KITS 11/2021

BL973, F/Lt Stanislav Fejfar, No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, Great Britain,

March – May 1942

Stanislav Fejfar, a member of Czechoslovak Air Force before the war, flew as a commander of 45th Fighter Squadron based in Slovakia during

the Munich crisis. He scored his first two kills during the Battle of France as a member of Armee de l’Air flying MS.406 with GC I/6. On July 12,

1940 he arrived in the Great Britain aboard the ship Neuralia. On September 9, he started his operational career as a Pilot Officer with No. 310

(Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF scoring his first out of three kills claimed during the Battle of Britain. On July 21, 1941 he joined No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron as a F/Lt in the position of a B Flight leader. Stanislav Fejfar perished on May 17, 1942 in the cockpit of Spitfire Mk.Vb BL973

during the Ramrod 33 mission. He was shot down by Hptm. Josef Priller between Guines and Audebert in the northern France. Couple of days

earlier Priller also shot down Sergeant Karel Pavlík, author of Pluto the Dog nose art on Fejfar’s Spitfire.

BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finnucane, CO of No. 602 Squadron, RAF Kenley, Great Britain, April 1942

In March 1942, No. 602 Squadron commander, S/Ldr Brendan Finucane consequently flew Spitfires Mk.Vb BL548 and BL822. Ultimately he

felt most comfortable with the third one, BM124 which remained his personal aircraft until June 18, 1942. He had a green shamrock painted

under the windshield. In the beginning of May, No. 602 Squadron insignia was painted on the engine cowling and on May 21 the presentation

inscription QUEEN SALOTE remembering the long-term ruler of the island state of Tonga, Queen Salote and her subjects from whose donations Spitfire BM124 was purchased. The grey camouflage patterns were painted in very dark shade of Mixed Grey which in the black and white

photographs gives the impression of grey and green camouflage pattern being reversed. It is not so. Dark Green patterns remained painted

according to the standard. The wing leading edge features wavy division between upper and lower camouflage colors. The stencils are missing

from the upper and side surfaces however they were preserved on the wing lower surfaces. The black wing walks are missing as well.

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INFO Eduard - November 2021