Spitfire Mk.VIII, ZX-V, JF578, piloted by Lt. John M.G. "Andy" Anderson, (328517V), N° 145 Sqdn RAF, Perugia, Italy, August 1944.John Anderson was born and raised in Windhoek, South West Africa, and had joined the SAAF just after the outbreak of the Second World War. After receiving his pilots wings, he was seconded to the RAF. He underwent operational training at N°71 OTU from November to middle December 1943, where flying Harvards and Hurricanes, he came third in the class. He was thereafter sent to Almaza transit camp, from which he would be posted to an operational squadron. However, due to witnessing a theft, and then being required to attend the court martial, his posting was delayed. Months passed with him eagerly awaiting to be allocated to an operational squadron, before he was eventually sent to Italy. Crossing the Mediterranean in a large barge, he eventually arrived at Naples harbour, from where a further meandering train journey, took him to Termoli. From Termoli he would depart to join his squadron.
It was however, on the first evening after arrival at Termoli, that he realised there must have been an error in his posting. The only aircraft at the Termoli airfield were Spitfires ... an aircraft which he had never flown before!! Not wanting to report this error, as it would mean he would again be posted elsewhere and bring further delays, his fellow pilots gave him instructions on flying the Spitfire. The take-off and landing the following morning however, to use Lt. Anderson's words, "... was hardly poetic", and after landing he was ordered to report to the station commanding officer. He told the angry CO, Wing Commander Dennison, that he had never flown a Spitfire before, so how he had been posted to Spitfires was unknown to him as nobody had ever asked him if he had flown a Spitfire. He was now grounded, pending a decision by HQ as to what action would be taken. Two days later however, he was informed that due to his unblemished service record and due to a shortage of operational pilots, he would be allowed to continue to his squadron. He spent a further two weeks at Termoli, where he was guided by the CO who had taken the new pilot under his wing. Lt. Anderson finally got to his operational squadron in April 1944, when he was taken on strength by the "quarter to two" squadron - N°145 sqdn.
He was shot down on the 1st August 1944, when his Spitfire was hit by flak whilst bombing a bridge. Flying in Spitfire Mk.VIII ZX-V, JF578, as 'Dumpling Red 5", he was in a formation of six Spitfires who were tasked with an early morning bombing sortie against a railway bridge south east of Modena. He had released his single 500lb bomb and was climbing out of the dive, when the aircraft's powerful Merlin66 engine started spluttering. He continued to climb until just under 6000ft when the engine gave up entirely and burst into flames. He announced over the W/T that he was on fire and bailing out, then removed his headgear, removed the pin securing his straps, jettisoned the perspex hood, rolled the aircraft onto her back and fell free ... the story that follows is an amazing tale of escape and evasion, and one which is told in his book "Escape in the Apennines". Having baled out deep inside enemy territory, Lt. "Andy" Anderson was able to evade the German forces and finally reached the safety of the Allied lines ... some two months after being shot down.
Extracted from the Operations Record Book of N°145 Squadron (RAF), AIR 27/987/15, August 1944, The National Archives, Kew, London. 
Image Source: Escape in the Apinnines by J. Anderson (1992) ISBN:1-86848-769-5
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