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	Curtiss aircraft of WW2
	deHavilland aircraft of WW2
	Hawker aircaft of WW2
	North American aircraft of WW2
	Supermarine aircraft of WW2


	Supermarine Spitfire
	Hawker Hurricane
	B-17 Flying Fortress
	Hawker Tempest
	Boulton Paul Defiant

Supermarine Spitfire

Technical Details : Photos : Where Can I See This Plane?

With it's iconic wing shape, the Spitfire was to play a vital role during the Battle of Britain and the rest of World War 2, and was flown by famous aces, including Douglas Bader and Robert Stanford Tuck. The Spitfire was to remain in RAF service for sixteen years.

During the early years of the 1930's biplane fighters were still equipping RAF squadrons and the Air Ministry's planning was still based around them, however Specification F.5/34 was issued calling for eight guns, enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. R.J. Mitchell submitted a design for a small machine, with its eight guns located in the wings which would have the famous Spitfire elliptical shape, and was powered by the Rolls-Royce P.V.12, later to become the Merlin, and under Specification F. 37/34 a prototype was ordered during January 1935.

Given the type number 300, by Supermarine, and with a 900-hp Merlin 'C' engine providing the power, and piloted by Captain J. 'Mutt' Summers the prototype made it's first flight on the 5th March 1936, taking off at Eastleigh Aerodrome, Southampton, and with a flight time of just eight minutes. After making a few flights Captain Summers handed over test flying duties to his assistants, who included Jeffrey Quill, who would go on to test every Spitfire Mark, and later Alex Henshaw. As a result of these prototype flights, and some changes to the aircraft which helped it achieve a speed of nearly 350 mph, 310 Mk I aircraft were ordered on the 3rd June 1936, and a little over 3 weeks later on the 27th June 1936 at RAF Hendon, the public saw the Spitfire for the first time. Sadly on the 11th June 1937 R.J. Mitchell passed away and the development of the Spitfire was given to Joe Smith.

The 14th May 1938 saw the first Spitfire Mk I fly and this was powered by a 1,030-hp Rolls-Royce Merlin II engine, with newly introduced ejector exhaust stubs, and instead of the skid, the prototype featured, a tailwheel was installed, and as a result of supply shortages only half of the eight 0.303 machine guns were installed. Development of the Spitfire saw changes to the plane coming thick and fast, these included hydraulics for the landing gear and flaps, bullet proof windscreen, bulged canopy and a three blade metal propeller. When Spitfires equipped with eight machine guns appeared, they were classed as Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA and a small number of Mk IBs with four machine guns and two 20-mm cannons appeared in 1940 for operational trials, but as the cannon kept jamming, these were withdrawn.

Based at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, No. 19 Squadron were first to receive the Mk I Spitfire during July 1938, and when the Second World War started there was nine Supermarine Spitfire squadrons. No. 603 Squadron shot down the first German aircraft over Britain, when over the Firth of Forth on the 16th October 1939 a Heinkel He 111 was destroyed. Alongside the Hawker Hurricane the pair formed a formidable partnership during the Battle of Britain, with the Spitfires being assigned to deal with the fighter escort, usually Messerschmitt BF 109's and the Hurricane the German bombers.

Serving as a prototype of the Mk II a Spitfire Mk I was used, with a 1,175-hp Merlin XII powering the plane and most of the Mk IIs built were classed as Mk IIA, which had an armament of eight machine guns, with some others being designated Mk IIBs, which had the same four machine guns and two 20 mm cannon armament of the Mk IB, but to overcome the previous cannon problems, it was turned on it's side. Some Spitfire Mk IIs were used for air sea rescue and so became Mk IIC.

Pink Spitfires!
Whilst undertaking very low-level reconnaissance some Spitfires were painted pink to blend in with the sun as it either was rising or setting, however when looking at the plane from above it was clearly visable.

Another Mk I Spitfire was to be used as the prototype for the Mk III, featuring clipped wings, strengthen structurally, a retractable tailwheel and other minor changes and also a 1,280-hp Merlin XX. The other prototype which would become the Supermarine Spitfire Mk XX, it was originally named the Mk IV, was powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB. The name change was to avoid mistaking the plane for the Mk P.R.IV, powered by the Merlin 46, it was an unarmed reconnaissance plane, and carried 3 cameras, two vertical and one oblique and entered service in September 1941.

The next version the Mk V was powered by a 1,470-hp Merlin 45 engine, and the main three versions were the Spitfire Mk VA, Mk VB and Mk VC. The Mk VA and Mk VB had the same armament as the Mk IIA and Mk IIB respectively. The Mk VC had a 'universal wing' which meant it could have the armament of the Mk VA or Mk VB, or four cannons, and either one 500lb bomb or two 250lb bombs, the range of aircraft was increased with the addition of a drop tank. 1943 saw some Supermarine Spitfire Mk L.F.V's appear with clipped wings and were powered by a 1,585-hp Merlin 45m engine for low altitude operations.

Entering service in December 1940, the Spitfire Mk II was among a number of aircraft which went on 'Rhubarb' sweeps over occupied Europe. The Mk V then entered service in February 1941, with No. 92 Squadron. Malta were the first to to receive the first Spitfires to serve overseas, when 15 Mk VBs were flown from HMS Eagle on the 7th March 1942. Tropicalised Mk VBs which had an air intake filter under the nose were sent to No. 145 Squadron based in the Middle East during May 1942. In February 1943 No. 54 Squadron based at Darwin received the first Pacific theatre Mk V.

"There can be no doubt that victory in the Battle of Britain was made possible by the Spitfire. Although there were more Hurricanes than Spitfires in the battle, the Spitfire was the RAF's primary weapon because of its better all-round capability. The Hurricane alone could not have won this great air battle, but the Spitfire (if in sufficient numbers) could have done so."

Air Commodore Alan Deere

To counteract German bombers operating at high altitude, the Supermarine Spitfire IV was developed, with a Mk VB used as a base and with the introduction of a Merlin 47 engine, extended wingtips and a pressure cabin. This was used as an interim plane until the Spitfire H.F.VII appeared, which was first flown in April 1942. As well as other improvements it was the first mark to be designed to take the two-stage Merlin 60 engine.

The development of the Spitfire continued throughout the war with different versions of each mark of the Supermarine Spitfire developed depending on the role it was used for. These roles included, interceptor, low and high altitude, fighter-bomber and photographic reconnaissance. In fact the Spitfire was the only Allied fighter already in production at the start of the Second World War to remain in production throughout the war, and also served with US and Russian squadrons.

Some of the notable later marks included the Spitfire Mk XVI which was the last Merlin engined Spitfire, and the Mk XIV which on the 4th October 1944 claimed the first Messerschmitt ME 262 to be shot down by the Allies. The last Supermarine Spitfire to be made was a Mk 24, and was completed in October 1947, meaning the total number of Spitfires built was around 23,000. The last operational sortie was made on the 1st April 1954 by a PR Mk 19 Spitfire of No. 81 Squadron, Malaya.

Also see Supermarine Seafire

Spitfire 24 is on display at RAF Museum London, Hendon