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 (PS888) 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 rem. from Harskamp, Dutch target range, to be scraped
8
1948: Spit. Mk IX, NH238 prop. test causing forced landing (after rep., 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.
Above a Spitfire Mk IX from No. 403 Squadron is recovered

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 Spit. (92 Sqn) & 47 P-40's (US. 341 Sqn.) down 70+ Axis. airc.
('Palm Sunday Massacre'), 1 Spitfire & 6 P-40's lost
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 fr. Manston sweep deep into Germ. (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, 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 kill over Burma, a Jap. Ki-84
1953: Dutch Mk IX, MH434 (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

The Spitfire Mk XIV from 'Ginger' Lacey (17 Sqn) in which he flew over Japan, 1946
(Notice the 'kill' marks, the last one is Japanese, see 19 February 1945
(One of the groundcrew sits in the cockpit)