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Spitfire Mk.IX MA408 CG, flown by Wg Cdr Colin Gray from New Zealand, Commander of No 322 Wing, based in Lentini East, Sicily in August 1943.

 

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Spitfire Mk.IXc NH571 5A-L, flown by Raphaël Lombart of No 329 Free French Squadron (GC I/2 Cigognes), RAF, 1945.

 

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Spitfire Mk.IX EN298 RN-B 'Pat', flown by Flt Lt David Cox of No 72 Squadron RAF, based in Souk el Khemis, Algeria, march-april 1943

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Spitfire Mk.IX MA408 CG, flown by Wg Cdr Colin Gray from New Zealand, Commander of No 322 Wing, based in Lentini East, Sicily in August 1943.   Spitfire Mk.IXc NH571 5A-L, flown by Rap

Spitfire IXc MA504, which was one of three Mk IX Spitfires that was converted for high altitude interceptions by No 10 and 41 squadrons SAAF, while based at St Jean and Idku, Egypt. The other two airc

Spitfire Mk.XIV RM656 DL-F, which was the aircraft that Captain Jean Maridor, of the Free French Air Force, was flying on the 3rd of August 1944, when he was killed while destroying a V1. Jean Maridor

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http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5844-real-air-spitfire-ix-ma454-um-v-no-152-sqn/

 

Spitfire Mk.IX MA454 as flown by FltLt GT Baynham, of no 152 Sqn, based in Lentini East, Sicily, august 1943. MA454 later flew with the SAAF, and made a forced landing in Switzerland on 20 february 1945, after being hit by flak over Udine, Italy.

 

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Spitfire Mk.XIV NH700 VL-P, which was flown by Maj Keith Kuhlmann of the SAAF. Possibly because of his Dutch ancestry, he became CO of 322 (Dutch) squadron in september 1943. He had already eight claims from his time in Malta, and led the 322nd in the battle against the V1's, shooting down two himself. NH700 was destroyed on 11 april 1944, when it crashed with Flg Off van Arkel being killed

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5848-real-air-spitfire-xiv-nh700-vl-p-no-322-sqn/

 

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Spitfire Mk.XIV RM787 CG, the personal aircraft of Wing Commander Colin Gray, with 27 kills the most succesful New Zealand fighter pilot. He started his command of the Mk XIV equipped Lympne Wing in august 1944. RB787 was his personal aircraft, and equipped with his initials. RB787 went to the Belgian Air Force after the war, becoming SG28.

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5850-real-air-spitfire-xiv-rm787-cg-lympne-wing/

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Spitfire Mk.XIV RB818 C, a photo reconnaisance Spitfire Mk XIV, belonging to No 430 Squadron. It was shot down by flak on the 31st of December 1944, with the pilot, Flt Off J.N. McLeod being killed.

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5851-real-air-spitfire-xiv-rm818-c-no-430-sqn/

 

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Spitfire IXc EN568 AL, the personal aircraft of Squadron Leader Al Deere when he was Wing Leader at Biggin Hill in june 1943

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5871-real-air-spitfire-ix-en568-al/

 

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Spitfire IX 2011 #26 was one of the 60 Spitfires that Israel bought in Czechoslowakia for $23.000 in 1948. They were ferried to Israel via Yugoslavia, where they were refuelled before embarking on a 2250 km tripo over the Mediterranean to reach Israel. Operation Velvetta was the codename of these secret ferry flights. On arrival in Israel, the Ocean Grey RAF paint was overpainted in brown, and the aircraft received the tail markings of the 101st squadron of the IDAF. The marking below the cockpit was a Czech marking, but the Israelis added an aircraft in the claws of the eagle.

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5869-real-air-spitfire-ix-israel-defence-air-force-26/

 

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Spitfire IXc MA504, which was one of three Mk IX Spitfires that was converted for high altitude interceptions by No 10 and 41 squadrons SAAF, while based at St Jean and Idku, Egypt. The other two aircraft were MA792 and MH946. They were stripped of paint and machine guns, and all other equipment that was not deemed necessary to reach high flying Junkers JU-86 bombers that flew in excess of 40.000 ft. MA504 is reported to have reached 47.000 ft with wing commander Dereck 'Bill' Kain at the helm during a test flight. After a successful interception of a Junkers, the Germans stopped the high altitude flights.

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Spitfire IXc BS273 was one of the Spitfires modified for high altitude interceptions, based at Northolt, 1942, and regularly flown by F/O Prince Emanuel Galtzine. The prince was a Russian immigrant, a great grandson of Tsar Paul 1. After the Russian revolution, his family fled Russia, ending up in England. He wanted to fly, and when the Russian attacked Finland, he decided to join the Finnish Air Force. However, on hearing his mother was killed in the London blitz, he returned to the UK (via the US and Canada) and joined the RAF, becoming a Spitfire pilot with the Special Service Flight in Northolt. On 12 September 1942, he intercepted a JU-86 above Southampton at 41.000ft and attacked it. The battle went up to 43.000 ft, and was the highest recorded air battle of WWII. His spitfire only had two cannons, and one of them was frozen solid, giving a very unbalanced flight while shooting, combined with excessive vapor trails of his ammunition. It is believe he managed to hit the German aircraft, but in the end it got away safely. However, since the Germans now knew they could be intercepted, they launched no more high altitude attacks on the UK.

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Spitfire Mk.XIV RM656 DL-F, which was the aircraft that Captain Jean Maridor, of the Free French Air Force, was flying on the 3rd of August 1944, when he was killed while destroying a V1. Jean Maridor was born in Le Havre, France on the 24 November, 1920. He became interested in flying at a young age. He stopped his studies to focus of this new interest. Maridor began to take many courses in flying. He obtained his pilot's license at 16, making him the youngest pilot in France. In 1939, he joined the French Air Force and received his pilot's wings in September 1939, continuing his training on the Dewoitine D520. He joined a squadron just two days before the French Surrender, only to receive the order to burn his aircraft. After the French surrender, Maridor left to go to England with many other French pilots, where he joined the R.A.F. After training, he began flying with the 615 Squadron on Hurricanes. He scored his first kill on the 14th of October 1941. In February 1942, he transferred to 91 squadron, flying Spitfires, where he scored a further 8 kills, one of which was Lt Paul Galland, the brother of Adolf Galland, in October 1942.
From June 1944, 91 squadron flew the Spitfire Mk XIV and specialized in shooting down the V1's that the Germans started sending over to the UK. Capt Maridor was successful at this too, shooting down 6 of the Doodlebugs before his final flight on the 3rd of August 1944.

On this day, Maridor intercepted a Doodlebug over Rolvenden around 12:33. Flying towards the bomb, he shot at it at 12:39. Although he hit it, the bomb was only damaged not destroyed. On his second attack, he saw the bomb was heading for Benenden School, which at the time was being used as a military hospital. Knowing that hundreds of lives would be lost if the bomb was to hit, Maridor launched a final attack at 12.43. He approached to less than 50 metres to ensure he would not miss a second time. The Doodlebug exploded this time, but the wing of his plane was caught in the explosion and ripped from the body. The plane crashed beside the lake on the school grounds, killing Maridor just 8 days before his wedding. His fiancée has been quoted as saying he would not have hesitated in his attack on the bomb. He knew that many lives would have been lost otherwise.

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http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/5919-real-air-spitfire-xiv-rm656-dl-f-no-91-sqn/

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