Flying the iconic Spitfire is the dream of many, and Jon, founder of The Warbird Coffee Co was lucky enough to experience it!
Spitfire MJ627, rolled off the Castle Bromwitch production line in 1943 as a Spitfire LF Mk IXc entering service with 441 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force.
During it's first operational sortie from Airfield B70 in Belgium on the 25th September and on the 27th September 1944 while operating over the city of Arnhem, it's pilot, Pilot Officer Sidney Bregman used MJ627 to shoot down a BF-109!
After a potted post war history it is now available for flights from Biggin Hill, operated by flyaspitfire.com/
This flight departed Biggin Hill and headed south to the coast, crossing over the channel at Cuckmere Haven and heading East to Eastbourne past Beachy Head, patrolling the same skies as The Few of Fighter command did in the long summer of 1940 before heading back to Biggin Hill via Brands Hatch for a victory roll!
After years flying the Mk IX Spitfire in DCS World and iL2 Great Battles this really was a dream come true - the true agility of the aircraft became immediately evident but most of all just how different the Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine sounds from inside the cockpit!
Bregman's account of his action on the 27th September 1944;
“On September 27, 1944, we were patrolling the area around Arnhem, at about two in the afternoon, as a squadron. We all had special long-range tanks on the underside of our aircraft, which gave us some additional range, because we were stationed at Antwerp at the time. Normal range was 80 to 90 minutes at the most. Those tanks gave us an extra hour.
In any case, while we were patrolling over Arnhem, my engine stopped. Obviously the tank had fallen off, so I switched immediately. That particular manoeuvre put me in a position somewhat astern of the rest of the squadron, although my wingman was still with me.
As I looked over my shoulder, lo and behold, there was an Me 109 alone, with me now very manoeuvrable because I didn’t have that tank. It took about two or three seconds for me to get in line, and another second or two after that I hit the 109.
That was the end of it - it only took 11 shells altogether. Just a quick burst and it went down immediately. Because I’d lost the tank, I got permission from the squadron leader to head back to Antwerp. My kill was confirmed later by Don Kimball. Apparently, the 109 crashed into the Rhine at Arnhem. We had done a lot of air-to-ground, but that was my first German aircraft. ”
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1 ноя 2022
