American Spitfires over Anzio
309th Fighter Squadron in Anzio
Major Jared was commander of the 309th Fighter Squadron, which had been equipped with Spitfires in 1942. During and after the landing at Anzio on 22 January 1944, the 309th FS flew cover and support missions until it was sent to North Africa in late March 1944 to be equipped with P-51s. Major Jared was unfortunately killed in action when he was hit by flak on 18 April.
USAAF Spitfires
USAAF units flying Spitfires were not uncommon in 1942. Until the P-51 entered service, the USAF had no aircraft capable of escorting long-range bombers against Axis aircraft in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
The Model
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXc
309th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 12s Air Force, January 1944, Anzio, Italy
Scale: 1/144
Kit: Eduard | Willys MB: Brengun | Figure: Shapeways
The Spitfire Mk. IXc from Eduard is a nice little kit. Using the Eduard etched parts to fill the empty cockpit of the kit and add details like the flaps, there is not much left to do. On this model, I opened the radio bay and made a thermoformed canopy to replace the thick part of the kit. The Willys MB comes from Brengun. It is a nice little resin cast to which I added a few details. The figure is a resin cast from Shapeways.
