331 sqn EN786 FN-T

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Osprey Aircrafts of the Aces, Spitfire Mk V Aces features a profile of a Spit Vb, EN786 FN-T (Kaj Birksted) North Weald, June 1942.

I assume that some kind of photo reference exist to this profile but I haven't been able to track it down. Would any of you be able to help?

TIA, Mikkel Plannthin

[RossGmann]

Re your inquiry of 7th February, 2005 the following site http://www.markstyling.com/spitfiresmkv3.htm may be of interest

Kind regards

Ross

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Thanks Ross,
It makes me re-pose the original question regarding photoreference for the profile.

Mikkel

[Smithy]

I don't think he'll mind my saying this Mikkel but you need to contact LMLassen here as he is a bit of an expert on Kaj Birksted and has written an article on his Spits.

I'm sure if you PM him he won't mind.

[LMLassen]

Thanks Smithy - but I'm no expert on Birksted - only a keen amateur.

I think Mikkel and I've debated this online a few years back and I would really like to see any photographic evidence for this profile. And I think this one looks a bit like guesswork.

Lars

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Thanks for coming on-line by your self, Lars. I do not remember if we have discussed this very a/c, but I was sure that you'd answered the question, if you had the answer - or included it in your articles.

If someone's interested : I have not yet entered to full list of operational sorties by Birksted from to ORBs at my website, but the this says that he was operational in FN-T for the first time on 16 June 1942
http://danishww2pilots.dk/pilotsSorties.php?id=15

Suppose you could be right about the guesswork. Wouldt it have had a painted Norwegian flag?!?

Mikkel

[atckyrre]

Mikkel (and Lars),
I have not seen any pics of a Vb EN786 marked FN-T and I thought I'd seen just about every pic of Norwegian Vb's published. There's a rather famous picture of a lineup of 331 Sqn Spits dated May 3 1942 and although still with A1 rather than C1 roundels on the fuselage I suspect not much was changed when it comes to the appearance of the aircraft when Birksted started flying with the squadron. In the picture all visible Spits carry flags on the cockpit door and red-white-blue stripes around the gun covers.
While Birksted was Danish I still don't think his plane looked any different than the others. As a sidenote it appears from pictures that he wore a "Norway" patch on his left shoulder.

Regards,
Kyrre

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Thankt Kyrre,
EN786 arrived to 331 Sqn later than the aircraft in the line-up at Catterick, why I guess the looks of it could differ, but I agree that it most likely looks like these. Actually Birksted flew the first aircraft in the line-up, BL891 FN-S, on a number of occasions.

The original question was only posed since I presumed that a profile like this in an Osprey publication would have some kind of photographic reference, and since I had not seen such evidence.

Mikkel

[atckyrre]

Originally Posted by Mikkel Plannthin

Thankt Kyrre,
EN786 arrived to 331 Sqn later than the aircraft in the line-up at Catterick, why I guess the looks of it could differ, but I agree that it most likely looks like these. Actually Birksted flew the first aircraft in the line-up, BL891 FN-S, on a number of occasions.

The original question was only posed since I presumed that a profile like this in an Osprey publication would have some kind of photographic reference, and since I had not seen such evidence.

Mikkel

I thought perhaps with that serial that it was a late arrival and so of course there could be doubts about the apparence of this particular aircraft. However I get the impression that the ground crew echelon was very thorough, as is evident by their citations, thus I find it likely that the aircraft quickly ended up with a consistent look. Having said that I am not entirely sure if the gun striping practise was allowed to continue throughout the whole period.

Perhaps you could try posting a question on the IPMS Norway forum? Quite a few of our knowledgable model historians have ended up with this as their local hangout. You have to log in but that should be doable even for a Dane. (That is if you're not already an IPMS Denmark member. From what I've heard you may not have other gods... (tongue in cheek and all that. )
www.ipmsnorge.org

Kyrre

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Kyrre,
I might just try www.ipmsnorge.org. I am in fact a IPMS Denmark member, but consider myself an atheist in these terms :-)

Mikkel