The Spitfire Story E-Book

Peter R March

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Story of
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 73

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Probably the most famous fighter aircraft of all time, the Supermarine Spitfire reigned supreme and unsurpassed from the biplane era to the dawn of the jet age, a period that included the Second World War. Here is the incredible story of this legendary aircraft, from its genesis in the 1930s to its continued presence at airshows and museums today.

Leseprobe

The Spitfire Story

Spitfire IX photographed during thefilming of Piece of Cake at CharltonPark, Wiltshire, March 1988.

The Spitfire Story

Peter R. March

First published in 2006 by Sutton Publishing Limited

Reprinted in 2007

Reprinted in 2008 byThe History PressThe Mill, Brimscombe Port,Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QGwww.thehistorypress.co.uk

Reprinted 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017

Copyright © Peter R. March, 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in anyform, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of thepublisher and copyright holder.

Peter R. March has asserted the moral right to be identifiedas the author of this work.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.

e-ISBN 978-0-7524-8542-3

Typeset in 9.5/14.5pt Syntax.Typesetting and origination bySutton Publishing Limited.Printed and bound in China

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements vi

Introduction ix

Mitchell’s Legacy 1

Fighter Power 21

Construction 25

Production 29

Performance 31

47 Varieties 33

Naval Spitfires 67

Spitfires Today 75

Memorial Flight 77

Airworthy Spitfires 83

Appendix I Specification 107

Appendix II Spitfire Milestones 109

vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It has been a difficult task to select photographs to  

illustrate The Spitfire Story from the huge number of  

excellent images that are available from a host of skilled  

photographers around the world. In the main I have  

chosen colour shots, often of contemporary aircraft,  

that show the outstanding features and grace of this  

beautiful warbird.

I am particularly grateful to Michael J.F. Bowyer,  

Peter Cooper/Falcon Aviation Photos, Dr Alfred Price,  

Brian Strickland and Richard L. Ward for making  

historic photographs available from their collections  

and to Derek Bower, Damien Burke, Ben Dunnell,  

Jeremy Flack/API, Darren Harbar, Paul Harrison, Jamie  

Hunter, Graham Kilsby, Andrew and Daniel March,  

Frank Mormillo, Richard Paver, Col Pope and Robby  

Robinson for the supply of more recent images.

Much has been written about the birth and  

development of the Spitfire. I gratefully acknowledge  

the assistance provided by Dr Alfred Price, the Spitfire  

Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society (Southampton  

Branch), Dr Gordon Mitchell and Michael J.F. Bowyer  

in the preparation of this book. I have also been ably  

assisted by Brian Strickland, Ben Dunnell and Howard  

Curtis in producing the narrative and appendices.

Photo Credits

Photographs Peter R. March/PRM Aviation Collectionunless otherwise credited.

vii

In the air the Spitfire was forgiving and without vice, and I never heard ofanyone who did not enjoy flying it. It had a personality uniquelyits own. The Hurricane was dogged, masculine and its undercarriagefolded inwards in a tidy businesslike manner. The Spit, calling for moresensitive handling, was altogether more feminine, had more glamourand threw its wheels outward in an abandoned extrovert way. From theground there was a special beauty about it. The cockpit of any singleseater aircraft is a very snug private world, but to sit in the cockpit of aSpitfire, barely wider than one’s shoulders, with the power of the Merlinat one’s finger tips, was sheer poetry – something never to be forgottenby those who experienced it.

Lettice Curtis, Air Transport Auxiliary pilot.

viii

Stephen Kettle’s statueof R.J. Mitchell, with amodel of the first Spitfireand a dismantled Mk 22beyond, is on display atthe Science Museum,South Kensington,London. (Science Museum)

ix

INTRODUCTION

If asked to name a British aircraft of the  

Second World War many people would  

pick the Spitfire. The subject of constant  

development, the Supermarine design was  

the RAF’s most capable fighter of the period  

and was in front-line service throughout the  

war.

There can be no doubt that the basic  

concept and design of this beautiful fighter  

was pure genius. Reginald Mitchell and his  

colleagues such as Joseph Smith conceived  

an aircraft which was revolutionary in its  

time. Notwithstanding this achievement, the  

concurrent development of the Rolls-Royce  

Merlin and Griffon engines must equally be  

celebrated. The vision of the design team and  

the determination they showed in getting  

the aircraft off the drawing board and into  

the air can only be matched by Mitchell’s  

bravery in the face of terminal cancer.

The Spitfire underwent continual  

development throughout the Second World  

War to maintain its place in the front ranks  

of the world’s fighter aircraft. In six years of  

war the power of the Spitfire increased by  

100-per cent, its weight by 40 per cent, its  

maximum speed by 35 per cent and its rate  

of climb by 80 per cent. Although the main  

line of development was as a fighter, the early  

introduction of photographic reconnaissance  

aircraft, and later the Seafire, gave rise to  

other separate types. The development of  

the Griffon engine as a replacement for the  

Merlin made a further main division, and  

finally there existed several interim types which  

bridged the gaps between one mark and the  

fully developed and strengthened mark that  

followed it. There were some combat air-  

craft which were faster power for power, or  

could carry a greater load, but none could  

Did you know?

Although the final cost ofthe prototype Spitfire was£20,756, the Air Ministrypaid £12,478 and Rolls-Royce £7,500, so ineffect Supermarine builtthe aircraft at a cost tothem of just over £700.

x

A faithful scale replicaof the prototype Spitfire,built by Clive du Cros,showing the distinctivelines of Mitchell’s design.(Jeremy Flack/API)

Did you know?

The average cost peraircraft of the first 310Spitfires built was £6,033,reducing to £5,696 forthe next 200. Today, ifyou wanted to buy anairworthy Spitfire youwould have to find morethan £1 million.

match the Spitfire in overall performance or  

ease of handling.

Forever remembered for its part in the  

Battle of Britain, the Spitfire took on the  

Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf 109s in daily  

combat. During the battle most of the fighter-  

versus-fighter combat took place between  

13,000 and 20,000ft, because that was  

where German bombers normally flew. At that  

altitude the Mks I and II were about equal to  

xi

the Bf 109E in capability. Over the next five  

years the Spitfire gained the equipment it  

needed for fighting a modern war – particularly  

armour plate and variable-pitch propellers  

that allowed maximum engine efficiency in all  

flight regimes, from the Merlins and Griffons.  

Spitfires flew on every operational front  

and took part in every major theatre of war,  

including Italy, Malta, the Middle East, India  

and Australia. As well as being a standard  

fighter in the RAF and Commonwealth air  

forces, it was also used by France, Poland,  

The classic shape of theSpitfire changed littlethrough the Merlin-engined fighters likethis Mk VIII, while theperformance advancedsignificantly.(Jamie Hunter)

xii

Typical of the fifty ormore Spitfires airworthytoday is the ShuttleworthCollection’s Mk VC thatflies regularly from OldWarden. (Darren Harbar)

Norway, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia,  

Belgium, Portugal and Russia. Over 700 were  

supplied to the US Army Air Force under the  

reverse of Lend/Lease.

Three or four new variants appeared in  

each year of production, and the final total  

built was 22,758 Spitfires and Seafires in  

33 different marks. Few aircraft have rivalled  

its unique handling qualities, and it was  

unquestionably the finest fighter aircraft  

to come from the wartime British aircraft  

industry. It made the greatest single fighter  

contribution, alongside the Avro Lancaster  

bomber, to the outcome of the war in Europe.  

After the war the Spitfire’s front-line  

fighter role was fairly short-lived as the new  

generation of jet-powered Vampires and  

Meteors quickly took its place. But some  

aircrew brought up on Spitfires still hankered  

after its relative ease and simplicity.

Much of the enthusiasm for this classic  

fighter has been transmitted forward to  

the following generations. It remains,  

seventy years after its first flight, a truly  

great aircraft with a remarkable perform-  

ance, an outstanding service record and a  

unique appeal to everyone who sees it in  

the air.