Spitfire Mk.Vb BM597 is already well known on the UK warbird scene. It was restored at Audley End in Essex by Historic Flying Limited in the 1990s and has been maintained in airworthy condition with the Historic Aircraft Collection (HAC) at Duxford since it flew in 1997. It's a particularly special Spitfire for the Polish nation, as the aircraft served with two RAF (Polish) Squadrons at Woodvale, Merseyside, from May 1942. Like many of the type, BM597 is a product of the Castle Bromwich production line, having been built under contract B981687/39. The order was placed in 1939 for 1,000 Spitfire Mk.Is, but this was upgraded to Mk.Ⅲ when the order was released to production. That mark of fighter was never actually produced, and by the time construction was under way, BM597 was built as a Mk.Vb. Finished in early 1942, the Spitfire headed to No 37 Maintenance Unit, to be fitted out at Burtonwood, before being allocated to 315 (Deblinski) Squadron as part of 9 Group in the northwest of England. At Woodvale, BM597 was coded with the Polish unit as PK-C, until September 1942 when it was transferred to 317 (Wilenski) Squadron, which was replacing 315 at Woodvale. With the new squadron, the Spitfire was repainted with squadron codes JH-C (which it carried in more recent years, until repainted into a 303 Squadron scheme). Under 317, the fighter provided much-needed cover for the convoys coming in and out of Liverpool docks and to the huge and vitally-important industrial sites across the northwest of England. Surviving life in the air, BM597 suffered Cat-B damage during take-off from Woodvale in February 1943, and the aircraft was sent to de Havilland for repairs. Passing through Vickers Armstrongs at South Marston, the fighter had modification work carried out to its fuel systems, rudder and elevators, plus it had wing stiffeners installed, along with an IFF (identification friend or foe) Mk.Ⅲ antenna and bomb-carrying shackles.
展开▼
