Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn X-3 BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942

Skins Compatibility: IL2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles (FB), Ace Expansion Pack (AEP), Pacific Fighters (PF), 1946

EMAIL: Hi Chris (Kristorf)
Well it’s taken me two years but I’m finally getting round to featuring your wonderful Spitfire skins.
I noticed that in your Malta series you have two sets of skins for the same aircraft.
Are they both correct markings or was one a mistake?
Matthew

Matthew,
The one in the Malta pack is the more accurate, made after more research and coming over more info regarding the colouring.
The first was made with the info available at the time, before it became known about the 'Malta Blue' painted on while carrier borne en-route. However it is correct as of time of being placed on the carrier
Hope this helps
Chris

KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn X-3 BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn X-3 BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 NC
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn X-3 BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 NM
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn X-3 BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 V0A
First part of a skin pack representing Spitfire MkVcs flown from the Island of Malta during the seige year of 1942 All are various shades of grey/blue with markings and weathering to suit. Template by Robo, Kristorf, mech by FBS (from his MkVIII), some weathering by Jester and TonyT.
Second part of a skin pack representing Spitfire MkVb (Trop) and Spitfire MkVc (Trop) as flown from the beseiged island of Malta during the dark days of 1942. Six more aircraft included. Spitfire MkVc AB264 GN-H 249 Sqn, Takali, March 1942.bmp Spitfire MkVc BP964 X-1, 126 Sqn, Luqa, April 1942.bmp Spitfire MkVc BR126 3-X, 126 Sqn, Luqa, May 1942.bmp Spitfire MkVc BR246 B, 249 Sqn, Takali, June 1942.bmp Spitfire MkVc EP691 X-A, 229 Sqn, Takali, Oct 1942.bmp Spitfire MkVc
RAF 126Sqn D-V
RAF 126Sqn MK-L
RAF 126Sqn X-1
RAF 126Sqn X-3
RAF 229Sqn
RAF 246Sqn B
RAF 246Sqn X-A
RAF 249Sqn A-2
RAF 249Sqn GN-H
RAF 249Sqn Q-1
RAF 249Sqn T-C
RAF 249Sqn T-D
RAF 249Sqn T-H
RAF 249Sqn T-K
RAF 249Sqn T-L
RAF 249Sqn T-Z
RAF 601Sqn K-1
RAF 601Sqn U
Also there are roundel versions and tail flash only versions Made with Robos base template with FBS Mech layer from his VIII (cheers mate), some weathering from Jesters Seafire (again thx), rest by me
KF Kristorf
kristorf576@o2.co.uk

This is an older version which has been replaced by the above series this is still a correct but was painted over while in transit.
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn 3-X Pilot Officer James Smith BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn 3-X Pilot Officer James Smith BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 NC
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn 3-X Pilot Officer James Smith BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 NM
KF Spitfire MkVc Trop RAF 126Sqn 3-X Pilot Officer James Smith BE126 Luqa Malta May 1942 V0A
Spitfire Vc BR126, 3-X flown by Pilot Officer James Smith of the USS Wasp as part of Operation Bowery on 6th May 1942. This was the largest single operation to ferry Spitfires to Malta to date with 64 A/C schedueled to take off. Plt Off Smith (a Canadian in the RAF) managed to get airborne, only to find that the fuel transfer system on 3-X was not working. Deciding against bailing out or ditching Smith landed on the 'Wasp' on his second attempt, stopping 6ft short of the end of the flight deck. In admiration of a no hook landing the American pilots onboard presented Smith with his own set of US Naval Aviation Wings.
The next day, with his A/C repaired Smith took of for Malta.
Unfortunataly James Smith was killed in combat later that year.
Included are 3 skins, full, rounds and blank
Thx again to Robo. 2005
KF Kristorf

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RAF No. 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron
Motto: Foremost in Attack

Originally intended to be a day bomber unit, it formed on 1 March 1918 at Old Sarum.  Equipped with DH9s, its aircraft and crews were needed to provide reinforcements for units on the Western Front and it disbanded on17 August 1918.

As the Axis onslaught on Malta gathered momentum, the need for enlarged air defence grew  and on 28 June 1941, 126 re-entered the Order of Battle when a flight of No 46 Squadron, en-route for the Middle East was re-directed and given the the number.  Equipped with Hurricanes it was mainly concerned with defence of the island and attacks against naval targets such as E-boats. However, in October the squadron began to carry out attacks against Axis targets in Siciliy although its main purpose remained air defence of Malta.  Spitfires arrived in March 1942 and continued operations in the same vein.  In September 1943, the squadron moved forward into Sicily and later onto the Italian Mainland, but on 1 April 1944, it departed the Mediterranean theatre and headed to the UK.

Back in Britain, the squadron was again equipped with Spitfires, which it flew from May on shipping patrols and Rhubarbs.  Another change occurred in December when the squadron re-equipped with Mustangs and with these it undertook bomber escort missions to aircraft of Bomber Command, who were now able to undertake daylight operations.  It also undertook long range anti shipping sweeps from May but these were short-lived as the war in Europe ended on the 8th.  From February 1946 the squadron began to revert to Spitfires, but the following month (10th) it disbanded for the last at Hethel.

Squadron Codes used: -
UN Allocated April - September 1939
V Jun 1942 - Dec 1942
MK Dec 1942 -Mar 1943
5J  Apr 1944 - Apr 1946

Web Reference: http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn126-130.htm

AHQ Malta
(Air Headquarters Malta or Air H.Q. Malta)

AHQ Malta (Air Headquarters Malta or Air H.Q. Malta) was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) established on December 28, 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd.

Initially blockaded by the Axis, Malta was not much of an offensive threat early in the North African Campaign, but was considered an essential Allied stronghold as exemplified by Operation Pedestal and the eventual assignment of Keith Park to defend the island.

On April 20, 1942, the USS Wasp delivered 47 Spitfires to Malta and the German Luftwaffe promptly destroyed 30 of them on the same day. Nonetheless, as these and other aircraft reached the island during the summer of 1942, the defensive and offensive capabilities of AHQ Malta were significantly fortified. On July 1, 1942, AHQ Malta had approximately 200 aircraft, about half of which were Spitfires. Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park took over command of AHQ Malta On July 15, 1942.

At this time, the island provided critical operational air bases for the Allies with proximity to Axis shipping lanes and the battlefields of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Pantelleria, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and mainland Italy during World War II. There were three main airfields on Malta known as RAF Hal Far, RAF Luqa, and RAF Ta' Kali with an intermediate landing area known as the Safi Dispersal Strip.

During the month of October, 1942 when the Second Battle of El Alamein was being waged, Allied forces were credited with the destruction of 59% of the German tonnage and 45% of the Italian tonnage shipped to Rommel's Axis forces in North Africa. In large part the result of AHQ Malta and the British and American heavy bombers of No. 205 Group, this attrition was a significant aspect of Rommel's defeat.

In February of 1943, AHQ Malta became a major sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) established at the Casablanca Conference in January. The Northwest African Air Forces and Middle East Command were the other major sub-commands of MAC.

Order of battle

When the Allies invaded Sicily (Operation Husky) on July 10, 1943, AHQ Malta consisted of the units indicated below.

Notes: SAAF=South African Air Force; Det.=Detachment.
Some famous Aces stationed on Malta were Rhodesian Johnny Plagis and the Canadian fighter pilots George 'Screwball' Beurling and Wally McLeod.

Air Vice Marshal R. M. Foster took over command of AHQ Malta on March 26, 1944 and Air Vice Marshal K. B. Lloyd took over on October 19, 1944, commanding through the remainder of World War II and into June of 1947. AHQ Malta had ten other commanders until it was disbanded on June 30, 1968 and its units were absorbed by Air Commander Malta.

Web Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AHQ_Malta

RAF Luqa

RAF Luqa was an airbase of the Royal Air Force on the island of Malta during World War II. Particularly from 1941 to 1943, RAF Luqa was a very important base for British Commonwealth forces fighting against Italy and Germany for naval control of the Mediterranean and for ground control of North Africa. Air combat over and near Malta was some of the most ferocious of the war, and a series of airfields were built on the small, rocky island: at Luqa, TaQali, and HalFar, plus satellite fields at Safi, Qrendi and on Malta's second island of Gozo.

After the war, Luqa remained an important RAF base, serving during the Suez Crisis of 1956, but also served as Malta's main civilian airport. Nowadays, the location has been developed into the main entry point of the modern, independent country of Malta, under the name Malta International Airport. It is sometimes still referred to as 'Luqa Airport' or 'Valletta Airport'.

The RAF left in 1979 following a British government decision not to renew the lease on the station from the Maltese. The payments demanded were several times the previous payments under the previous lease. It is also possible that the Avro Vulcan crash over the village of Żabbar led to the Maltese decision to effectively get the RAF to leave by raising the proposed lease payments to what was known to be a level unacceptable to the British.

Web Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Luqa