Spitfire Registration Numbers

[andrewd]

I have the following (partial) Registration Numbers for Spitfire Vb machines being flown by USAAF pilots out of a base near Shrewsbury in early 1943:
176, 660, 837, 838, 3264, 3431, 3939, 4620, and 4821.

I'm inclined to think it may be a USAAF Combat Crew Replacement Centre at ex-RAF base Atcham.

Can anyone confirm, please? (Full Registration Numbers for the Spitfires would be a bonus!)

Thank you very much.

 

[Airframes]

Almost certainly CCRC at Atcham, if near Shrewsbury. The USAAF retained the British serial numbers on their Spitfires, and many of these, at the time, were 'secon hand' machines handed over by the RAF. There were a number of serial batches, and I'm guessing the only way to identify them positively, is a search through the production listings in the Shacklady/Morgan book on the Spitfire - unless you can gain access to any surviving documents from Atcham, probably the engineering logs.

 

[bada]

what i found in my DB what is based on the data from spitfire.co.uk.


EP176/Vb/CBAF/M45/9MU 10-6-42 High Ercall 21-6-42 8Ftr Command 27-10-42 345S 30-11-42 FAAC 8-12-42 344USAAF 15-1-43 109USAAF 21-11-43 FAAC 18-5-44 LMS recat E 14-7-44

W3837/Vb/2040/EA/M45/FF 4-9-41 38MU 7-9-41 266S 13-9-41 312S 7-6-42 243S 2-9-42 Scottish Aviation 19-11-42 66S 12-5-43 312S 29-6-43 FAAC 26-8-43 ros 504S 6-10-43 67GrpUSAAF 6-1-44 AST 10-3-44 53OTU 5-9-44 SOC 22-5-45

EN838/Vb/CBAF/M45/12MU 8-5-42 RAF Atcham 20-6-42 FAAC 24-6-42 308USAAF 10-7-42 u/c collapsed after landing Kenley 11-8-42 308USAAF 24-8-42 crashed Arundel pilot killed wreck to Tangmere by VA CE 17-10-42

W3264/Vb/1730/EA/M45/FF 31-5-41 6MU 2-6-41 92S 23-6-41 CB ops 25-6-41 ASTE 2-7-41 5USAAF 6-8-42 332 Service Sqdn 3-12-42 345S 26-6-44 Taxied into concrete cover of gunpit and u/c collapsed Shoreham CE 30-7-44


W3431/Vb/1828/EA/M45/FF 30-6-41 38MU 1-7-41 72S 24-7-41 ros 3-10-41 403S 31-12-41 FAAC 30-3-42 ros Westland 5USAAF 6-8-42 6MU 11-11-43 M55M install VASM 23-2-44 fuel syst mods wing stiff MkIII IFF S Type pt bomb carrier CGS 3-10-44 R-R refurb to Portugal 22-9-47


W3939/Vb/2048/HPA/M45/FF 5-9-41 9MU 7-9-41 501S 17-9-41 [59S 19-5-42 ?] AST 11-6-42 5USAAF 12-8-42 341S 5-3-43 340S 'GW-N' 23-3-43 FAAC 26-8-43 ros RNDA 20-2-44 Cunliffe-Owen 25-4-44 mods 759S Yeovilton 24-7-44 to 10-44 761S Henstridge 11-44 to 1-45 Controlled flapless landing overshot nosed up in soft ground Cat LX 26-11-44 (Mid RP Hypher) Retd RAF 12-6-45 sold scrap J.Dale


those next 2 are the olny one with this kind of registration number, thus are not original mk5's but remotorized MK1's

X4620/Ia/1229/EA/MIII/FF 19-10-40 8MU 22-10-40 611S 5-11-40 crashed on takeoff 22-1-41 485S 14-3-41 123S 13-6-41 CRD HAL 31-10-42 trl install Cv PRVII M45 8OTU 4-2-43 FACE 4-2-43 HAL 14-8-44 FACE 25-8-44
X4821/Ia/1318/EA/MIII/8MU 27-11-40 61OTU 28-6-41 AST 27-7-41 Cv Va M45 130S 21-10-41 134S 25-12-41 421S 13-4-42 5USAAF 22-8-42 349S 3-7-43 61OTU 10-9-43 Collided with R6602 and crashed Isycoed Flint FACE 6-5-44

For the 660 serial, had some difficulties, so pick one in the list here-under

P7660/IIa/CBAF/MXII/6MU 14-11-40 66S 11-1-41 43GDA Biggin Hill 22-2-41 602S 9-6-41 313S 13-8-41 417S 3-1-42 53OTU 11-7-42 RGS 53OTU 18-2-43 FACB 28-6-43 33MU 9-10-43 AFDU 19-10-43 1695Flt 5-3-44 39MU 9-12-44 SOC 12-44


P8660/IIb/CBAF/MXII/37MU 14-5-41 610S 2-6-41 118S 9-8-41 124S 8-10-41 54S 18-11-41 58OTU 4-4-42 collision with P7828 on takeoff Balado Bridge CB 24-2-43 Scottish Aviation CGS 26-7-43 FAAC 10-12-43 ros struck by P7524 while parked Catfoss 20-9-44 recat E 29-9-44

X4660/Ia/1252/EA/MIII/FF 28-10-40 6MU 1-11-40 609S 1-12-40 66S 24-2-41 57OTU 7-4-41 ASTH 22-10-41 Cv Va M45 HAL 28-7-42 Cv PRXIII M32 RAE 31-12-42 trials Relay Homing VHF BA and TR1143 plus repositioned amplifier HAL 18-3-43 VASM 8-4-43 mods RNDA Henstridge 1-3-44 761S Henstridge 4-44 718S Henstridge 5-6-44 to 4-45

BL660/Vb/CBAF/M45/12MU 16-5-42 307S 1-10-42 ros HQ 8Ftr Command 21-10-42

EE660/Vc/West/M46/39MU 12-10-42 504S 19-10-42 CRD DeH 9-1-43 M45M install AST 5-5-43 308S 20-7-43 322S 22-7-43 349S 'GE-Z' 29-10-43 CB ops 14-12-43 611S 27-5-44 53OTU 6-8-44 SOC 28-8-45

EP660/Vb/CBAF/M46/LFLRVb 6MU 19-7-42 312S 3-8-42 FAAC 29-10-42 313S 4-2-43 FACB 16-5-43 AST M45 install 611S 21-7-43 308S 31-7-43 349S 'GE-Q' 29-10-43 222S FAC2 7-3-44

 

[A4K]

Great info Bada!