What does "Spitfire VCW" or "VCZ" mean?

[Meczyk]

Hello

I am...desperate

I'm reading some monthly reports from one of the Polish squadrons, and I do not quite understand how some airplanes are described. For most of the time, they write "Spitfire VC", "VB", after that the serial number, and that's it. The usual. But for two months, they write: "Spit VCW JK 988" or "Spit VCZ MA 333". Or "Spit WBW EP 828".

I know - Spitfire VC (or B), and at the end we have the serial number. But what's going on with that third letter?

If there's some book about it, please name it, I will be more then happy to check it. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas - don't hold back

Best Regards,

Lukasz Meczykowski

 

[ThomasP]

JK988 was a Mk VC(Trop) with the Merlin 45, a larger oil tank, and some sort of engine air intake filter (either the Vokes or Aboukir type, but probably the Vokes)

MA333 was a Mk VC with the Merlin 50

EP828 was a Mk VB with the Merlin 46 (a slightly higher altitude version of the Merlin 45)

All of the above last served with Polish No.318 Sqn "City of Gdańsk" in the NW Africa theater (and maybe Italy?).

There is a good chance that MA333 and/or EP828 were also Tropicalized at some point.

Some of their missions were reconnaissance.

Could the odd suffix letters be Polish designations/abbreviations for the engine type, recon camera outfit, Tropicalized, high altitude, etc?

 

[Meczyk]

JK988 was a Mk VC(Trop) with the Merlin 45, a larger oil tank, and some sort of engine air intake filter (either the Vokes or Aboukir type, but probably the Vokes)

MA333 was a Mk VC with the Merlin 50

EP828 was a Mk VB with the Merlin 46 (a slightly higher altitude version of the Merlin 45)

All of the above last served with Polish No.318 Sqn "City of Gdańsk" in the NW Africa theater (and maybe Italy?).

There is a good chance that MA333 and/or EP828 were also Tropicalized at some point.

Some of their missions were reconnaissance.

Could the odd suffix letters be Polish designations/abbreviations for the engine type, recon camera outfit, Tropicalized, high altitude, etc?

Thank You for the answer

Yes, this is "318", and we are in Italy. July 1944, to be exact.

As far as I'm aware, there was no special designation for planes with installed cameras, they were treated just as a field modification. And if that would be something important, they would use those designations all the time, not just for 2 months. "W" could mean "wysokościowy", high altitude, but looking at Your description, it just doesn't fit; that would be one of the tropical ones.

I would have to write down all those "weird" markings and serial numbers, and then try to find something that they have in common...

Lot of fun

 

[mjfur]

.

 

[Meczyk]

Spit VCW JK 988" or "Spit VCZ MA 333". Or "Spit WBW EP 828

I believe they are referring to the aircraft Squadron codes.
Spitfire JK988 - VC*W
Spitfire MA333 - VC*Z
Spitfire EP828 - WB*W

Unfortunately no. But that's my fault, I posted only some examples. In reality, there are at least 6 "VCW" on the list. Oh, and "318" code (they are all from one squadron) was "LW", so if that was it, there would be "LW-Z", "LW-W", and so on.

But nevertheless, Thank You It's nice to know that somebody is helping

 

[frankv]

Clipped wings?
Armament... cannon vs machine guns?

 

[ThomasP]

A couple of thoughts:

Could the "WBW" for EP828 be a typo and it should be "VBW" ??

Although the prefix(s) 'F' for standard Fighter with Merlin 45, 'LF' for Low altitude Fighter, and 'HF' for High altitude Fighter, were not often used re the Mk V series, these prefixes did exist in some documents.

The 'F' variant usually had the Merlin 45 or 46 and standard wing planform.
The 'HF' variants might have the extended wingtip or not, and usually had the Merlin 46.
The 'LF' variants normally had the Merlin 45M, and usually had the clipped wings.

Also, do you have images of the aircraft? If so, that may tell you if there is some common feature among the 'W' suffixed aircraft - eg wing planform, armament arrangement ('B' or 'C') as frankv suggested above, etc.

 

[frankv]

Could the "WBW" for EP828 be a typo and it should be "VBW" ??.

Some thoughts sparked from this, which turned out to be wrong... just recording them so no-one else wastes time checking them out:
1. Maybe they had a Polish typewriter with no V? However, Polish does have the letter V, although it is seldom used.

2. W in Polish is pronounced like V in English. Did someone dictate Spitfire Vee Bee, which got transliterated to Spitfire WB? However, Roman numerals in Polish use the same letters as in English, including V.

 

[ThomasP]

Can you supply the other Sqn aircraft serial numbers along with there type designations. Possibly there will be a commonality of equipment or engines.

 

[Meczyk]

Can you supply the other Sqn aircraft serial numbers along with there type designations. Possibly there will be a commonality of equipment or engines.

First of all – Thank You for Your contribution to this thread.

So, those "weird" letters appear only in three documents, monthly reports from May (partially), July and August 1944 (318th Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron), containing some info on damaged aircraft. I've seen those from January 1943 until November 1946, and those are the only ones with such "style" aircraft markings.

May 1944: (I'm writing them just like they wrote it on the document, with spaces/no spaces etc.)

V C X BR 586

W C W EE-780

W B W LZ 814

V CW JK 130

(beside those, we have some "ordinary" marked planes- VB Spitf ER 138, VC Spit. JL 313, Spitfire V ES 233)

July 1944:

VC W LZ 929

VCW JK 988

VCZ MA 333

VBX EF 570

VBW EP 828

VCW JG 842

VCW EP 828

VCW MA 859

VCW EF 342

August 1944:

VBZ IR138

VBX JK879

VCX EE 810

(And IG 749, written just like that)

And that's it.

 

[Meczyk]

A couple of thoughts:

Could the "WBW" for EP828 be a typo and it should be "VBW" ??

Yes, but that's on me. Sorry.

 

[ThomasP]

May'44
V C X BR 586______Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Eastleigh
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

W C W EE-780_____Mk VC w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Westland
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

W B W LZ 814_____ Mk VC w/Merlin 50 engine, built by Castle Bromwich
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

V CW JK 130______ Mk VC w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Castle Bromwich
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

Jul'44
VC W LZ 929_______Mk VC w/Merlin 50 engine, built by Castle Bromwich
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

VCW JK 988*_______Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 45 engine, built by Castle Bromwich

VCZ MA 333*_______Mk VC w/Merlin 50 engine, built by Castle Bromwich

VBX EF 570*_______ Mk VC w/Merlin 45 engine, built by Westland

VBW EP 828*_______Mk VB w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Castle Bromwich, maybe refitted with 'C' wing??

VCW JG 842*_______Mk VC w/Merlin 50 engine, built by Castle Bromwich

VCW EP 828_______ (see above)

VCW MA 859_______Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 55 engine, built by Castle Bromwich
NOTE: I cannot find a record of of the above s/n as being in 318Sqn

VCW EF 342?______ [EF634] Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 50 engine, built by Westland
___________________[EF734] Mk VC w/Merlin 55 engine, built by Westland
___________________[EF542] Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 45 engine, built by Westland
___________________[EF742] Mk VC w/Merlin 55 engine, built by Westland
NOTE: I cannot find any record of s/n EF342, or of any of the above 4 possible s/n as being in 318Sqn

Aug'44
VBZ IR138_________[ER138*] Mk VB w/Merlin 46, built by Castle Bromwich

VBX JK879*________Mk VC(Trop) w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Castle Bromwich

VCX EE 810*_______Mk VC w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Westland

??? IG 749________ [JG749*] Mk VC w/Merlin 46 engine, built by Castle Bromwich

NOTE: All s/n followed by * are listed as serving in 318Sqn. The other aircraft are not listed as serving in 318Sqn, but they all served in one or more of the African or Italian campaigns.