# "Fly out the barrels...." parody on "Roll out the barrels...."



## Planelover (Mar 1, 2008)

I have an old, small Dutch magazine clipping. (Foto AP*,) of a Spitfire carrying a beer barrel underneath each wing half. *AP: I assume stands for Associated Press?

Caption says (in Dutch): '"Een Spitfire jachtvliegtuig van de RAF brengt vaten bier naar de Britse troepen die in Normandie-Frankrijk-geland zijn " Freely translated: "A Spitfire fighter of the RAF delivering barrels of beer to the British troops who landed in Normandy, France"

Armament clearly shows one cannon in each wing leading edge, a rear view mirror mounted on top of front framing of cockpit canopy. The plane has invasion stripes, however, markings etc.,are obscured by the right wing. 

Wing shape is standard elliptical, no square cut tips. Looks an awful lot like a F.Mk.IX. It's quite obvious the beer barrels are hung up on bomb shackles, and that's mysterious to me, because I have never seen a photo and/or drawing of the underside of a Spitfire F.Mk.IX wing that showed bombshacklesI

Anybody ever found such schackles in a model kit of a F.Mk.IX? 

As of today, I went through ±57 websites (I'm a retired old coot, have time galore to do this) on all Mk's of Spitfire! Found absolutely NOTHING on this beer barrel toting Spitfire, and also no bombshackles under the wings!

Could anybody inform and enlighten me which Mk Spitfire could carry beer barrels to the British troops in France? Squadron(s), Code(s), etc.?

Many thanks in advance for anybody's reply.


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## Graeme (Mar 2, 2008)

From 'SPITFIRE THE HISTORY' Morgan and Shacklady...


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## v2 (Mar 2, 2008)

next one...


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## Konigstiger205 (Mar 2, 2008)

I wish a Spitfire could bring me a few barrels of beer


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## pbfoot (Mar 2, 2008)

I can't recall which squadron but it was RCAF , when they deployed to the Normandy beachhead shortly after the invasion they had no beer , so they made a deal with a Brit brewery and rigged up the kegs to fit on the bombracks


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## ThunderThud (Mar 2, 2008)

Those bomb shackles looks very close to a p-40 bomb shackle but i'm not 100% on that.


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## Planelover (Mar 2, 2008)

The photo of the beer toting Spit in the air is the same I have and talked about. The others are new to me and greatly appreciated. But all in all nobody solved my problem. Where did the bombshackles come from?

>>>>>"rigged up the kegs to fit on the bombracks"<<<<< and>>>>>"bomb shackles looks very close to a p-40 bomb shackle but i'm not 100% on that."<<<<<

Still no answer on which Spit model had these bomb shackles. Probably they were just in-field modifications?
There was no need to install release wiring, etc. because they were not going to drop the barrels! At least I don't think so!


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## pbfoot (Mar 2, 2008)

whatever bombshackles the MKIX used I don't know if US bombs were interchangable with with the Spit ones . The Mk IX was a fighterbomber as well and quite often carried bombs


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## Cota1992 (Mar 2, 2008)

I don't know any details on the shackles but remeber years ago Johnny Johnson wrote about the beer barrels when he was commanding a CRAF sqaudron in Normandy. It's been years since I've read it and I don't have the book anymore but I have always wondered about this.
These are the first photos I have seen myself too, thanks!
Art in DC


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## Graeme (Mar 3, 2008)

Planelover said:


> Still no answer on which Spit model had these bomb shackles. Probably they were just in-field modifications?
> There was no need to install release wiring, etc. because they were not going to drop the barrels! At least I don't think so!



I'm guessing that the 'beer barrel' Spitfire Mk IX MJ329 was an experimental Spitfire much like LF IX MJ823 which conducted bomb handling trials at Boscombe Down in 1944 . Both bomb racks appear to be same. Three bomb racks were eventually fitted, two to the wings and one under the fuselage. When dropping two 250lb GP bombs results were good;

_"Handling and release up to 450mph posed no problems.." _

However jettisoning all three bombs together however "_..proved unsatisfactory". _


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## Micdrow (Mar 3, 2008)

New drop tanks where also used by the British to transport beer and spirits. Some where I have a picture of a drop tank being filled with three XXX on the side to show it was used for spirits mounted to a spitfire.


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## seesul (Mar 3, 2008)

I´m sure this way of transport kept the beer the right temperature


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## Micdrow (Mar 3, 2008)

Micdrow said:


> New drop tanks where also used by the British to transport beer and spirits. Some where I have a picture of a drop tank being filled with three XXX on the side to show it was used for spirits mounted to a spitfire.



Dohh picture is already up there. Though I may have a different one laying around.


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