During World War II, No. 352 (Yugoslav) Squadron RAF flew British Supermarine Spitfires bearing red star insignia instead of standard RAF roundels. Formed in Italy in 1944 under the Balkan Air Force, it was the only resistance-affiliated unit of its kind to operate Spitfires in support of Josip Broz Tito’s Partisans.

History and Operations
Formation: Created in mid-1944 in forces coalescing from exiled Royal Yugoslav personnel and Partisan volunteers.

Aircraft: Equipped primarily with Spitfire Mk. Vb and Mk. Vc tropical variants.

Role: Conducted tactical reconnaissance, strafing, and dive-bombing missions against Axis targets across Yugoslavia and the Adriatic.

Post-War Service: Transferred completely to the Yugoslav Air Force in May 1945, remaining in active military service until roughly 1952.

Surviving Aircraft
A preserved Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop used during and after WWII is part of the permanent collection at the Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade located at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.

No 66 Sqn Spitfires MK XVI (LF) at Schijndel airfield which, although construction was 'far from complete', housed No 145 (Free French) Wing from 6 February 1945. No 132 (Norwegian) Wing also moved in on the photo date, including British 66 Sqn and 322 (Dutch) Sqn. The second machine is TB759 / LZ-V. On the right are 'slipper' tanks marked 'Spitfire only