Spitfire vs. Bf109 (Buchon) - Duxford The Americans Flying Day 2023

A mock low level ’dogfight’ between a Spitfire and the Spanish built version of the Messerschmitt Bf109 - an Hispano HA-1112 Buchon - acted out at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford for ’The Americans’ Flying Day 2023. Spitfire:- Spitfire LF Mk. Vc EE602, G-IBSY, was built by Westland, Yeovil, Somerset and completed on 11 September 1942. It was fitted with the universal ‘C’ wing which allowed armament of either 8 machine guns, 4 x 20mm cannon or a mix of 4 x .303 machine guns and 2 x 20mm cannon. EE602 had the mix of machine guns and cannon. It was powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin 46 engine. EE602 initially went to 33 Maintenance Unit (MU) before being issued to 66 Squadron at RAF Zeals, Wiltshire on 21 October 1942. She was transferred to 129 (Mysore) Squadron on 19 February 1943. Funds for the aircraft were raised by The Uruguayan Railways, which was run at the time by British expats. Upon EE602’s side is inscribed ‘Central Railways Uruguayan Staff’ as a mark of her ’presentation’ from the funds raised. As such she was formally ‘presented’ to 129 Squadron at RAF Ibsley on 31st May 1943. EE602’s final squadron was 453 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) where it carried the squadron code ’FU-?’ and was generally flown by Flt. Lt. Don Andrews. At the time 453 Squadron was based at RAF Ibsley. On 17 July 1943 during a rest from operations, two sections of ’B’ Flight, including Flt. Lt. Don Andrews in EE602, flew sorties to exercise some British armoured units on Salisbury Plain. After making dummy attacks down a road lined with tanks and fighting vehicles, it was necessary to pull up at the end to clear hills. Unfortunately, there was a line of telephone wires stretching between the hills, and the leader, Don Andrews, flew under the wires, clipping off the top of his rudder. W/O Ross Currie was flying as No.2 and also sustained wire and debris damage. Andrews staggered up to gain some height, turned on his back and intentionally dropped out of the cockpit, making a safe parachute descent. EE602 hit the ground at Enford Down West and burst into flames, and within fifteen seconds all that remained was a few wisps of black oily smoke and some spasmodic bursts of exploding ammunition. The damage to Ross Currie’s aircraft had resulted in the loss of the pitot head, freezing the airspeed indicator, making it useless. To avoid stalling, it was necessary to formate on another aircraft, which enabled him to land safely. EE602 was taken off charge with category E damage (aircraft ’written off’). 20 May 2011 the aircraft was registered to Ian David Ward, Aldershot as G-VMIJ. 25 January 2012 - Registration changed to G-IBSY with a new owner, Fairfax Spitfires Ltd, Salisbury. After a full restoration (2012 to 2015) completed by Airframe Assemblies, VMI Engineering, Retrotec & Air and Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar - presumably in reality a build of a new ’replica’ Spitfire containing some part/s known to have been from EE602 - it now flies again in the markings that the original EE602 carried while serving with 129 Squadron. The first flight was on 15 May 2015. 30 October 2017 - sold to Anglia Aircraft Restorations, Dunmow and now based at Duxford and Sywell. 31 may 2022 - ownership transferred to Fighter Aviation Engineering Ltd, Dunmow. Buchon:- Buchon G-AWHK (‘Yellow 10’) was built in Spain by Hispano Aviación in 1959. It’s a Messerschmitt Bf-109 airframe, but this license-built version instead has a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine fitted. The origins of the Buchon date back to 1943 when the Spanish Government made an order with the Luftwaffe for 200 Bf109G ‘kits’ to be sent to Spain for final assembly – owing to the increasing German losses and pressures of war, various major components such as the engines never arrived so Hispano was forced to source an alternative powerplant and propeller. Various combinations were trialled over the intervening years without great success – it was only in 1952 when Merlin 500-series engines sourced from Britain were fitted that the fighter really came into its own. Nothing is known about this Buchon’s operational life with the Spanish Air Force. In 1968 it was bought by Spitfire Productions Ltd and modified for use in the film ‘Battle of Britain’, much of which filmed at Duxford. Following completion of filming, it and 10 others were shipped to the USA by renowned warbird and film pilot Wilson ‘Connie’ Edwards as payment for his flying for the film. It was briefly flown in America with the Confederate Air Force before it was placed in a museum on static display. In 1996 it returned to Duxford with the Old Flying Machine Company; quickly moving on to Breighton, Yorkshire, where the Real Aeroplane Company began a restoration back to airworthy condition. This concluded with a maiden flight in mid-2006. In November 2006 the aircraft was bought by the Aircraft Restoration Company and it returned ‘home’ to Duxford. Video and Audio content is Copyright © High Flight