Our heroic World War II Hawker Typhoon MkIB makes its latest landing as flown from the RAF wartime base of Holmsley South in Hampshire, which was operational for both RAF and USAAF forces between 1942 and 1945, including RAF Coastal Command and Bomber Command and the Ninth Air Force. The Typhoon was a single-seat, fighter-bomber produced by Hawker Aircraft, first introduced in 1941. It was used primarily as a night-time intruder and long-range fighter and was equipped initially with bombs and four 20mm Hispano auto cannons. Later RP-3 rockets were added to its armoury.

Our 1:72 scale model is as flown by Wing Commander Charles Green, who was born in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He enlisted as a pilot in 1938 and was posted to RAF Coastal Command in 1940. In January 1944 he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander of 121 Wing based at RAF Holmsley South flying Typhoons, complete with rocket firing capability, which he always thought superior to the Hurricane. So armed, in the summer of 1944, his Squadron waged a successful battle in the Falaise region of Northern France against the German Panzer Division. However on 26th December that year on another mission, Charles Green had to bale out and was captured. He became a POW in Stalag Luft 1 but was returned to the UK in May 1945. He was awarded the DSO and Bar as well as the DFC for his wartime achievements and returned home to run a successful farm after the conflict. He died in Durban, South Africa in 2001 aged 88.

Our model of his Typhoon is decorated in the two-tone grey and dark green camouflage scheme with the white bands to wings and fuselage, introduced on all Allied aircraft during and after the Normandy Landings. The RAF roundels appear on the upper wings, on the fuselage between the aircraft’s lettering and again on the pale grey underwings. Its number NM666 is also printed in black on the fuselage, whilst further detailing sees the four cannons painted black on the wings.