Forces of Valor 1:72 812005C Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1X - MK 392, WG CDR "Johnnie" Johnson, No.144 (Canadian) RAF, Normandy 1944 |
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Scale: 1:72 |
Length: 5" |
Width: 6.5" |
Composition: Diecast |
SKU: FV-812005C |
Period: World War II |
Air Vice Marshal James Edgar Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar, DL (9 March 1915 – 30 January 2001), nicknamed "Johnnie", was an English Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and flying ace who flew and fought during the Second World War.
Johnson was credited with 34 individual victories over enemy aircraft, as well as seven shared victories, three shared probable, ten damaged, three shared damaged and one destroyed on the ground. Johnson flew 700 operational sorties and engaged enemy aircraft on 57 occasions. Included in his list of individual victories were 14 Messerschmitt Bf 109s and 20 Focke-Wulf Fw 190s destroyed making him the most successful RAF ace against the Fw 190. This score made him the highest scoring Western Allied fighter ace against the German Luftwaffe.
The British Supermarine Spitfire was facing several challenges by mid-1942. The debut of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 had caused problems for RAF fighter squadrons flying the latest Spitfire Mk Vb. Rolls-Royce engineers were already working on a new version of the Merlin incorporating a two-stage supercharger; the combination of the improved Merlin and the Spitfire Mk Vc airframe in a "stop-gap" design allowed the RAF to combat the Fw 190 on equal terms.
Info: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1X - MK 392, WG CDR "Johnnie" Johnson, No.144 (Canadian) RAF, Normandy 1944