Americans with Spitfires

[xbrit]

caption

the guy on the wing is saying
"Those barbary apes stole that P38, and look how high he is flying, Now that is a real alt monkey."

[Rino]

     Apparently we liked the Spits so much, we kept one    I know the 31st FG loved theirs in Italy. 

     Wright-Patt USAF museum:

[nrshida]

Noticed they removed the caption that stated the officer on the wing was pointing at a P-38 and said, "Men, up in there sky right there goes a real man's plane."

ack-ack

 

[Scherf]

Would be neat to know the context of that photo, as I am sadly ignorant of how/when the USAAF used Spitfires, when they were in Gib, etc etc.

As in, if that's 1942, is that an American squadron flying out of the Rock on its way to support the Torch landings, or American volunteers in the RAF / seconded to the RAF on their way to defend Malta?

I imagine someone here will know...

 

[Vudu15]

the book "In a now Forgotten Sky" covers the 31st Fighter group who flew Spit 5s then 9s and went on to P51 B/Ds later in the war in North Africa and Italy.

[Scherf]

Cheers.

[Scherf]

In that case, I guess the caption should be something like "That's where the P-38s should be, but they're late."

 

[XxDaSTaRxx]

Look at the sight gents, there goes a 17, an aircraft worth more to us than you   What's not to love about the 17? (that question was rhetorical)

[Ack-Ack]

As in, if that's 1942, is that an American squadron flying out of the Rock on its way to support the Torch landings, or American volunteers in the RAF / seconded to the RAF on their way to defend Malta?

Most likely members of either the 52nd and 31st fighter groups in the picture with the RAF Spitfire in support of both Operation Torch landings and air defense of Gibralter.  USAAF Spitfires carried US markings, not RAF markings.

ack-ack

[Bear76]

Noticed they removed the caption that stated the officer on the wing was pointing at a P-38 and said, "Men, up in there sky right there goes a real man's plane."

ack-ack

There is no way he could see your plane at that altitude 

[mbailey]

Noticed they removed the caption that stated the officer on the wing was pointing at a P-38 and said, "Men, up in there sky right there goes a real man's plane."

ack-ack

 

[cpxxx]

Actually the pockets are all wrong for an A2 jacket. Looks more like an RAF/RCAF battledress blouse. But even then the pockets don't match and it could be an khaki army battledress which were issued in the Middle East to the RAF.  Maybe he was ex Eagle Squadron. There are no squadron codes on the Spitfire which implies a delivery flight.

The guy in the cockpit is wearing a leather jacket.