Supermarine Spitfire. Asian Users, part five. Thailand and Syria.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire was employed by both Syria and Thailand. 

Spitfire's operational history with Syria it's unclear. Some sources claim that the Syrian government bought a total of 20 Spitfire F.22 in 1953, while others claim it was in 1949. Anyway, it seems that most of them were delivered the next year, with Rhodesia selling seven additional ones. It also seems that the original intention of the Syrian Air Force was to have a total of 40 machines in service. 
Most of them were destroyed or phased out around 1958-1960 with some being found on the ground in the Six Days War in 1967. 

Spitfire's operational history with Thailand is, however, different. After World War 2 the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) was looking to modernize its aerial fighter fleet, which back then was composed by the Japanese Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, so in 1950 they acquired a total of 29 second-hand Spitfire FR.XIVe (the mixed photo-reconnaissance-fighter variant) from Royal Air Force's stocks. However, only 24 could be put to flight with the rest being used for spare parts. 
Of those 24, one Spitfire was of the PR.XIX variant which served with the 1st Squadron of the No.1 Wing. A bit later, in 1954 the RTAF bought four additional FR.14 machines, however they were retired out of service one year later, together with the other machines due to their lack of maintenance. 

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#Syria
2nd http://www.worldairforces.com/countries/syria/syr.html
3rd http://www.wings-aviation.ch/11-RTAF/2-Aircraft/Supermarine-Spitfire/Fighter.htm
4th https://peterlewisdesign.tripod.com/thaimuseum/spitfire.htm
5th http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/thailand/thl.html

Fairey Firefly, Ethiopian and Thai users

 

The Fairey Firefly is a British World-War 2 era carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine aircraft which was developed by Fairey Aviation Company. With more than 1.000 machines manufactured, the type saw service abroad in service with many countries, among them, the following ones:

• Ethiopia: Although Ethiopia was liberated in 1941 it wasn't until 1946 that the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF) was established with help of a Swedish aristocrat. Until late 1940s the IEAF operated only communication and transport aircraft. Fireflies were chosen to form the first Ethiopian fighter squadron thanks to their suitability for defence duties in the high Ethiopian altitudes and temperatures. Initially, Ethiopia ordered 35 machines in December 1950, but only an initial batch of nine were delivered. All of them were stored as Royal Navy surplus at RNAS Abbotsinch and were finally reconditioned at Fairey's factory in Stockport. 
  The first of eight Fireflies F.1 and a single T.2 for the IEAF was accepted at RAF Ringway on 20th September 1951 and was flown to Ethiopia by easy stages. Thanks to the introduction of the Firefly, the first Ethiopian fighter unit was created and was supplemented by some Saab 17 light attack bombers, all of them based at Bishoftu Air Base, 30 milles (48 km) south from Addis Abeba, the capital. 
  Later, as the United Kingdom vetoed any further delivery to Ethiopia, the IEAF turned to Canada and acquired 15 additional Fireflies, consisting on 11 FR.1s, three T.1s and another T.2. It's also probable that a Canadian FR.4 reached Ethiopia as the Canadian Fireflies were ferried to the United Kingdom on board of the HMCS Magnificent in February 1954 and later they were sent to Ethiopia. They served officially until 1957-1958 when the IEAF was supplied with North-American F-86 Sabre and Lockheed T-33 fighters and trainers respectively, though unofficially they were still flying in 1960. Some wrecks were discovered in 1993.
• Thailand: In spite of the Thai alliance with Japan during World War 2, the British aided and assisted in the creation of a modern Thai Air Force in the post-war period. Thailand ordered 30 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVs and 12 Fireflies. The first delivery of Fireflies took place in the summer of 1951, with the batch consisting on 10 Fireflies F.1 and two T.2 trainers. Every Firefly had belonged previously to the Royal Navy and were reconditioned by Fairey in the second half of 1951, when they were dispatched by sea in crates. They were initially bought for the Royal Thai Naval Air Division but they entered service with the Royal Thai Air Force due to political disagreements. In March 1952, the No.1 Squadron, operating from Don Muang, was operational for a brief period of time because in 1954 they switched to American material. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly

2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Firefly-F-Mk-I-t6589

3. https://issuu.com/mtaye/docs/the_long_life_of_ethiopian_fairey_fireflies

4. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters