The
Royal Indian Air force was selected to be part of the Commonwealth Occupation
forces in Japan
after the end of WW II along with RAF, RAAF and USAAF units.
No 4 sqn, “The Oorials” (a type of mountain Ram) was selected to
represent
India
as part of that force. The sqn set
sail with 12 Spifire FR Mk XIVe ac from
Cochin
aboard the light Carrier HMS Vengeance on 03 Apr 46. Enroute the boat picked up
Nos 17 and 11 RAF sqns (also on Spitfire Mk XIVs) and a Royal Army AOP unit on
Austers from Singapore (which necessitated the dumping overboard of nearly 30
lend lease FAA Corsairs and Hellcats). The
sqn arrived at Iwakuni, Kyushu prefecture,
Japan
on 23 Apr and after transfer ashore on barges (there being no deck space to fly
off) and some air tests and familiarization, flew to Miho on Japan’s main land on 07 May 46. The sqn flew patrols off the Korean peninsula to
prevent illegal immigrants as also took part in fly pasts over Tokyo with Nos
76, 77 and 82 sqns RAAF on the P-51. The sqn departed Miho in end Jul 47 leaving
all their Spitfires behind. The
sqn’s ac were re painted in the standard post war overall silver finish with
SEAC blue and sky roundels, while the RAF units retained their ac in temperate
camouflage with SEAC white ID bands and blue/sky roundels.
I always wanted to do the blue/sky roundels on a silver ac and the Spit
XIV seemed the ideal choice.
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The ac I‘ve
selected-RN 133 has quite a history behind it.
Taken on charge by the RAF on 05 Jan 45 it arrived
Bombay
for 132 sqn RAF on 12 Apr 45 and was marked FF-B. It was handed over to the
RIAF to No 4 sqn and shipped to Iwakuni.
During an air test sortie in the hands of then Sqn Ldr Nur Khan (later
Air Vice Marshall and Chief of the Pakistan Air Force) it suffered a tyre burst
on landing on 28 Jul 47 and declared cat FA/Ac.
Left behind with the rest of the Spitfires it was finally struck off the
RAF register on 24 Jul 48.
I have used the impeccable 1/48
Academy kit which was constructed by my friend and modeler Boban James.
The construction was so good that hardly any finishing was required for
painting. I used Testors acrylic
aluminum overall and enamel flat black for the anti glare panel (although pics
show that many 4 sqn Spits flew without the anti glare black panel).
The decals were gifted by Phil Camp and from spares.
Weathering was chalk pastels and a lead pencil was used for the panel
lines and rivet heads.
Boban
and Polly
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