THE SPITFIRE CALENDAR

Compiled by Pieter Jutte

NOVEMBER

DAY
SPITFIRE & SEAFIRE CALENDAR FACTS
PRE-WAR -- WAR YEARS 1939-1945 -- POST-WAR
1
1943: Name 'Victor' officially dropped for new generation Spits. (stays 'Spitfire')
2
1942: 'Ace' S/Lr Hugo Armstrong scores 9th 'kill' (FW 190), in Mk IX, BS435/FY-F
wwwwWas first with 611 Sqn, other 8 with 129 & 72 Sqn (total; 12 & 2 prob.)
3
1938: First Spitfire Mk I (K9792) write off, Plt Off G. Sinclair unhurt
4
1939: Supermarine Specification No.466 design for Spit. Mk IV with Griffon engine
5
1968: Spitfire Mk IIA, P7350 handed over to Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
6
1946: Only PR Mk XIX in Dutch serv. on loan as instruction Spit. at Langham
wwwwReturned to RAF 17-12-'47
7
1938: Prototype K5054 is transferd to Farnborough
8
1942: First action for Seafires (Operation 'Torch', allied invasion North Africa)
wwwwfirst 'kill' a Dewoitine D520 for 807 Sqn, Lt G.C.Baldwin
9
1942: First testing folding wings on Seafire IIC, MA970
10
1938: First flight Type 323, High Speed Spitfire (conversion Mk I, K9834)
11
1940: 41 Sqn Plt Off Wells encounters Fiat R42's over the Channel (1 damag.)
12
1941: Griffon Hurricane abandonned in favour to Spitfire Mk IV development
1988: First flight post-rebuilt of Spitfire Mk IXE, MJ730/G-HFIX
13
1942: Major Josef 'Sepp' Wurmheller gets Eichenlaub (to his Deutsches Kreuz)
wwwwWurmheller scored 56 Spitfires (most between 24-7-41 & 31-10-42)
14
1940: Spitfire Mk IA, R6817 returned to RAF, after assesment by Royal Navy
15
1943: RAF Fighter Command temporarily named 'Air Defence Great Britain'

Conversion Mk I, K9834 to Type 323, 'High Speed Spitfire'

NOVEMBER

DAY
SPITFIRE & SEAFIRE CALENDAR FACTS
16
1942: First Spitfire PR.IX (BS497) weighed at Worthy Down
17
1938: J. Quill flies Mk I, K9814 (28th prod.) in 42.5 min. to Paris Air Salon
18
1939: First ops. photo-reconn.(Mk I, N3071) to Aachen, Flt Lt M.Longbottom
1943: Captured Mk VB, EN830 (131 Sqn) to Daimler-Benz Flight Test Department
1949: Worst crash with a Spitfire in peacetime in Holland
wwwwMk IX, NH197 smacked into building & controlt. Twente AFB. killing 3 & pilot
19
1942: 'Ace' Sgt Peter Durnford, 124 Sqn shot down by Flak (POW), total; 5 destroy.
20
1939: First 'kill' with Spitfire (74 Sqn) on Heinkel He 111
1942: Maiden flight of the first Spitfire Mk VIII (JF724)
1986: First flight post-rebuilt of PR.XIX, PS915 for Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
21
1939: Test by RN Fleet Air Arm with Spitfire Mk I, R6718 (for Seafire trial)
1942: Maiden flight of first Spitfire PR.XI (BS492)
22
1945: Spitfire Floatplane Mk IX, MJ892, struck-off charge
23
1954: Disbanding Fleet Air Arm No.764 Sqn (ends Seafire Sevice)
1990: First flight post-rebuilt of Spitfire Mk XVIE, TE184/G-MXVI
24
1940: Ex-High Speed Spitfire as K9834 to Photo Recc. Unit RAF Hendon
25
1940: Air Marshal Sholto Douglas appoint. Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Com.
26
1943: Spit. Mk VB, AB274, 306 Sqn hit 3 parked USAAF a/c at Heston during take-off
27
1941: First flight Spitfire Mk IV with 1735 hp Griffon IIB (J. Quill pilot)
28
1940: 'Ace' Major Helmut Wick (56 destr.) shot down by Flt Lt. J.Dundas of 609 Sqn.
wwwwPOW. Wick escaped later back to Germany (movie 'The One That Got Away')
29
1941: 340 (French) Sqn (1st French RAF sqn) gets operational w. Spit. Mk II's
30
1942: First sortie with a Spitfire PR.XI (BS338), 541 Sqn over Boulogne

Ex-'High Speed Spitfire' as K9834 flying for Photo Recc. Unit RAF Hendon