On Thu, 2 May 2013 15:40:15 +0100, Ramsman wrote
(in article ):

It's a pity the quality of the photo is too poor to read other serials,
as knowing them might lead to further information.

Agreed. Incidentally, adding to the (dis)information about ER219, Google
tells me that Ventura Publications, a New Zealand company, used to produce a
set of decals for this aircraft which described it as a USAAF machine.

Also, the IWM catalogue mentions a film which adds a new twist to the story
of Spitfires at Shaibah in early 1943. According to this, the Spitfires
(some? all?) were not a straightforward transfer from the RAF to the Soviet
AF, instead being a swap for US A-20s intended for the USSR. The description
reads:

"British Spitfires being checked in a RAF workshop at Shaibah, Iraq before
being sent to Russia (in exchange for forty Boston Bombers diverted from Iran
to Egypt while en route to Russia)".

Finally, the film has a scene in which an "RAF Bullseye is sprayed over and a
Red Star stencilled in its place". I haven't seen the film (it's not
available on-line) so this may be an accurate account but it may just
represent an assumption about what the red star was replacing.

http://m.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060034712