Crash landed Spitfire IX ID

[kaki3152]

What looks like a crash landed Spitfire IX with the codes "O2', can anyone ID the unit?

[dp_burke]

This has been discussed inconclusively on WW2Talk

http://www.ww2talk.com/index.php?thr...fighter.83797/

I suggested its more likely a Fleet Air Arm Seafire, given the codes don't match RAF standard.

maybe if these people would pulling apart photo albums the context might not be lost.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Dennis

Good thought but I have now gone through the FAA codes between 1939-46 and none seems to fit.

The only FAA unit using the O2 code was 1702Sq using Sea Otters.
Looking at the unit, I cannot quite visualise why even an odd Spitfire/Seafire would be attached to the unit.
If we then look at single letter versions, ie O followed by digits 1,2 etc I cannot see any units using that. The units listed had as an individual identifier another letter, not a number.

Thinking a bit outside the box, there is one small possible chance.
757Sq Stn Flight at Puttalam in 1945 used unit code letter P followed by two digits. They used Seafire Mk III for a while, but having said that, I find it very unlikely they used a zero as its first digit (P02).
I also looked at the double letter codes + digits as individual identifier, but none used an O as its second letter (ie xO1, xO2 etc).

Cheers
Stig

[Revi16]

Is it O2 (Letter O) or 02 (Zero 0)?

Just thinking out loud, there was a US Navy unit (VCS-7) that was equipped with Spitfires and had aircraft codes 4G, 4Q, 4X, etc. and still maintained the British Roundel.

Perhaps 02/O2 was part of some ad-hoc unit as well?

http://spitfiresite.com/2008/01/spit...e-us-navy.html
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=308125
https://www.aviationgraphic.com/avia...-7-ik-108.html

[kaki3152]

Just a thought, but some units would split a unit code instead of keeping them together. Example, say code of PO would have the the P and the O split on either side of the roundel. Quite a mystery.

[Buckeye30]

Revi. VCS-7 and the RAF/FAA squadrons were only with the Air Spotting Pool at Lee-on-Solent until disbanded 26 June--- with full D-Day stripes hence the codes moved forward, the plane has no bands; the colours look more like the RAF Day Fighter Scheme ie. Ocean Grey/Dark Green rather than the FAA which would make it a Spitfire. I think VCS-7 only used "4" codes.
1702 NAS wasn't formed at Lee until June 1945, for Far East service.
There are certainly USAAF personnel with it, my first thought was an Eighth AF secondary flying unit.
Nick

[Revi16]

Originally Posted by Buckeye30

Revi. VCS-7 and the RAF/FAA squadrons were only with the Air Spotting Pool at Lee-on-Solent until disbanded 26 June--- with full D-Day stripes hence the codes moved forward, the plane has no bands; the colours look more like the RAF Day Fighter Scheme ie. Ocean Grey/Dark Green rather than the FAA which would make it a Spitfire. I think VCS-7 only used "4" codes.
1702 NAS wasn't formed at Lee until June 1945, for Far East service.
There are certainly USAAF personnel with it, my first thought was an Eighth AF secondary flying unit.
Nick

As most responses were based on RAF/FAA Squadrons, I was merely providing an example of a lesser known Unit that used non-typical markings. I did not suggest that O2/02 was part of VCS-7.
Perhaps some other lesser known or non-RAF/FAA Squadron used O2/02?

[Leendert]

No idea if it was ever practiced in fighter squadrons, but was it possible that there were two a/c in the squadron/unit with "O" and by adding "2" they could be kept apart?
I believe there are examples in Bomber Command with "O2" as second pair in the code.



Regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Considering the state of the a/c camouflage, the "02" seems quite new. So perhaps USNavy after all ?

[Graham Boak]

It doesn't appear to have the strengthening plates on the fuselage, so probably not a Seafire?

Picking up on the old airframe/fresh codes, I suggest one from an OTU, where they were freer with their coding.