When Hasegawa first released their Spitfire Mk IX the editor of one Model Magazine expounded at length on how the 316 Squadron markings could not possibly be applicable as they never received this particular variety of Mk IX Spitfire. Everything he wrote was 100% correct. However, like Hasegawa, the mistake he made was to think it was 316 Squadron aircraft. It was not. The clue is the Group Captain's pennant under the cockpit. It was the personnal aircraft of Group Captain Gabszewicz.. (At this time 316 Squadron were equipped with Mustang Mk IIIs.) Here is a copy of my letter recently published in Flypast on the subject of personnaly coded Spitfires which explains what was going on. Most senior RAF officers at the time used their initials in place of Squadron codes.
"Missing from the article were the Spitfires of the Commanders of the Polish Wing at Northolt who did not use their initials to personalise their aircraft. Best known is Gabszewicz who flew a number of Spitfires all with his old 316 Squadron codes SZ-G and his boxing dog motif while a Wing Commander and Group Captain. However, it seems this tradition was instigated by someone else.
Spitfire Mk IX, EN526, technically allocated to 306 Squadron, was the personal aircraft of W/Cdr Wojciech Kolaczkowski. For sentimental reasons he had it coded RF-K - 303 Squadron codes. On the 20th June 1943 it was taken over by W/Cdr Gabszewicz and re-coded as SZ-G, his code when CO of 316 Squadron. He continued to use this aircraft until September 1943.
NH342 was flown by Gabszewicz during the Summer and Autumn of 1944. Inside the letter S was the admonition 'WYCIERAC OBUWIE' - wipe your shoes - also carried by other Spitfires of the Wing. It was technically attached to 302 Squadron where it returned after he chose another aircraft. There it was flown by Pniak as WX-R but still with a black letter 'G' under the nose.
In November 1944 Gabszewicz was flying NH214 which bore the inscription 'City of Warsaw' (another reference to 316 Squadron) and is probably the best known of his Spitfires.
TD240 was the last of his Spitfires while CO of the Polish Wing. A low-back LF XVIe it was the first with a bubble canopy to be received by the Wing. From June 1945 it was used by S/Ldr Kaczmarek as CO of 302 Squadron and re-coded WX-V. Kaczmarek later added the 302 Squadron badge and name Janetka.
All of these Spitfires are often confused with each other and frequently mistaken for 316 Squadron aircraft. Other senior officers at Northolt also adopted SZ codes, including some British Officers. The well known photograph of Mk V BL479 is usually captioned as a 316 Squadron aircraft. It was taken in August 1943 when 316 Squadron were equipped with Mk IXs! Nor is there a single entry for BL479 in the Squadron's extremely detailed Operations Record Book. The answer is that on the 6th of August it was being flown by G/Cpt M.W.S.Robinson the Northolt Station Commander. This also explains its showroom finish and lack of chessboards.
When Gabszewicz's friend W/Cdr Tadeusz Sawicz took command of the Wing he also flew his Spitfire, TD238, with his old 316 Squadron codes SZ-K. When command passed again to Waclaw Krol he inherited Sawicz's TD238. In 302 Squadron records it is recorded as QH-L (302 Squadron changed from WX to QH post-war) but some sources say he had it coded WK-L. When CO of 302 Squadron, Krol flew WX-L. It had become something of a tradition that the CO flew 'L' for leader. (Kaczmarek did not keep the tradition.) As 302 Squadron were still equipped with Spitfires perhaps Krol changed the 'X' to 'K' for 'Krol' to avoid any confusion?"
