Originally posted by VO101_Isegrim
Thanks, so 611 and 341 in Feb/March 1943 were the first ones. In what pace were they followed by others ? Did older spit v squads re-arm first, and Mk IX F only later on, or was it random ?
Do you perhaps have a squad listing for the 2nd half of 1943, that would show Mk V / IX, or F / HF / LF distribution ?
Don't have a specific list other then one that lists the squadrons that used IX/XVIs and when they got them. It doesn't break it down by F, LF, HF but the majority would have been getting LFIXs after March of 43 as this was the response to testing against the captured 190. The Russians even got over 1000 LFIXs during the course of the war, so it was clearly the definitive Mark IX.
611 was one of the first to get IXs in 42 and had LFIXs in March 43 but often times when a squadron moved they would swap aircraft with the squadron they replaced, so for exampe a Mark IX squadron being pulled from the 'front line' in 11 Group and being sent north to Scotland or elsewhere to regroup and reorganize could revert to Spit Vs for a time.
A quick count shows that roughly 140 squadrons operated the Spitfire IX/XVI at some time during the war.
Another quick count shows 50 Squadrons had the IX in 43 with 9 of them having them on strength in 42.
Dan/Slack
