Spitfire Mk.IX Tropical

These pictures depict the Spitfire Mk.IX as displayed at Malta's Aviation Museum, April 2003.

I have found a number of pages mentioning this particular individual EN199 (mainly Spitfire survivor listings): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (modelling the EN199 in 1/32 scale)
 

The following text is from the museum's homepage:

"Built to contact no.B.19713/39, the aircraft was first flown at Eastleigh on 28 November, 1942. Shipped to Gibraltar together with others, it arrived there on 13 January, 1943, and was reassembled and test flown. It was flown over to the North African front to join No.81 Squadron. Wing Commander 'Ras' Berry DFC chose EN199 to be his personal mount and had his initials RB and wing commander's pennant, painted on the fuselage.

Following Cat.3 damage, EN199 was issued to No.154 Squadron which had moved from North Africa to Malta from where it took part in the invasion of Sicily and Italy. It moved on to the Italian mainland taking part in further operations joining No.1435 Squadron in Brindisi as V-D, and later No.225 Squadron in Florence as WU-S.

At the end of hostilities EN199 returned to Malta to join the Malta Communications Flight at Hal Far undertaking meteorological flights as from October. The following year it moved to No.73 Squadron at Luqa. On 23 December, 1946, it was blown into a quarry during a gale receiving Cat.3 damage and was struck off charge on 30 January, 1947.

That was not to be the end of EN199 as it was repaired, painted silver overall and presented to the Air Scouts of Malta on 27 May, 1947, at the Scouts Island Headquarters, Floriana.

There it was left in the open and neglected to the extent that it became dangerous to youngsters. In 1955 it was taken over by the Civil Defence School at Gharghur for use in rescue training courses and later in April 1956, it was taken to the new Civil Defence Headquarters at Targa Gap, Mosta, where it was severely damaged through being left exposed to vandals and the elements for many years.

The National War Museum Association collected the wreckage in 1974 for reconstruction and  display within the new War Museum at Valletta. This did not materialise and late in 1992, The Malta Historic Aircraft Preservation Group undertook its reconstruction with sponsorship from Mid-Med Bank Ltd, the Museums Dept. and the National War Museum Association. With locally made parts and others from recovered underwater wrecks together with help from the UK, the project was completed to static display standards in time for the 50th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, when it was prominently put on display for the occasion on the Palace Square in Valletta. It now has pride of place in the aviation museum, painted in desert camouflage and coded RB as flown by Wing Commander Berry in North Africa in 1943.

Air Commodore Berry has been contacted, he is unable to travel to Malta to see his former mount. He has, however, asked his daughter Susan to visit us and see the aircraft for herself. She and her husband have since returned more than once."


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