Spitfire IX MH693
 

Dear Gentelmen,

please, is there any photo of this plane?
And how to track it's operational history?

With kind regards,

Marko Jeras
Zagreb, Croatia

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

MH693
IX

CBAF
M63
39MU 14-9-43
47MU 21-9-43
Ionian 3-10-43
Casablanca 19-10-43
NAfrica 30-11-43
MedAAF 21-6-45
SOC 14-3-46

http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

Great! Thank you!

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

from http://www.servicehistorique.sga.def..._ACCIDENTS.pdf
20 July 1944
Campo Dell'Oro (Ajaccio, Corsica)
MARCHAL René SLT.(P) GC I/3 (no. 327 Squadron)
Spitfire IXc MH693

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

The above website is very useful for Spitfires used in GB and NW Europe, but far less precise with aircraft sent overseas. Many dates are "administrative" ones, and the aircraft might have been lost far before the SOC registered date.

For the above incident, the French book "Pilotes français sur l'Italie" says that on 20 July 1944 the Spitfire of sous-lieutenant Marchal of GC I/3 Corse ended a landing at Ajaccio Campo del Oro on the nose. The pilot was unhurt. Nothing is said of the aircraft status after this incident. Details are probably available in the accident report in the French archives but I have no more access to these.

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

According to the book "Spitfire Dive-Bombers versus the V2", the Spitfire MH693 was used by 303 (Polish) Sqn in UK on 31 March 1945. I guess it is a typo (the books also list MA683 in the list of aircraft for the squadron, so possibly is it a typo/bad decoding for this).

Check the Google preview here:
https://books.google.fr/books?id=s9a...Spitfire+MH693

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

Hello,

Might I suggest Spitfire F.IX MH692:RF-K, possibly a better alternative:

25-26 February 1945.

During the third armed recce that day (25th), Flying Officer (Julian) Krok recovered so violently from a dive in Spitfire F.IX MH692 RF-K that the rear fuselage skin was badly wrinkled and some rivets popped out of the wing skin.

See:
303 Squadron The Complete Illustrated History Volume Three 13 November 1943 - Present Day.
Matusiak,Wojtek
Walton-on-Thames:Red Kite,2015.
p.76

Col.

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

udf_00, is there a file with accidents prior to the one in the link?

John Engelsted

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

There was a PDF online listing accidents for the Arméé de l'Air (and including some RAF and Aéronavale losses) from 1st January 1934 to 22 June 1940. The link does not work, and Google can't find him, but I have it saved on my laptop if you're interested.

As far as I know, such a list does not exist between 22 June 1940 and 1 January 1943.

Regarding the 1943-45 list in the link above, remember that the Free French air units based in UK (and later in N France/Belgium) are not included, only the "not Free French" units of the Armée de l'Air coming from North Africa after Torch or formed in France after the liberation of the country. And combat losses are not included either.

Re: Spitfire IX MH693
 

Hi Laurent.

I am very interested in the list you have saved!

John