Here's an interesting Mk.IX operated in Malta, which also flew with the Polish Fighting Team, before being handed to the SAAF.
Spitfire Mk.IXc, AX-8, EN286, N°1 Squadron, Luqa, Malta, June 1943. A/c flown by Lt. McClellan Eric Sutton 'Robbie' Robinson.The name "CireCooks" is a combination of his name "Eric" being spelt backwards, and the nickname of his wife being "Cooks".
(Image via Piet van Schalkwyk)
(Image via Piet van Schalkwyk)
(Image via Piet van Schalkwyk)
Kremlin wrote:
Whilst based at Luqa aerodrome in Malta, No.1 squadron's Spitfire Mk.IX's were taken on strength. Six pilots had flown to Ben Gardane North L.G. on the 18th, with six of the squadron's most battered Mk.V's. These "ropey" aircraft were especially chosen as the aircraft to be replaced by the Mk.IX's. At Ben Gardane North, the pilots exchanged their Mk.V's for six Mk.IX's, which had previously been operated by the Polish Fighting Team (PFT).
The PFT was formed on the 5th February 1943, and comprised fifteen experienced Polish pilots, who were specifically selected out of the 68 Poles who volunteered for this duty. Once they arrived in North Africa, the PFT were attached to No.145 squadron (RAF), and became "C" flight of this squadron. This was purely for administrative reasons as they were however, fully independent and received their operational orders directly from No.244 Wing of the Desert Air Force. The Wing, under the command of W/Cdr. Ian Gleed, was comprised of five squadrons; No.'s 92, 145, and 601 (RAF), No.1 (SAAF) and No.417 (RCAF), which were all flying Spitfire Mk.V's. The Polish aircraft used the same "ZX" codes as those of No.145 (RAF), but instead of individual letters, they were given numbers from "1" to "0". Under the command of Maj. Stanislaw Skalski, the PFT achieved great success in the North African desert. From going into action on the 13th March, until the end of the African campaign on the 13th May, the unit's scoreboard displayed 25 enemy aircraft shot down, 3 probable and 9 damaged. This was achieved in 539 sorties, and against the loss of only one pilot (who became a POW) and two aircraft, it was indeed an extremely successful 62 days of operations !! During April 1943, they were the highest scoring fighter unit in North Africa, and had notoriously became known as "Skalski's Circus". The following Mk.IX's were on stregth; ZX-1 (EN 459), ZX-2 (EN 247), ZX-3 (EN 361), ZX-4 (EN 313), ZX-5 (EN 267), ZX-6 (EN 315), ZX-7 (EN 268), ZX-8 (EN 286), ZX-9 (EN 300), ZX-10(EN 261), ZX-0 (EN 355), ZX-1 (EN 462), ZX-4 (EN 257) They became non-operational on the 12th May, two days after the surrender of the Afrika Corps and the end of the campaign in North Africa.
After the ferry flight from Ben Gardane North L.G., the No.1 squadron pilots arrived back at Luqa aerodrome on the 19th June with the squadron's first Spitfire Mk.IX's. Lt. M.E.S. Robinson notes in his log-book, that his "first trip in Spit 9"was "ZX-8" and that he also flew MK.IX, "ZX-8", back to Malta. The aircraft still carried the "ZX-8" codes from its previous use in the Polish Fighting Team. Once at the squadron, the "Z" codes were replaced with an "A", but the aircraft retained the code numbers. The retention of the numbers, had the added benefit, in that members of the squadron were easily able to distinguish between the Mk.V's and Mk.IX's.
Cheers