Weathering model aircraft why?

Here is a real spitfire that its service life was only 25 minutes.   To some this could be a clean Spitfire from the battle of Britain.   Here is the story..  The article is by Pete Cosgrove from the Battle of Britain FB group

Spitfire MkIa X4110 has the fame of being known as a Spitfire with the shortest operational career of just 25 minutes.

Built at Eastleigh and first flown on the 7th August 1940, it was delivered to No 9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford for preparation for use by an operational squadron a couple of days later. On 18th August with Battle of Britain in full swing which this day would later become known as the ‘Hardest Day’ by the RAF as it would see the highest number of losses of aircraft on both sides during the battle with large Luftwaffe raids being mounted during the day to destroy our fighter airfields in southern England.

Replacements for Losses of destroyed and damaged aircraft in the days leading up to 18th were badly needed and X4110 was ferried to RAF Westhampnett in West Sussex (Now known as Goodwood race circuit and aerodrome) and issued to 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron on the morning of 18th August as the squadron had for the last five days been at continuously at readiness for 16 hours per day and was in need of rest and maintain its Spitfires.

602 was stood down that afternoon with the pilot’s intentions to grab a pint in the mess. Its squadrons acting commander Flt Lt John Dunlop Urie was about to sip on his pint when the telephone rang, they were ordered to take off as soon as possible to intercept an incoming raid.

602’s pilots made a dash to their Spitfires but for Dunlop Urie, there was a problem as his aircraft was being serviced and up on jacks having its wheels changed. As he was leading the Squadron, he needed a Spitfire and spotted X4110 even though its guns were loaded they were not harmonised with the gun the sight and without squadron codes painted on as the ground crews hadn’t got down to applying them yet.

Dunlop Urie grabbed his parachute and climbed into it and took off leading the squadron and being vectored on to a raid heading towards the RAF and FAA airfield at Ford.

Dunlop Urie had soon got his twelve Spitfires in a position over Tangmere when he caught sight of the Stukas attacking Ford. He gave the call ‘Villa Squadron Tally Ho!’ and led them into the attack with the squadron making attacks as the Stuka’s pulled out of their dives making a number of hits on them.

It wasn’t long till 602 Sqn would now become the targets when the escorting 109s turned up and broke up 602’s attacks with 4 of the squadrons Spitfires hit in quick succession and soon disengaged with most of the squadron's aircraft having run out of ammunition while attacking the Stukas including Dunlop Urie, who now was heading back to Westhampnett.

As he flew back to base he noticed an aircraft behind him and assumed it was his No2, when suddenly a series of loud bangs were felt as his Spitfire was hit by cannon shells in the rear fuselage , which splinters from the cannon shells hitting him in the legs and ripping into his parachute.

He quickly realised he had been hit by a 109. As he struggled with the damaged aircraft he braced himself for another attack, which by luck, this didn’t happen and 109 broke off. His legs starting to go numb with pain and the thought of his controls going at any moment ,he had the added worry of being unable to bale out properly. With all this in mind he eased the Spitfire back to Westhampnett.

As came in on the airfield he lowered his undercarriage but his flaps refused to budge so had to make a fast approach. As he landed, he slewed to the right as his right tyre had been shot to bits , but he was able to control the aircraft to a halt and switched the engine off.

Dunlop Urie was pulled out of his seat by the ground crews who were alarmed to see the state of damage that had been done to the fuselage and which most of it was twisted metal and luckily the seat armour behind Dunlop Urie had saved him.

His wounds were quickly dressed and he was sent away to hospital that evening , though he was soon back in action by November 1940 when he shared in the destruction of a Ju88 adding to his previous shared claims he was credited for earlier in August 1939 and July 1940. In December 1940 he was posted to 52 OTU Aston Down as an instructor and later commanded 151 Wing in Russia. He was released from the RAF in 1945 as a Wing Commander and re-joined the Auxiliary Air Force in 1946.

For X4110 that day would be its first and only operational sortie lasting some 25 minutes. The Spitfire was sent away to be examined and was found that the damage caused by the 109’s cannons had broken the aircraft's back. Unable to be repaired. X4110 was stripped of all usable parts, as the airframe would never fly again and struck off charge on the 5th October 1940.

The photo's below shows X4110 after Dunlop Urie got back to Westhampnett after he was attacked by the 109 on the 18th August 1940 and of him waiting to go to hospital.

(photo credit Dunlop Urie and Alfred Price)

33

Seen by 31

Like

Comment