Spitfire MK356 (Mk LFIXe)
My second B&W edit in two days, of course the background is not original ... just in case you wondered :o)
Built at Castle Bromwich, Spitfire LFIX MK356 was allocated to the newly-formed 443 ‘Hornet’ Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire, in March 1944. MK356 soon moved with 144 Wing to Holmsley, near Bournemouth, then to Westhampnett (now Goodwood) and later to Ford in Sussex. On 14 April 1944 ‘MK’ flew its first operational mission as part of a ‘Rodeo’ fighter sweep over occupied France, piloted by 20-year-old Canadian, Flying Officer ‘Gord’ Ockenden, who flew 19 ‘ops’ in the aircraft. Fg Off Gordon Ockenden
From then on, MK356 was involved in fighter sweeps and in attacking ground targets by dive bombing and strafing in the lead-up to the ‘D-Day’ invasion and in support of the landings and fierce fighting afterwards. In 60 days of furious flying and fighting, ‘MK’ flew 60 operational sorties, was damaged by enemy fire on three occasions and suffered three ‘wheels-up’ landings. On D-Day+1 (7 June 1944) during a beachhead cover patrol in MK356, ‘Gord’ Ockenden’s flight engaged four ME Bf 109Gs “on the deck”. He fired at one of the ‘109’s and saw his rounds hitting the enemy aircraft. His wingman finished it off and each pilot was credited with a half share of the kill. On 14 June 1944 the aircraft’s third ‘wheels-up’ landing of the war ended its short but intense operational life, as the next day the Squadron moved to airfield ‘B-3’ in France and ‘MK’ was left behind to be collected and stored by a maintenance unit.
Spitfire MK356 (Mk LFIXe)
My second B&W edit in two days, of course the background is not original ... just in case you wondered :o)
Built at Castle Bromwich, Spitfire LFIX MK356 was allocated to the newly-formed 443 ‘Hornet’ Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire, in March 1944. MK356 soon moved with 144 Wing to Holmsley, near Bournemouth, then to Westhampnett (now Goodwood) and later to Ford in Sussex. On 14 April 1944 ‘MK’ flew its first operational mission as part of a ‘Rodeo’ fighter sweep over occupied France, piloted by 20-year-old Canadian, Flying Officer ‘Gord’ Ockenden, who flew 19 ‘ops’ in the aircraft. Fg Off Gordon Ockenden
From then on, MK356 was involved in fighter sweeps and in attacking ground targets by dive bombing and strafing in the lead-up to the ‘D-Day’ invasion and in support of the landings and fierce fighting afterwards. In 60 days of furious flying and fighting, ‘MK’ flew 60 operational sorties, was damaged by enemy fire on three occasions and suffered three ‘wheels-up’ landings. On D-Day+1 (7 June 1944) during a beachhead cover patrol in MK356, ‘Gord’ Ockenden’s flight engaged four ME Bf 109Gs “on the deck”. He fired at one of the ‘109’s and saw his rounds hitting the enemy aircraft. His wingman finished it off and each pilot was credited with a half share of the kill. On 14 June 1944 the aircraft’s third ‘wheels-up’ landing of the war ended its short but intense operational life, as the next day the Squadron moved to airfield ‘B-3’ in France and ‘MK’ was left behind to be collected and stored by a maintenance unit.