11016

Spitfire Mk.XVI
Grzegorz Szymanowsl<i
Tomasz Szlagor
First Ed ition

lublin 2005
Photos:
Gn:egon Szymanowski ,
Albert Osinski

Submarine Spitfire LF

Mk.XVIe

Photos on the cover:

Milosz Rusiecki

Series Editor:
Albert Osiriski

Translation: Tomasz Szlagor

Proof reading: Albert Osinski
Design: KAGERO STUDIO
Tomasz GOlska
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K.AGER.O

p itfire - a legend of World War II and a fitting symbol of

victory over the Third Reich. Designed back in 1935, it
was used by the Allies throughout the war and flew operationally on every front . It proved more than a match for another flying legend, the Messerschmitt 109 , and earned its
reputation as a lethal weapon agrunst the Luftwaffe.
As the war progressed, the original design underwent numerous modifications, a process which continued even after
WWII. Two main phases in its development can be recognized based on the type of engine employed: either the Rolls
Royce Merlin or its successor, the Griffon. Interestingly, the
ultimate Merlin-powered version of the Spitfire was originally intended to be just a 'stop-gap' solution to the urgent
need for a higher performance aircraft. In the second half of
1941 , the Germans' latest fighter design, the fearsome Focke
Wulf Fw 190, had clearly demonstrated its superiority over
the ageing Spitfire Mk. V. However. the latter's anxiously
awaited successor, the Mk. VIII, was not yet not ready for
production. Therefore, in 1942 , the British pressed into service a hastily modified version of the Spitf"rre, based on the
Mk. V but fitted with a new engine and propeller. This modification, designated 'Type 361 ' at the factory, was subsequently branded the Mk. IX (when powered by the Merlin
61-70) and the Mk. XVI (when coupled to the Packard Merlin
266 engine, produced under licence in USA).
This 'temporary' aircraft was destined to become the most
numerous version of the Spitf'l.re. A total of 6 ,719 specimens

of both sub-types rolled off the assembly lines (5 ,665 of the

Mk. IX and 1,054 of the Mk. XVI). They were flown in combat until the very end of the war by many Polish fighter
squadrons (including the Polish Fighting Team, aka 'Skalski's Cir cus', as well as 308, 316, 303, 317, 315 and 302
Sqns). Wbile flying Mk . IXs and Mk . XVIs, the Poles shot
down over 100 German rurcraft; 89 of their pilots were lost
in action.
The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe on display at
the Polish Air Force Museum in Krakow was a fighter specifically designed for aerial combat at low and medium alti tudes, as well as for ground attacks (hence its designation
LF, which stands for Low Altitude Fighter). The Mk. XVI
prototype was fir st flown in December 1943 and was of allmetal construction , featuring metal covered ailerons in place
of the earlier fabric covered versions. The Krakow example
has the early-production fuselage with a high-ridged spine
and a fixed tailwbeel (later versions sported a teardropshaped canopy, cut-down rear spine and a retractable tailwheel). The Packard Merlin 266 engine had a two-stage superchar ger and was rated at 1,390 - 1,600 hp. It was fitted
with a four-bladed , variable-pitch propeller. The wings of the
'E' variant were clipped ; they housed a pair of British-Hispano 20mm cannons and a pair of Colt-Browning M2 12 .7mm
heavy machine guns.

Grzegorz Szy111anowski

The author would like to express his most sincere gratitude to the management and staff of the Polish Air Force Museum for their
assistance in collecting the data used in this publication

The aircraft o n display in the Krakow Museum served with 421. Sqn of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1956 it was obtained by the RAF Museum at Hendon , and in the late 1960s,
whilst still airworthy, it 'starred' in The Battle of Britain movie . In 1977 the Krakow Museum acquired it in exchange for the fuselage of a DH-9a WWI bi-plane. The aircraft which
se:rved as a model for the painting scheme and markings of the Museum specimen was TB995 , coded 'ZF-0' , which was delivered to 308. Sqn PAF on 15th March 1945 Vickers
Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk . XVI e, eksponat Muzeum Lotnictwa Polsk]ego. Wernja z wysokim grzbietem kadluba, w p6znych seriach wprowadzono obnizony grzbiet i kroplowl\
oston<; kabiny. KamuJ1ai tego Spitf1re'a odtworzono w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 70. niezbyt dohladnie. Po 2000 roku w Muzeum zmieniono oznaczenia z AU-Y (421 RCAF) na
f11wyjne dla tego egzemplarza ZF-0 uzywany przez 308 (polski) dywizjon RAF (.,krakowski")

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T OPS HOTS

Spitfire

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--------------------------....!T!;O!!P:.:S!!H!O~T!;:
S

Spitfire

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Details of the
pilot 's entry
hatch - the

The d oor lock (canopy closed). The lock was originally of the same colour as the rest of
the cockpit interior Zamek drzwi

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TOPS HOTS

Rectangular-shaped rea.rview mirrors phased out along with early Mk. IX.s. In th is case
such a mirror is most probably a r eminder of the aircraft's 'movie career' Prostokl\tne
lusterko wsteczne jest prawdopodobnie sladem po . mmowej karierze" maszyny
Spitfire

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wnika

11

Elements of
fuselage . .
constructiOn,
side view of
the seat and
the armoured plate
Konstrukcja kadluba
i e lementy
monta.Zu
fotela za
plyt<\

pancern'l

Spitfire

11

Forward area of the port sidewall. VISible are, among others, the throttle quadrant, propeDer pitch control, elevator and rudder trimming tab handwheels Lewa burta kabiny
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TOPSHOTS

Technical data on Spittlre Mk.XVI

Dimensi ons

Wingspan
Length
Hight
Wing area

~
..,-

Max weight

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3940 kg

km/h

Max. speed

6~2

Max ceiling

12 900 m

Range

Spitfire

9,93 m
9 ,680 m
3 ,48 m
21,46 m"

690 km

13

craft. the
padding is of
black colour
l."otel
pilota bez

t apicerld

14

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The pilot's rear armoured plate and the upper part of the seat. Visible are the pllot's
Cockpit starboard sidewall details. Note the undercarriage selector lever (the black han- harness joints. Note the lack of headrest, typical of late Mk . lXs and Mk. XVls Tylna
dle) in a gated quadrant . The yellow lever is the seat adjustment lever
Dra,Zek plyta pancerna i g6rna c~sc fotela pilota. Widoczne miejsce mocowania pas6w pilola.
i przela,czniki ukladu paliwowego
Brak zagl6wka, cha.rakterystyczny dla p6znych Mk . IX i XVI
Spitfire

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15

.,

L _________ .....l!!~::::____________________j This photo of the port wingroot with removed fairing gives a good look into the internal
Antl-skid walkway band added to the wingroot area; it was a rare element on Spitfire, structure of the landing Oap; no te the external power socket directly above Pol!\(:Zenie
usually found on port side only Chodnik antyposlizgowy
kadrub-skrzydlo po zdj~ciu opror..lowania. Widoczna wewn~trzna konstrukcja klapy

The small 'plug' in the centre of the fuselage roundel , just aft of the radio hatch , is the
le ad- in fo~ the wire aerial of the early IFF system Pokrywa radiostacjL Na kokardzie
gniazdko ~Z<izenia IFF
The aft fuselage spine and the radio aerial mast Grzbiet kadluba i maszt anteny
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TOPS HOTS

Spitfire

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Carburettor intake in all LF Mk. XVIs was fitted with anti-dust Vokes AEROVEE filter Close-up or the port wingroot with partially dismantled wing Zbliienie nasad.y lewego
W!ot powietrza do ga.Znika z ftltrem przeciwpylowym Vokes AEROVEE
skrzydla podczas demonta.Zu skrzydla

The fuselage underside just aft of the air intake. This is where the 'slipper conformal fuel
tank was mounted Sp6d kad.luba za wlotem powietrza. W tyro miejscu montowano
dodatkowe konforemne zbiorniki paliwa

18

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TOPS HOTS


The fuselage underside section between the wings
okolicy centroplata
Spitfire

Sp6d kadlu ba w

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19

20

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TOPSHOTS

Spitfire

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Fuel filler point of the front tank , just forward of the windscreen
niego zbiornika
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TOPSHOTS

Spitfire

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Z3

24

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TOPS HOTS

Exhaust stacks of the Packard Merlin engine. Beginning with Mk . V. Spitftres were
equipped with 'fishtail' exhaust pipes of flattened outlets; this exhaust manifold is untypical , similar to the one used on Mustangs
Rury wydechowe silnika Packard Merlin
Spitfire

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21 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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----------------------T~O~P::.;s:_:H!!O~T~S

The port wingroot with partially dismantled wing; this set of photos offers a good view
at the stub/spar attachment and wing ribs
Poi~~CWnie sk.rzydlo-kadlub. Widoczny
uchwYt montowania dzwigara skrzydla, stanowil\()y integraln!\ c~sc centroplata
Spitfire

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27

--.-.-..
#

..

"'

- - - - - -

LOCATION

21

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t=OI~

TOPSHOTS

--

Central section of the wing. Of note is the oblong bliste1 over the cannon drum feed unit
and the wide. oval haped fairing over the wheel well . Note the 'walk outboard' stencil
ling and the lines marking the wing walk area rodkowa c~sc plata
Spitfire

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!I

This hinged
cover on the
wing trailing
edge is for
the flap
actuating
linkage ,
which protrudes
through the
upper wing
skin when
the flaps are
down
Okienko
silownika
wysuni~cia

klap

Aileron's hmge v iewed from below Zawias lotki od spod u

30

--------------------------------------------------------------

Metal a.Ueron Kryta blachl\ lotka

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TOPSHOTS

The 'E' type wing was armed with Hispano 20 m.m cannon and Colt-Browning 12,7 rnrn Rectangular apertures are spent cartridge ejection chutes and gun bay vents. Note the
heavy machine gun. A three-second burst of SpitfLTe Mk. XV1e weighted 11,79 kg additional blister on the wing underside housing the lower part of the cannon Okna
Irnitacje luf dzialka British - Hispano 20 mm i nkm Colt-Browning M2 12,7 mm
wyrzutnik6w lusek i przetloczenie pod dzialkiem na dolnej powierzchni skrzycUa

Gun camera
port in the
lead ing edge
of the st ar-

board win-

Spitfire

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31

Inlet o r t he radiator set; the narrow inboard section is t he oil cooler. The wider outboard
section is the engine r adiator Wlot powietrza do chlodnicy tunelowej

Radiator outlet and the flap regulating the airflow. Note the strengthening bars and the
operating cam Wylot powietrza z chlodnicy tunelowej i klapka steruja,ca.jego przeplywem
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TOPSHOTS

Spitfire

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33

Late Mk . IXs and all Mk. XVIs featured the pointed ta.ilfin . Fitting the wide chord rudder

s olved t he problem of the aircraft's tendency to swing lo one side during take-off due to
its more powerful engine and four-bladed propeUer
Usterzenie . Ksztalt usterzenia
p io nowego zmieniony na spiczasty od p6znych serii Mk . lX
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TOPS HOTS

Trim tab and its adjustment arm Klapka wywa.ZajljCa i jej diwignia
Spitfire

Details of tail planes' underside surfaces Szczeg6ly dolnej strony statecznika poziomego
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35

AH3875 main wheel with a three-section hub. This type of

wheel required an additional blister on the upper surface of
Port landing gear assembly. Note the lug for t be locking the wing Kolo AH3875, z piastl~ tr6jdzielnl'\. Wymagalo
pin at the base of the strut Zesp6! lewego podwozia
przetloczenia na g6rnej ~sci skrzydla

31

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TOPS HOTS

Starboard landing gear

assembly. Close-u p of the
abs o rber and t he mam
wheel le g cover Zes p61
podwozia p r awego.
Szczeg&y ammtyza.tora
i oslony podwozia

Tors ion link of the roam

wheel leg shock-absor ber,
typical of Mk. XVI
Mechanizm noeyoowy amortyzatora podwozia, charakterystyc=y dla Mk. XV1
Spitfire

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The narrow-

ei- part of
the starboard landing gear well
W~isza
cz~sc prawej
wn~lti

pod-

wozia

Upper part
of the starboard wheel
retraction
mechanism .
showing the
actuating
cam and
chain
G6rna c~sc
prawego
mechanizmu
chowania
podwozia

Forward part
of the starboard wheel
well
Przednia
scia.nka
prawej wn~ki
podwozia

31

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TOPSHOTS

Rear part or

the starboard wheel

well Tylna Scianka
pra.weJ WDElkj
podwozia

Strengthen-

ers of the

Spitfire

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31

Port side
retracting
mechanism
is slig htly
different
from t he
starboard
one Lewy
mecha.nizm
chowa.nia.
podwozia

Wheel w ell

40

WI.th

strengthemng ribs Wn!1ka podwozia

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Tailwheel in
dilTerent
views . The
red-coloured
fork is a
towing device. The
tailwheel in
early Mk .
XVIs was

non-retractable Tylne k6tko

ogonowe
Spitfire

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41

T 0 PIE

MA

The aut hor of this book hereby would like to express his sincere appreciation to the Polish Aviation
Museum, and especially to Mr. Jan Hoffman, for the kind reception and invaluable help offered in the
research for this book
MUZEUM LOTNICTWA POLSKIEGO w KRAKOWIE
Al. Jana Pawla II 39, 30-969 Krakow
Phone/Fax ( +48 12) 642 87 00 http://www.muz-lotnictwa.krakow.pl

TILD~rn~
ISBN 83-89088-89-4

Spitfire XVI TB890 ZF-M of the Polish 308.

Sqn RAF Krakowski , summer 194:5 Spitfire XVI TB890 ZF-M , 308. Dywizjon Myllliwski . Krakowski", lato 194:5 r .

Spitfire XVI SZ-K flown by the commander

or the Polish 131. Fighter Wing W/Cdr Tadeusz Sawioz, eummer 194:5 Spitfire XVI
SZ-K dow6dcy 131 Skl'zydla My8llwskiego
W/Cdr Tadeusza Sawioza, lato 194:5 r.