eduard
19
JF630, flown by F/O Larry Cronin, shortly after his fourth victory, near Palel, India,
on March 6th, 1944
According to the interview with Larry Cronin the squadron A/C retained their desert colours. The pilot maintains that his aircraft still had its extended wingtips
when he gained his victories. In November 1943, No. 81 Squadron, RAF, withdrew from Sicily to Egypt where they re-equipped with Spitfire Mk.VIII aircraft.
Cronin recalls that all these aircraft were in the JF serial range and had extended wingtips and standard rudders. Photos of aircraft in this serial batch showing
this configuration support his comments. Most sources state that the aircraft were re-camouflaged in Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sea Grey Medium when
they arrived in India. The comments in those sources appear to be based on an order issued by RAF Headquarters, New Delhi. The date of the order is 4 April
1944, some three months after No.81 Squadron's arrival in the theatre, and a month after the only known photos of Cronin's aircraft were taken.
C370
AZURE BLUE
H94
C138
CLEAR GREEN
H72
C369
DARK EARTH
H71
C21
MIDDLE STONE
H4
C4
YELLOW
H12
C33
BLACK
H90
C47
CLEAR RED
H13
C3
RED
21
Summary of Contents for Aussie Eight 2119-NAV1
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