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 78th spit had a De
Haviland steel propeller to get more speed. A constant speed
propeller with a Merlin 3 engine was fitted to the 178th.
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 1st 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 The French air force was withdrawn to the safety of the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 12th began a perilous
time and 1790 sorties of Sept 17th.
183 were lost by fighter command by the
18th.
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 15th 351 to 170
British fighters.
Spitfires were being produced faster
than lost now.
Winter weather was a impossible barrier
and Sept 17th invasion was cancelled.
If there really was an invasion as many
now feel it was a feint to attack Russia.
October 20th 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.
More widely known as The Crouching Venus. 
This study, after the antique and was cast mid 19th century.
