Captured Spitfire Mk. I

[CJE]

Hi there!

Looking for the origin of the Spit I that was used for propaganda shooting in company of He 111s, Bf 109s and Do 17s, late 1940.
Thanks.

Chris

[Alex Smart]

Hello Chris,

"Spitfire International" has P9317 "ZD-A" as "Possibly flown as "G+X".

Alex

[CJE]

Many thanks, Alex.

Chris

[Nick Hector]

Hi CJE and Alex,

I have long had a theory that the aircraft coded G-X depicted in German propaganda photos might well have been Spitfire I X4260/XT-G of 603 sqn, flown by P/O Caister and forced down at Campagne les Guines airfield by Hptm. Hubertus von Bonin of I/JG 54 on 6th September 1940 at 1330hrs British Time.

...The code German-concocted code letters G-X having been arrived at simply by removing the "T" from 603 sqn's XT designator. So that when viewed from the port side, the codes show up as G-X, when they would once have read as G-XT.

What do you think?

In friendship,

Nick

[CJE]

Could be.
Few squadrons painted the squadron code aft of the roundel (on the port side) but your theory has legs.

Chris