The latest addition to my collection is this Hasegawa Hellcat built as supplied in the box, wearing the markings of 800 Sqn, flying from HMS EMPEROR 70 years ago today (15 Aug 1944), during the second D-Day - the Allied invasion of Southern France, Operation Dragoon.
The forces landed during Dragoon were almost entirely US and French, however the immediate air cover came from Allied Task Force 88, the air component of which was almost entirely provided by the RN's Escort Carrier force. For the record, Dragoon was immensely successful, building on the experience of Normandy to conduct a textbook (partly) opposed amphibious landing. Within a month the all southern French ports were in Allied hands and receiving much needed supplies directly from the US (making up for the problems capturing the port of Cherbourg in the North).
There isn't much you can say about the Hasegawa kit; OK so it has lightly raised panel lines and the wheels have some awkward ejector pin indentations, but in all other respects this was one of the kits that earned Hasegawa their superb reputation for precision and buildability.
As with pretty well every WW2 Fleet Air Arm aircraft, the markings are open to some discussion; in theory the invasion stripes should have gone by August, but it has been suggested 800 kept them to avoid the Hellcats (not used before in the Mediterranean) being mistaken for Fw-190s. The red cowling was a Mediterranean Theatre recognition marking (think red spinners on Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mustangs), but not seen on all aircraft.
Hasegawa have also chosen to model this aircraft as she appears in a well known photo thought to have been taken in the Aegean a month or so later, with part of the stbd side invasion stripes still in place, but painted over by what looks like a repair job. In this photo she appears well weathered, but most of the pictures of Dragoon show the aircraft in remarkably pristine condition - in light of the partial stbd invasion stripes I chose to reflect the well weathered look. I also painted behind the Royal Navy titles and serial numbers; as per the photo.
FredT
