BL338 | American Air Museum in Britain

Supermarine Spitfire BL338 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
Delivered to No 8 MU 15-11-41, assigned to 72S 21-11-41, FA Cat CB 14-3-42, to AST, assigned to 308th FS, 31st FG USAAF 5-42, FTR Dieppe raid 19-8-42. MACR 16481.

Service

Units

8th Air Force

Command
31st Fighter Group

Group
The 31st Fighter Group only flew missions from England between June and September 1942 but during this period they supported the Dieppe raid, the assault on occupied Europe, predominantly by the Canadian army. The attack was forced into early retreat...
308th Fighter Squadron

Squadron

People

William Dabney

Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 31st Fighter Group
Killed in Action (KIA). Lost flying with the Kenley Sector in Spitfire 19 August 1942.

Missions

VIII Fighter Command DIEPPE SUPPORT

19 August 1942
31st Fighter Group despatches 123 Spitfires in support of the landings at Dieppe, France. 8 are lost. These are the first operations of VIII Fighter Command units under VIII Fighter Command control. ...

Places

Atcham

Military site : airfield
Atcham, at some remove from other American Air Force bases in Shropshire, was used by USAAF to train pilots from June 1942, several months before the American Eagle Squadrons were combined to form the 4th Fighter Group. Pilots here were mainly trained...
Kenley

Military site : airfield
An RAF Station with US lodger units; USAAF using Spitfires and P-38s were attached to RAF No 11 Group stations in mid-1942 for training; also used for special operations between British and US forces. During 1943 RAF aircraft,, continued to escort...

Events

Event	Location	Date
Manufactured	Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, UK	November 1941
Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
Delivered	Little Rissington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54, UK	15 November 1941
Delivered to No 8 MU 15-11-41.
Assigned	Gravesend, Kent, UK	21 November 1941
Assigned to 72 Sqn 21-11-41.
Crashed		14 March 1942
Flying accident Cat CB damage 14-3-42.
Factory repair	Perth, Perth, Perth and Kinross, UK	15 March 1942 – 12 May 1942
To Air Service Training for repair.
Assigned	Kenley, Greater London, UK	13 May 1942
Assigned to 308th FS, 31st FG USAAF 5-42.
Crashed	Engish Channel off Dieppe, France	19 August 1942
Failed To Return FTR, shot down on Dieppe raid 19-8-42. Pilot William AM Dabney KIA, MACR 16481.

Date	Contributor	Update
23 September 2015 18:25:15	Al_Skiff	Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, description, events, unit associations, person associations, place associations and mission associations
Sources
Spitfire Production List.