KITS 09/2022

BS392, S/Ldr. Bernard Dupérier, CO of No. 340 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, autumn 1942

Bernard Dupérier, the CO of No. 340 Sqdn., instructed

ground personnel to paint the Donald Duck artwork

on several of his aircraft. Besides this Spitfire, the

artwork was applied to his Douglas DB-7 and Spitfire Mk.Vb, BM324. The CO´s aircraft is marked with

a pennant brushed on the fuselage and the Lorraine

Cross was used by Free French squadrons. Dupérier,

an ace credited with seven victories, took command

of No. 340 Sqdn, on April 10, 1942. That day, previous

CO Phillipe de Scitivaux, was downed and captured

by the enemy. Dupérier flew this Spitfire only rarely

in the period from October 25 to November 7, 1942.

Later on he became the CO of No. 341 Sqdn., and after

the war was active in politics and supported General

de Gaulle. Spitfire BS392 was used by various units,

its fate being sealed on September 9, 1944. A member of No. 310 Sqdn., Sgt. Vojtěch Škreka – Baudoin

overran the runway during a landing maneuver and

BS392 had to be written off.

EN315, S/Ldr. Stanisław Skalski, Polish Combat Team, Northern Africa, spring 1943

This aircraft was one of ten Spitfires flown by Polish pilots in the north African sky. The independent

unit was called the Polish Combat Team. Stanisław

Skalski, the famous fighter pilot with eighteen kills

September 2022

to his credit, acted as Squadron Leader for the Team.

He was one of the pilots who flew this Spitfire. Six

swastikas on the fuselage probably symbolize the

victories achieved by various pilots while flying the

aircraft. The desert camouflage scheme consists of

Mid Stone and Dark Earth uppersides and Azure Blue

undersides

INFO Eduard

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