Typhoons! Need info, please

[Chris Thomas]

Dominik
I'm not quite sure what information you require on these aircraft. First thing to point out is that either the decal company or yourself seem to have made an error with the aircraft at the top of your list; there are photos known of DN421 as EL-C of 181 Sqn and SA-H with a white nose was R8781. Photos exist of all the other aircraft in the markings quoted and all have the 'car-door' canopy. Two of the aircraft, JP496 and JP510 were subsequently modified to have the 'bubble' canopy; no photo of JP496 is known in this guise (it served with two training units, 3 TEU and 56 OTU). After modification JP510 went back to 257 Squadron but its letters were changed to FM-Y. There is a photo of this aircraft in '2nd TAF' Volume 1, p.80, after it had force-landed in France on 16 March 1944. It had retained the squadron leader's pennant and name on the nose and had gained some new artwork - what appears to be a rather crude representation of a kangaroo - in front of the cockpit.
CT