Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Indian Gift Squadrons and CITY OF BOMBAY AND BOMBAY CITY bomber planes gifted to royal air force 1943

WORLD WAR II

The Indian Gift Squadrons
A look at RAF Squadrons gifted by Indian people


Spitfire VB BM 252 “Bombay City” while serving with No 132 Bombay Gift Squadron RAF in 1942



Flt Lt HJL Hallowes at Turnhouse with “City of Bombay” another Indian gift Spitfire given to No. 122 Squadron, RAF. The aircraft is BM 252, MT-E.




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No 122 (Bombay) SqnBadge: In front of a mullet a Leopard rampant

Motto: “Victuri volamus” (We fly to victory)

The mullet represents fighting in the heavens and the Leopard, a fierce fighter represents Bombay

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“Assam one” an Indian gift Spitfire Mk IIA P 8167 of No 266 Sqn RAF at Wittering in Jul 41

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Royal Aircraft factory BE2c “Punjab 40 Lahore 3” was presented for £1,500 in the first war
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Royal Aircraft factory FE2b Gunbus “Bhopal”


Messerschmit Bf 109 E (?) shot down by No 253 Hyderabad Gift squadron over Britain. The wreck (right)  finally ended up in a Gulbarga Engineering College (now in Karnataka) and is embroiled in a legal battle over its dubious sale to a British collector.

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