Strana 27
Spitfires LF Mk. Vb from No. 313 Squadron take off from Hawkinge airfield as part of Operation Starkey on September9, 1943. The unit
moved to Hawkinge airfield, which was under the command of 11 Group, Fighter Command, in mid-August 1943 after a recuperation stay
and patrol in the north over the Orkneys. The squadron thus became involved in the operational flights of Operation Starkey as part of the
Hawkinge Wing.
Spitfires of No. 310 Squadron at Exeter airfield in spring
1943. Closest in the photo is the front part of Dolezal’s
Spitfire Mk.Vb EP461. The black “FD” marking on the
lower engine cowling is clearly visible.
Members of the ground staff of No. 313 Squadron with Spitfire AD380 RY
-
R. Interesting features of this aircraft are the drawing of Robber
the kitten painted by Karel Pavlík under the front plate and the different shade of the code letters RY
-
R, with the first letter R in Sky color
and the following letters Y
-
R in Sky Blue. Also, the propeller cone and ring in front of the VOP is in Sky Blue with the s/n AD385 at the top.
The original Sky color is visible underneath. The serial number AD385 was never actually used with No. 313 Squadron, it was probably
a misspelling when the camouflage was corrected. The actual serial number of this Spitfire was AD380.
HISTORY
INFO Eduard
27
October 2024