Douglas Bader Spitfire Question

[Seamus]

Afternoon all,

I'm hoping someone on here can help with some research I've been doing for a modelling project. I need to model Douglas Bader's Spitfire during his time on 222 Squadron. So far, I've managed to track down his serial number as P9443 and the Squadron code as ZD. All I need now is to know the individual code letter of Bader's aircraft and the colour of the spinner and I think I'm good to go, though this has been surprisingly difficult to track down

If anyone has any information, or better still any pictures, of this Spitfire, I'd be very grateful if you could share it here

Cheers

Shaun

[Saracen]

This should help with the markings and colour scheme

http://www.rafweb.org/SqnMark222.htm

[Ruislip Rustler]

There are also colour WW2 photos online at the IWM ONline Database - http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryPhotoImg.php.

Just search on '222 Squadron' and away you go.

[MortiUK]

Hi,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

http://www.acepilots.com/british/bader.html

http://acesofww2.com/UK/aces/bader.htm


Found this:




http://historiesart.com/aircraft_spitfi ... r_page.htm


hope these help!

[Seamus]

Cheers fellas,

I should have said in my original post that I'm modelling Bader's Spitfire Mk I, so that rules out the Mk Vb with the D B code. No luck with the IWM website either, every pic seems to be of him and his Hurricane when on 242, or more Mk V's later on in the war. Nothing of his 222 Mk I

On the plus side, Saracen's link shows the spinner to have been sky

[MortiUK]

Found this one:


this is his Mk2 Spitfire.

look here:
[url]
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decal ... 8006.shtml
[/url]
I got a feeling that he never flew the Mk1 .. remember reading his log book and can't remember seeing Mk1 spit on Mk1a's .. and they never really had sqn ID's!


this a linj to the bader story - reach to the sky
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0304356743/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

[Seahornet]

Found this one:


this is his Mk2 Spitfire.

look here:
[url]
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decal ... 8006.shtml
[/url]
I got a feeling that he never flew the Mk1 .. remember reading his log book and can't remember seeing Mk1 spit on Mk1a's .. and they never really had sqn ID's!


this a linj to the bader story - reach to the sky
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0304356743/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Sorry Morti, but that is Bob Stanford Tuck's Spitfire. FZ was the 65 Sqn code, and Bader was never on that unit.

Bader was with 222 Sqn from Feb - June 1940, flying Spit Mk Is, then moved to Hurricanes on 242 Sqn. When he returned to Spits, it was as leader of the Tangmere wing; he wasn't allocated to a specific squadron, hence the DB code on his Mk V and Mk IX.

Seamus, its possible that the three letter codes had not been introduced whilst Bader was on 222 Sqn - which makes your task a little easier!

[Seahornet]

Cheers fellas,

I should have said in my original post that I'm modelling Bader's Spitfire Mk I, so that rules out the Mk Vb with the D B code. No luck with the IWM website either, every pic seems to be of him and his Hurricane when on 242, or more Mk V's later on in the war. Nothing of his 222 Mk I

On the plus side, Saracen's link shows the spinner to have been sky

...But this link shows a 222 Sqn Mk I with a Black spinner. Life is never simple, is it...

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/h222.html

[Seamus]

...But this link shows a 222 Sqn Mk I with a Black spinner. Life is never simple, is it...

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/h222.html

Bugger! Will have to keep digging on that one then....

Seamus, its possible that the three letter codes had not been introduced whilst Bader was on 222 Sqn - which makes your task a little easier!

Unfortunately not. Having asked around elsewhere, this has been brought to my attention.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archive/i ... 18668.html

Just for interest 222 a/c lost
31-5-40 - N3295 -"G"
1-6-40 - P9377 -"U"
1-6-40 - P9317 - "A"
1-6-40 - P9339 - "J"
1-6-40 - N3232 -
26-6-40 - P9420 -
4-7-40 - N3294 -
30-8-40 - P9325 -
30-8-40 - P9375 -
30-8-40 - K9826 - "X"
30-8-40 - R6628 -
30-8-40 - P9443 -
30-8-40 - P9323 - "F"
30-8-40 - R6720 -
31-8-40 - N3233 -
31-8-40 - P9337 -
31-8-40 - P9360 -
31-8-40 - P9505 -
2-9-40 - K9799 -
2-9-40 - X4280 -
3-9-40 - L1010 -
4-9-40 - R6837 -
4-9-40 - K9962 -
4-9-40 - P9378 -
4-9-40 - X4278 - "D"
5-9-40 - X4057 -
9-9-40 - P9328 -
11-9-40 - R6638 -
14-9-40 - X4275 -

Note P9443 was lost after Bader had moved to 242.

So, it's clear that during Bader's time on 222, Squadron codes had been issued, though whether that applies to all aircraft is another matter On the plus side, it's safe to assume his code wasn't A, D, F, G, J, U or X

Thanks for taking the time to help me out though, much appreciated

[bolshi]

Don't know if this is of any use?

It's from an Osprey aviation book Aircraft of the Aces (The Legendary Spitfire Mk I/II 1939-41)
I know you are looking for a Mk I with his markings but could only find this MK IIA

Sorry it's a digital camera picture as I don't have a scanner .




Bolshi

[XH668]

There are also colour WW2 photos online at the IWM ONline Database - http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryPhotoImg.php.

Just search on '222 Squadron' and away you go.

Great find that link!

Some great shots of north weald!

Thanks

[Seamus]

Bolshi,

Sadly, it's the Mk I I've been asked to model, not the Mk II Thanks for taking the time to look though, if there's a rethink it may come in useful

[AM1 FOWLER]

Perhaps after all this time this may not be pertinent anymore, but I thought I would throw in two cents.

It sounds to me like you are looking for information on Spitfire Mk. Ia P9443, which was coded ZD-D and flown by
Douglas Bader while he was assigned to 222 Squadron. As far as markings for this aircraft, it would depend on the
time frame as the RAF was in a transition in markings during this period.

P9443 was finished in Scheme A camouflage and had 35 inch Type A fuselage roundels (no yellow surround) and
the Night/White divided under surfaces. It is likely by the time this aircraft reached 222 Squadron the Yellow was
added, forming Type A1 roundels. After 6 June 1940 RAF fighters had their lower surfaces painted Sky Type S.
Although under wing roundels were not used on RAF fighters until mid-August 1940, aircraft operating over France
carried them. There is photographic evidence to suggest that P9443 carried these under wing roundels while
operating over France during the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Also of note, 222 Squadron's code letters were rather small compared to most Spitfires and almost square in shape. Also,
the "ZD" was forward of the roundel on both sides of the fuselage, in contrast to the usual RAF practice. There were no
personal markings that I have ever discovered. P9443 was the aircraft in which Bader scored his first official kills.

I know this is rather late but perhaps it may be of some help in future.