Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: MiloMorai on July 20, 2018, 10:00:52 AM

Title: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: MiloMorai on July 20, 2018, 10:00:52 AM

I can't find any serial numbers for Spitfires with the BF prefix, yet one existed,

(http://www.spitfireperformance.com/bf273.jpg)
from http://www.spitfireperformance.com/spitfire-IX.html

List of Spitfire serial numbers, http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/production.html

Can any solve this dilemma?

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 10:10:26 AM

Photo edited to hide info? That happened a lot.  Could be the case.  (I have no idea though.)

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Zimme83 on July 20, 2018, 10:49:34 AM

Human error. Cround crew painted the wrong number on the aircraft, the real number is BS 273.
http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/the-very-high-flying-prince.html

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: MiloMorai on July 20, 2018, 11:08:27 AM

Thank you Zimmer. :cheers:  :aok

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Guppy35 on July 20, 2018, 01:08:03 PM

I was lucky enough to meet Prince Galitzine back in 1985 at the 41 Squadron reunion in England.  He'd flown XIIs with them for a time.  Fascinating man.

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 02:15:20 PM

You guys are pulling my leg.

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Guppy35 on July 20, 2018, 04:29:33 PM

Quote from: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 02:15:20 PM

You guys are pulling my leg.

About what?

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 04:36:02 PM

All of this.

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Guppy35 on July 20, 2018, 04:39:05 PM

What kind of proof would you like?  I have a photo of he and I standing next to a Spit.  The story of his fight at high alt in that Spit against the recce Ju86R is well documented. 

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 04:51:27 PM

I thought I was being punk'd when I read that story. 

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Guppy35 on July 20, 2018, 05:17:58 PM

Nope. Highest fight of WW2.  He had a cannon jam so every time he fired the Spit yawed at that alt.  A single cannon hit on the Junkers.  He and the German pilot got to be friends postwar after author Alfred Price reunited them when he wrote about it in one of his books on the Spit

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Vraciu on July 20, 2018, 07:33:13 PM

Crazy.

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: MiloMorai on July 20, 2018, 07:51:13 PM

There was also a Spit V flying out of Egypt that intercepted a high altitude Ju86 and shot it down. Altitude was ~42,000ft.

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Guppy35 on July 20, 2018, 08:48:27 PM

Quote from: MiloMorai on July 20, 2018, 07:51:13 PM

There was also a Spit V flying out of Egypt that intercepted a high altitude Ju86 and shot it down. Altitude was ~42,000ft.

That one has been debated for a while as it was a single stage Merlin.   The Galitzine flight was higher.  The effort of those Spit drivers in Eqypt was really something, both in the physical demands and on the lengths they went to try and get those Spit Vs able to attack those Ju86P flights

Title: Re: Spitfire BF273 or 274
Post by: Frodo on July 21, 2018, 05:44:09 PM

Just read this book and it is very good. 

Angels in the Sky: How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel
by Robert Gandt

Czech built 109s vs Spits and later Spits and a couple Mustangs vs Spits. All kinds of odd fights. Even a maneuver kill of an Egyptian Sea Fury by a Beau fighter. Some good info on Beurling also.  :cheers: