485sqn Spitfire IXe conversion

[hbpencil]

Hi guys,

I'm interested in the period when 485 converted it's IXc Spits into IXe's, apologies if I'm casting a rather wide net but I'm wondering if anyone here has any references/documents/anecdotes etc in regards to the time frame and any technical aspects of the conversions.

Cheers,

HB

[saratoga]

Would that be 'converted' or 'converted to'?.More likely to be converted to as in another MK as opposed to converting the current MK.
The major difference is the wing layout, at construction.ie,How many MG or cannon,and i think some had extra fuel tankage.

[hbpencil]

Hi saratoga,
Sorry for this late reply. As I understand it the E wing was structurally the same as the C wing but differed in that it needed some mounts/braces etc to fit the .50cal and its ammo in bays originally intended for a Hispano 20mm cannon as well as changes to the plumbing for the pneumatics and heating, but other than that the rest of the aircraft was unchanged so a MkIX would still be a IX but with a different designation suffix due to its wing type.
Unfortunately I haven't yet found good, solid documentary evidence of the steps needed to convert a C wing into an E or the time it would take do so. I'm under the impression that 485sqn converted it's C winged MkIXs to the E wing (as opposed to new build Spitfires with the E wing)some time prior to D-Day so I'm hoping someone here might have some more details that could shed some light on the process.

Cheers

HB

[adamlunney]

I have a book on 485 Sqn by Kevin Wells titled "An Illustrated History of the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron" - I'll check it for you.

[adamlunney]

A check of the book doesn't reveal anything sorry. Presumably the ORB makes a bit of a fuss when IXc's are exchanged for IXe's but they would exchange whole aircraft, not just modify the wings. 453 picked theirs up in batches from the UK and flew them to their base in Normandy when they switched over.

[hbpencil]

Cheers Adam, thanks for taking the time to check that book... funny you should mention it as I got myself a copy late last week! I also got a copy of Paul Sortehaug's book on 486 sqn while I was about it, which I'm quite enjoying.
The following link states that the C wing could be converted to the E wing and suggests that 485 sqn did this, however I now believe you're right that they got new Spits rather than converting their existing ones. I finally dug up a copy of Johnnie Houlton's autobio 'Spitfire Strikes' and he states that at the end of April '44 they received new aircraft (which is when he got his ML407 with which he had his victories on D-Day), and although he doesn't mention the armament ML407 was manufactured that same month by which time E winged Spitfires were coming off the production line.

spitfiresite.com/2010/04/sorting-out-the-e-american-armament-for-the-spitfire-mk-ixxvi.html

HB

[Mustang51]

That's given me something else to talk about at Temora this coming weekend.

[petera]

It may come as a surprise but there was no such thing as a Spitfire Mk IXc. Mk IXb and Mk IXc just did not officially exist.

You will find Mk IXc reference in countless books, magazines and model kits etc but it is just an assumption based on the nomenclature used on the MK V - Va, Vb & Vc.

You will not find it in any official military documentation, Pilot's Notes, Air Publications, Movement cards, Spare parts manuals etc etc.

Even in the combined Spare Part manuals for the Mk IX, it just covers Mk IX up until the implementation of the .5 Browning whence it refers to 'Early Mk IX and Mk IXe'.

The Mk IX was conceived as a short order stop gap measure to fit the two stage Merlin to the Mk V airframe due to development and testing delays encountered with the stronger Mk VIII coming on stream. Time rolled on and they just kept making them.

If there truly was a universal wing fitted to the Mk IX that could take two 20mm Cannon per wing, all sorts of modifications would be needed to sort out the gun heating and controls requiring testing and development in the full operational envelope. It just did not happen, with the Mk IXe and the Mk VIII just around the corner.

PeterA

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Peter.

[adamlunney]

While the IXc might not have been official, IXA is used in 453 Sqns ORB (not favourably!) and IXB is used in at least one logbook that I have a copy of.