Friday 22 March 2024

Supermarine Spitfire. Asian Users, part two. Hong Kong.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire, at least the most advanced F.24 variants saw also service with the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF). 
This auxiliary unit had in inventory a total of 16 Spitfire Mk.XVIII, PR.XIX and F.24. The Spitfires were given to the RHKAAF from Nos 80 and 81 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) when those units were re-equipped with De Havilland Hornets. This was done
 to reinforce the aerial defences of the colony as the threat of invasion during the early 1950s increased. 
In order to maintain the sustainability of the RHKAAF local personnel was hired and trained ab initio with some training aircraft like Austers and Harvards. A total of 20 pilots were trained with, at least six Spitfires being kept ready to flight at any given time. 
By 1955 the situation on the Sino Hong-Kong border had stabilized and the Spitfires were replaced by the De Havilland Vampires, in a ceremony, with a fly-by included, that took place on Queen's birthday in April that year. This marked the end of the Spitfire service with any British force, nineteen years after its inception. 







Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Hong_Kong_Auxiliary_Air_Force
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#Hong_Kong
3rd https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/research/RAF-Historical-Society-Journals/Journal-29A-Seminar-Reserve-Auxiliary-Forces.pdf
4th https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/70000223
5th https://gwulo.com/node/53693

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