Spitfire question

[Wurger]

Hi to everybody !!!

Some time ago I found this photo.Is anybody able to answer me what type of Spit it presents and what is its unit.The code letters on fuselage look like ones on planes used by RAF unit in Russia.

regards

[Jabberwocky]

To me it looks like a Spitfire Mk. IIb, flying sometime after late 1942.

The main identifying feature is the external bulletproof windscreen. Mk V and later, the bulletproof windscreen was internal.

It has standard fishtail type exhaust stacks and the long tapered cannon fairings typical of the type 'B' wing.

The fuselage roundel is a type C1 roundel, which was introduced after May 1942, with repainting going on through the second half of 1942. Earlier type A roundels have the same thickness for each band, whereas the type C has a large central red dot, small white band, large blue band and a small yellow outer band.

[Wurger]

Hi Jabberwocky
Thanks a lot.I was thinking in the same way but the code letters of a squadron are still a riddle.
However,thank you very much again.

[paaln]

I tried opening the pic in Paint Shop Pro to try to read the serial. After a couple of beers, I'm almost able to be certain that I imagine I can read "834x". There were Mk. II's with sn P8340-P8349. After some more beers, I found that JZ was used by 57 OTU.

In Morgan/Shacklady's Spitfire The Story I look for the common denominator: P8340-8349, and 57 OTU, and find these planes:

P8342 Ceram (to 57 OTU 31-3-43), P8343 Medan (to 57 OTU 10-4-42), P8344 Orkney (to 57 OTU 8-10-42).

On the other hand, the serial could be something completely different...

Edit: seeing that the original poster is Polish, I noted that one of those planes spent time with a Polish unit; P8342 wore UZ-N while at 306.

[Wurger]

Hi Paalan !!!
Thank You very much. The info is very interesting.

Regards