SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE V

BM597

Spitfire V BM597 (G-MKVB) is an airworthy survivor of one of the most significant variants of the type. The Battle of Britain had displayed the limitations of the Spitfire Marks I and II against the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf109Es and a solution was sought to regain air superiority. The plan was to introduce the Mark III which had an adapted wing and more powerful Merlin XX engine, however that powerplant was having teething problems – as something of a stopgap it was proposed mating the Merlin 45 engine with the Spitfire I airframe and the Mark V was born. In due course the Mark III never went into production and some 6500 examples of the Mark V were built between 1941 and 1943, making it the most produced of all Spitfire variants. At the height of its service life, more than 140 RAF squadrons were using the Spitfire V and it saw service with 9 other countries. As the war progressed, more capable variants emerged to combat the developing German threat, however a few Mark Vs soldiered on operationally as far as D-Day where they directed the gunfire of naval units off Normandy.

BM597 was constructed at the Castle Bromwich factory and delivered in 1942, initially to No. 37 Maintenance Unit at Burtonwood. That May it was transferred to 315 (Polish) Squadron at RAF Woodvale and four months later to 317 (Polish) Squadron at the same airfield with the codes JH-C. In early 1943 the Spitfire overturned due to a loss of brake pressure when taxiing, and required substantial repair. Upon completion of this work BM597 passed through various maintenance units and saw a brief spell allocated to Vickers Armstrong before spending almost a year in storage. Her final squadron was No.58 Operational Training Unit from which the aeroplane was retired in October 1945. BM597 was then transferred to St Athan for a spell as an instructional airframe used for ground training. This work continued until 1950, at which point the airframe became a gate guardian for nearly 40 years and graced the entrances of RAFs Hednesford, Bridgnorth and latterly Church Fenton in that time. A brief respite came in 1967 when the aeroplane was used to produce the master moulds subsequently used to fabricate fibreglass replicas for use in Guy Hamilton’s Battle of Britain film.

In 1989 BM597 was removed from the gate as part of a landmark deal negotiated between the RAF and Historic Flying Limited (HFL), whereby the Spitfires were saved from further decay and eventually restored to flight, with fibreglass replicas installed as replacements. In 1993 the aircraft was sold to the Historic Aircraft Collection (HAC) who commissioned HFL to perform a rebuild back to airworthy condition. Despite its time outdoors much of the aeroplane could be reused and the Spitfire emerged from the hangar retaining a high level of originality. This culminated in a maiden flight on July 18th 1997 from Audley End airfield in Essex. In 2000 a temporary colour scheme was applied to BM597 (by now registered G-MKVB and based at Duxford) for participation in the filming of Pearl Harbor. Five years later, this Spitfire became the first of the type to return to Malta in over 50 years as part of the Merlins Over Malta initiative, where BM597 – painted dark blue for the occasion – flew that epic journey accompanied by a Hawker Hurricane. In 2010, the seventieth anniversary year of the Battle of Britain, the airframe visited Poland where it was reunited with two of its original Polish pilots, Sqn Ldr Franciszek Kornicki and Flt Lt Jerzy Mencel.

In 2023, ownership of the Spitfire transferred from HAC to Aerial Speed Icons Mark 5 Pty Ltd. It still flies with its wartime 317 (Polish) Squadron codes but with earlier camouflage colours more akin to a Battle of Britain-era aeroplane. The aircraft has now been a Duxford resident for the last quarter of a century and continues to be maintained by the Aircraft Restoration Company on behalf of its new owner. BM597 is one of the most original early Spitfires still in airworthy condition which, combined with its wartime service, makes this a truly historic example of the breed.