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The Indian
Air Force received its first Spitfire, a LF Mk VIIIc on the eve of the third
Arrakan campaign when 4 Sqn, operating from Cox’s Bazaar (now in Bangladesh)
had a lone Mk VIII path finding for Allied P-47s and P-51s.
The IAF was to eventually receive some 300 Spitfires of various marks,
primarily LF VIIIc, F/FR XIVe, F/FR
XVIIIe, one single PR XI, ten T IX and 14 PR XIX.
Initially all aircraft were retained in RAF serials (Mk XIV allotted IAF
serials but not painted on) as they were handed over by departing or stood down
RAF sqns (81, 131, 61 and 34 sqns), on loan.
The newly independent (14 Aug 47) ‘Royal’ Indian AF finally received
159 aircraft between 29 Dec 47 to mid 1953.
Only the T IXs were directly received from Vickers.
The Spitfire replaced the Hurricane MkIIc in RIAF service and by Jul 1945
all RIAF fighter units were equipped with Spitfires of various marks.
Indian Spitfires also formed part of the British Commonwealth Occupation
Forces (with 11 and 17 sqns RAF) at Miho in Japan for nearly a year.
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AN
AIRFIX Mk V WITH MODIFIED FIN SHAPE
TO
REPRESENT A Mk VIII
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During the Oct
1947 invasion of Kashmir by Pakistani regulars, Spitfires were the first combat
aircraft to be flown in to Srinagar. Only
the Mk VIIIs were used, as the XIV were considered too tricky to fly from the
miniscule, rough and dusty strip. Almost all Spitfire units began to re equip with the
Tempest II from mid 1947 and the last units became the advanced operational
training school at Hakimpet and 14 Sqn that exchanged its Spitfire Mk XVIIIs for
Hunters in mid 1957. I have tried
to model each of the major types in the four distinct schemes of those times.
The first is of course a Mk VIII in the post war RAF three colour reduced
size markings and grey/green SEAC scheme. The
second is an Mk FR XIVe in the dark brown/dark green with white ID bands.
The RAF roundels have had their red portions removed to avoid any
confusion with the Japanese Hinamaru but have not yet been reduced in size and
the white has not yet been replaced with sky blue.
As was common to all RIAF units only a single individual aircraft code is
used in white. The spinner is in
blue grey. The third aircraft, an F
Mk XVIIIe is in post war Silver with matt black anti glare panel on the nose
with a gloss red spinner. For a
short while, soon after independence, the RIAF used the ‘Chakra’ markings
from the Indian Flag which represented 24 hours in the day by its 24 spokes in
green and saffron. Lastly a PR Mk
XIX modified from the Academy XIV with guns removed and modified windshield and
antenna) is depicted in RAF PR blue and a black spinner.
14 such aircraft were operated by 101
PR flight from Jan 48 at Palam.
Polly
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Click on images below to
see larger images |
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| CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP- XVIII, FR XIV, VIII AND PR XIX |
AN
8 SQN (EIGTH PURSOOT) FR Mk XIVe
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EVOLUTION
OF THE BURMA FIGHTERS- VENGEANCE Mk III (Revell),
HURRICANE
MkIIc (Academy), Mk VIII, FR Mk XIVe |
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Click on image below to
right see larger image |
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| AN Mk
XVIIIE OF 4 SQN (OORIALS) |
AN PR Mk XIX
OF 101 PR FLIGHT
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AN
IAF PILOT FONDLES A 250LB BOMB AT SAMUNGLI (AROUND MID 1944).
NOTE
2 SQN (SWIFTS) Mk VIII s IN BACKGROUND |
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IAF
PILOTS OF SCRAMBLE FOR THE CAMERA TO THEIR MK VIIIs
NOTE
THE UNIQUE WHITE BAND ON THE NOSE WITH BLACK SPINNER |
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