Supermarine Spitfire-One Of My Favourite Things.

Long before I understood what beauty was I admired this formidable fighting machine for its beauty.

I would build Airfix models of Spitfires and Messerschmidt and dogfight them together, inspired by the periodicals of the day and films on TV showing the glorious few who flew them as heroes.

I don't know how you can claim a killing machine was one of your favourite things but because of its place in history. I will.

K5054 was the code name for the first prototype Spitfire that was the marriage of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine and the frame that Reginald Mitchell had designed.

June 1937 Mitchel died of tuberculosis

K9787 was the first spit in production. The first fliers were astounded by its ability. The production created many challenges as the tooling process was particularly complex with many new style of engineering principles that the engineers had to master. The wings were particularly slim and the placing of them in such a low position helped to keep down drag.

Merlin 2 had a fixed pitch wooden propeller.

Could reach 20000 feet in 9.4 minutes.

The 78^th spit had a De Haviland steel propeller to get more speed. A constant speed propeller with a Merlin 3 engine was fitted to the 178^th.

Few were produced. There were only 3 squadrons in 1938.

Hurricanes were easier to produce.

There was a pitifully low production early on.

Sir Hugh Dowding almost single handedly produced Britain's radar system.

Home and Chain home low made u the worlds first air defence. …......Filter systems identified friendly and attacking forces.

Ladies were employed in plotting rooms.

The enemy could not track.

Once crossed the radar and observers plotted the course by relaying the information back to the centre.

The idea was that flying to combat would be as simple as possible.

Sept 1^st 1939 Hitler marched into Poland. The new war had begun with fighters employing blitzkrieg in tandem with the ground armed forces of the German army.

France did not act decisively and soon the Germans moved on through the defences, around the Maginot line.

In November the first Spitfire flew over Germany in reconnaissance mode.

They could out fly flak at 35,000 feet.

Photographing would become a job for the spitfire with all its guns stripped out to make it lighter and faster.

Then the RAF bases in France were attacked. The French air force was withdrawn to the safety of the interior huge losses were attained. BEF were shrunk to Dunkirk and the last RAF airfield was abandoned.

The Messerschmidt 109E had 2 fuselage mounted machine guns and 2 cannon, wing mounted and were a formidable foe. Their pilots were confident. They would encounter Spits for the first time during operation dynamo.

16 squadrons of British aircraft including Spits at a time would see action with another 16 joining the Supermarines.

The Spitfire could out turn the 109 whose muzzle velocity was low and it was found that the convergence of the spits guns at 200 yds could destroy a 109 in a single pass. 132 aircraft were destroyed away from the beaches at Dunkirk but the RAF prevented the German bombers from smashing the BEF.

The troops on the ground would distrust the RAF as many of them did not see the battles that went on away from the beaches to prevent many German airplanes getting to the beaches.

338,000 British and allied troops escaped.

The true judge of combat showed the spit as a superb aircraft.

The conquest of Britain was planned. Herman Goring planned the invasion massing in early August for Eagle day the plan to start the invasion. While bombing ports and attacking convoys the canal account began. While defending the ports and convoys the 109's would be engage the British. Fighter command thought the first engagements were successful. But they only had 19 of spit and 29 of Hurricanes so husbanding Dowding forces engaging the bombers was a priority but over 400 planes had been lost.

The constant speed propeller increased its climb and engine wear.

Incendiary bullets increased killing power. Many pilots recognised its difference in shooting it out of the sky.

There was armour behind the seats. Bullet proof glass was fitted. Dowding arguing if BP glass was good enough for Chicago gangsters it was good enough for his pilots.

A V of three pilots were the method employed. But they could be bounced by a formation flying at high speed towards it.

The formation would be broken.

A finger of four was employed by Luftwaffe and the swarm would be the best formation. 125 were destroyed but most of these were bombers but the fighters killed 50 pilots and 35 spits and 36 hurricanes. The V was abandoned on initiation in favour of the swarm. By the British.

FL Alan Deer destroyed 17 aircraft during Battle of Britain. Taylor Malan a South African got a bar added to his DSO along with other medals. The German aces were a formidable foe and many of them would see the war with several hundred kills many on the eastern front.

The Spits and Hurries were fitted with cameras that filmed while the guns were engaged. These were shown to the public in cinemas and helped morale.

Claiming our pilots and planes were better than theirs saying the RAF gave the Nazis a beating over Dunkirk.

August 12^th began a perilous time and 1790 sorties of Sept 17^th.

183 were lost by fighter command by the 18^th.

Losses outstripped supply and pilots were thrown in without adequate training.

If this was continued within 3 weeks the RAF would be finished.

Spitfire 1

Reginald Mitchell.

Towards close of Battle of Britain 920 spitfire 2's had been delivered to RAF. Merlin 12 was fitted (replacing the Merlin 3 of the mark 1) and the engine had been rated at 1175 Hp and fitted with cartridge starting.

The Spit II also had more gun power and most had 2a's 172bs were fitted with canon.

Mk3 and 4 never went into production.

1000 sorties a day were flown by Luftwaffe.

What Britain needed now was a miracle Dowding said.

After RAF raids on Berlin Hitler told the Luftwaffe to bomb London and the cities and this was the miracle required. Who ordered the bombing was it Churchill.

Goring was told the spitfires were down to 50 and ordered the Me 109's to stay close to the bombers and as result the 9 days up to September 15^th 351 to 170 British fighters.

Spitfires were being produced faster than lost now.

Winter weather was a impossible barrier and Sept 17^th invasion was cancelled.

If there really was an invasion as many now feel it was a feint to attack Russia.

October 20^th 1940 day time bombing was suspended by The Germans.

This was the summer of the finest hour.

920 Spits were delivered Spit 2's were delivered with cartridge stating with more armour. “ B's had cannon.

The ME 109F was upgraded in January 1941 at heights above 240000 ft was a more superior aircraft and as a result the Spitfire 1 airframe was strengthened and a Merlin 45 engine was placed in.

February 1941.

Top speed 370 mph . Ceiling was 36.500 ft. Some wings were clipped for roll speed. Sub types were specified by wing types. A wing had 4 no 303 Browning machine guns. B took 20ml Hispano canon and 2 machine guns. C wing had flexibility 2 canon 1 canon and 2 machine guns with a second muzzle canon blanked off or 4 machine guns.

Result was Spitfire 5 was the most used spitfire and played a massive role in the defence of Malta.

1942 Spit flew as a fighter bomber.

In 1942 Fokker Wolf 190 was seen in ever growing numbers and outclassed the Mk 5

The MK VI was produced to combat it as it was superior.

Supermarine produced 7, 8 and 9.

The mk 9 Merlin 60 engine to a 5c airframe with a 2 stage supercharger with a after cooler giving the aircraft a top speed of 400 ph and 44,00 feet surface ceiling.

1944 MK9's were fitted with a new wing the E-TYPE.

Housing 20ml canon and a .50 machine gun. No German or Japanese could withstand this power.

MK 9 would stay in production. 5739 Mk9('s were built by wars end.

A seaplane conversion Echo Schneider cup was never put into production. 1943.

In October1944 a MK 14 as put into production and a Rolls Royce Griffin 65 engine was fitted.

Griffin was first fitted to a Spit in MK 4 in 1941.

A five blade propeller was needed to take advantage of its 2035 Hp Griffin 65 had immense power. 439 mph max speed and 43000 ft ceiling.

MK 14 was the final and most potent of WWII. Final WWII

MK 18 a strengthened version at the end of the war. Last of the original spit airframe.

Mk 21 to 24 were different aircrafts with Mitchell wing radically altered and few original parts remained.

In Malaya the last few Spits flew.

THE SPITFIRE One of the most inspired designs in Military Aviation History.

I DO NOT NEED TO ADD ANY MORE SUPERLATIVES THAN HAVE ALREADY BEEN NOTED.