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JB II - Hawker Typhoon IB, John R Baldwin By the end of his first tour of duty in April 1944, pilot John Robert Baldwin had amassed at least 13 aerial victories, having flown an incredible number of missions supporting pre-D-Day operations in his trusty Hawker Typhoon. He would return to operational flying after taking a short break, having been promoted to the position of Wing Commander RAF No.146 Wing, again flying Typhoons and again embarking on a punishing schedule of flight operations, this time in support of the Allied ground advances through France and missions against V-1 Doodlebug sites. Leading the entire Wing on at least sixteen occasions, Baldwin’s logbook shows at least 110 sorties flown in support of these missions, with other official records suggesting that figure should be closer to 170, as this Wing Commander was determined to lead his men from the front during these dangerous missions. Baldwin’s reputation was such that he was assigned at least two Typhoons, each configured for different missions. One was equipped with bombs, whilst the one referred to as ‘JBII’ sported the rocket projectiles RAF Hawker Typhoons became so famous for using. One wartime picture shows two of Baldwin’s Typhoons parked next to each other, which is a fascinating record of this ace pilot’s wartime contribution. John Robert Baldwin would end the war as the highest-scoring Hawker Typhoon ‘Ace’, with 15 confirmed victories, 1 shared and 4 probables to his name.

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Supermarine Spitfire MkIXc, ML407 - SQ LDR John 'Johnnie' HoultonConstructed as a Mk IXc variant at the famous Castle Bromwich 'Shadow Factory' in early 1944, Supermarine Spitfire ML407 stamped her name in history as the first Allied fighter to claim a Luftwaffe aircraft shot down following the Allied amphibious landings on D-Day. It also boasts an impressive post-war flying career which continues to this day. She flew operationally throughout the final months of the Second World War, serving with six different squadrons of the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force and amassing 176 combat sorties and 319 hours of combat flying in the process. She was delivered to No. 485 (New Zealand) Squadron on 29th April 1944, where she became the aircraft assigned to Flying Officer Johnnie Houlton in preparation for operations covering the D-Day landings. No. 485 Squadron moved to operate from RAF Selsey, as this was the closest UK mainland airfield to the landing beaches the squadron's aircraft would have to protect on 6th June 1944. On D-Day, Houlton caught sight of a Junkers Ju-88 attempting to find cover in the clouds, and, having adjusted his new gyroscopic gunsight for a longer distance shot, gave the Luftwaffe aircraft short burst from around 500 yards. The Ju-88 burst into flames and plummeted earthwards, with the crew taking to their parachutes. Houlton and Spitfire ML407 had just become the first Allied pilot/aircraft combination to shoot down an enemy aircraft following the D-Day landings.

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Panavia Tornado GR1 ZD748 AK - Johnnie Walker 'Still Going Strong' - RAF No.9 Squadron As the oldest dedicated bomber squadron in the Royal Air Force, it was somehow fitting that No.IX Squadron took the honour of becoming the world's first operational Panavia Tornado unit in front-line service when it was equipped with the GR.1 variant in June 1982. The Tornado was a highly advanced, nuclear-capable strike attack and reconnaissance aircraft of the late Cold War era, with its potentially devastating capabilities meaning that at least four squadrons were usually based in Germany for much of its early service. Tornado ZD748 was produced as a GR.1 variant in 1984 and delivered to No.IX Squadron at RAF Brüggen on 8th October that same year, where she wore the code AK and was referred to colloquially as 'Anola Kay'. Proud of their celebrated squadron history, ZD748 later benefitted from some special artwork in commemoration of wartime Avro Lancaster B.I W4964, one of only 35 Lancasters which completed at least 100 operational missions: the celebrated 'Centurions'. This famous aircraft was 'J for Johnnie' and carried the Johnny Walker whiskey brand artwork on its nose, along with the firm's equally famous motto, ‘Still Going Strong' and its impressive mission tally scoreboard. This aircraft dropped a 12,000Ib Tallboy bomb on the German Battleship Tirpitz on 15th September 1944. Tornado ZD748 was still carrying her 'Johnnie Walker' artwork when she was pictured in the static aircraft display at the RAF Waddington Airshow in the summer of 1993. The Aviation Archive die-cast model range features 1:72 and 1:48 scaled aircraft perfect for collectors both old and new. Each plane comes with a display and optional parts.

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The Beatles - Yellow SubmarineCorgi’s association with The Beatles began in 1969 with the production of the very first Yellow Submarine replica. Last released by Corgi in 2006, the spirited reproduction is back to (metaphorically!) twist and shout in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the film.Here comes the bright and beautiful vessel in which all four band members come together again. John, Paul, George and Ringo, are safely submerged, hiding from the Blue Meanies, under the moving mechanical hatches of the submarine. Recreate the Fab Four's adventures on a journey to Pepperland while witnessing the periscopes bobbing up and down! © 2021 Subafilms Ltd. A Yellow Submarine TM Product. TM Trade Mark of Subafilms Ltd. ©1968. Authorized Beatles TM Merchandise.

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Bristol Beaufort Mk1 L9866 RAF No217 Squadron ST Eval CornwallAs arguably Britain's most capable maritime strike aircraft, the Bristol Beaufort was charged with carrying a heavy burden during the early years of the war, particularly when the RAF were engaged in targeting German surface raiders putting into port at Brest for repair and replenishment. Having already taken a heavy toll of Allied shipping during a previous Atlantic patrol, the mighty Admiral Hipper had successfully completed a period of repair in Brest and was almost ready to return to sea once more by the end of January 1941, something the RAF could not allow. Charged with the task of stopping her, several Beaufort torpedo bombers of No.217 Squadron were dispatched from RAF St. Eval in Cornwall just before 15:00 hrs on 1st February 1941, a force which included L9866/MW-J under the command of Sgt John Bell Rutherford. Setting a course for Brest Harbour, the Beaufort crews knew they were headed for one of the most heavily defended locations in Europe, but worse than this, they also knew that as the German ship was about to come under steam, enemy defences would be expecting a visit from the RAF and would be ready for them. If the British bombers were to successfully press home their attack, they would need much more than just flying skill to survive this withering German defensive onslaught, in addition to the unwanted attentions of the Luftwaffe before and after making their strike run.

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Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX W/Cdr. - J.E. JohnsonWearing full D-Day identification markings, Spitfire MK329 JE-J 'Junior' was the personal mount of RAF ace pilot James Edgar 'Johnnie' Johnson, one of the RAF's top scoring fighter aces of WWII and one who's impressive tally of 34 confirmed aerial victories was scored exclusively against Luftwaffe single engined fighters. Flying extensively in support of the D-Day landings, Johnson and the squadrons under his command would be employed in aggressively clearing the skies of northern France of Luftwaffe fighter opposition, something they proved rather effective at doing. In fact, by D-Day, Johnson was one of the most successful Allied air aces still flying operationally, with his victories showing no sign of abating. Johnson and his No.127 (RCAF) Wing were one of the first fighter units to be sent to operate from forward landing bases in France following the successful Normandy landings, which is where the unusual story of this particular aircraft comes from. It appears that Spitfire Mk.IX MK329 was something of a hybrid machine and not the one Johnson actually flew in combat, but more of a hack airframe.It is reputed that once his unit had been sent to operate in France, he used this Spitfire to fly back to the UK on unofficial 'Beer Runs', returning to their temporary home with two beer kegs attached under the wing of his aircraft. This practice was frowned upon by the RAF top brass, so units came up with ingenious ways around the restrictions, using standard external fuel tanks which had been thoroughly washed out for the purpose of transporting their beer, however, despite their very best endeavours, the beer still had a nasty aftertaste of fuel. It is thought that as Johnson was particularly highly regarded by both his men and his superiors, a blind eye may have been turned on his unofficial Spitfire sorties and the refreshing ordnance they ferried. There are few details regarding the actual production and service career of Spitfire MK329 in existence, which Johnson described in his memoirs as being a collection of components from various different Spitfires, something of a mix and match airframe. This is borne out by the fact that its seri

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Lockheed P-38L Lightning, 'Putt Putt Maru', 1945Having seen the introduction of advanced monoplane fighter designs in both the German and Japanese air forces, America was only too aware that their own Air Force was in need of upgrade as a matter of urgency. To this end, an official requirement was issued in February 1937 for the production of a new pursuit fighter, an aircraft which would have to possess performance which had never previously been seen, not only on an American aircraft, but anywhere else in the world. The Lockheed Aircraft Company were one of six companies determined to satisfy this demanding requirement and entrusted the design of this radical new aircraft to talented designer Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson, who was basically given a free rein during its development. Almost immediately, he determined that a single engined aircraft could not satisfy these demanding specifications and started work on a twin engined design, one which featured twin booms to house the engines and superchargers, with a centrally positioned nacelle for the cockpit and the fighter's heavy armament.The new aircraft looked incredible and was a radical departure from any fighter aircraft design that had gone before it, with Lockheed being awarded a contract to produce a prototype example. The XP38 was a thing of beauty and after just a short 38 minute maiden flight, everyone at Lockheed knew they had a winner on their hands. In fact, officials were so impressed with the aircraft's performance that they immediately decided to make an attempt on the US Transcontinental speed rec

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