1/32 Hasegawa Spitfire Mk. VB

Gallery Article by Paolo De Sanctis on Mar 5 2012

Spitfire - Maiden flight of Spitfire in 1936

 

 

The aeroplane: 
No account is necessary for the immortal British Spitfire. Is enough to say that Mk. V version appeared in the Spring of 1941, was the most used and numerous among all other versions and her production lasted 6479 units, quite 32% of the entire production.

This model represent the well known Sqn:/Ldr Jan Zumbach 's machine, who belonged to 303° (Polish) "Kosciusko" (Warsaw) RAF Squadron, when based at Northolt during 1942.

 

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The Hero: 
With this Polish machine I would commemorate my beloved Father-in-Law, Bronislaw Pietkiewicz, an A/A Major of the 2nd Polish Army Corps with General Anders. Bronislaw was born at Suwalky, in the extreme North East of Poland, on the Russian border, in March 15, 1911.  Son of farmers, he studied as lawyer and at the start of the W.W. fought with the Polish Army Forces. 

When Poland' s defeat came, he was captured by Soviets and was deported in the gulags, to be killed at Katyn, near Smolensk.   But when those bastards was - in turn - overrun by nazis, they released the last poor Polish soldiers, gave them an uniform and sent them along Gen. Anders, to fight for the Allies.

Bronislaw was sent in Iraq to be trained (luckily by British) and then in Egypt, Tunisia and finally landed to Taranto, in Italy.  He followed the Allies advance towards the North, fought hardly at Montecassino Abbey when, at the head of his soldiers was seriously injured.

Sent back to be saved, he was operated and maintained (ironically!) in a Russian Hospital. When he escaped was promoted to Major and posted in Ancona, in the middle of the Adriatic coast, to command the entire A/A Polish Battalion, until the end of the war. 

I was honoured to meet him some 12 years ago, to know him and to enjoy his presence and friendship. This great Man and Polish passed away in April 16, 2001 at the age of 90. He was a very nice and fine Man, with a mild and good character.  I'm lucky to have married his daughter, who resembles him and held his same character and intelligence.

The Spitfire was totally sanded in order to delete her positive details and subsequently she was totally rescribed, using in scale drawings.  The cockpit is a resin kit by Eduard and has all the P.E. details (Modelchoice).  The decals also was substituted and I used a Techmod sheet with an early life BM144 bird subjects.  The model was weathered also with pastels etc.

Long life to Poland!

Paolo De Sanctis

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Photos and text © by Paolo De Sanctis