RAF-02 Supermarine Spitfire MK.IXe MK392, w/Commander J. E. Johnson, No.144 Wing, March 1944

RAF-02 John Jenkins Designs The Spitfire IXe was a development of the standard Spitfire IX that inverted the position of the 20mm cannons and replaced the outboard .30 caliber machine guns with .50 caliber weapons in the wing position formerly occupied by the cannons.While the IXe wing entered production in the Spring of 1944, many Spitfires thought to be examples of this sub-type are actually earlier Spitfires, with a “field modification” to change the gun position, without the inner .50 caliber weapon, which was done due to the fact that with Spitfires being equipped with bomb racks for the fighter-bomber role in the invasion of France, having a 250-lb bomb and a 20mm cannon in the same wing location put too much strain on the wing structure.Such an airplane was MK392, the Spitfire flown by Wing Commander Johnny Johnson when he returned to combat operations in March 1944 to assume command of a second Canadian Spitfire wing, 144 Wing in 83 Group of the 2nd Tactical Air Force which bec