Markings for Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48

RR201, F/Lt Richard J. Audet, F/Lt John J. Boyle, No. 411 Squadron, ALG B.88 Heesh, The Netherlands, December 1944

Spitfire serial number RR201 is probably the most famous Spitfire of the IXe version. Although it was F/Lt Jack Boyle’s personal Spitfire, the greatest successes with the RR201 were achieved by another Canadian pilot and friend of Boyle, F/Lt Richard Joseph “Dick” Audet. The latter flew a total of 15 operational sorties between December 29, 1944, and February 3, 1945, achieving seven of his eleven confirmed kills with Spitfire RR201 DB-G. The aircraft was decorated with the inscription “Sweet Sue V” on the left side of the fuselage tank. F/Lt Audet achieved his greatest success with it on December 29, 1944, when he shot down three Fw 109D-9s and two Bf 109Gs (post-war research leans towards five FW 190D-9s being shot down) during a dogfight, thus becoming the only Spitfire pilot to achieve ace status in a single sortie. He achieved another valuable success on January 23, 1945, when he shot down a Me 262 jet with RR201 and destroyed another during the bombing of Rheine airfield (post-war research confirms the Arado Ar 234). Unfortunately, Audet did not see the end of the war, as his Spitfire MK950 DB-A was hit and crashed on March 3, 1945, during an attack on an armed train. Although the original No. 411 Squadron report stated that Audet died in his aircraft, post-war research confirmed that he had made an emergency landing with his Spitfire and was captured. After interrogation, he was to be taken to a POW camp, but there Audet’s trail ends. It is likely that he was murdered or died trying to escape. His body was never found.

RR201, F/Lt John J. Boyle, No. 411 Squadron, ALG B.88 Heesh, The Netherlands, February-April 1945

The RR201 first appeared in the records of No. 411 Squadron on December 26, 1944, and subsequently became the personal aircraft of F/Lt John Joseph “Jack” Boyle, who had a white “Sweet Sue V” painted on the left side of the tank cover in honor of his young daughter. Spitfire RR201 first flew with the codes DB-G and after Jack Boyle took command of No. 411 Squadron B Flight in January 1945, his "Sweet Sue V" was transferred to B Flight as well and recoded DB-R code. However, this did not occur until early February 1945, when the RR201 DB-G (newly coded DB-R by B Flight) was exchanged for the MK950 DB-R (newly coded DB-A by A Flight). F/Lt Boyle flew the RR201 until April 4, 1945, when his operational tour ended. He flew 36 operational sorties in the cockpit of the RR201 and destroyed two Bf 109s in strafing of enemy airfields, as well as 10 locomotives and 42 military vehicles. In total, Boyle achieved six confirmed kills during his wartime career and became, among other things, the first Allied Spitfire pilot to shoot down a Me 262 jet (December 25, 1944) as an individual victory. Boyle’s Spitfire RR201 shown here sported the elements of the fast identification valid after January 3, 1945, for the 2TAF, type C1 roundels, a black propeller cone and a shaded Sky band in front of the VOP. The serial number RR201 was painted in reduced form in white above the vertical stabilizer cockade. In this form it was flown until February 3, 1945, with the code letter G. Starting from February 6 onwards it sported the code letter R.

PV181, W/Cdr Rolf A. Berg, No. 132 Wing, ALG B.79 Woendstrecht, The Netherlands, winter 1944

This aircraft was used as a personal aircraft by the commander of No. 132 (Norwegian) Wing, W/Cdr Rolf Arne Berg. He had the pre-war Norwegian insignia painted on it during the autumn of 1944, and at the same time requested approval from RAF officials to use them. However, he found no sympathy and had to remove the marking in January 1945. Berg’s fate was sealed on February 3, 1945. He was at the very end of his operational tour but decided to undertake one more combat flight. However, he took a direct hit to the wing from anti-aircraft artillery over the Dutch Eelde and crashed fatally with PV 181. His score thus stopped on six confirmed kills, two probable kills and five enemy aircraft damaged.

RK889, S/Ldr Otmar Kučera, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Manston, Kent, Great Britain, May-July 1945

The HF Mk.IX high altitude Spitfires with the Merlin 70 were also produced with an E wing with standard wingtips. An example of this variant is the RK889 (RY-A) of Commander No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron S/Ldr. Otmar Kučera DFC. The aircraft, manufactured at the Vickers-Supermarine plant in Castle Bromwich, was taken over by the RAF on October 6, 1944, moving to No. 45 MU in Kinloss, Scotland. It waited for its first allocation until May 10 the following year. At that time it replaced the existing Kučera’s Spitfire HF Mk.IXc ML148 at Manston, which bore the same codename. The RK889 was donated aircraft named “Edmonton II” and was the last one purchased from fund-raising and assigned to the Czechoslovak Air Force. With the new Spitfire, S/Ldr Kučera took part in air combat training with Americans flying P-51D Mustangs on May 23, 1945, at the 8th USAAF base in Debden, together with other Czechoslovak fighters. The livery depicts Kučera’s codename “A” with the commander’s pennant under the cockpit from July 1945, when round emblems with a hawk appeared on the engine cowling and the propeller cone was decorated with the Czechoslovak national colors.

TE517, S/Ldr O. Kučera, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Manston, Kent, Great Britain, August 1945

During his service in the Royal Air Force, Otmar Kučera had flown almost 540 operational hours, which included 130 flights over enemy territory. He achieved seven confirmed kills during his wartime career. After five years of fighting he left Britain with a new Spitfire LF Mk.IXe with Czechoslovakian insignia. This was TE517 (RY-A), which he flew back to his homeland at the head of No. 313 Squadron from August 7 to 13, 1945. The Spitfire TE517 was built by the Castle Bromwich factory and fitted with a Merlin 66 engine. After completing test flights, TE517 was flown by F/Sgt Karel Stryk to RAF Manston on July 21, 1945 and taken over by No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron on July 25, 1945. The standard RAF cockades were repainted with Czechoslovak Air Force insignias in the early days of August 1945. However, the original RAF codes were retained. Unlike the other Spitfires of No. 313 Squadron, which had their propeller cones painted red, Kučera’s machine was distinguished by white paint on the tip of the propeller cone and the Squadron Commander’s pennant under the cockpit. Spitfire TE517 has survived to the present day after service in the post-war Czechoslovak Air Force and subsequently the Israeli Air Force. On April 7, 2023, it took to the air again after several years of restoration at Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.

RK917, G/Cpt Douglas Bader, RAF North Weald, Great Britain, September 1945

On April 15, 1945, the famous Douglas Bader was freed by American troops from captivity at Colditz Castle. Upon his return to England and after a short leave of absence, he returned to duty and was appointed Commanding Officer of the Fighter Leader’s School at Tangmere Air Base. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to the rank of Group Capitain and became Sector Commander of North Weald No. 11 Group RAF. On September 15, 1945, an air show was held in London to mark the fifth anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with a total of 300 aircraft taking part. The parade was opened by a group of 12 Spitfires piloted by heroes of the 1940s. The leadership of this group was entrusted to legless ace Douglas Bader, who flew his personal Spitfire RK917, which he used from 1945-1946, in this ceremonial parade. Bader’s Spitfire HF Mk.IXe RK917 had its armament removed and bore the standard night fighter livery of Medium Sea Grey, with camouflage fields of Dark Green applied to the upper and side surfaces. The identification markings were without yellow outline, the fuselage cockades and propeller cone were in shade of Roundel Blue. On July 21, 1946, G/Cpt Bader resigned of his own accord and accepted an offer to head the Shell Corporation’s aviation department. For the next twenty years he flew regularly and personally piloted the company aircraft. He died on September 5, 1982, at the age of 72.

2003 (ex TE531), 105. Tajeset, Ramat David AB, Izrael, September 1953

An exception among the Spitfires delivered by Czechoslovakia to Israel was the TE515 which was unpainted and had a distinctive red lightning bolt on both sides of the fuselage. TE515 was flown to Czechoslovakia with the fuselage designation DU-W. In the ranks of LP 5, it bore the designation MP-11. At the turn of May and June 1946 it was modified to the form with red lightning bolt and was the command aircraft of Colonel Jaroslav Hlaďo, who was the head of the Air Division 2. In December 1948, this Spitfire became a part of the research squadron at Letňany in Prague under the designation V-20, retaining its colors. However, it was not used for research tasks but for training flights of local test pilots. The aircraft retained its livery even after it was sold to Israel, where it arrived with the last land and sea delivery in 1950. In its “silver” form, it served for three years with the 105 Training Squadron at Ramat David serialled 2058 with the tactical number 58. It then underwent a revision and paint job at Bedek and in February 1955 was delivered by air, already as UB439, to Rangoon, Burma, as part of Operation Orez B from February 15 to 22, 1955.