Spitfire Mk XII & MkXIV in the war (question)

lep1981 · #1 10-12-2009, 11:39 AM

Does anyone know if the spitfire Mk XII and Mk XIV were actually used in combat during the war?, i mean besides knocking out V1 bombs which I know they did.

Thanks

Skoshi Tiger · #2 10-12-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lep1981

Does anyone know if the spitfire Mk XII and Mk XIV were actually used in combat during the war?, i mean besides knocking out V1 bombs which I know they did.

Thanks

Yes.

According to Osprey, talking about No 41 Sqn - he Spitfire Mk XII first fired it's guns in anger for the first time on the 17th of that month [April 1943] when Flg Off C Birbek strafed an enemy partol boat. Later that day Flt Lt R Hogarth shot down a Junkers Ju 88 near Calais"

I'm sure that they were used at other times.

lep1981 · #3 10-12-2009, 01:53 PM

Excellent!

always had doubts about it considering the MkIX came into place (at least in wide use) by the mid-late 44 so I always wondered if later versions saw combat.

Thanks for your answer

Flyby · #4 10-12-2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lep1981

Does anyone know if the spitfire Mk XII and Mk XIV were actually used in combat during the war?, i mean besides knocking out V1 bombs which I know they did.

Thanks

The XIV saw combat too. In reading Donald Caldwell's "JG26/Yop Guns of the Luftwaffe", I recall reading that Germany was lucky that only a couple of squadrons of XIVs made it to the continent because of the (slight) speed advantage over most German fighter types, including the vaunted Dora. These Spits were assigned to 2nd Tactical Air Force, iirc. ( I can always refer to the book again). I consider it fair to introduce this plane to IL2, as it will be a good match for the D9 and the later G series. No whining now, as everyone was trying to have the best. It was war, after all.

Some links:

http://books.google.com/books?id=J6m...0Force&f=false

http://www.spitfireperformance.com/spit14v109.html

http://www3.sympatico.ca/angels_eight/2tac.html
Flyby out

TheGrunch · #5 10-12-2009, 11:50 PM

In Johnnie Johnson's autobiography he describes how he was made Group Captain and attached to 125 Wing of the 2nd TAF in late March '45 (very late in the war, I know):
"A dozen Spitfire 14s wheeled over Eindhoven as Varley and I drove on to the airfield. When the fighters taxied past the jeep we could see that most pilots had fired their guns, and I soon learnt that these boys of 130 Squadron had just knocked down seven Focke-Wulfs." They definitely saw action.
In fact, the XIIs were designed and had some success catching the tip-and-run FW190 raiders over England in '42-43, so they certainly saw action. In fact, Eric Brown said that the XII was his favourite Spit to fly out of all of them.
There's more detail on the operation use of XIVs in Pierre Clostermann's book, I think, and possibly on the XIIs as well, but I haven't got it to hand right now.

#6 10-13-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyby

The XIV saw combat too. In reading Donald Caldwell's "JG26/Yop Guns of the Luftwaffe", I recall reading that Germany was lucky that only a couple of squadrons of XIVs made it to the continent because of the (slight) speed advantage over most German fighter types, including the vaunted Dora. These Spits were assigned to 2nd Tactical Air Force, iirc. ( I can always refer to the book again). I consider it fair to introduce this plane to IL2, as it will be a good match for the D9 and the later G series. No whining now, as everyone was trying to have the best. It was war, after all.

Some links:

http://books.google.com/books?id=J6m...0Force&f=false

http://www.spitfireperformance.com/spit14v109.html

http://www3.sympatico.ca/angels_eight/2tac.html
Flyby out

as long as there will be 3-4 Me262s on a server with 40 planes (wink)