Markings for Spitfire Mk.Ia 1/72
COL A
N3250, P/O Allan R. Wright, No. 92 Squadron, RAF Croydon, The United Kingdom, late May/early June 1940
No. 92 Squadron was re-equipped from Blenheim Mk.IFs to Spitfire Mk.Is in early March 1940 and achieved operational status on May 9, 1940. Interestingly, the squadron retained its pre-war GR call signs on the Spitfires until the end of July, when it changed them to the assigned QJ call signs. The call letters, like the Type A fuselage pattern, deviated slightly from the standard. The standard scheme featured white and black (Night) on the undersides of the wings, with the rest of the undersides painted silver. P/O Allan R. Wright flew his first combat mission on May 23, 1940, during which he damaged two Bf 110s over Dunkirk and likely shot down another. The following day, he shot down a Bf 110 and likely destroyed another. Alan Wright achieved a total of 11 aerial victories during World War II.
COL B
P9390, P/O Alan C. Deere, No. 54 squadron, RAF Hornchurch, The United Kingdom, June-July 1940
The Spitfire P9390 comes from the mid-production series of the Mk.I and was the second Spitfire flown by the legendary New Zealand flying ace Alan “Al” Deere, who had a personalized Kiwi bird design painted on the fuselage beneath the cockpit. Flying this aircraft from June 1 through July 3, 1940, Al Deere completed 29 combat missions and scored one unconfirmed aerial victory. Deere’s “Kiwi II” was shot down by a Bf 109 on July 7, 1940, and its pilot, P/O Edward Jack Coleman, sustained minor injuries during an emergency landing near Deal in Kent. The aircraft was destroyed. No. 54 Squadron was the only squadron fully equipped with Spitfires fitted with Rotol RX5/1 propellers. Al Deere took part in No. 54 Squadron’s very first operation, during which, on May 16, 1940, the squadron provided air cover for retreating Allied forces in Belgium. On May 23, while escorting F/Lt. J. Leathart—who was flying a Miles Magister for the commander of No. 74 Squadron, S/Ldr L. White, who had been shot down near Calais—Deere shot down his first two Bf 109s. Three days later, in the evening, Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, began. Deere made an emergency landing on a Belgian beach on May 28, but managed to return to Hornchurch after a 19-hour odyssey. After the Dunkirk evacuation ended, No. 54 Squadron joined the Battle of Britain, during which Al Deere scored seven aerial victories. During World War II, he held a number of command posts, including commanding the elite Wing at Biggin Hill, and at the time of the Allied invasion of the continent, he led No. 145 (Free French) Wing. His total score stands at 21 aerial victories (some sources cite 17). He retired with the rank of Air Commodore in 1967. In 1991, he published his autobiography “Nine Lives”.
COL C
R6690, P/O John C. Dundas, No. 609 Squadron, RAF Middle Wallop/RAF Warmwell, United Kingdom, August 1940
Flying this Spitfire Mk.Ia, R6690 PR-A, P/O John Dundas shot down a Ju 87A from II./StG 2 west of Portland on the afternoon of August 13, 1940. During an attack on another Stuka, its gunner hit the engine’s oil system, and Dundas made an emergency landing with his severely damaged aircraft at Warmwell Airfield. At that time, the Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron did not yet have the cockades painted on the undersides of their wings, as mandated by the Air Ministry on August 11, 1940. It was customary for the unit to paint the aircraft’s individual black letter—in this case, an “A”—on the underside of the nose within a white panel. F/Lt John Charles Dundas of Yorkshire was the older brother of G/Cpt H. S. L. “Cocky” Dundas. Before the war, he worked as a journalist for the Yorkshire Post, and in 1938 he joined No. 609 Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force. In August 1939, he was called up for active duty and fought with No. 609 Squadron at Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain. With 16 aerial victories, he became one of the most successful fighter pilots of both No. 609 Squadron and the Battle of Britain itself. On November 28, off the Isle of Wight, he engaged in combat with Bf 109s in his favorite Spitfire, X4586 PR-O, reporting over the radio that he had just scored his 16th aerial victory. Most likely, his victim was Major Helmut Wick, commander of JG 2 and at that time the Luftwaffe’s top active ace with 56 aerial victories to his credit. A moment later, however, Dundas himself fell victim to Wick’s wingman, Lieutenant Rudi Pflanze, also an ace from JG 2. Although Wick was seen jumping from his plane, he was never found—nor was his victor, Dundas.
COL D
R6891, Sgt RonaldF. Hamlyn, No. 610 squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, August 1940
Sgt. Ronald Hamlyn was the RAF’s first “Ace in a day”. On August 24, flying R6891 DW-Q, he shot down four Bf 109s and one Junkers Ju 88. Hamlyn was born in Harrogate and joined the RAF in 1936. From the spring of 1940, he served with No. 72 Squadron, with which he participated in operations over Dunkirk as part of Operation Dynamo. In June, he joined No. 610 Squadron, with which he successfully participated in the Battle of Britain, during which he shot down ten enemy aircraft—including the aforementioned five in a single day—for which he was awarded the DFM. He was subsequently transferred to No. 242 Squadron, with which he scored his last two victories. In October 1941, he was placed in command of No. 275 Squadron, an Air Sea Rescue (ASR) unit. For his outstanding service with the ASR, he was awarded the Air Force Cross. During the last two years of the war, Hamlyn served in staff and instructional roles. After the war, he remained in the RAF and served until his retirement in 1957.
COL E
P9386, S/Ldr Brian J. Lane, No. 19 Squadron, RAF Fowlmere, the United Kingdom, August-September 1940
Brian “Sandy” Lane was transferred to No. 19 Squadron shortly after the outbreak of the war as commander of Flight A. After the squadron’s commander, S/Ldr Geoffrey Stephenson, was killed over Dunkirk, Lane became the squadron’s acting commander. The Spitfire that Lane regularly flew after the squadron was re-equipped with the problematic cannon-armed Spitfire Mk.Ib was the aircraft with serial number P9386. In it, he scored three confirmed aerial victories during the Battle of Britain. Unlike his previous personal Spitfires, this one did not feature his personal emblem—a swastika crossed by a yellow lightning bolt and the inscription “BLITZEN”—painted beneath the cockpit. The spinner (yellow or sky-blue, according to some sources) was likely a remnant of the markings of the previous operator, No. 7 OTU. This aircraft represents the final style of paint schemes and markings used by Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. The aircraft was originally manufactured with black-and-white lower surfaces, therefore, no markings are visible on the underside of the wing after the application of the Sky-colored paint. The hot-air heating vents for the onboard weapons are also not visible on the underside of the wing, so it is possible that this aircraft was already equipped with electric heating for the machine guns. On September 5, 1940, Brian Lane formally became commander of No. 19 Squadron. He left the unit in early June 1941, and in December 1942, he was placed in command of No. 167 Squadron. Four days after his arrival, he was shot down during Operation Rhubarb by Lt. Walter Leonhardt of 6./JG 1. During his wartime career, “Sandy” Lane scored nine aerial victories, one of which was a shared victory. Under the pseudonym B. J. Elian, he wrote the classic book “Spitfire” (John Murray, 1942).
COL F
X4009, F/Lt Paterson C. Hughes, No. 234 squadron, RAF Middle Wallop, The United Kingdom, September 1940
Patrick Clarence “Pat” Hughes, a native of Cooma, Australia, joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1935. After completing his training, he was selected for service in the RAF. In 1937, he traveled to Great Britain and was assigned to No. 2 FTS at Digby and subsequently to No. 64 Squadron. When No. 234 Squadron was reformed at Leconfield on October 30, 1939, he was promoted, transferred, and appointed commander of B Flight. Hughes contributed to No. 234 Squadron’s first victory during the Battle of Britain when he shot down a Ju 88 on July 8. Over the next few weeks, his tactic—closing in at close range and quickly pulling away—resulted in the destruction of 15 enemy aircraft. On September 7, No. 234 Squadron intercepted a large daytime raid on London consisting of 60 Do 17s escorted by Bf 109s. Pat, as was his custom, attacked the Dorniers at close range. The aircraft he hit exploded, and due to the close proximity, this caused serious damage to Hughes’s Spitfire, causing him to lose control, crash, and die. According to witnesses, the aircraft was spinning in the air with a section of its wing missing. Pat Hughes achieved a total of 17 victories (15+2), making him the most successful Australian ace of the Battle of Britain and the sixth most successful Allied ace of the Battle of Britain. The wreckage of Spitfire X4009 was recovered several years ago and donated to the Hunter Fighter Collection; it is currently being restored to airworthy condition by Vintage Fighter Restorations. Upon completion, it will serve as a flying memorial to Pat Hughes.
COL G
X4253, P/O Wilfrid G. Duncan Smith, No. 611 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, The United Kingdom, February 1941
The Spitfire Mk.Ia X4253 FY-N represents the camouflage and markings of Fighter Command fighter aircraft during the winter of 1940–41 and the first half of 1941. An Air Ministry directive dated November 27, 1940, reintroduced the practice of painting the underside of the left half of the wing black (Night), with the national emblem featuring a yellow border. At the same time, to improve the identification of friendly aircraft, the propeller spinner was painted Sky, and an 18-inch-wide stripe in front of the tail surfaces was also painted the same color. The color of the spinner and the identification stripe was usually slightly different from the standard Sky color of the undersides, as it had a more bluish tint. Some sources refer to it as Sky Blue. The pilot of this Spitfire was Wilfrid G. Duncan Smith, a future Group Captain and fighter ace with 19 aerial victories, who joined No. 611 Squadron in October 1940 with the rank of Pilot Officer. The nose is adorned with a personal painting and the combat inscription “Atchashikar” (Good Hunting), which Duncan Smith had painted on all of his personal Spitfires.