Identity of Spitfire sought

[Andy Saunders]

I am trying to positively identify this Spitfire on a 49 MU Queen-Mary trailer, presumably taken in 1941. The 49 MU connection would place the incident in SE England.

Aircraft has sky band and the serial appears to be P81?? Or could that be P85?? The top of what I took to be a 1 may have a forward facing slope to it.

The cannon bulges perhaps limit the possibilities, but can anyone identify the aircraft or suggest the date/details of the incident that led to this aircraft being damaged?

[Alex Smart]

Hello Andy,

Have looked at the picture ( enlarged/enhanced) and it sure looks like a "5" to me but thats just how I view it.
Any info on the P85?? serials that would cut the numbers down, the underwing bulges, would that place it in the Mk. V range ? If so there were only about a dozen of them . The rest were mostly Mk.IIB's as far as I have checked.
49 MU. RAF Faygate, West Sussex, has your book come out yet ?

Good hunting,
Alex

[Alex Smart]

Mk.Vb's
P8532 - FTR Ops 26/6/41
37 - A long life
38 - Hit Barracks, Biggin Hill 26/6/41
39 - S/D 10/7/41-bboc Cr 10/9/42
42 - MIA 13/10/41
60 - MIA 23/9/41
61 - MIA 23/6/44
64 - Cat E Ops 7/3/42
78 - SoC 14/7/41
81 - MIA 14/7/41
85 -SoC 31/1/46