On the 24th May, 1940, P/O Pete Cazenove of 92 Squadron made a wheels-up landing on the beach near Calais, France. Forty years later, the Spitfire was recovered and restored to her former glory by Historic Flying Ltd. at Duxford, flying again in 2011.
S/L Geoffrey D. Stephenson, CO of 19 Squadron, belly-landed N3200 on the beach near Sangatte, France, on 26 May, 1940. The wreck was recovered in 1986 and rebuilt by Historic Flying Ltd. N3200 took to the Duxford skies again on 26 March, 2014.
K9942, delivered to 72 Squadron at RAF Church Fenton on 24 April 1939, had a brief fighting career, being damaged during a patrol over Dungeness on 5 June 1940. From February 1940 the pre-war 'SD' squadron code was replaced by the 'RN' code.
Spitfire Ia AR213 has been repainted in the markings of 71 (Eagle) Squadron, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the USAAF's Eighth Air Force arriving at RAF Duxford. P7308/XR-D was flown regularly by P/O William 'Bill' Dunn, one of the unit's aces.
John Romain about to land P9374 on the 24 grass runway. Propeller is in fine pitch, radiator door open, flaps down. The Spitfire Ia flares at 75 mph and seconds later settles gently on the Duxford turf.
P9374 is painted as it was on May 24th, 1940, the day it crash landed near Calais. The codeletters 'GR' of 92 Squadron had been removed shortly before, pending a diplomatic escort flight to France. The Spitfire is flown here by John Romain.