THE SPITFIRE CALENDAR
Compiled by Pieter Jutte
APRIL
DAY |
SPITFIRE & SEAFIRE CALENDAR
FACTS
PRE-WAR --
WAR YEARS 1939-1945 -- POST-WAR |
1 |
1945: First 'kill's' (3 Zero's) for Seafire in Pacific, 894 Sqn, Lt Reynolds
1954: Last ops. for RAF No. 18 Sqn with Spit. Mk XIX over Malaya |
2 |
1941: First plastic (aerolite) fuselage of Spitfire complete (contract for 2nd)
|
3 |
1945: Seafire XVII, SX232 to High Post, testing interior cockpit painted matt black
wwww(to cure cockpitglare, introduced to prod. 1 June, 1945) |
4 |
1944: First of 16 photo-recon. Spitfire PR X (MD192) with pressurised cockpit delivered. |
5 |
1942: First action for Spit. Mk VA's of 133 Eagle Sqn, destr. Do 217 during convoy patrol
1945: Seafire Mk III test with 4 six-inch rocket projectiles (R.P.'s) |
6 |
1945: 'Ace' 'Johnny' Johnson promoted to Group Capt. of 127 Wing (w. Spit. Mk XIV's) |
7 |
1959: Wreck FR Mk XIVe, MT853 collected to be scraped
from Harskamp (target range) |
8 |
1948: Spit. Mk IX, NH238 prop.test causing force landing (after repair, crashed 14 Sept '48) |
9 |
1941: 57 OTU has 8th Spit. misshap till then (total on 2-5-'45; 116, most Cat-E) |
10 |
1936: Modifications to K5054, rudderbalance reduced, engine mount stronger,
wwwwand carburator intake modified |
11 |
1949: Spitfire VIII trainer conversion (ex-MT818, G-AIDN)
demonstrated for RAF |
12 |
1942: Bob v/d. Stok bail out
over St Omer from Mk V, BL595 (POW 'Great Escape')
1945: 2nd TAF, No 125 Wing Spitfires first to cross Rhine |
13 |
1946: First delivery of production Spitfire F.24 (VN301), (last (VN496) on 20-2-48) |
14 |
1943: Spit. Mk VB, AD388, 132 Sqn, collides w. Mk II, P8548, 1 CAACU (both Cat-E) |
15 |
1944: Fleet Air Arm No 899 Sqn. begin carrier operations with Seafire III
2000: Crash of Spitfire F.IXE, TE213 '5553' at Swartkop, S-Africa, Lt-Col N. Thomas injured |
A lot of Spitfires made 'hard' landings, but could be repaired
APRIL
DAY |
SPITFIRE & SEAFIRE CALENDAR
FACTS
|
16 |
1943: Wg Cdr Ian Gleed, OC 244 Wing, Tunisia is killed (tot; 13 & 3 shared)
1985: First post-restauration flight of Tr 9, ML407/G-LFIX, Nick Grace |
17 |
1942: Two 53 OTU Spitfire Mk V's (X4990 & X4993) collide and are written of |
18 |
1942: Supermarine gets order to conv. 100 Mk V's to Mk IX's (all deliv. end of June)
1943: 12 Spitfires (92 Sqn) & 47 P-40's down 77 German planes ('Palm Sunday Massacre') |
19 |
1943: During unauthorised dog-fight betw. P-51's (430 Sqn) and Spitfires (602 Sqn),
wwwwP-51B Mustang, AP181 collided with Spitire Mk VB, AR430, both written off |
20 |
1945: No 401 Sqn Ldr Bill Klersy makes final kill (4.5), with Spitfire IXB PL344/YO-H
1942: USS Wasp lauches 54 Spit. for Malta (47 make it), German attack reduce it to 18! |
21 |
1943: 1st PR.XIII (AD354) enter service with No.1 PRU at Benson
1955: Flt Lt Adrian Rowe-Evans makes last active sortie in Spitfire 24, VN485
|
22 |
1944: 442 & 443 Sqn. (144 Wing) Spitfires from Manston sweep deep into Germany (Coblenz)
1947: Spitfire Mk IX, MK732 appointed
to Royal Dutch A.F. (delivered 27 June, 1948) |
23 |
1943: First Westland Seafire III, LR765, leaves production line |
24 |
1945: Sqn Ldr Harold Walmsley OC 350 Sqn, downs a FW 190 in Mk XIVE, SM825
wwww Repeats it on 25-4-'45 (total victory's: 11 & 1 shared, 1 prob. & 2 on ground) |
25 |
1946: First flight Seafire 47 (PS944) |
26 |
1945: No 91 Sqn Spitfires 21 (only operation in war) straf and sink midget submarine |
27 |
1940: Pilot 611 Sqn in Mk I, N3063 blinded by searchlights, went
into spin and baled out |
28 |
1942: First flight first production Seafire IIC, MA970
1943: S/L J. Lynch (OC. 249 Sqn) scores 1000th victory (Ju 52) of Malta defence |
29 |
1945: Flg Off Bob Connell (17 Sqn) claimes last Spitfire victory
over Burma, a Japanese Ki-84 1953: Dutch Mk IX, MH434 (famous preserved Spit) test flown as SM-41 for Belgium AF. |
30 |
1945: Last great airbattle against Germany,
Spitfires and other fighters claim 37 E.A. 1946: Sqn Ldr 'Ginger' Lacey (17 Sqn) 1st Spitfire pilot over Japan
1946: First 2 F.24's delivered to 33 MU at RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire |
Spitfire F.IXE, TE213, (5553) crashed at Swartkop on April 15, 2000
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