificate of Qualification given to Eugen Siempelkamp in January 1951, which was issued to him for his busi-

  ness activities in Brazil.

  Siempelkamp’s Pfalz D.IIIa as it appears in accordance with the latest research by historians

  eduard

  26

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 27

  HISTORY

  The Americans manufactured it, but refused

  to pay the license, and from that, he conclu

  -

  ded that all Americans were thieves. I was

  certain, however, that neither the American

  nor Asian markets should be neglected, and

  so we established retail organizations there

  and gradually gained a market share in those

  regions.”

  recalled Dieter Siempelkamp in an

  interview for rp-online.de. The final innovati-

  ons brought the firm into the field of nuclear

  power plants. For example, the company has

  developed special emergency equipment in

  the event of core meltdowns and other sa-

  fety technologies. The decision to close all

  German nuclear power plants has therefore

  significantly affected the company…

  Persuaded to retire

  Eugen Siempelkamp kept in good physical

  shape through to old age. He played golf,

  which was his favorite sport. Even after the

  age of 80, he was very active and fit, so it is

  not surprising that he had to be more or less

  forced to vacate the position of the compa-

  ny's director by the supervisory board and

  shareholders. ‘It was a very difficult decision

  for him,’ says Dieter Siempelkamp, who took

  over the management of the company for 44

  years. The fourth generation of the Siempel-

  kamp family no longer carried on the family

  tradition. Not that no one could; Dieter has

  seven children, but it was decided that the

  company would be led by hired professional

  managers and the family would withdraw to

  a supervisory and advisory role.

  Eugen Siempelkamp died on February 13,

  1989, at the age of 95.

  In addition to the successful G. Siempelkamp

  GmbH & Co. KG, which employs 2,600 people

  worldwide, there is, among others, the Eu-

  gen Siempelkamp Foundation (Eugen-Sie-

  mpelkamp-Stiftung) in Krefeld, with a wide

  range of activities covering from care for

  the elderly, to the education of middle-aged

  people, to support activities for children and

  young people. The Siempelkamp and von

  Oppenheim family ranks roughly 400th in

  the ranking of the richest Germans with as-

  sets of over 400 million Euros.

  Author would like to express his thanks to

  Greg VanWyngarden for lead photography

  and Trevor Henshaw for important infor

  -

  mation helpful for the article.

  References:

  Jasta Colors Vol. 1; B. Schmälling, J. Leckscheid

  Pfalz D.IIIa At War Vol. 2; G. VanWyngarden

  The French Air Service War Chronology 1914 – 1918; F. Bailey, C. Cony

  Above the Lines; N. Franks, F. Bailey, R. Guest

  Jasta War Chronology; N. Franks, F. Bailey, R. Duiven

  Jasta Pilots; N. Franks, F. Bailey, R. Duiven

  Casulties of the German Air Service 1914–1920; N. Franks, F. Bailey, R.

  Duiven

  Gorrell's History - AEF Air Service

  The Sky Their Battlefield II; T. Henshaw

  Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 30; B. Schmälling, W. Bock

  G. Siempelkamp GmbH & Co. KG Bulletin

  rp-online.de

  Lt. Eugen Siempelkamp, Jasta 29, Gondecourt, France, July 1918

  eduard

  27

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 28

  John Gillespee Magee Jr.was born on June 9, 1922 in Shanghai.

  His father was an Anglican priest from Pittsburgh and his mother,

  Faith Emmeline Backhouse came from England. They met in China

  where both worked as missionaries and in 1921 they got married.

  John was their rst child later followed by four younger brothers.

  Because of his mother John considered himself an Englishman more

  than an American. In 1931 he left China for England with his mother

  and other siblings to start his education. During 1935-1939 he stu-

  died at Rugby boarding school where he was deeply touched by the

  list of students who had perished in WWI. The poet Rupert Brooke

  was among them. In 1904 he won a poetry contest at Rugby. Magee

  devoted his own poem to his memory and in 1938 also won the

  afore mentioned contest. Year 1939 was a breaking point. Magee

  visited USA but after the outbreak of the WWII he could not return

  to Britain. In July 1940 he was granted a scholarship for Yale. Howe-

  ver he was deeply aected by the war in Eurpe so he decided not

  to commence his studies. Instead he tried to enlist into the British

  Royal Air Force (RAF). Being an American citizen he was rejected

  but on October 10, 1940 he managed to enlist into Royal Canadian

  Air Force (RCAF). He completed the training on Tiger Moth and Har-

  vard and on June 22, 1941 obtained his „wings“. His superiors eva-

  luated him as a pilot with a potential to grow, good at aerobatics

  and good at ying by instruments. On the other hand he „lacked

  discipline a was overcondent“. After nishing his training he made

  it to a silver screen – he was a member of the group in Canada that

  was shooting the ying sequences for the movie „Captians of the

  Clouds“.

  Up in the sky!

  Soon he was deployed to Britain where he sailed in July 1941

  aboard the armed merchant ship HMS California. In Lladow, Wales,

  at No. 53 OTU (Operational Traning Unit) Magee started his conver-

  sion to a Spitre ghter. His rst ight on it took place on August 7,

  1941. During one of the training ights, on August 18, 1941 his best

  known poem High Flight was conceived. It was his seventh ight in

  a Spitre during which he reached the altitude of 33 000 feet (over

  10 000 meters). He was so deeply impressed by the experience that

  he noted the rst verses still in the cockpit and nished the poem

  right after the landing. He shared his high altitude ight experien-

  ce in the letter to his parents whom he also send a copy of his poem.

  The letter is dated September 3, 1941 and this date is sometimes

  incorrectly stated as a day when the poem was written. It is often

  stated that the poem High Flight was conceived when Magee was

  test-ying a new, higher performing Spitre Mk. V. That’s how it’s

  also remembered by his brother Hugh after many years. In reality

  on the high altitude ight performed on August 18, 1941 Magee

  ew an older Sptire Mk. I serial R6976. This aircraft had served

  with 610 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and various pilots

  shot down several German aircraft with it. Later it was relegated

  to training duties.

  The only encounter with the enemy

  After nishing his training on September 23, 1941 with the rank

  of Pilot Ocer he was posted to 412 Squadron RCAF. The unit had

  been formed shortly before, on June 30, 1941 at Digby base in

  Lincolnshire. Shortly after Magee’s arrival the unit was relocated

  to nearby Wellingore base and instead of the older Sptire Mk.IIa

  converted to new Spitres Mk.Vb. Magee ew this version for the

  rst time on October 8, 1941 and performed his rst sortie in it

  on October 20, 1941-an uneventful convoy escort. He received

  his true baptism of re on November 8, 1941 during the operation

  Circus 110. On early afternoon the RAF Headquarters dispatched

  12 Blenheim bombers against the railway repair shops in Lille escor-

  ted by 13 Spitre squadrons comprised of 155 ghters. Shortly be-

  John G. Magee in cockpit of a Spitre from No 412 Squadron RCAF. Squadron letters VZ are visible on the fuselage.

  During 1939-1941 more than 9000 American citizens enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the Japanese attack on Peal

  Harbor and USA entry in the war in December 1941, 1759 American members of RCAF re-listed to the armed forces of their home-

  land. Another 2000 re-listed later and approximately 5000 nished their service in the ranks of RCAF. Around 800 Americans lost

  their lives in Canadian service. This is the story of one of them.

  eduard

  28

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 29

  John Gillespee Magee Jr.was born on June 9, 1922 in Shanghai.

  His father was an Anglican priest from Pittsburgh and his mother,

  Faith Emmeline Backhouse came from England. They met in China

  where both worked as missionaries and in 1921 they got married.

  John was their rst child later followed by four younger brothers.

  Because of his mother John considered himself an Englishman more

  than an American. In 1931 he left China for England with his mother

  and other siblings to start his education. During 1935-1939 he stu-

  died at Rugby boarding school where he was deeply touched by the

  list of students who had perished in WWI. The poet Rupert Brooke

  was among them. In 1904 he won a poetry contest at Rugby. Magee

  devoted his own poem to his memory and in 1938 also won the

  afore mentioned contest. Year 1939 was a breaking point. Magee

  visited USA but after the outbreak of the WWII he could not return

  to Britain. In July 1940 he was granted a scholarship for Yale. Howe-

  ver he was deeply aected by the war in Eurpe so he decided not

  to commence his studies. Instead he tried to enlist into the British

  Royal Air Force (RAF). Being an American citizen he was rejected

  but on October 10, 1940 he managed to enlist into Royal Canadian

  Air Force (RCAF). He completed the training on Tiger Moth and Har-

  vard and on June 22, 1941 obtained his „wings“. His superiors eva-

  luated him as a pilot with a potential to grow, good at aerobatics

  and good at ying by instruments. On the other hand he „lacked

  discipline a was overcondent“. After nishing his training he made

  it to a silver screen – he was a member of the group in Canada that

  was shooting the ying sequences for the movie „Captians of the

  Clouds“.

  Up in the sky!

  Soon he was deployed to Britain where he sailed in July 1941

  aboard the armed merchant ship HMS California. In Lladow, Wales,

  at No. 53 OTU (Operational Traning Unit) Magee started his conver-

  sion to a Spitre ghter. His rst ight on it took place on August 7,

  1941. During one of the training ights, on August 18, 1941 his best

  known poem High Flight was conceived. It was his seventh ight in

  a Spitre during which he reached the altitude of 33 000 feet (over

  10 000 meters). He was so deeply impressed by the experience that

  he noted the rst verses still in the cockpit and nished the poem

  right after the landing. He shared his high altitude ight experien-

  ce in the letter to his parents whom he also send a copy of his poem.

  The letter is dated September 3, 1941 and this date is sometimes

  incorrectly stated as a day when the poem was written. It is often

  stated that the poem High Flight was conceived when Magee was

  test-ying a new, higher performing Spitre Mk. V. That’s how it’s

  also remembered by his brother Hugh after many years. In reality

  on the high altitude ight performed on August 18, 1941 Magee

  ew an older Sptire Mk. I serial R6976. This aircraft had served

  with 610 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and various pilots

  shot down several German aircraft with it. Later it was relegated

  to training duties.

  The only encounter with the enemy

  After nishing his training on September 23, 1941 with the rank

  of Pilot Ocer he was posted to 412 Squadron RCAF. The unit had

  been formed shortly before, on June 30, 1941 at Digby base in

  Lincolnshire. Shortly after Magee’s arrival the unit was relocated

  to nearby Wellingore base and instead of the older Sptire Mk.IIa

  converted to new Spitres Mk.Vb. Magee ew this version for the

  rst time on October 8, 1941 and performed his rst sortie in it

  on October 20, 1941-an uneventful convoy escort. He received

  his true baptism of re on November 8, 1941 during the operation

  Circus 110. On early afternoon the RAF Headquarters dispatched

  12 Blenheim bombers against the railway repair shops in Lille escor-

  ted by 13 Spitre squadrons comprised of 155 ghters. Shortly be-

  John G. Magee in cockpit of a Spitre from No 412 Squadron RCAF. Squadron letters VZ are visible on the fuselage.

  During 1939-1941 more than 9000 American citizens enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the Japanese attack on Peal

  Harbor and USA entry in the war in December 1941, 1759 American members of RCAF re-listed to the armed forces of their home-

  land. Another 2000 re-listed later and approximately 5000 nished their service in the ranks of RCAF. Around 800 Americans lost

  their lives in Canadian service. This is the story of one of them.

  fore that, to distract the enemy eight Hurricane ghter-bombers

  were to attack the spirits manufacturing plant in St. Pol. These

  were escorted by another six Spitre squadrons with 64 aircraft.

  This operation was code-named Ramrod 8. From the very beginning

  the odds were against the British. Strong wind scattered the forma-

  tions which did not meet at the planned time. The command was

  given to elderly W/Cdr D.R.Scott who had served in administration

  and never commanded the operation at such a large scale, in fact

  he did not y combat missions at all! On ther other hand the Ger-

  man defense performed perfectly. The area headquarters reacted

  quickly and dispatched the ghters exactly to the right spot in a ti-

  mely manner. On the top of it the ghters were led by Adolf Galland,

  a seasond veteran with enormous experience. He had gained the

  combat experience during 1937-38 in Spain. During WWII he ew

  705 combat missions and shot down 104 enemy aircraft (all at the

  Western Front). During Circus 110 he shot down 2 Spitres which

  accounted for his 94th and 95th victories.

  When RAF ghters crossed the French coastline, the bombers failed

  to rendezvous at the agreed point. Therefore, W/Cdr Scott ordered

  the ghters to y in tight circles at this point. The British pilots

  were too busy to maintain the formation and not to collide. They

  had no time to suciently monitor the environment and at exactly

  that time the German Fw 190 and Messerschmitts Bf 109 form JG

  2 and JG 26 dived on them like hawks. Canadian 412 Squadron was

  responsible for the top cover of the whole formation. It’s 12 Spit-

  res were the rst target of the enemy’s attack. Magee ew in four

  aircraft section with squadron commander S/Ldr G.D.Bushenell,

  P/O K.R.E.Denkman and Sgt.O.F.Pickells. All three were shot down

  and killed. Their victor was II./JG 26 commander Joachim Munche-

  berg. On that day only two of his kills were conrmed accounting

  for his 62nd and 63rd victories. His total score was 135 kills out of

  which 102 at the Western Front. Magee was the only survivor from

  that section, his aircraft undamaged. During the encounter he shot

  160 machine gun rounds.Considering Spitre machine guns‘ rate

  of re he shot two seconds burst. It seems probable that it was

  only an aiming shot. It’s supported by the fact the he did not use

  cannons and also after landing did not claim any hits and enemy’s

  aircraft damage. It was the only Magee’s encounter with Lutfwa-

  e. He ew the mission in AD291 coded VZ-H, the aircraft that

  later sealed his fate. On that day the German pilots claimed total

  24 aircraft shot down. In reality RAF lost 15 Spitres and 14 pilots.

  Besides the 412 Squadron commander another 2 leaders were lost-

  -S/Ldr W.Szczeszniewski from 315 Polish Squadron was killed and

  S/Ldr W.Wilczewski from 316 Polish Squadron became POW. Even

  commanding oce W/Cdr Scott lost his life. His last radio trans-

  mission supposedly sounded like this: „I suppose I am too old for

  this boys“. Sgt. Svatopluk Stulir, a Czech member of 65 Squadron

  was among the pilots who perished. He was killed after a hit from

  Bf 109 nearby Le Touquet. The British pilots claimed four kills.

  In reality Lufwae only lost two aircraft, one German pilot was

  killed and another seriously wounded. Both sides suered damages

  to a number of aircraft.

  A fateful collision

  It was the last RAF operation type Circus in 1941. Futher large-sca-

  le daylight raids were only resumed in the spring of 1942. Magee

  no longer participated in those. Between November and December

  1941 he ew three more combat missions-convoy escorts without

  any contact with the enemy. On Thursday December 11, 1941, at

  10:40 am he took of with some other pilots to practice the forma-

  tion ying. He ew Spitre Mk.Vb serial AD291 again. Upon their

  return to the base at 11:30 am, Magee together with three other

  pilots had to y through the clouds. They found a small gap in

  the cloud cover and initiated their descent. However, they did not

  see an Airspeed Oxford trainer ying right below the cloud cover.

  The aircraft serial number T1052 was piloted by 19 years old LAC

  Ernest Aubrey Grin. He was two weeks short of nishing his trai-

  ning and took o from Cranwell for a solo training ight. Oxford’s

  and Magee Spitre’s ight paths intersected at approximately 400

  meters above the ground. Spitre’s engine broke o and so did the

  left wing right at the attachements to the fuselage. The crippled

  aircraft fell to the ground like a stone. A farmer who witnessed the

  accident stated that at about 120 meters Spitre pilot had stru-

  ggled to open the canopy. He managed to do so and bailed out

  but was too low and the parachute could not fully deploy. Magee

  landed at the eld nearby Roxholm Hall and was killed instantly.

  Not far away, the Oxford pilot, Aubrey Grin met the deatch in the

  wreck of his aircraft. The majority of the internet sources state

  that the collision took place at the altitude of 400 feet. They go on

  with the exactly same description of the events that followed so

  obviously the error is carried along. In reality the collision took pla-

  ce at the altitude of 1400 feet which is approximately 400 meters.

  Clearly it is an error in converting the imperial and metric units of

  measurement. This is also supported by a fact that some internet

  sources state that Magee’s high altitude ight was performed at

  10 000 feet and not 10 000 meters. In case of 10 000 feet we cannot

  really speak about a high altitude ight.

  A place in the history

  Magee was buried on December 13, 1941 at the cemetery in Sco-

  pwick in Lincolnshire. He was only 19 years old. In the evening,

  after the burial, all pilots at the base were summoned. They were

  lectured in safety rules and shown an instructional lm Flight Safety.

  Magee’s poem High Flight continued to live its own life even after

  his death. The same month his father published it in his church‘s

  periodical. Poet and writer Archibald McLeish, who at that time

  was in charge of the Library of the Congress, took note of the poem.

  In February 1942 he included the work into the poetry exhibition

  named Faith and Liberty. The poem manuscript has been in the

  Library of Congress ever since. This poem gradually became kind

  of the anthem for all English-speaking aviators and later astronauts.

  High Flight is an ocial RAF and RCAF poem. Astronaut Michael

  Collins took it with him on the Gemini 10 mission and James Irwin

  brought it all the way to the Moon on the Apollo 15 mission. In 1986

  American president Ronald Reagan quoted from it during his speach

  after the Challenger spaceship disaster. It also appeared in the po-

  pular culture – for example in the TV series Simpsons or Battlestar

  Gallactica. In the end it should be noted that other Magee fa-

  mily member left they mark in the history. His father, reverend

  John Magee, helped a lot of Chinese during the Nanking massacre.

  He also documented the Japanese atrocities with the camera.

  Nowadays his lms are stored in the Nanking museum. His cousin,

  Chris Magee, was a ghter ace during the WWII. He served under

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 30

  Major Boyington in the Marines‘ unit VMF-124 nicknamed „Black

  Sheep“. Flying a Corsair he shot down 9 Japanese aircraft. After

  the war he ew as a mercenary in Latin America and also in the air

  force of the new state of Israel. In 50s he robbed banks in the USA

  for which he was senteced to 8.5 years jail time.

  Photos: National Museum of the USAF

  Sources:

  Caldwell, D. M.: Válečný denník

  JG 26 1939-1942, Plzeň, 1999

  www.highightproductions.com/high_i-

  ght_productions/johnmagee.html

  www.spitreassociation.com.au/

  magee-john-gillespie-jr-2/

  www.ickr.com/groups/500710@N23/

  discuss/72157621774953263/

  www.bombercommandmuse-

  um.ca/s,johnmagee.html

  www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/

  High_Flight-Magee-AD291.htm

  https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-

  -news/a-yank-in-the-rcaf-more-than-

  -9000-american-served-with-canada

  https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/

  bomber-command/americans-in-the-rcaf/

  Magee receiving his pilot wings from Group Captain W.A. Curtis. 22 June 1941, Uplands base / Ottawa. Training Harvard on background.

  Magee (far right) with his squadrn mates in Great Briatain.

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  30

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 31

  Major Boyington in the Marines‘ unit VMF-124 nicknamed „Black

  Sheep“. Flying a Corsair he shot down 9 Japanese aircraft. After

  the war he ew as a mercenary in Latin America and also in the air

  force of the new state of Israel. In 50s he robbed banks in the USA

  for which he was senteced to 8.5 years jail time.

  Photos: National Museum of the USAF

  Sources:

  Caldwell, D. M.: Válečný denník

  JG 26 1939-1942, Plzeň, 1999

  www.highightproductions.com/high_i-

  ght_productions/johnmagee.html

  www.spitreassociation.com.au/

  magee-john-gillespie-jr-2/

  www.ickr.com/groups/500710@N23/

  discuss/72157621774953263/

  www.bombercommandmuse-

  um.ca/s,johnmagee.html

  www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/

  High_Flight-Magee-AD291.htm

  https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-

  -news/a-yank-in-the-rcaf-more-than-

  -9000-american-served-with-canada

  https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/

  bomber-command/americans-in-the-rcaf/

  Magee receiving his pilot wings from Group Captain W.A. Curtis. 22 June 1941, Uplands base / Ottawa. Training Harvard on background.

  Magee (far right) with his squadrn mates in Great Briatain.

  High Flight

  Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

  And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

  Sunward I‘ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

  Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

  You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

  High in the sunlit silence. Hov‘ring there,

  I‘ve chased the shouting wind along, and ung

  My eager craft through footless halls of air...

  Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

  I‘ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

  Where never lark, or ever eagle ew —

  And, while with silent, lifting mind I‘ve trod

  The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

  Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

  Let k výšinám

  Já jsem se vyvlék z mrzkých zemských pout,

  oblohou v tanci křídel stříbřitých

  za sluncem stoupal, v překotjásný kout

  průtrží světla, — stovky tahů mých

  nad představ sny — točil se, tyčil, spěl

  vysoko v bezhlesnu se vznášel.

  Jal uhánět s vichrem, lačně burácel,

  vzduchoplán hnal přes volnopádů sál …

  Až, až kde záchvatné až modro žhne

  já horoucí jsem dovršil si plán,

  nad skřivánka či orla, nad možné —

  až ztich, jat troufalostí, neutek

  od posvátnosti kosmu, nevolán,

  vztáh ruku, slepý, Bohu na dotek.

  Vysoký let

  Vyšmykol som sa z pút

  a opustil zemský prach.

  Tancoval som oblohou

  na striebristých krídlach.

  K slnku! K slnku som stúpal

  a k bujarej zábave oblakov

  medzi lúčmi som sa pripojil.

  Spravil som stovky vecí,

  o ktorých sa vám nesnilo,

  krúžiac, stúpajúc a hojdajúc.

  Vysoko v prežiarenom tichu

  vznášal som sa, naháňal s vetrom

  hnal som svoj ochotný stroj

  bezbrehými sálami vzduchu.

  Hore, dlho stúpam hore,

  blúznivou pálčivou modrou.

  Dosiahol som veterné výšavy

  s nenúteným pôvabom

  kde nikdy škovránok

  či orol nezaletel.

  A kým som tam kráčal

  s tichou vzletnou mysľou,

  vysokou neporušenou

  svätosťou vesmíru,

  Natiahol som ruku

  a dotkol sa Božej tváre.

  John Gillespee Magee Jr.

  Czech translation:

  Václav Pinkava

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 32

  KITS 08/2021

  1/48 Cat. No. 82124

  Eduard plastic parts

  Photo-etched set

  Paiting mask

  6 marking options

  Product page

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 33

  KITS 08/2021

  MW835, W/Cdr Charles H. Dyson, Wing Commander Flying Southern Sector, RAF Middle Wallop, Hamshire, United Kingdom, April 1946

  MW416, S/Ldr Henry Ambrose, No. 26 Squadron, RAF Fassberg, Germany, May 1947

  MW833, No. 183/54 Sqn, RAF Chilbolton, Hampshire, United Kingdom, June 1946

  Charles Harold Dyson was born in Jhansi, India (July 8, 1913) and began his RAF career in 1937. After training he became a member of No. 33

  Sqn and carried out attacks on Arab insurgents in Palestine (from Ramla base). His part in these operations earned him a DFC. He remained

  in the Middle East after the outbreak of WWII and on December 11, 1940, he encountered a group of six Italian Cr.42s and reportedly shot them

  all down. However, he had to make an emergency landing himself, returning to the unit six days later. Dyson received a Bar to his DFC for this

  achievement to which he added two more Cr.42 kills. The No. 33 Sqn moved to Greece and Dyson was shot down there by an Italian G.50 on

  March 23 and then by AA fire on April 5. He managed to bail out in both cases. After the fall of Greece, Dyson served as a fighter pilot in Egypt

  but was not involved in any further combat action. Following his return to the UK he had short spells with the CGS and AFD and then spent

  the rest of the war instructing and commanding Armament Practice Camps and squadrons within Tactical Exercise Units. After the war he

  remained in the service until October 1963. By the time he became Wing Commander of the Southern Sector of Fighter Command, he had taken

  over the aircraft of R. P. Beamont and added stylized lightning bolt on the fuselage - a most unusual marking on RAF aircraft at that time. The

  colors of it were probably yellow and red and the personal code was white. After a short period of time, the lightning bolt was removed, leaving

  only a red wedge with no trim; the spinner was now half black/half white whereas it is thought it may previously have been yellow. For unk-

  nown reasons, the main undercarriage covers were replaced, thereby disrupting the serial number on the lower wing surfaces.

  Henry “Poppa” Ambrose joined No. 257 Sqn in 1941 as a Flight Sergeant and he exchanged the Hurricane for the Typhoon in 1942. With the latter, he was mostly

  flying defensive patrols over the English Channel, watching for and intercepting low-flying Fw 190s. Ambrose served with the unit until 1943 when, having

  completed his operational tour, he was posted ‘on rest’, retraining as a Fighter Controller, serving in this role during Operation Neptune (the maritime part of

  Operation Overlord) on June 6, 1944, and subsequent operations over Normandy. In August 1944 he returned to operational flying, joining No. 175 Sqn as a flight

  commander, flying rocket-armed Typhoons. In February 1945 he was promoted to command another Typhoon RP unit, No. 181 Sqn. After the war Ambrose con-

  tinued in the RAF and from January 1946 commanded No. 41 Sqn which was redesignated No. 26 Sqn on April 1. Ambrose continued as commanding officer until

  May 1947. His Tempest Mk.II was from the first 50-aircraft series produced at Banwell (Bristol) and thus did not originally have a tropical filter. It was later fully

  tropicalized with the tropical air filter and water cylinders in cockpit, as were six other early series aircraft delivered to the RAF (most of these early Tempests

  were fully modified and sold to India or Pakistan). MW416 was in service with the unit from July 1946 to September 1948 and was allocated to squadron comman-

  ders; it was flown successively by Ambrose, Brandt, Mitchell, and Frost. The propeller spinner was probably red and white (or blue) during the Ambrose period

  of service, later it may have been white/black or silver/black. The entire aircraft was painted with a cellulose silver paint known as "Aluminium",

  officially Silver Dope spec. 33B/317 516 Type C (Cellulose). The aircraft sported Squadron Leader pennants on both sides of the fuselage,

  and later carried unit badge on the top of the fin.

  The aircraft, named "Canadian DCMs", following a donation by that organisation, served with No. 183 Sqn, which was redesignated No. 54 Sqn

  on November 15 as the RAF reorganised post-war and reduced the number of operational units. Like most other squadrons with higher num-

  bers, it thus took on the designation of an older and more traditional unit. No. 54 Sqn was one of only two squadrons that used Tempest Mk.IIs

  within Fighter Command and so they were based in the United Kingdom. The aircraft had the standard camouflage scheme of Ocean Grey and

  Dark Green on the upper surfaces and Medium Sea Grey on the lower surfaces. The rear fuselage stripe and code markings were in Sky, the

  stripes on the nose, fin, horizontal stabilizer and the spinner were white. After its service with the squadron, MW833 underwent overhaul at

  Langley (Hawker factory) and was stored at No. 6 MU Brize Norton until August 1951 when it was handed over for scrapping.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

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  KITS 08/2021

  MW849, No. 247 Sqn, RAF Chilbolton, Hampshire, United Kingdom, September 1945

  MW417, No. 26 Sqn, RAF Wunstorf, Germany, 1947

  MW423, No. 33 Sqn, RAF Changi, Singapore, August 1949

  No. 247 Squadron was formed at the end of the WWI, on August 20, 1918, by the amalgamation of No. 336 and No. 337 Flights of RNAS (Royal

  Naval Air Service) but was disbanded just five months later on January 22, 1919. The unit was reactivated on August 1, 1940 and was tasked

  with the defence of the south-western part of the British coastline, including the ports of Plymouth and Falmouth. As it was equipped with

  obsolescent Gloster Gladiator biplanes, chances of its pilots achieving success against German opponents were slim. The unit converted to the

  Hawker Hurricane as early as December 1940 and undertook both day and night missions. The pilots did not claim their first victory until July

  7, 1941, when a Ju 88 was shot down. After re-equipment with Typhoons, the unit flew only day missions and was among the busiest in ground

  attack with RP during the days prior to the Operation Overlord through to the end of hostilities. In the summer of 1945 No. 247 Sqn was re-

  moved from BAFO (as 2nd TAF had been renamed) and began preparations to be sent to the Far East in Burma. To this end, it was the second

  squadron to receive the Tempest Mk.II. However, the surrender of Japan changed the situation, the unit remained in the UK and became the

  first unit to be rearmed with the de Havilland Vampire jets. The MW798 had the standard Day Fighter Scheme camouflage and sported white

  stripes on the rudder and horizontal stabilizer; the propeller spinner had three-tone colour, probably red, white, and blue, corresponding with

  RAF roundel.

  As part of the post-war RAF downsizing the former No. 41 Sqn was redesignated No. 26 Sqn. This occurred on April 1, 1946, when the unit was

  based at Wunstorf Air Base in Germany. No. 26 Squadron was formed at Netheravon (UK) on October 8, 1915, and subsequently sent to East

  Africa, where it operated from Mombasa airfield until February 1918, when it returned and was disbanded in July. The reactivation came Octo-

  ber 11, 1927, as a single squadron of Armstrong Whitworth Atlas machines. No. 26 Sqn started the war with Westland Lysander aircraft flying

  reconnaissance missions with them until February 1941, when received Curtiss Tomahawks as the replacement, these being in turn changed

  for Mustang Is (and briefly Spitfires, as artillery spotters during the invasion of Normandy). The war ended in Germany, where the squadron (by

  the time equipped with Spitfire Mk.XIs and XIVs) was also disbanded and subsequently re-formed from No. 41 Sqn. This aircraft is interesting in

  that it has a fuselage code designation unusually outlined with a thin black line. The propeller spinner was blue and white, and the unit emblem

  was painted on top of the vertical fin. The squadron motto "N Wagter in der Lug" is in Afrikaans, as the unit was originally made up of South

  Africans. It stands for “Air Patrol” and the emblem features the head of an antelope. Tempests Mk.II were used by the unit until April 1949, when

  it re-equipped with de Havilland Vampire jets.

  No. 33 Squadron was stationed in Germany after the war. From there it was shipped aboard HMS Ocean to the Far East in early

  July 1949. The unit operated in the region until 1970, flying sorties against Communist guerrillas in Malaya until 1960. It was also

  the last RAF operational unit to fly Tempests Mk.II. Its pilots made last sortie with them on June 6, 1951, then started to exchange

  them for de Havilland Hornet F.3s. Originally allocated to No. 26 Sqn, MW423 was transferred to No. 33 Sqn in April 1949 and

  was also one of seven early production Mk.IIs converted to the "full tropical" standard for the RAF. Interestingly, it featured an

  escape panel warning marking on the port side of the fuselage (usually only seen on the starboard side). The top of the fin was

  decorated with the unit's emblem of a deer head and with the simple motto "Loyalty". It was in use until January 20, 1950, when

  an undercarriage failure made a “wheels-up” landing necessary. Although repaired it saw no further active service.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 35

  KITS 08/2021

  OVERTREES

  Tempest Mk.II

  Cat. No. 82124X

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Cat. No. 82124-LEPT1

  Recommended for Tempest Mk.II

  481064 Tempest Mk.II landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1208 Tempest Mk.II seatbelts STEEL (PE

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  Set)

  644104 Tempest Mk.II LööK (Brassin)

  648636 Tempest Mk.II wheels (Brassin)

  648637 Tempest Mk.II undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648639 Tempest Mk.II cockpit (Brassin)

  648641 RP-3 60lb rockets for Tempest Mk.II (Brassin)

  648654 Tempest Mk.II exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  3DL48030 Tempest Mk.II SPACE (3D Decal set)

  D48086 Tempest Mk.II stencils (Decal set)

  D48087 Tempest Mk.II roundels (Decal set)

  EX796 Tempest Mk.II TFace (Mask)

  Cat. No. 644104

  Cat. No. 648639

  Cat. No. 648637

  eduard

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 36

  KITS 08/2021

  Product page

  1/48 Cat. No.11149

  Eduard plastic parts

  Photo-etched set

  Paiting mask

  12 marking options

  eduard

  36

  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 37

  KITS 08/2021

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, AB875, P/O Joseph M. Kelly, No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron, RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk,

  United Kingdom, February 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, BL753, P/O Donald J. M. Blakeslee, No. 401 Squadron RCAF, RAF Gravesend, Kent,

  United Kingdom, April - May 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, BM581, P/O William P. Kelly, No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron, RAF Southend, Essex, United Kingdom,

  July 1942

  No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron was formed out of the American volunteers at RAF airbase Church Fenton on September 19, 1940. It was

  equipped with the American Brewster Buffalo replaced by Hurricanes in November 1940. On February 1941, at Kirton in Lindsey

  airbase the unit was declared operational and in April started to fly combat out of RAF airbase Martlesham Heath in Suffolk.

  In August 1941 it was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.IIa, in a short time replaced by more powerful Spitfires Mk.Vb.

  In May 1942, the unit was relocated to Debden where, at the end of October 1942, was designated 334th FS and became part of

  the 4th FG of the 8th AF. This Spitfire Mk.Vb was usually flown by California native P/O Joe Kelly. After he finished his tour of

  duty, he requested the transfer to the Mediterranean to where he set sail in the middle of April 1942. He served with RAF until the

  end of the year and then transferred to the USAAF.

  Donald Blakeslee, the future fighter ace and commander of the 4th FG USAAF landed in England on May 15, 1941, having com-

  pleted the pilot training in Canada and was assigned to No. 401 Squadron RCAF, part of the Biggin Hill Wing. On November 22 he

  was credited with the first kill, Bf 109 over Desvres. Initially, Blakeslee was reluctant to serve in the American Eagle squadrons,

  but after he completed his tour of duty with No. 401 Squadron, he joined No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron as it was the only possibility to

  continue combat flying. After the 4th FG was established within 8th AF USAAF at the end of September 1942, he was appointed

  to command 335th FS (ex No. 121 Squadron RAF) and on February 1 he became the commander of the whole 4th FG. On March 15,

  1943, he scored his first kill with 4th FG flying P-47D Thunderbolt and on July 28 he led 4th FG over Germany for the first time. In

  February 1944 4th FG under his command became one of the first 8th AF fighter groups to be re-equipped with P-51B Mustang.

  In November 1944 Don Blakeslee retired from the operational service with 15.5 kills, 500 combat flights and more than thousand

  operational hours to his credit.

  The second Eagle squadron, 121st, was established in May 1941 at RAF airbase Kirton in Lindsey. In November 1941 it transitioned

  from Hurricanes to new Spitfires Mk.Vb. In December it replaced No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron at RAF airbase North Weald and joined

  the offensive operations over occupied Europe. On July 21, 1942, Spitfire BM581 was damaged by Flak fire during the sweep over

  the Netherlands. After repair, it was returned to the unit where it served as AV

  -

  K even though on September 29 the unit became

  335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF. In April 1943 after the 4th FG re-equipped to new P-47D Thunderbolt, this aircraft was returned to RAF.

  William Kelly, as well as the whole unit, was transferred under the USAAF command. In February 1943 he lost his life during the

  sortie as one of the last 4th FG pilots who were killed in combat when flying Spitfires.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

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  KITS 08/2021

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, EN851, Lt. Roland F. Wooten, 307th FS, 31st FG, 8th AF, RAF Merston, West Sussex,

  United Kingdom, late August 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, BL255, Lt. Dominic S. Gentile, 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, Essex, United Kingdom,

  August 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BR112, Sgt. Claude Weaver, No. 185 Squadron RAF, Hal Far, Malta, September 1942

  The 31st FG arrived in the Great Britain in June 1942. It received Spitfires of various versions at RAF airbases Atcham and High

  Ercall and commenced the training. EN851 is a good example of the coloration and markings of the American Spitfires on the

  eve of the USAAF operations in Europe. The aircraft remained in the standard British camouflage (Day Fighter Scheme) including

  the recognition stripe on the tail. British insignia were overpainted at the unit level and replaced with the American white stars in

  the blue circle. The insignia on the vertical tail, left lower wing and right upper wing insignia were just oversprayed with the ca-

  mouflage color. As of October 1, 1942, the yellow outlines of the national insignia were introduced. On July 18 31st FG flew its first

  combat mission. On August 19 it was the only USAAF fighter unit deployed in the Dieppe landing. The 31st FG was transferred to

  the newly established 12th AF in October. In Gibraltar it was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.Vb Trop and readied to be deployed in

  the Operation Torch, the Allied landing in North Africa.

  The third and last Eagle squadron, 133rd formed in July 1941 at RAF airbase Coltishall, was in 1942 the first American squadron

  re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.IX. However, the unit lost its twelve „Nines“ in only three days before Eagle squadron was trans-

  ferred under the USAAF command, during the B-17 escort over Morlaix. After its inclusion into 8th AF USAAF on September 29,

  1942, it continued flying the good old Spitfires Mk.Vb as it was transformed from No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF into 336th FS, 4th

  FG. The BL255 Spitfire, nicknamed “Buckeye Don”, was the personal aircraft of Don Gentile, the future most successful fighter

  pilot of the 8th AF with 19 kills, 3 damaged and 6 on the ground destroyed enemy aircraft. He was credited with two more kills

  during the combat over Dieppe on August 19, 1942, while he was still serving with RAF. The same nose art as on BL255 was later

  sported on the famous P-51B Shangri La and it was also incorporated into 334th FS insignia.

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop BR112, armed with four cannons, arrived in Malta on April 20, 1942, on board of USS Wasp air carrier during

  the Operation Calendar. It was probably camouflaged in RAF Mediterranean Desert Scheme, Dark Earth and Mid Stone on the

  upper surfaces and Azure Blue on the lower surfaces, upper surfaces were oversprayed with dark blue paint. This was supp-

  osedly done while still on board of USS Wasp. The propeller spinner was apparently in Sky, overspraying with dark blue paint

  cannot be excluded though. There are some patches of different color on the vertical tail surfaces and fuselage spine, possibly

  Dark Earth. On September 8, 1942, BR112 was shot down during the dogfight with Macchi C.202 from 352a Squadriglia over Sicily.

  The American pilot, Sgt. Claude Weaver, an ace with 10.5 kills, made an emergency landing on the beach in Scoglitti and became

  POW. Sgt. Weaver was one of the Americans serving with RAF who after finishing his tour of duty volunteered for the service in

  the Mediterranean. At the time BR112 was shot down, it probably carried only two cannons in the outer weapon wells.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 39

  Spitfire Mk.Vb, EN851, Lt. Roland F. Wooten, 307th FS, 31st FG, 8th AF, RAF Merston, West Sussex,

  United Kingdom, late August 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BR112, Sgt. Claude Weaver, No. 185 Squadron RAF, Hal Far, Malta, September 1942

  KITS 08/2021

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop, ER200 (probably), Lt. Col. Fred M. Dean, CO of 31st FG, Korba, Tunisia, May 1943

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, ES353, Capt. Jerome S. McCabe, 5th FS, 52nd FG, Mediterranean Allied Coastal

  Air Force (MACAF), La Sebala, Tunisia, June 1943

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop, ER570, Maj. Robert Levine, 4th FS, 52nd FG, Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air

  Force (MACAF), La Sers, Tunisia, August 1943

  The personal aircraft of Col. Fred Dean is the good sample of the camouflage and markings of the American Spitfires in North

  Africa. The camouflage consists of the patterns of Dark Earth and Middle Stone on the upper surfaces and Azure Blue on the

  lower surfaces. The propeller spinner was white. The national insignia featured yellow outlines and code letters were white. The

  aircraft depicts the aircraft as it appeared in May 1943, just after the fighting in Tunisia ceased. Shortly afterwards, on June 28,

  the change of insignia took place as white rectangles on the sides and red outlines were added. Fred Dean commanded 31st FG

  for eight months since December 5, 1942. In July 1943 he handed over the leadership to Lt. Col. Frank Hill, who up until then was

  commanding 309th FS as a Major. Frank Hill was one of 31st FS aces, credited with 6.5 individual kills, 3 shared and 4 probables.

  After he handed over the command Fred Dean returned to the United States and joined General Arnold’s staff. On May 31, 1943,

  he was decorated with Silver Star.

  Same as the majority of 5th FS Spitfires, this Mk.Vc ES353 sported the RAF tail cockade on its vertical tail surfaces. Worth of no-

  tice is the unusual combination of dark, apparently red propeller spinner and yellow outlined national insignia. The red spinners

  were introduced in the Mediterranean only in the end of 1943 while yellow outlined national insignia were replaced by red oulined

  ones with side rectangles as early as June 28, 1943. Capt. McCabe’s personal insignia was painted under the canopy in the form

  of Christ’s cross with motto in Latin: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES (In this sign thou shalt conquer). This symbolism reminds us of the

  Battle of Milvian bridge between emperors Constatin I and Maxentius in 312. By the way, this motto is part of the city of Pilsen

  coat of arms.

  Spitfire Mk.Vb ER570 flown by 4th FS commander Maj. Robert Levine sported the hand-painted American flag on both sides

  of the fuselage. This was to ensure that local population can better recognize it belonged to the American air force. Unlike the

  French, the local population was friendly towards the Americans. These markings were carried until August 1943 when 52nd FG

  was already part of MACAF. The overpainted British tail cockade is clearly visible on the vertical tail surfaces. Levine was credi-

  ted with three victories, all achieved on Spitfires. Among those was a Fw 190 shot down on January 8, 1943. On December 28,

  1943, Levine led the first 52nd FG dive bombing mission. In February 1944, already a Colonel, he became the commander of the

  whole 52nd FG replacing Lt. Col. McNickle. In April 1944, the 52nd FG under his command was re-equipped with P-51B and was

  integrated into the 15th AF USAAF.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 40

  KITS 08/2021

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, 307th FS, 31st FG, 12th AF, La Senia, Algier, end of 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, Lt. George G. Loving, 309th FS, 31st FG, 12th AF, Pommigliano, Italy, December 1943

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, Lt. Richard Alexander, 2nd FS, 52nd FG, 12th AF, Borgo, Corsica, early 1944

  Teethed Spitfire Mk.Vc of the 307th FS received its smiling mouth probably at La Senia airbase in December 1942, when the incle-

  ment weather restricted the air traffic but offered enough time for detailed maintenance as well as nose art artistic creativity.

  Camouflage consisted of Dark Earth/Middle Stone patterns on the upper surfaces, Azure Blue on the lower surfaces, white

  propeller spinner, yellow outlined national insignia and white code letters all corresponding to the end of 1942 standard. In the

  photographs the machine gun muzzles feature very visible patches in the light color. Another thing worth noticing are little eyes,

  the smaller version of the fuselage ones, painted on the cannon muzzles cloth patches. The aircraft is usually assigned the

  serial ER180, but it seems to be an error because ER180 was a Spitfire Mk.Vb. The serial of our teeth-adorned aircraft remains

  unknown then.

  Spitfire Mk.Vc flown by Lt. Loving represents the final appearance of 31st FG Spitfires at the end of their career. The aircraft

  were oversprayed with green paint on the upper and side surfaces, probably US Olive Drab while the original colors were still

  showing through. The camouflage therefore seemed to have consisted of two green shades. The national insignia outlines were

  over painted as well, as long as they had been carried. The paint around the insignia appears in the lighter shade. The propeller

  spinner is red and the code letters white. At that time 309th FS aircraft sported the red stripes on the wing tips. In November

  and December 1943 31st FG squadrons were escorting the light and medium bombers, such as A-36 Apache, A-20 Havoc and

  B-25 Mitchell to Rome and Monte Cassino.

  Richard Alexander was one of the original Eagle Squadron pilots and his service fairly reflects the story of all Americans fi-

  ghting on Spitfires. His teethed QP

  -

  A was one of the last “Fives” finishing their service with 2nd FS at Borgo airport in Corsica,

  still in the beginning of 1944. In June 1943, when 2nd FS was still stationed at La Sebala airport in Tunisia, its members gave the

  unit the nickname “American Beagle Squadron”, a play with words on the account of the more famous Eagle squadrons. The

  American Beagle Squadron marking was painted on several 2nd FS Spitfires and was also carried on Alexander’s aircraft to-

  gether with some other emblems on various locations of the fuselage. It needs to be stated, that the achievements of the whole

  52nd FG on both Spitfires as well as Mustangs after the integration into 15th AF, did not fall short of achievements of their more

  famous colleagues from 8th AF and made its mark in the history of the American aviation.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

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  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, 307th FS, 31st FG, 12th AF, La Senia, Algier, end of 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, Lt. Richard Alexander, 2nd FS, 52nd FG, 12th AF, Borgo, Corsica, early 1944

  KITS 08/2021

  OVERTREES

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  481065 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps (PE

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  FE1207 Spitfire Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE

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  644113 Spitfire Mk.V LööK (Brassin)

  648098 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke (Brassin)

  648119 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke, smooth tire (Brassin)

  648640 Spitfire Mk.V engine (Brassin)

  3DL48031 Spitfire Mk.V SPACE (3D Decal set)

  D48088 Spitfire Mk.V stencils (Decal set)

  EX797 Spitfire Mk.V (Mask)

  648664 Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648665 Spitfire Mk.Vb gun bays (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648666 Spitfire Mk.Vc gun bays (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648667 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts rounded (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648668 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648670 Spitfire Mk.Va/b undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin) release 09/2021

  648671 Spitfire Mk.Vc undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin) release 09/2021

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  eduard

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 42

  KITS 08/2021

  OVERTREES

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop

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  OVERTREES

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 43

• Page 44

  KITS 08/2021

  1/48 Cat. No. 84102

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 45

  KITS 08/2021

  WNr. 600424, Lt. Heinz Sachsenberg, München-Riem, Germany, April-May 1945

  WNr. 210194, Fw. Werner Hohenberg, Stab I./JG 2, Merzhausen, Germany, January 1, 1945

  Lt. Heinz Sachsenberg (104 victories) was the CO of Platzschutzschwarm. The aircraft assigned to Sachsenberg carried the in-

  scription ‘Verkaaft’s mei Gwand, I foahr in himmel’, which is a Bavarian proverb ‘sell my shroud, I am leaving for Heaven’. The font

  was Schwab, which was popular at the time. Sachsenberg, holder of the Knight’s Cross, came from an aviation family. His uncle

  Gotthard was an World War I ace and holder of Pour le Mérite, as he shot down 31 enemy aircraft. Heinz’s brother, also named

  Gotthard, flew a night fighter with NJG 3 and shot down two British bombers and fell on March 8, 1943. Sachsenberg´s ‘Dora’ was

  found at the end of the war at Munich-Riem, where it was left behind after the JV 44 fled to Austria at the end of April 1945.

  Fw. Werner Hohenberg, took part in the raid on St. Trond airport flying as a part of the I./JG 2 staff flight of commander Franz

  Hrdlicka. During this sortie Hohenberg´s aircraft was hit in the tail surfaces and on return the engine of his aircraft was hit by

  the anti-aircraft gun projectiles. At 9:35 he force-landed at Dorff village and spent the rest of the war in captivity. The B Battery

  of the 430th AAA Batalion was credited with shooting him down. Hohenberg’s Dora sports a typical Sorau factory camouflage

  in RLM 75/81/76 on the fuselage and also on the wings. The spiral was painted on the front part of the propeller spinner only.

  Stripes on the rear fuselage indicate JG 2 deployment in the Reich Defense role.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

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  KITS 08/2021

  WNr. 210909, Maj. Gerhard Barkhorn, Stab JG 6, Welzow, Germany, February 1945

  WNr. 210003, Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, 12./JG 26, Germany, 1945

  The personal aircraft of Gerhard Barkhorn, the new CO of JG 6 at the time, was manufactured by the Focke-Wulf factory in

  Sorau. The name ‘Christl’ is a reference to Barkhorn´s wife Christa. Marking on the fuselage identifies the Geschwader’s CO air-

  craft. Barkhorn achieved 301 aerial victories during WWII, all of them as a member of JG 52, putting him in second place among

  German fighter aces. His first victory was achieved on July 2, 1940 and the last on January 5, 1945. In 1945, Barkhorn became the

  CO of JG 6 and flew Me 262 jet fighters as a member of JV 44 shortly before the German surrender. Barkhorn was awarded the

  Knight´s Cross on August 23, 1942, with Oak Leaves (on January 11, 1944) and Swords (on March 2, 1944). In the post-war era,

  he joined Bundesluftwaffe.

  Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, a 38-kills fighter ace and Knight's Cross holder, noted in his memoirs that he used Dora WNr. 210003 as

  a personal mount from September 1944 to the end of hostilities. He personally destroyed her to avoid falling into enemy hands at

  the end of the war. At first, during Dortenmann´s service with III./JG 54, the airplane was marked 'Red 1'. In late February III./JG

  54 was redesignated IV./JG 26, and Dortenmann was appointed Staffelkapitän of 12./JG 26. His Dora became 'Black 1'. The White-

  -Black band appeared on the tail as well as IV. Gruppe‘s wave. According to Dortenmann´s memoirs, the original RLM 74/75

  camouflage scheme was changed to RLM 81/82, but the reason for re-painting remains unknown. A new style blown canopy was

  installed instead of the original flat one. The vertical part of the tail unit was painted yellow from JG 54 days.

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 47

  KITS 08/2021

  48651 Fw 190D-9 (PE

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  FE1209 Fw 190D-9 Weekend (PE

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  644014 Fw 190D-9 LööK (Brassin)

  648150 Fw 190 wheels late (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648439 Fw 190D fuselage guns (Brassin)

  EX328 Fw 190D Weekend (Mask)

  Recommended for Fw 190D-9

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  eduard

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 48

  KITS 08/2021

  Product page

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  INFO Eduard - August 2021

• Page 49

  KITS 08/2021

  BS152, F/O Lorne M. Cameron, No. 402 Squadron RCAF, RAF Kenley, Surrey, United Kingdom, February 1943

  EN286, F/Lt Eric Robinson, No. 1 SAAF Squadron, Pachino, Sicily, July 1943

  Lorne Maxwell Cameron enlisted in the RCAF in January 1941 and after completion of training, he was dispatched to the UK in

  September 1941. Prior to joining No. 402 Sqn in January 1942, he attended No. 53 OTU for combat training. On February 27, the

  day of his 21st birthday, Cameron scored his first victory, shooting down a Fw 190A-4 of JG 26. He flew this BS152 Spitfire in that

  sortie and added one damaged on March 13. After being injured on July 22, he spent some time in convalescence, returning to

  the unit in September 1943. After a period with No. 53 OTU, where he served as an instructor, he returned to action with No. 401

  Sqn and took over the unit commander responsibilities. Cameron and his “boys” were tasked with numerous anti-ground sorties

  and the leader really showed the others the way, as he was credited with some 75 vehicles and five rail locomotives destroyed.

  He also added five more aerial victories plus one damage of enemy aircraft. He was shot down by Flak over France on July 3,

  1944. He was able to hide himself for two months before being captured but managed to escape and returned back to the UK

  in September 1944. At the end of the war, he left RCAF and served with Auxiliary Air Force No. 402 „City of Winnipeg“ Squadron,

  where he was promoted to the Wing Commander rank. His Spitfire BS152 was decorated with nose art of skull in red circle and

  also sported rather unusual deletion of the outer cannon provision cover.

  The pilot with the full name McClellan Eric Sutton Robinson, usually called „Robbie“, was born in Johannesburg on February 26,

  1919. He achieved ace status by shooting down five enemy aircraft plus one probable and one damaged. His first operational unit

  was No. 1 SAAF Sqn with Hurricanes, which he joined in August 1942 and stayed there for one year. He achieved his first combat

  success on November 2, 1942, when he shared one Ju 87 and after switching to Spitfire Mk.V he added five victories between

  January and April 1943. After that, Robinson was unlucky for first time, as he was shot down by friendly USAAF P-38 and had to

  bail out over the Mediterranean Sea on July 14, 1943. He was lucky to be rescued by Greek destroyer. Robinson was awarded DFC

  at the end of his combat tour in September 1943 and sent to the UK to become instructor at No. 11 OTU. There he was unlucky for

  second time on November 14, 1944, as he collided with one of the trainees when flying Kittyhawk and crashed to his death. His

  Spitfire EN286 was one of the aircraft which were taken over from Polish Fighting Team. The original codes were overpainted by

  Dark Earth color and then new ones of No. 1 Sqn painted. The inscription Cirecooks is the combination of his given name being

  spelt backwards and the surname of his fiancée. The number III indicates it was hist third aircraft of this name. Robinson did not

  achieve any aerial victory flying it.

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  EN500, F/O Irving F. Kennedy, No. 249 Squadron, Qrendi, Malta, July 1943

  Donald „Don“ Ernest Kingaby was one of the top British aces of WWII, as he scored 21 aerial victories plus six probable, two

  shared and 11 damaged. He was born on January 7, 1920, as a son of a vicar and joined RAFVR (Royal Air Force Volunteer Re-

  serve) in April 1939. After being called in, he underwent training with No. 5 OTU and joined No. 266 Sqn as a sergeant. He moved

  to No. 92 Sqn in September, where he gained himself nickname “The 190 Specialist“ for his success with fighting German figh-

  ters. He was awarded DFM on December 6, 1940 and was the only man to achieve two Bars to this medal. He was posted to No.

  58 OTU in November 1941 and started his second tour with No. 111 Sqn in March 1942. After a short spell with No. 64 Sqn, he was

  finally posted to No. 122 Sqn becoming commanding officer of the unit in November and Wing Leader of the Hornchurch Wing

  in May 1943. After that Kingaby became staff member of the Fighter Command HQ but managed to fly several sorties during the

  invasion to Normandy. He spent the rest of the war as an instructor at the AGS at Catfoss, post war he commanded No. 72 Sqn

  from February 1949 until April 1952. „Don“ Kingaby retired in September 1958 after service at the Air Ministry and moved to USA,

  where he passed away on December 31, 1990. His EN473 Spitfire was the aircraft used when he achieved his last solo victory

  on March 8, 1943. The aircraft was decorated with squadron´s emblem, the white leopard on the yellow five-pointed star. Due to

  some reason, there are 22 kill marks on his Spitfire, one more than officially recorded.

  Irving Farmer Kennedy, an ace with 10 aerial victories complemented with five shared and one probable, was born in Cumber-

  land, Ontario on February 4, 1922. He joined RCAF in October 1940 and on completion of training he was posted to the UK as

  a sergeant in August 1941. After training with No. 55 OTU he became member of No. 263 Sqn flying with Whirlwinds. On June

  14 he was posted to No. 421 Sqn but left for Malta on October 22, 1942. He joined No. 249 Squadron there on December 15, 1942.

  His first victim was Ju 52/3m shot down on February 7, 1943. He continued with shooting down Ju 88s and Ju 52/3ms. His first

  victory over enemy fighter came on June 10, 1943, when he shot down Bf 109G and shared one Mc.202. He was posted to the No.