USA: British Warplanes of the Second World War preserved: Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War preserved in the USA.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are as credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War in the United States of America would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

The Mk Vb was the principal Spitfire variant in service during 1941 and 1942. This particular aircraft (Serial No. R6923) was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 near Dover on 21 June 1941.

(IWM Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb of the USAAF 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group, Mount Farm, Oxfordshire, England, in 1944. Identified as “war weary”, this aircraft was being used as a squadron “hack.”

(IWM Photo)

Two Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. V “War Weary” aircraft used as hacks, EN904 and AR404. Worn-out aircraft were declared War Weary when they had exceeded their airframe life and/or suffered damage which precluded them from being pushed to their original design limits safely.

(IWM Photo)

The USAAF 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group operated the Spitfire Mark XI from Mount Farm, Oxfordshire, England. The Mark XI was a Mark IX airframe with all armament and armor removed and extra fuel and cameras added, optimized for high-altitude flight. This is PA944 with invasion stripes under the fuselage.

Supermarine Spitfires preserved in the USA by aircraft type, serial number, registration number and location:

(Author Photos)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. Ia (Serial No. P9306). This Spitfire is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.  It is a Battle of Britain veteran that flew with No. 74 Squadron RAF.

All RAF aircraft were assigned an Air Ministry (AM) Form 78, which contained details of its service life.  The Form 78 for RAF (Serial No. P9306) included the following data: engine 508, first flew (FF) 19-1-1940, 24 Maintenance Unit (MU) 24-1-1940, No. 74 Squadron 6-7-1941.  P9306 was shot down some time before 7-1941.  No. 131 Squadron 7-1941, 52 Operational Training Unit (OTU) 10-1941, 61 OTU, Cat B damage, WA 4-5-1943.  Currently suspended from the ceiling in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.  (SPITFIRE, The History.  Eric B. Morgan and Edward Shacklady, Key Books Ltd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK, 2000, p. 92).

(Dave Miller Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. Vb (Serial No. BL628), Reg. No. N628BL.  Airworthy.  Owned by Lewis Air Legends and based at Encinal, Texas.  It is painted as (Serial No. BL628), YO-D, of 401 (RCAF) Squadron at RAF Gravesend, which it wore during 1942 as the personal aircraft of G. B. "Scotty" Murray.  BL628 had the name "Marion" painted on the fuselage just forward of the cockpit after the pilot's girlfriend, and this detail has been faithfully replicated.  Previously in Melbourne, Australia, Reg. No. VH-FVB.

The Form 78 for RAF (Serial No. BL628) included the following data: built at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, 12 Maintenance Unit (MU) 25-1-1942, No. 401 Squadron 1-4-1942, No. 308 Squadron 5-8-1942, No. 167 Squadron 12-8-1942, No. 610 Squadron 14-10-1942, to Cunliffe Owen to have a hook fin added 19-6-1943, Royal Navy Deposit Account (RNDA) 16-1-1944, RNAS Belfast 30-1-1944 then to Australia.  (SPITFIRE, The History.  Eric B. Morgan and Edward Shacklady, Key Books Ltd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK, 2000, p. 197).

(Dsdugan Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. Vb, RAF (Serial No. BL370), SH-J, presentation aircraft, “Gungaon II Punjab”.  The fuselage is original but the wings are replicas without the radiator.

The Form 78 for RAF (Serial No. BL370) included the following data: 37 Maintenance Unit (MU) 23-11 1941, No. 130 Squadron 8-12- 1941, No. 224 Squadron 28-4-1942, No. 130 Squadron 31-12-1942, No. 610 Squadron 20-2-1943, No. 350 Squadron 27-3-1943, FACB 11-5-1943 salvage centre (SAL), No. 118 Squadron 3-8-1943, No. 64 Squadron 25-9-1943, 43 Operational Training Unit (OTU) 11-8-1944, written off (CE) 30-9-1944.  (SPITFIRE, The History.  Eric B. Morgan and Edward Shacklady, Key Books Ltd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK, 2000, p. 196).

(Goshimini Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. Vc (Serial No. MA863), HL-B.  This Spitfire is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. It is painted in the markings of anataircraft the flew during Operation Torch, HL-B, 31st Fighter Group, 308th Fighter Squadron. Ex Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) (Serial No. A58-246), it also flew with No. 54 Squadron (RAF) in early 1944 as the personal mount of Sqn Ldr E M Gibbs wearing the codes DL-A.  It later served with 452 Squadron (RAAF), coded QY-F.

(NACA Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk. VII, flown by the USAAF at the NACA, Langley Virginia, 31 Dec 1942.

(Perry Quan Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. VIIIc (Serial No. MT719), Reg. No. N719MT.  On display at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Dallas-Addison Airport, Texas.  This aircraft served with No. 17 Squadron (RAF) in both India and Burma during 1944/1945. It was transferred to the Royal Indian Air Force at the end of 1947 and served as an instructional airframe. It is currently painted in the markings and codes worn during its 17 Squadron service as MT719, YB-J.

(Arjun Sarup Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. VIIc (Serial No. EN474), National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

(Goshimini Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc (Serial No. MK923), Reg. No. N521R.  On display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington following acquisition in 2000.  This Spitfire was formerly owned by the late actor Cliff Robertson.  From 1972 until 1994, it was flown by Jerry Billing, a Canadian Second World War Spitfire pilot, until he retired from flying Spitfires at age 75. Billing set a record for most Spitfire experience while flying this Spitfire.  During Robertson's ownership and Billing's pilot tenure with MK923, the aircraft was mainly based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  It wears the markings and codes it wore when serving with No. 126 Squadron at RAF Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire in mid to late 1944 as MK923, 5J-Z.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc (Serial No. MK959), Reg. No. N959RT.  Airworthy.  Owned by the Texas Flying Legends Museum.

(Aldo Bidini Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXe (Serial No. MJ730), Reg. No. N730MJ.  Airworthy.  Owned by Jerry Yagen and based at the Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Virginia.  In April 1944 MJ730 was assigned to No. 417 Squadron RCAF, then operating in Italy.  It flew 95 missions as escort for American bombers over northern Italy. In June 1946, it was transferred to the Italian Air Force.  In 1947, MJ730 was used in the film Thunderbolt!, directed by William Wyler. In 1951 it was sold to the Israeli Air Force, and after service ended up in an Israeli playground.  In the 1970s, a collector transported it back to Britain for restoration.  FedEx founder Fred Smith bought it in 1986.

(Articseahorse Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXe (Serial No. SL633), Reg. No. N633VS.  Airworthy.  Owned by John Sessions with the Historic Flight Foundation and based at Paine Field, Washington.  An historic machine that has served with the Royal Air Force, the Czechoslovakian Air Force, the fledgling Israeli Air Force, and finally the Burmese Air Force.   It wears the markings of the Czechoslovakian Air Force as (Serial No. SL633), JT-10 of the 4th Air Regiment.

(Alan Wilson Photos)

(Mcmike0605 Photo)

(Ken Fielding Photo)

(Ronnie Macdonald Photo)

(airforcefe Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXe (Serial No. SL633), Reg. No. N633VS.  Ex-RAF (Serial No. UB424), ex-312 (Czech) Squadron (Serial No. SL633), ex-Israeli Air Force (Serial No. 204), ex-Burma Air Force, ex-UK Reg. No. G-CZAF, K, 2007 to the Historic Flight Foundation, Paine Field, Washington, USA.  Airworthy.

(Carlos Menendez Photo)

(Tim Felce Photos)

(tataquax Photo)

(Aldo Bidini Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IX (Serial No. PL344), Reg. No. N644TB, TL-B, owned by Tom Blair, this aircraft is now based in Easton, Maryland, USA. Airworthy.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk. XIVe (Serial No. NH749), Reg. No. N749DP.  Airworthy.  Owned and operated by the Commemorative Air Force, based at Camarillo airport, Southern California.  Built in late 1944, NH749 was shipped to India in July 1945 to serve with the RAF's South East Asia Command (SEAC) squadrons.  Rendered surplus to requirements by the Japanese surrender in August 1945, NH749 was placed in storage and sold to the Indian Air Force in late 1947.  In 1978 it was rediscovered and transported to England by the Hayden-Bailey brothers.  After restoration to flying condition, NH749 was sold to Keith Wickenden with the civil registration G-MXIV.  NH749 was later sold to David Price's Museum of Flying in the United States and was operated from 1985 to 2005 when it was once again sold, this time to the CAF.  It is painted in a SEAC colour scheme.

(Valder137 Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. XI, RAF (Serial No. PA908).  This aircraft is painted in an overall photo-reconnaissance (PR) Blue colour scheme marked to represent RAF (Serial No. MB950) of the 7th Photo Reconaissance Group, based at Mount Farm in Oxfordshire, England, in 1944.  It is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio.

(Bluedharma Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire Tr. 9 (Serial No. TE308), Reg. No. N308WK.  Initially allocated to 33 Maintenance Unit, then to 29 Maintenance Unit.  Sold to Vickers-Armstrongs in July 1950.  Converted to a two-seat trainer. Flew under Class B markings G-15-176. To Irish Air Corps in July 1951 as 163.  Wheels-up landing on delivery at Baldonnel Airfield on 30 July.  Withdrawn from service 9 September 1961.  Sold to Tony Samuelson in April 1968, registered G-AWGB. Restored to flying condition in a month.  Appeared in the movie Battle of Britain and also used for aerial filming where a camera was placed in the front cockpit allowing 'through the windscreen' shots to be captured, many of which appear in the film.  Sold to Sir William Roberts in April 1970 then sold to Don Plumb in July.  Registered CF-RAF. Reconverted to single seater in 1973.  Sold to Thomas Watson and registered N92477.  Sold to Woodson K. Woods and reconverted to two-seater in 1979, re-registered N308WK.  Sold to Bill Greenwood in April 2003.  Suffered an accident at Galveston, Texas on 26 April 200.  It is being restored to airworthy status by QG Aviation.

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe (Serial No. TE392), Reg. No. N97RW.  Owned by the Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) in Galveston, Texas and currently in storage following damage sustained during Hurricane Ike.  It spent time serving as a gate guard at a number of RAF airfields, including RAF Kemble and RAF Hereford, between 1952 and 1984.  Originally built as a low-back airframe with a 'bubble' canopy, it made its way into civilian ownership and was restored into high-back configuration and flew once again in Florida on Christmas Eve (24 December) 1999.  It is painted in the markings and colours of TE392, ZX-Z, to represent the personal mount of Sqn Ldr Lance C. Wade, No. 145 Squadron RAF, a Texan who flew with the RAF from 1940 to 1944 and went on to become an Ace.

(Valder137 Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe (Serial No. TE476), Reg. No. N476TE.  Owned by Kermit Weeks and under refurbishment at his Fantasy of Flight facility, Polk City, Florida.  It is painted in the markings and colours of TE476, GE-D to represent (Serial No. TB900), the personal mount of Sqn Ldr Lallemand OC, No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron RAF in 1945-1946. The original TB900 was a presentation Spitfire named "Winston Churchill" and the name is faithfully replicated on port side of the fuselage just below the cockpit along with the tally of aircraft kills and tank victories.  This aircraft's Merlin engine was fired up again on 14 January 2015 after 17 years of inactivity.

(Daderot Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe (Serial No. TE356), Reg. No. N356TE, Airworthy.  Previously with the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.  Affordable Mid-Coast Housing LLC, Auburn, Maine.

(Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. XVIIIe (Serial No. SM969), Reg. No. N969SM, -S, 28 Squadron, owned by Lawrence Classics LLC in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA. Airworthy.

Supermarine Seafire FR Mk. 47 (Serial No. VP441), Reg. No. N47SF.  The final variant of the Spitfire family.  Owned by Jim Smith and based at his private facility in Montana, following restoration by Ezell Aviation.

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