Eduard 11180, They Fought to Rebuild - Spitfire Mk VB, Dual Combo Limited Edition. 1:48 Scale
They Fought to Rebuild.
Czechoslavak Spitfire Pilots in the RAF 1942 to 1943
Dual Combo Limited Edition 1:48 Scale
11180 - Eduard
This is a Limited Edition Dual Combo model kit of British WWII fighter aircraft Spitfire Mk.Vb in 1:48 scale as flown by Czechoslovak pilots in the RAF between 1942 and 1943.
Czechoslovak pilots flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb and Vc extensively during World War II while serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons, most notably with dedicated units like No. 310, No. 311, No. 312, and No. 313 Squadrons, as well as interspersed across various British RAF squadrons.
No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron: Formed on July 10, 1940, as the first RAF frontline squadron composed largely of foreign pilots; they operated Spitfire Mk. Vb and Vc variants starting around May 1942 out of bases like RAF Exeter. Their motto was "We Fight to Rebuild".
No. 312 and No. 313 Squadrons: These units also flew Spitfire Mk. Vb aircraft during offensive sweeps over occupied Europe and the defence of Great Britain (such as P/O Ladislav Světlík flying Spitfire Mk. Vb EP785 with No. 312 Squadron, or Vaclav Truhlar and Karel Jan Vykoukal with No. 313 Squadron).
British RAF Squadrons: Czechoslovak pilots frequently served in British-designated units flying Mk. Vb airframes, including:
- No. 19 Squadron (e.g., F/Sgt B. Netopil)
- No. 65 Squadron (e.g., F/Sgt J. Plašil, F/Sgt F. Loucký)
- No. 81, No. 111, and No. 122 Squadrons (featuring pilots like S/L F. Fajtl and P/O O. Smik)
Most Notable Pilots and Aircraft
Vaclav Truhlar: Flew Spitfire Mk. Vb AA865 ("RY-D") with No. 313 Squadron; survived a severe combat landing in Calais in April 1942 after a dogfight with Fw 190s.
Karel Jan Vykoukal: Flew Spitfire Mk. Vb BL581 ("RY-T") with No. 313 Squadron before being shot down later over the Seine Estuary in May 1942.
Frantisek Fajtl: Commanded and flew Mk. Vb aircraft (such as BM210) with No. 122 Squadron.
General Emil Bochek: One of the last surviving Czech WWII pilots who trained in Canada and flew Spitfires for RAF No. 310 Squadron.
Model Kit Features:
- plastic parts:Eduard
- marking options: 12
- decals: Eduard
- PE parts: pre-painted
- painting mask: yes
- resin parts: no
Glue and paint are required but are not included.