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"Grace" Spitfire - The Norwegian Story
It was summer 2007 and Fighter Collections infamous Flying Legends air show had just ended. Three hours of piston engined wonders in the air. I was on my way back to Cambridge and heading in the direction of the exit when I suddenly spotted a Spitfire on approach. I had been watching Spitfires all day, but I stopped to take a closer look. Spitfires are graceful creatures of the sky, timeless and historical at the same time. You just can't get enough of them.
The Spitfire coming in to land had not been apart of the show, it had invasion stripes on wings and fuselage and the codes OU-V. The Grace Spitfire, ML407 was coming home to Duxford. After a beautiful touchdown on the gras strip at Duxford on this lovely summer evening, it disappeared from my view. It was my first sighting of this historical and very special Spitfire. Little did I know at the time that I had witnessed the only flying Spitfire with a Norwegian history to its name.
During research and writing for another article focusing on the history and fate of four Norwegian Spitfires I stumbled upon ML407 at the excellent Spitfire aircraft production site (http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/). Much to my surprise it stated that ML407 had been in Norwegian service during the war! After further investigation I ended up with a used copy of Hugh Smallwood’s book about ML407 and information about it’s time with 332 Norwegian squadron. That I had not noticed this connection sooner is embarrassing, at best.
ML407 joining Norwegian 332 Squadron
The Grace Spitfire starts her starts her story at Castle Bromwich in early 1944. She served with six different squadrons of RAF’s 2nd Tactical Air Force. 485 New Zealand Squadron became the first home of ML407 and now famous Flying Officer Johnnie Houlton DFC. He took ML407 as his private airplane with the codes OU-V, the same markings and colours she’s flying with today. Houlton shot down a Junkers 88 on D-Day, probably the first victory any allied pilot claimed on D-Day. It stayed with Houlton and the New Zealanders until December 1944 when she was transferred to 342 Free French Squadron, now becoming the personal aircraft of Jean Dabos. After 342, she moved through several squadrons, 308 (Polish) Squadron, 349 (Belgian) Squadron, 345 (Free French) Squadron and then 332 (Norwegian) Squadron. 332 being her last squadron while the war were still ongoing.
332 Squadron was based at Schijndel when they got ML407. Her former squadron, 345, had re-equipped with Spitfire XVI. 332 squadron alongside the other Norwegian squadron 331 were engaged in same the operations as 345, Armed Recces in support of Canadian ground troops moving through central Holland to the north-west. Ground targets included anything that looked like enemy transport, road, rail, or on water. Shortly after ML407 came to Schijndel, the squadron moved to B106 at Twente.
From the 19th of April 1945, three Norwegian pilots flew ML407. They flew both Armed Recces and Report on Shipping with ML407, now with the squadron codes AH-B. Pilots who flew ML407 are Ronald Anonsen, Johannes Røsland, and Eigil Stigset. Ronald Anonsen joined the RNAF in 1942, being a Canadian with Norwegian roots. As with most Norwegian fighter pilots, he got his training at Little Norway in Canada and joined up with 132 (N) Wing at Schijndel. Anonsen managed to see his part of the action when he collected an 88m flak shell in the port wing of his Spitfire over Wilhelmshaven. After the war was over, Anonsen joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in the early 50’s. After a five-year commission he turned to bush flying in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mail deliveries, ambulance service, fire patrol and extinguishing were the main tasks for this ML407 fighter pilot.
The second ML407 pilot from Norway, Johannes Røsland escaped Norway in a fishing boat during late summer of 1941. He joined up with the Norwegian forces at Little Norway and won his wings a year later. Røsland then joined up with 332 squadron then based at North Weald in the spring of 1943, claiming the destruction of one Messerschmitt Bf 109E and a Me 410 Hornisse. He stayed with 332 Squadron until 1946. After the war he was elected Life Vice President of the Norwegian branch of Royal Air Force Association.
The last pilot to fly ML407 in combat, Eigil Stigset, escaped occupied Norway for Stockholm were he boarded a Norwegian military aircraft bound for Leuchars in Scotland after hearing an appeal for volunteers to join the Norwegian forced abroad on the radio. Stigset joined 332 Squadron at Schijndel on Aptil 14th 1945. His second time airborne from Schijndel was with ML407 on a Local Recce. He flew ML407 for 1.5 hours during this specific day. Stigset remained with the Royal Norwegian Air Force after the war, flying a bunch of aircrafts including Vampire, Sabre, F-5 Freedom Fighter and even an F-16 (two seater). He retired in 1982 as a Colonel.
Final Mission
From the 19th of April, 132 (Norwegian) Wing reports;
“Yet again a great summer day with top class flying weather in all areas covered by the squadrons. Everything is in movement! The Germans are in movement on the roads and our armies are also in movement, even 132 Wing moving from B85 to B106 – all in all a very moving day!”
Two days later, 331 and 332 squadron took off for their last operational sortie of World War Two, and amongst them were Eigil Stigset and ML407. Stigset took off alongside AH-R flown by Lt Kolling for an Armed Recce over the Amsterdam area with 332 Squadron.. The squadron reported strikes on an armoured patrol vehicle, one staff car with no results observed, a motorcycle, a large patrol boat and a tug. The final Wing report from this day reads the following;
“Low cloud base, fog and rain stopped us from an early start of the day. First aircraft airborne were a section from 331 and one from 332 for a weather rec in area Z and X. The weather in the first area were not satisfactory for operations, and 332 Squadron, who received a favourable report from area X, covered this part of Holland from 15:20 to 20:30 with sections of two aircraft. A total 18 take offs during these operations”.
With those words the Norwegians and Spitfire ML407 ended their operative missions over Europe during World War Two. There were no big words, no big show, no encore. It was a simple mission accomplished and now they could go home. 132 Wing itself continued on with two new Squadrons, but for the Norwegians, it was all over. All together, Spitfire ML407 flew 5 sorties with the Norwegians, a 7 hour and 15 minute total flying time. It might have been the end for her too, but thankfully, fate had a different plan with ML407.
ML407 meets Nick Grace
After being sent back to 485 Squadron (where she had previously been) for a brief spell, she then found herself with the Irish Air Corps, being remodelled there as a 2-seat trainer. The “aging” Spitfire stayed with the Irish Air Corps for several years and was flown up until 1960. ML407 was then acquired for the now infamous Battle Of Britain movie but were never restored to former glory or used during the recordings. From 1969 and ten years ahead, ML407 was well on it’s way to certain death. But, in 1979, Nick Grace bought ML407 with all intentions of restoring her to fly. Nick Grace was determined to rebuild ML407 because he wanted to fly it.
Nick Grace had always wanted to fly a Spitfire, but it wasn’t very easy. It’s not like a Spitfire owner will say “here’s my Spitfire, now don’t prang it will you?”. So Nick Grace bought a Spitfire and ML407 it was. Five years later (1985) and she was back to her former glory. Infact, she was probably more dazzling than ever before. ML407 seemed to like her new owner and her new owner seemed to like her.
Nick Grace quickly got a reputation as a phenomenal Spitfire pilot and flew ML407 in several movies, including “Piece of Cake” and “Perfect Lady”. Tragically, Nick Grace was killed in a car accident in 1988. His widow Carolyn Grace didn’t part with ML407, she decided to take on the task of learning to fly the Spitfire herself. She successfully completed her training and went solo in 1990. Since 1991 she got Display Authorisation and Aerobatic and Formation
qualifications to her name.
This Spitfire with Norwegian history, the only flying Spitfire in the world flying with Norwegian roots is still flying in England with Carolyn Grace at the controls. She still flies her at air shows all over England, even in Europe. It is maintained by Chief Engineer Dave Payne and his team at Duxford in Cambridgeshire.
There are several months to my next trip to England and Duxford, but when that time comes and if I happen to see ML407 in the air, I will stop, look closely at her and say; “Now there’s a Norwegian Spitfire!”
Written by Tor Idar Larsen
Sources:
James Wheeler www.ml407.co.uk
Arjan Vriez
Matt Willis
http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/
Smallwood, Hugh (1986) 2nd TAF Spitfire – The Story Of Spitfire ML407
Ljone, Oddmond (1982) Tally Ho – Norske Jagerflygere i Kamp.
Thanks to:
Carolyn Grace
Darran Harbar
Noorit Rapoport