The Spitfire By Mike Kemble

with additional research by Ray Holden

The Humble Beginnings

The first "unofficial" Spitfire was a total failure. Its

designer, Reginald Mitchell named the first
prototype the "Shrew". His original design
 was a low cranked monoplane with a fixed
undercarriage, all metal with an open
cockpit and 2 machine guns mounted in the
forward fuselage sides and 2 wing mounted
machine guns, all synchronised to fire
through the propeller arc. Designated the
Type 224, it flew for the first time on 19
February 1934 in the hands of Vickers Chief
Test Pilot "Mutt" Summers. Originally
designed to meet the Air Ministry's demands
for a new generation of fighter, the
specifications were issued by the Air
Ministry in 1931, specification number F7/30
and was designed around the open cockpit
twin gunned aircraft of the day. The
performance of this aircraft was much lower
than anticipated, the cooling system failed
on a regular basis. On this basis, Reginald
Mitchell's designs were turned down.

Mitchell persevered and developed his original plans

further by designing the fighter with thinner elliptical
wings, a smaller span and a faired cockpit with a
perspex cover. This became the Type 300. With a
new engine, the Rolls Royce Merlin 27 litre PV-12 and
the Air Ministry then issued a contract on 3 January
1935. By March of 1936 the prototype, K5054
completed its ground trials and so was ready to go on
its first flight. This prototype cost £14,637 and flew for
the first time on 5 March 1936 which lasted just 8
minutes from 1635 hrs from Eastleigh. "Mutt"
Summers was the pilot and, when he landed, he told
the ground crew of "no problems" and "I don't want
anything touched". The first official Spitfire was
born. This was derived from the Supermarine S6,
(below) which won the Schneider Trophy in 1934.
Over the next 3 days, 3 more flights took place, all piloted by
Summers. The first flight took 23 minutes, the second 31 minutes and
the third 50 minutes. During these flights he tested stalls and steep
turns to fully test out the characteristics of the aircraft. No problems
were found over the next few weeks and consequently the aircraft was
passed over to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental
Establishment, Martelsham for official trials on 26 May 1936. Before
the full testing programme could be completed the Air Ministry issued
a contract for 310 Spitfires on 3 June 1936.

1938 - 1939

The Supermarine Spitfire entered service with the Royal Air Force
some 9 months after the Hawker Hurricane. Being the second of the
RAF's 8 gun monoplanes. 19 Squadron at Duxford exchanged its
Gauntlet biplanes for the Mk 1 Spitfire starting on August 4 1938 with
the arrival of K9789. The second RAF squadron to receive the Spitfire
was also based at Duxford, 66 Squadron received Spitfire K9802 on 31
October 1938. By the end of 1938, the RAF had 2 fully equipped
Spitfire Squadrons. When war broke out on September 3 1939, the
RAF had 9 Squadrons equipped, these being 19, 66 and 611, all at
Duxford; 54, 65 and 74 Squadrons based at Hornchurch; 72 Squadron
based at Church Fenton; 41 and 609 Squadrons based at Catterick
and 602 Squadron based at Abbotsinch. 603 Squadron were in the
process of receiving Spitfires in place of its Gladiators at Turnhouse.
At the outbreak of war, 306 mk1 Spitfires had been delivered and 36 of
these had been destroyed in training accidents.
 The first 77 Spitfires (Mk1s) had only a two bladed, fixed pitch
propeller. The remainder were three bladed, two position propellers.
Fine pitch for take off and course pitch for cruising. Later these were
also fitted to the earlier 77 Spits. The original flat canopy was replaced
by the more famous domed or bulged version to accommodate the
taller pilot. Other early improvements included armour plated
windscreen and 6mm armoured panels on the rear of the engine
bulkhead, also behind the pilot. Guns were found to freeze at high
altitudes, therefore heating was also fitted to the guns. Originally the
armament was 8 Browning .303 machine guns but in June 1939, 2
Hispano cannons were fitted to one Spitfire for trials. But, as the wings
were too flexible, this caused them to jam. Engineers were tasked to
solve this problem. The Hispano cannon being originally designed to
be body mounted. The closed cockpit also caused many pilots to feel
somewhat claustrophobic, being used to open cockpits, some leaving
it fully open! Also pilots were still unfamiliar with retracting
undercarriages, and accidents were caused by forgetting to lower the
undercarriage on landing.

The legend of the Spitfire very nearly did not begin to form, as
production was slow and the Air Ministry seriously considered
cancelling production in favour of other aircraft. One reason was the
revolutionary design of the Spitfire elliptical wings, seen above, causing
problems with inexperienced sub contractors. Supermarine convinced
the Air Ministry that, with practice, production would increase and with
Lord Nuffield's experiences with mass production, all would come to
good use and resulted in the building of the " shadow" factory for
Spitfire production at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. (This is about 3
miles from where I live and I used to work in Spitfire Road, Erdington,
which was actually on the site of the factory, later better known as
Dunlops). Before the outbreak of war, many countries had expressed
interest in building the Spitfire, under licence, in particular Japan! 1160
were ordered from Supermarine before the war and subsequently, 1000
were ordered from Castle Bromwich. Images below.

To view these in larger format; click on each image - these images are of the Spitfire Roundabout
on Chester Road Castle Vale Birmingham which
was once the actual site of the Castle Bromwich Spitfire Factory in World War 2 - copyright mike
kemble 2002
Ironically, the first aircraft to fall to the guns of the Spitfire were 2
Hurricanes of 56 Squadron; shot down by 74 Squadron over the
Medway 6 September 1939. At the same time a Blenheim was shot
down by trigger happy AA fire. The resulting enquiry showed there
was a fault in the fighter control system, pilots exonerated and the
need for an identification system highlighted. This led to the
introduction of the IFF System (Identify Friend or Foe). The first
enemy plane shot down is credited to Squadron Leader Stevens, the
CO of 603 Squadron. On 16 October 1939 he, and 2 other Spitfires
attacked some Junker 88s of 1/KG 30 over the Firth of Forth at
Rosyth. At the same time two other sections of 603 Squadron
engaged and shot down a Heinkel He-111, later another of the Junker
88s was also shot down and later the same day, another Heinkel He-
111 was shot down by 603 Squadron. The Spitfire had opened its
account against the enemy. On 29 November, a Heinkel He-111 was
shot down at Haddington East Lothian. Credit for the kill went to
Flying Officer Archie McKellar of 602 Squadron, although he was
interrupted by three Spitfires from 603 Squadron.

Spitfires based in England scored their first hit when 41 Squadron,

Catterick, brought down a Heinkel He-111 off Whitby and 74 Squadron
(Hornchurch) scored its first victory against a Heinkel He-111 off
Southend. The plane was not actually seen to crash but 2 of its crew
were picked up out of the sea the next day.

The concept of aerial reconnaissance was normally assigned to

bombers but the use of a small, high speed, recce aircraft was thought
up by Flying Officer "Shorty" Longbotham. The Spitfire being the
obvious choice and the first 2 were converted in October 1939, two
Mk1s. Stripped of its armament, radio etc and painted with a high
gloss paint, the resulting aircraft flew some 30mph faster. The first
section being based at Seclin, France before the country was overrun
by the Germans. After the coming fall of France, Photo Recce would
come under the auspices of Coastal Command, using types including
Spitfires, Wellingtons and Hudsons. Planes being painted deeper blue
for high altitude and pale pink for low level work. During the period of
the "phony war" enemy trips across the channel were rare but training
was continuous. At that time Spitfires did not cross the channel
looking for the enemy. Fighter Squadrons were expected to fly both
day and night but the Spitfire was particularly difficult to land at night
due to the poor visibility over the raised nose (see image above) and
the need to fly a curved landing approach. The pilot is virtually blind
during the final stages of landing. The exhaust flame did not help
matters, blinding the pilots night vision; dampers had not yet been
fitted. Spitfire's therefore could only fly on clear moonlit nights.

1940

The phony war lasted through much of the first winter of the war.
Then, on April 9, Germany invaded Norway. One month later they
invaded France and the Low Countries. 10 May 1940, Spitfires were
ordered to carry out patrols across the Channel. Spitfires first met Bf-
109s and Bf-110s on 23 May, 2 of each being shot down and 3
Spitfires. Intense pressure was placed upon Dowding, Head of Fighter
Command, to send Spitfires to France; by refusing this he preserved
much of the Spitfires for the forthcoming Battle of Britain. In spite of
this 67 Spitfires were lost in the Battle for France and the consequent
Dunkirk evacuation. Knowledge of Luftwaffe tactics were learnt by
those who survived including the need to bring down the harmonizing
range of the guns to 250 yards from 400 yards. Engines were replaced
with 100 octane fuel, from 87, this increased the speed by 25mph at
sea level and 34mph at 10,000 feet.

The Battle of Britain was fought from 10 July to 31 October 1940. When
it started Fighter Command had 27 Squadrons of Hurricanes and 19
Squadrons of Spitfires. It was the Hurricane that bore the brunt of the
fighting. During this period 565 Hurricanes were lost and 352 Spitfires.
During the Battle, 19 Squadron were issued with 6 cannon firing
Spitfires, designated Mk1b's as opposed to the machine gun version,
the Mk1a. The cannons hitting power was great, but jamming was a
problem, giving little success. Further cannon firing Spitfires were
issued to 92 Squadron then it was accepted that the best combination
was an aircraft with two cannon and four machine guns. The
performances of the Spitfire Mk1 and the Me 109E were very similar.
The Spitfire could outperform the 109E with a better turning radius at
any height and was slightly faster below 15,000 feet. The 109E was
better in the climb and slightly faster over 20,000 feet. This was due to
the fuel injection of the 109E Daimler Benz DB601A engine.

In August 1940, the Chief Test Pilot of Supermarine, Jeffrey Quill, went
to 65 Squadron for some "operational experience". He was recalled 19
days later to test fly the Spitfire Mk3. He did see considerable combat
during those 19 days and his experience led to 2 significant changes to
the Spitfire. sterner metal covered ailerons stopped the stick feeling
"heavy" at high speed and vision was improved by changes to the
canopy and rear fuselage.

24 September, the Luftwaffe raided the Supermarine Works near

Southampton. Little damage was done but 100 workers were killed. 30
more were killed 2 days later in another raid, this time doing severe
damage and halting production. As a direct consequence, production
was diversified to over 60 sites. 30 Sept, the Westland factory at Yeovil,
building Spitfires, was also hit by Heinkel He-111s; as a result only 59
Spitfires were produced in October. Late in 1940, after the Battle of
Britain was over, Spitfires and Hurricanes got their first glimpse of the
Me Bf109F; it was far superior to the Hurricane and more
manoeuvreable than the Spitfire above 25,000 feet. The Spitfire Mk3 had
not made its appearance yet, therefore a gap developed. Also soon
after the Battle of Britain was over, Fighter Command went on the
offensive, sending 66 Squadron, 2 Spitfires, over the Channel. These
became known as "Rhubarbs" but would prove expensive.

1941

Early "rhubarbs" failed to tempt the Luftwaffe into the skies. So

bombers were sent over, with fighter escorts. The first was staged on 10
January 1941, consisting of 6 Blenheims and 6 Squadrons of Hurricanes
and Spitfires. It cost the RAF the loss of 1 Hurricane with 2 Spitfires
written off in landing accidents, 1 fatal. Some Spitfire Mk1c's were
assigned to Bomber Command for Photo Recce use in identifying
targets for bombers before raids. They then re-photographed the same
area afterwards. By the end of April, all Spitfire Squadrons had the Mk2.
Mk1's being used for training. As soon as the Mk5 became available, all
Mk2 Squadrons were re-equipped again. The Mk5 being produced in
much greater numbers than any other version. First Mk5 were
converted Mk1s and Mk2s. The Mk5 was the equivalent of the Bf109F,
which had hit development snags, not fully operational until the end of
May by which time Mk5 production was well under way. When Germany
invaded Russia in June, any further threat of a renewed offensive over
Britain dissipated and the need for the Mk6. So the "stop gap" Mk5
remained in production. In the first 6 months of 1941, Fighter Command
lost 57 aircraft - the Germans 20. Despite the cost, offensive operations
continued over France, keeping German aircraft away from the Russian
Front. Those that did remain, chose to fight "when it suited
themselves", when it was to their own advantage. On 9 August,
Douglas Bader was taken prisoner when his Spitfire lost its tail in a
collision with a Bf109.

Towards the end of 1941, the first RAF Squadrons comprising ex-pat
allied personnel began to form. 340 Squadron with French pilots; 349
Squadron with Belgian pilots and Squadrons of Poles, Czechs and
Norwegians also flew Spitfires. Fighter sweeps were temporarily halted
over France due to the cost. In June, July and August, the RAF had lost
nearly 200 pilots.

1942

At the beginning of 1942, Fighter Command had 60 Squadrons of

Spitfires. During the dash through the channel of the Scharnhorst and
Gneisenau, in February, the FW190 was first encountered. Despite bad
weather, the ships were sighted by Spitfires of 91 Squadron. Spitfires
subsequently fought a series of battles against the FW190. The Mk5
found itself outmatched, losing 59 in April. The FW190 had a BMW
engine which outpaced the Mk5 Spitfire. In May, the Bf109G made its
appearance, optimized for high altitude operations. The first of the
Spitfire Mk6s had begun to appear during April with 616 Squadron. This
was intended for high altitude operations also. In direct response to the
FW190, the Spitfire Mk9 arrived, another stop gap fighter, that was
hugely successful, 5665 being built.

In June an FW190 landed at Pembrey, after its pilot had become lost!
The RAF were able to do direct tests against the Spitfire and found that
it proved superior in all aspects except for turning. Some Mk5's had
their wing tips clipped, decreasing wingspan by 4 feet. This gave the
"clipped wing" Spitfire a faster rate of roll. Fitted with a supercharged
Merlin, this gave the spitfire an equivalent rate of speed at low level to
the FW190.

The first Spitfire 9s went to 64 Squadron (Hornchurch) in July. It was

put through its paces against the captured FW190 and was found to
compare favourably

The Luftwaffe began to respond to Fighter Commands offensive by

mounting low level hit and run raids with small numbers of FW190s.
The first overseas deployment of Spitfires took place in March when 15
Spitfires, carrying 90 gallon fuel pods, took off from the flight deck of
HMS Eagle bound for Malta. Subsequent deliveries of Spitfires turned
the Battle for Malta in the RAF's favour. One Spitfire, suffering fuel
failure, became the first non hooked aircraft to land upon an aircraft
carrier! 126 Squadron (Malta) were the first to carry 250lb bombs,
using them in operations over Sicily. 145 Squadron were the first to
receive Spitfires in the desert in April. One Spitfire, stripped of
armour,carrying only 2 machine guns, Merlin engine fine tuned and
fitted with a 4 blade propeller, climbed to over 42,000 feet to shoot
down a JU-86p Recce aircraft. Following this, JU86p's were shot down
at heights of 45,000 and 50,000 feet.

The Carrier version of the Spitfire was the Seafire. First in action in
November during the Allied invasion of Morocco and Algeria, a Seafire
from 801 Squadron, HMS Furious, shot down a Dewoitine 520. The US
forces also used Spitfire 5B's during these landings. The Germans
sent the FW190 to the western Desert in November, and in December
Spitfire Mk9s were attached to 145 Squadron to counteract them.

1943

145 Squadron, consisting of Poles, shot down more enemy aircraft in

the first 2 months, with Spitfire Mk9's, than any other Polish Units in
the whole year! In February 72 Squadron arrived in North Africa with
Spitfire Mk9s. By this time most of the Squadrons in 11 Group had Mk9
Spitfires and operations over France and the Low Countries continued
with Spitfires escorting Bostons of 2 Group, mounting fighter sweeps
and undertaking shipping recce flights. The Mk11, with a Griffin
engine, came into service with 41 Squadron in February.
Although only 100 were built, these were more than a match for the
FW190. 91 Squadron were equipped with Mk11's, operating from
Westhampnett, formed a bomber support wing. A superb fighter at
low level, it enjoyed little success as the Luftwaffe refused to be
drawn down. At greater altitudes the Mk 9 was much the superior of
the two. Following the raid on Dieppe, Air Sea Rescue received
Spitfire Mk2's equipped with the ability to drop dinghy, food and
medicine packs to ditched aircrews. Fully armed, it was able to
defend itself and await the arrival of the rescue seaplane which it
would then see safely home. In May Britain gave 140 Mk5's to Russia
and by the end of the war this had been added to by 1200 Mk 9s.
Nearly 50 went to Portugal and some to Turkey in the same year.
Production at Woolston finished in June 1943 but continued at Castle
Bromwich until the end of the war. It was a PR version of the Spitfire
Mk9 of 542 Squadron that brought back those famous images of the
Ruhr Dams in full flood, following the Dambusters raid of 617
Squadron. Spitfires Mk7 were out now, but only in a few numbers,
performance was disappointing and they were mainly used as top
cover fighters for bombers.

Both Spitfires and Seafires took part in the invasion of Sicily, a Spitfire
of 72 Squadron being the first to land there on 11 July. The 25th July
saw Spitfires of 322 Wing shoot down 21JU-52s and 4 Bf109s in the
space of only 10 minutes. During the landings at Salerno, much of the
combat overhead was carried out by Seafires and in 5 days, the Fleet
Air Arm lost 60, mostly due to carrier landing accidents. 3 Spitfire
Squadrons were also based near Darwin, Australia. 607, 615 and 136
Squadrons were there to counter Japanese raids. The Zero was at an
advantage in the dog fight but was slower than the Spitfire. 615 got its
first victory with a Dinah Recce plane being shot down over the Burma
frontline. On 31 December, 136 Squadron intercepted Japanese
Bombers and fighters, shooting down 12 planes for the loss of 1
Spitfire.

1944

In the New Year there were 6 Squadrons of Spitfires in the Far East, 2
had Mk5c's and 4 had Mk8s. The Mk8 considered to be superior to the
Zero. In March the 5c's had been replaced with Mk8's, now a total of 7
Squadrons with Mk8. During the siege of Imphal, which lasted 80
days, the Japanese only managed to down 3 transport aircraft, thanks
to the defending Spitfires.

In Europe, the Mk14 entered service with 610 Squadron early on in the
year. Ground attacks in France were escalated in preparation for the
invasion of France. D Day - June 6. The RAF had 55 Squadrons of
Spitfires. 118 Squadron was the only one left out as they were stationed
way up north in Skaebrae. 9 Squadrons gave cover to the first troops
ashore, whilst others patrolled above the many ships involved. The
enemy were hardly seen on the first day, mounting only 100 sorties
during daylight. One Spitfire pilot had a grandstand view of the whole
thing, being shot down on June 5, ditching into the Channel, only to be
picked up 2 days later! Spitfire Mk9b's of 222 Squadron landed at St
Croix-sur-Mer on June 10, being refueled and taking off again to patrol.
602 Squadron spotted a staff car on the road on 17 July, strafing it. The
car turned over in a ditch, the occupant, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,
was taken to hospital with severe fractures to his skull. With the
German trapped in the Falaise Gap, following the breakout from the
beach heads, 22 Squadrons of Typhoons and Spitfires decimated the
enemy forces, attacking with rockets, bombs, and machine guns. The
Luftwaffe hardly put in an appearance, enabling the RAF to operate in
pairs with little hindrance. As soon as they refuelled and rearmed, they
were back in the air, some pilots flying 6 missions a day. The enemy
lost to air power the equivalent of 8 Infantry and 2 Armoured Divisions.

On the 12th June, the first V1 flying bombs began to fall on England. 11
Squadrons were called upon to deal with this new threat. Spitfire Mk9s,
Mk 12s and Mk14s were used but the only plane capable of dealing with
this threat was the Tempest 5. It was the only plane that could keep up
with a V1 in level flight. Spitfires armour and some of the guns were
removed, as well as highly polishing the surfaces in an effort to
counteract the V1. One favoured technique was to get wing tip to wing tip
and flip the V1 over, toppling its gyro and sending it plummeting to earth.
Spitfires were also used as fighter bombers on V1 launch sites. A Wing of
4 Squadrons of Mk 14e's was formed specifically for this purpose. Each
plane carried 2 x 250lb bombs or 1 x 500 lb bomb. Spitfires also escorted
the transport aircraft on the ill fated Arnhem mission and on subsequent
re-supply flights. On 5 October, the first Me-262 jet fighter to be shot
down was credited to the Spitfires of 401 Squadron. The versatile Spitfire
was also used on more humanitarian missions, on returning to England,
the modified bomb mountings carried barrels of beer instead of bombs.
Aircraft returning to England were warmly welcomed!

1945

New Years Day and the Luftwaffe staged a final gesture. Banking on
complete surprise, which was achieved, 800 aircraft, of all types, carried
out a dawn raid on allied airfields. 3 Polish Squadrons at St Denis-
Westren were one of the worst hit. 302, 308 and 317 Squadrons lost about
20 Spitfires, some from forced landings due to lack of fuel and 308 and
317 each lost a Spitfire in combat. The Wing claimed 18 FW190s shot
down. 485 Squadron at Maldeghem lost 14 Spitfires destroyed on the
ground. At Ophoven, 130 and 350 Squadrons had 10 Spitfires badly
damaged but 41 Squadron and 610 Squadron, on the same airfield,
escaped undamaged. In all, Spitfire pilots claimed 56 of the enemy shot
down, mostly Bf109s and FW 190s. Although precise records do not
exist, approximately 200 allied aircraft were lost in this action. In contrast
the Luftwaffe lost 300 aircraft and 200 pilots. Many of the allied losses
were Spitfires and Typhoons, which were quickly replaced. The Luftwaffe
never recovered from their losses.

The Spitfire F-21 entered service with 91 Squadron at Manston in

January. On 16 April, two Spitfires attacked and sunk a midget
submarine. Little was seen of the Luftwaffe after New Year but flak
continued to be intensive. Although 3000 F-21 Spitfires were on order,
but by the end of the war only 120 were in service. A few were fitted with
contra rotating propellers which eliminated skidding and made the aircraft
a very stable gun platform. In the Far East there were 21 Squadrons of
Spitfires, including 9 Squadrons of the Indian Air Force. 2 Squadrons of
Seafires formed part of the British Pacific Fleet. Seafires covered the
landings at Rangoon and Penang and the oil fields in Sumatra. Due to the
absence of any Japanese aircraft, Seafires also strafed ground positions.
No Seafires were lost to combat, but some got lost in landing accidents.
April 1st saw Seafires shoot down 3 Japanese Kamikaze Zeros. The last
Seafires to see action were on 15 August when, escorting US Avengers,
their Mk3s shot down 8 Zeros without loss.

The end of WW2 did not see an end to fighting. In the Dutch East Indies,
the movement towards independence brought trouble, proclaiming itself
the state of Indonesia. Following the murder of a British Brigadier,
Spitfires of 155 Squadron attacked ground targets, including a radio
station.

TB 752
Link Here

TB 752 is one of the few surviving Spitfires with a wartime record. Built at
Castle Bromwich in the early part of 1944 she entered service with the
famous No. 66 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in March 1945 bearing
the Squadron Code LZ-F. Carrying an armament of 2 x 20mm cannons
and 4 x 0.5 machine guns as well as a 500 lb bomb and 2 x 250 lb bombs:
she was used initially against road and rail targets in Northern Holland
and Germany.
On the 25th March 1945, TB 752 was classified as Cat C AC (badly damaged) after the port
undercarriage leg failed to lower for landing, the main damage being to the wing and propeller
blades. She was removed to No. 409 Repair and Salvage Unit and re-issued to No. 403 "Wolf"
Squadron RCAF on 19th April 1945, operating from Diepholz in Germany and bearing the
Squadron code KH-Z. On the 21st April and on his very first flight in TB 752, the Squadron
'C.O.', Squadron Leader 'Hank' Zary DFC RCAF destroyed a Me 109. Four days later Flying
Officer David Leslie destroyed an unidentified German aircraft but believed to be a Fw 189
reconnaissance aircraft.

On the 1st May Flying Officer ‘Bob’ Young destroyed a Fw 190 and two days later an He 111
bomber fell to the guns of Flying Officer ‘Fred’ Town. - TB 752’s ‘FINAL VICTORY’ which is
depicted in the superb painting by Michael Turner (prints of which are obtainable from the
sales area). After years of neglect ‘752’ was removed to Manston in 1955 and stood for many
proud years as station gate-guardian - but sadly corroding away at an ever increasing rate.

However, in 1978 the Medway Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society offered to restore her
and on 7th July TB 752 was removed to Rochester Airport. Some 15,000 man hours later ‘752’
re-emerged in pristine condition and returned to Manston on 15th September 1979. The
decision was then made that such a finely restored aircraft must be properly housed and fund
raising started immediately: such was the response that TB 752 moved into her permanent
'quarters' early in 1981.

It is worth noting that out of 22,000 Spitfires built only 179 survive and many
of these are 'wrecks'.

Spitfire Mk XVI Technical Data

Entered
1944
production
32’ 8"
Span
31’ 4"
Length
12’ 7"
Height
7,500 lbs
Weight
405 mph at 22,000’
Speed
40,500’
Ceiling
980 mls
Range
Packard Merlin 266
Engine
2 x 20 mm cannon
Armament
4 x .303 machine guns

For full details of TB 752's history, her wartime and peacetime flying life, her eighteen traced
pilots living in the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia plus her restoration at
Rochester Airport, etc. a booklet has been published entitled 'The Manston Spitfire - TB 752'.

This makes enthralling reading and is reasonably priced at £2.50 from the sales counter.

Extracts from this book, detailing the wartime pilots of TB752, can be found here.
 These 4 images of Spitfire F-UP are reproduced with permission from http://www.nzfpm.co.nz

27 Oct 03: I received the following Email from a gent in America. If anyone
can help him
please contact him direct:

We are starting a restoration of a Seafire from

Burma, it is badly corroded and needs some new
pieces, if you have resources for sheet metal ribs
and parts please let us know.

Jim Cooper
Ozark Management Inc
11500 S Airport Dd
Columbia, Mo 65201
USA
T6JIMCOOPER@AOL.COM
573-443-7037
 Acknowledgements & Useful Sites:

http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/spitfire.html

http://www.nzfpm.co.nz

http://freespace.virgin.net/frank.haslam/rafesmus.html

http://www.cimttz.tu-chemnitz.de/colditz/

http://www.acm.cps.msu.edu/~kortasma/spitfire.html

http://www.trasksdad.com/PopsProg/poem.HTM

Miscellaneous Spitfire Images

These 6 latter
images were
taken at
Cranfield in
1986 by Pete
Porter
These 4 images
are of Castle
Bromwich
Dec 2002: 10 years after it was severely damaged in a fatal crash at
Woodford on 27th June 92, Spitfire Mk 14c is being rebuilt to flying
condition at Filton. Initial work has started and replacement parts
being sourced from around the world. RM689 was built in 1944 at
Chattis Hall, eventually entering service with 350 (Belgian) Squadron
on 1st Mar 1945. In April 1945 it received battle damage and, after
repair, was delivered to 443 (RCAF) Squadron in Germany in 1946. It
went into store until 1949, then purchased by the Ministry of Supply
for Rolls Royce where it was used as an engine test bed. In 1967 it
was used in the film Battle of Britain repainted as RM619 of 130
Squadron. Used in regular air shows it was repainted back in its
original livery. Although badly damaged during a low level loop it was
retained by Rolls Royce and the parts are being used for the rebuild.
As a footnote to this: I live near the Castle Bromwich region where the
Spitfire factory was based - I have heard, only recently, that there is
(allegedly) a huge stash of Spitfire parts buried underneath a parkland
region of the Castle Vale Housing Estate; which was once the airfield
for the CB Factory. I also understand that the (Labour) Birmingham
City Council have repeatedly refused permission for these parts to be
"exhumed". Surely we should be doing everything we can to ensure
our historical heritage, important heritage, should be kept flying and if
this stash should prove to be there, used to ensure the continued
flying of these princes of the air?

Click to email me

Updated: 27 October 2003

 The Spitfire By Mike Kemble
with additional research by Ray Holden

The Humble Beginnings

The first "unofficial" Spitfire was a total failure. Its

designer, Reginald Mitchell named the first
prototype the "Shrew". His original design
was a low cranked monoplane with a fixed
undercarriage, all metal with an open
cockpit and 2 machine guns mounted in the
forward fuselage sides and 2 wing mounted
 machine guns, all synchronised to fire
through the propeller arc. Designated the
Type 224, it flew for the first time on 19
February 1934 in the hands of Vickers Chief
Test Pilot "Mutt" Summers. Originally
designed to meet the Air Ministry's demands
for a new generation of fighter, the
specifications were issued by the Air
Ministry in 1931, specification number F7/30
and was designed around the open cockpit
twin gunned aircraft of the day. The
performance of this aircraft was much lower
than anticipated, the cooling system failed
on a regular basis. On this basis, Reginald
Mitchell's designs were turned down.

Mitchell persevered and developed his original plans

further by designing the fighter with thinner elliptical
wings, a smaller span and a faired cockpit with a
perspex cover. This became the Type 300. With a
new engine, the Rolls Royce Merlin 27 litre PV-12 and
the Air Ministry then issued a contract on 3 January
1935. By March of 1936 the prototype, K5054
completed its ground trials and so was ready to go on
its first flight. This prototype cost £14,637 and flew for
the first time on 5 March 1936 which lasted just 8
minutes from 1635 hrs from Eastleigh. "Mutt"
Summers was the pilot and, when he landed, he told
the ground crew of "no problems" and "I don't want
anything touched". The first official Spitfire was
born. This was derived from the Supermarine S6,
(below) which won the Schneider Trophy in 1934.
Over the next 3 days, 3 more flights took place, all piloted by
Summers. The first flight took 23 minutes, the second 31 minutes and
the third 50 minutes. During these flights he tested stalls and steep
turns to fully test out the characteristics of the aircraft. No problems
were found over the next few weeks and consequently the aircraft was
passed over to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental
Establishment, Martelsham for official trials on 26 May 1936. Before
the full testing programme could be completed the Air Ministry issued
a contract for 310 Spitfires on 3 June 1936.

1938 - 1939

The Supermarine Spitfire entered service with the Royal Air Force
some 9 months after the Hawker Hurricane. Being the second of the
RAF's 8 gun monoplanes. 19 Squadron at Duxford exchanged its
Gauntlet biplanes for the Mk 1 Spitfire starting on August 4 1938 with
the arrival of K9789. The second RAF squadron to receive the Spitfire
was also based at Duxford, 66 Squadron received Spitfire K9802 on 31
October 1938. By the end of 1938, the RAF had 2 fully equipped
Spitfire Squadrons. When war broke out on September 3 1939, the
RAF had 9 Squadrons equipped, these being 19, 66 and 611, all at
Duxford; 54, 65 and 74 Squadrons based at Hornchurch; 72 Squadron
based at Church Fenton; 41 and 609 Squadrons based at Catterick
and 602 Squadron based at Abbotsinch. 603 Squadron were in the
process of receiving Spitfires in place of its Gladiators at Turnhouse.
At the outbreak of war, 306 mk1 Spitfires had been delivered and 36 of
these had been destroyed in training accidents.
 The first 77 Spitfires (Mk1s) had only a two bladed, fixed pitch
propeller. The remainder were three bladed, two position propellers.
Fine pitch for take off and course pitch for cruising. Later these were
also fitted to the earlier 77 Spits. The original flat canopy was replaced
by the more famous domed or bulged version to accommodate the
taller pilot. Other early improvements included armour plated
windscreen and 6mm armoured panels on the rear of the engine
bulkhead, also behind the pilot. Guns were found to freeze at high
altitudes, therefore heating was also fitted to the guns. Originally the
armament was 8 Browning .303 machine guns but in June 1939, 2
Hispano cannons were fitted to one Spitfire for trials. But, as the wings
were too flexible, this caused them to jam. Engineers were tasked to
solve this problem. The Hispano cannon being originally designed to
be body mounted. The closed cockpit also caused many pilots to feel
somewhat claustrophobic, being used to open cockpits, some leaving
it fully open! Also pilots were still unfamiliar with retracting
undercarriages, and accidents were caused by forgetting to lower the
undercarriage on landing.

The legend of the Spitfire very nearly did not begin to form, as
production was slow and the Air Ministry seriously considered
cancelling production in favour of other aircraft. One reason was the
revolutionary design of the Spitfire elliptical wings, seen above, causing
problems with inexperienced sub contractors. Supermarine convinced
the Air Ministry that, with practice, production would increase and with
Lord Nuffield's experiences with mass production, all would come to
good use and resulted in the building of the " shadow" factory for
Spitfire production at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. (This is about 3
miles from where I live and I used to work in Spitfire Road, Erdington,
which was actually on the site of the factory, later better known as
Dunlops). Before the outbreak of war, many countries had expressed
interest in building the Spitfire, under licence, in particular Japan! 1160
were ordered from Supermarine before the war and subsequently, 1000
were ordered from Castle Bromwich. Images below.

To view these in larger format; click on each image - these images are of the Spitfire Roundabout
on Chester Road Castle Vale Birmingham which
was once the actual site of the Castle Bromwich Spitfire Factory in World War 2 - copyright mike
kemble 2002
Ironically, the first aircraft to fall to the guns of the Spitfire were 2
Hurricanes of 56 Squadron; shot down by 74 Squadron over the
Medway 6 September 1939. At the same time a Blenheim was shot
down by trigger happy AA fire. The resulting enquiry showed there
was a fault in the fighter control system, pilots exonerated and the
need for an identification system highlighted. This led to the
introduction of the IFF System (Identify Friend or Foe). The first
enemy plane shot down is credited to Squadron Leader Stevens, the
CO of 603 Squadron. On 16 October 1939 he, and 2 other Spitfires
attacked some Junker 88s of 1/KG 30 over the Firth of Forth at
Rosyth. At the same time two other sections of 603 Squadron
engaged and shot down a Heinkel He-111, later another of the Junker
88s was also shot down and later the same day, another Heinkel He-
111 was shot down by 603 Squadron. The Spitfire had opened its
account against the enemy. On 29 November, a Heinkel He-111 was
shot down at Haddington East Lothian. Credit for the kill went to
Flying Officer Archie McKellar of 602 Squadron, although he was
interrupted by three Spitfires from 603 Squadron.

Spitfires based in England scored their first hit when 41 Squadron,

Catterick, brought down a Heinkel He-111 off Whitby and 74 Squadron
(Hornchurch) scored its first victory against a Heinkel He-111 off
Southend. The plane was not actually seen to crash but 2 of its crew
were picked up out of the sea the next day.

The concept of aerial reconnaissance was normally assigned to

bombers but the use of a small, high speed, recce aircraft was thought
up by Flying Officer "Shorty" Longbotham. The Spitfire being the
obvious choice and the first 2 were converted in October 1939, two
Mk1s. Stripped of its armament, radio etc and painted with a high
gloss paint, the resulting aircraft flew some 30mph faster. The first
section being based at Seclin, France before the country was overrun
by the Germans. After the coming fall of France, Photo Recce would
come under the auspices of Coastal Command, using types including
Spitfires, Wellingtons and Hudsons. Planes being painted deeper blue
for high altitude and pale pink for low level work. During the period of
the "phony war" enemy trips across the channel were rare but training
was continuous. At that time Spitfires did not cross the channel
looking for the enemy. Fighter Squadrons were expected to fly both
day and night but the Spitfire was particularly difficult to land at night
due to the poor visibility over the raised nose (see image above) and
the need to fly a curved landing approach. The pilot is virtually blind
during the final stages of landing. The exhaust flame did not help
matters, blinding the pilots night vision; dampers had not yet been
fitted. Spitfire's therefore could only fly on clear moonlit nights.

1940

The phony war lasted through much of the first winter of the war.
Then, on April 9, Germany invaded Norway. One month later they
invaded France and the Low Countries. 10 May 1940, Spitfires were
ordered to carry out patrols across the Channel. Spitfires first met Bf-
109s and Bf-110s on 23 May, 2 of each being shot down and 3
Spitfires. Intense pressure was placed upon Dowding, Head of Fighter
Command, to send Spitfires to France; by refusing this he preserved
much of the Spitfires for the forthcoming Battle of Britain. In spite of
this 67 Spitfires were lost in the Battle for France and the consequent
Dunkirk evacuation. Knowledge of Luftwaffe tactics were learnt by
those who survived including the need to bring down the harmonizing
range of the guns to 250 yards from 400 yards. Engines were replaced
with 100 octane fuel, from 87, this increased the speed by 25mph at
sea level and 34mph at 10,000 feet.

The Battle of Britain was fought from 10 July to 31 October 1940. When
it started Fighter Command had 27 Squadrons of Hurricanes and 19
Squadrons of Spitfires. It was the Hurricane that bore the brunt of the
fighting. During this period 565 Hurricanes were lost and 352 Spitfires.
During the Battle, 19 Squadron were issued with 6 cannon firing
Spitfires, designated Mk1b's as opposed to the machine gun version,
the Mk1a. The cannons hitting power was great, but jamming was a
problem, giving little success. Further cannon firing Spitfires were
issued to 92 Squadron then it was accepted that the best combination
was an aircraft with two cannon and four machine guns. The
performances of the Spitfire Mk1 and the Me 109E were very similar.
The Spitfire could outperform the 109E with a better turning radius at
any height and was slightly faster below 15,000 feet. The 109E was
better in the climb and slightly faster over 20,000 feet. This was due to
the fuel injection of the 109E Daimler Benz DB601A engine.

In August 1940, the Chief Test Pilot of Supermarine, Jeffrey Quill, went
to 65 Squadron for some "operational experience". He was recalled 19
days later to test fly the Spitfire Mk3. He did see considerable combat
during those 19 days and his experience led to 2 significant changes to
the Spitfire. sterner metal covered ailerons stopped the stick feeling
"heavy" at high speed and vision was improved by changes to the
canopy and rear fuselage.

24 September, the Luftwaffe raided the Supermarine Works near

Southampton. Little damage was done but 100 workers were killed. 30
more were killed 2 days later in another raid, this time doing severe
damage and halting production. As a direct consequence, production
was diversified to over 60 sites. 30 Sept, the Westland factory at Yeovil,
building Spitfires, was also hit by Heinkel He-111s; as a result only 59
Spitfires were produced in October. Late in 1940, after the Battle of
Britain was over, Spitfires and Hurricanes got their first glimpse of the
Me Bf109F; it was far superior to the Hurricane and more
manoeuvreable than the Spitfire above 25,000 feet. The Spitfire Mk3 had
not made its appearance yet, therefore a gap developed. Also soon
after the Battle of Britain was over, Fighter Command went on the
offensive, sending 66 Squadron, 2 Spitfires, over the Channel. These
became known as "Rhubarbs" but would prove expensive.

1941

Early "rhubarbs" failed to tempt the Luftwaffe into the skies. So

bombers were sent over, with fighter escorts. The first was staged on 10
January 1941, consisting of 6 Blenheims and 6 Squadrons of Hurricanes
and Spitfires. It cost the RAF the loss of 1 Hurricane with 2 Spitfires
written off in landing accidents, 1 fatal. Some Spitfire Mk1c's were
assigned to Bomber Command for Photo Recce use in identifying
targets for bombers before raids. They then re-photographed the same
area afterwards. By the end of April, all Spitfire Squadrons had the Mk2.
Mk1's being used for training. As soon as the Mk5 became available, all
Mk2 Squadrons were re-equipped again. The Mk5 being produced in
much greater numbers than any other version. First Mk5 were
converted Mk1s and Mk2s. The Mk5 was the equivalent of the Bf109F,
which had hit development snags, not fully operational until the end of
May by which time Mk5 production was well under way. When Germany
invaded Russia in June, any further threat of a renewed offensive over
Britain dissipated and the need for the Mk6. So the "stop gap" Mk5
remained in production. In the first 6 months of 1941, Fighter Command
lost 57 aircraft - the Germans 20. Despite the cost, offensive operations
continued over France, keeping German aircraft away from the Russian
Front. Those that did remain, chose to fight "when it suited
themselves", when it was to their own advantage. On 9 August,
Douglas Bader was taken prisoner when his Spitfire lost its tail in a
collision with a Bf109.

Towards the end of 1941, the first RAF Squadrons comprising ex-pat
allied personnel began to form. 340 Squadron with French pilots; 349
Squadron with Belgian pilots and Squadrons of Poles, Czechs and
Norwegians also flew Spitfires. Fighter sweeps were temporarily halted
over France due to the cost. In June, July and August, the RAF had lost
nearly 200 pilots.

1942

At the beginning of 1942, Fighter Command had 60 Squadrons of

Spitfires. During the dash through the channel of the Scharnhorst and
Gneisenau, in February, the FW190 was first encountered. Despite bad
weather, the ships were sighted by Spitfires of 91 Squadron. Spitfires
subsequently fought a series of battles against the FW190. The Mk5
found itself outmatched, losing 59 in April. The FW190 had a BMW
engine which outpaced the Mk5 Spitfire. In May, the Bf109G made its
appearance, optimized for high altitude operations. The first of the
Spitfire Mk6s had begun to appear during April with 616 Squadron. This
was intended for high altitude operations also. In direct response to the
FW190, the Spitfire Mk9 arrived, another stop gap fighter, that was
hugely successful, 5665 being built.

In June an FW190 landed at Pembrey, after its pilot had become lost!
The RAF were able to do direct tests against the Spitfire and found that
it proved superior in all aspects except for turning. Some Mk5's had
their wing tips clipped, decreasing wingspan by 4 feet. This gave the
"clipped wing" Spitfire a faster rate of roll. Fitted with a supercharged
Merlin, this gave the spitfire an equivalent rate of speed at low level to
the FW190.

The first Spitfire 9s went to 64 Squadron (Hornchurch) in July. It was

put through its paces against the captured FW190 and was found to
compare favourably

The Luftwaffe began to respond to Fighter Commands offensive by

mounting low level hit and run raids with small numbers of FW190s.
The first overseas deployment of Spitfires took place in March when 15
Spitfires, carrying 90 gallon fuel pods, took off from the flight deck of
HMS Eagle bound for Malta. Subsequent deliveries of Spitfires turned
the Battle for Malta in the RAF's favour. One Spitfire, suffering fuel
failure, became the first non hooked aircraft to land upon an aircraft
carrier! 126 Squadron (Malta) were the first to carry 250lb bombs,
using them in operations over Sicily. 145 Squadron were the first to
receive Spitfires in the desert in April. One Spitfire, stripped of
armour,carrying only 2 machine guns, Merlin engine fine tuned and
fitted with a 4 blade propeller, climbed to over 42,000 feet to shoot
down a JU-86p Recce aircraft. Following this, JU86p's were shot down
at heights of 45,000 and 50,000 feet.

The Carrier version of the Spitfire was the Seafire. First in action in
November during the Allied invasion of Morocco and Algeria, a Seafire
from 801 Squadron, HMS Furious, shot down a Dewoitine 520. The US
forces also used Spitfire 5B's during these landings. The Germans
sent the FW190 to the western Desert in November, and in December
Spitfire Mk9s were attached to 145 Squadron to counteract them.

1943

145 Squadron, consisting of Poles, shot down more enemy aircraft in

the first 2 months, with Spitfire Mk9's, than any other Polish Units in
the whole year! In February 72 Squadron arrived in North Africa with
Spitfire Mk9s. By this time most of the Squadrons in 11 Group had Mk9
Spitfires and operations over France and the Low Countries continued
with Spitfires escorting Bostons of 2 Group, mounting fighter sweeps
and undertaking shipping recce flights. The Mk11, with a Griffin
engine, came into service with 41 Squadron in February.
Although only 100 were built, these were more than a match for the
FW190. 91 Squadron were equipped with Mk11's, operating from
Westhampnett, formed a bomber support wing. A superb fighter at
low level, it enjoyed little success as the Luftwaffe refused to be
drawn down. At greater altitudes the Mk 9 was much the superior of
the two. Following the raid on Dieppe, Air Sea Rescue received
Spitfire Mk2's equipped with the ability to drop dinghy, food and
medicine packs to ditched aircrews. Fully armed, it was able to
defend itself and await the arrival of the rescue seaplane which it
would then see safely home. In May Britain gave 140 Mk5's to Russia
and by the end of the war this had been added to by 1200 Mk 9s.
Nearly 50 went to Portugal and some to Turkey in the same year.
Production at Woolston finished in June 1943 but continued at Castle
Bromwich until the end of the war. It was a PR version of the Spitfire
Mk9 of 542 Squadron that brought back those famous images of the
Ruhr Dams in full flood, following the Dambusters raid of 617
Squadron. Spitfires Mk7 were out now, but only in a few numbers,
performance was disappointing and they were mainly used as top
cover fighters for bombers.

Both Spitfires and Seafires took part in the invasion of Sicily, a Spitfire
of 72 Squadron being the first to land there on 11 July. The 25th July
saw Spitfires of 322 Wing shoot down 21JU-52s and 4 Bf109s in the
space of only 10 minutes. During the landings at Salerno, much of the
combat overhead was carried out by Seafires and in 5 days, the Fleet
Air Arm lost 60, mostly due to carrier landing accidents. 3 Spitfire
Squadrons were also based near Darwin, Australia. 607, 615 and 136
Squadrons were there to counter Japanese raids. The Zero was at an
advantage in the dog fight but was slower than the Spitfire. 615 got its
first victory with a Dinah Recce plane being shot down over the Burma
frontline. On 31 December, 136 Squadron intercepted Japanese
Bombers and fighters, shooting down 12 planes for the loss of 1
Spitfire.

1944

In the New Year there were 6 Squadrons of Spitfires in the Far East, 2
had Mk5c's and 4 had Mk8s. The Mk8 considered to be superior to the
Zero. In March the 5c's had been replaced with Mk8's, now a total of 7
Squadrons with Mk8. During the siege of Imphal, which lasted 80
days, the Japanese only managed to down 3 transport aircraft, thanks
to the defending Spitfires.

In Europe, the Mk14 entered service with 610 Squadron early on in the
year. Ground attacks in France were escalated in preparation for the
invasion of France. D Day - June 6. The RAF had 55 Squadrons of
Spitfires. 118 Squadron was the only one left out as they were stationed
way up north in Skaebrae. 9 Squadrons gave cover to the first troops
ashore, whilst others patrolled above the many ships involved. The
enemy were hardly seen on the first day, mounting only 100 sorties
during daylight. One Spitfire pilot had a grandstand view of the whole
thing, being shot down on June 5, ditching into the Channel, only to be
picked up 2 days later! Spitfire Mk9b's of 222 Squadron landed at St
Croix-sur-Mer on June 10, being refueled and taking off again to patrol.
602 Squadron spotted a staff car on the road on 17 July, strafing it. The
car turned over in a ditch, the occupant, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,
was taken to hospital with severe fractures to his skull. With the
German trapped in the Falaise Gap, following the breakout from the
beach heads, 22 Squadrons of Typhoons and Spitfires decimated the
enemy forces, attacking with rockets, bombs, and machine guns. The
Luftwaffe hardly put in an appearance, enabling the RAF to operate in
pairs with little hindrance. As soon as they refuelled and rearmed, they
were back in the air, some pilots flying 6 missions a day. The enemy
lost to air power the equivalent of 8 Infantry and 2 Armoured Divisions.

On the 12th June, the first V1 flying bombs began to fall on England. 11
Squadrons were called upon to deal with this new threat. Spitfire Mk9s,
Mk 12s and Mk14s were used but the only plane capable of dealing with
this threat was the Tempest 5. It was the only plane that could keep up
with a V1 in level flight. Spitfires armour and some of the guns were
removed, as well as highly polishing the surfaces in an effort to
counteract the V1. One favoured technique was to get wing tip to wing tip
and flip the V1 over, toppling its gyro and sending it plummeting to earth.
Spitfires were also used as fighter bombers on V1 launch sites. A Wing of
4 Squadrons of Mk 14e's was formed specifically for this purpose. Each
plane carried 2 x 250lb bombs or 1 x 500 lb bomb. Spitfires also escorted
the transport aircraft on the ill fated Arnhem mission and on subsequent
re-supply flights. On 5 October, the first Me-262 jet fighter to be shot
down was credited to the Spitfires of 401 Squadron. The versatile Spitfire
was also used on more humanitarian missions, on returning to England,
the modified bomb mountings carried barrels of beer instead of bombs.
Aircraft returning to England were warmly welcomed!

1945

New Years Day and the Luftwaffe staged a final gesture. Banking on
complete surprise, which was achieved, 800 aircraft, of all types, carried
out a dawn raid on allied airfields. 3 Polish Squadrons at St Denis-
Westren were one of the worst hit. 302, 308 and 317 Squadrons lost about
20 Spitfires, some from forced landings due to lack of fuel and 308 and
317 each lost a Spitfire in combat. The Wing claimed 18 FW190s shot
down. 485 Squadron at Maldeghem lost 14 Spitfires destroyed on the
ground. At Ophoven, 130 and 350 Squadrons had 10 Spitfires badly
damaged but 41 Squadron and 610 Squadron, on the same airfield,
escaped undamaged. In all, Spitfire pilots claimed 56 of the enemy shot
down, mostly Bf109s and FW 190s. Although precise records do not
exist, approximately 200 allied aircraft were lost in this action. In contrast
the Luftwaffe lost 300 aircraft and 200 pilots. Many of the allied losses
were Spitfires and Typhoons, which were quickly replaced. The Luftwaffe
never recovered from their losses.

The Spitfire F-21 entered service with 91 Squadron at Manston in

January. On 16 April, two Spitfires attacked and sunk a midget
submarine. Little was seen of the Luftwaffe after New Year but flak
continued to be intensive. Although 3000 F-21 Spitfires were on order,
but by the end of the war only 120 were in service. A few were fitted with
contra rotating propellers which eliminated skidding and made the aircraft
a very stable gun platform. In the Far East there were 21 Squadrons of
Spitfires, including 9 Squadrons of the Indian Air Force. 2 Squadrons of
Seafires formed part of the British Pacific Fleet. Seafires covered the
landings at Rangoon and Penang and the oil fields in Sumatra. Due to the
absence of any Japanese aircraft, Seafires also strafed ground positions.
No Seafires were lost to combat, but some got lost in landing accidents.
April 1st saw Seafires shoot down 3 Japanese Kamikaze Zeros. The last
Seafires to see action were on 15 August when, escorting US Avengers,
their Mk3s shot down 8 Zeros without loss.

The end of WW2 did not see an end to fighting. In the Dutch East Indies,
the movement towards independence brought trouble, proclaiming itself
the state of Indonesia. Following the murder of a British Brigadier,
Spitfires of 155 Squadron attacked ground targets, including a radio
station.

TB 752
Link Here

TB 752 is one of the few surviving Spitfires with a wartime record. Built at
Castle Bromwich in the early part of 1944 she entered service with the
famous No. 66 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in March 1945 bearing
the Squadron Code LZ-F. Carrying an armament of 2 x 20mm cannons
and 4 x 0.5 machine guns as well as a 500 lb bomb and 2 x 250 lb bombs:
she was used initially against road and rail targets in Northern Holland
and Germany.
On the 25th March 1945, TB 752 was classified as Cat C AC (badly damaged) after the port
undercarriage leg failed to lower for landing, the main damage being to the wing and propeller
blades. She was removed to No. 409 Repair and Salvage Unit and re-issued to No. 403 "Wolf"
Squadron RCAF on 19th April 1945, operating from Diepholz in Germany and bearing the
Squadron code KH-Z. On the 21st April and on his very first flight in TB 752, the Squadron
'C.O.', Squadron Leader 'Hank' Zary DFC RCAF destroyed a Me 109. Four days later Flying
Officer David Leslie destroyed an unidentified German aircraft but believed to be a Fw 189
reconnaissance aircraft.

On the 1st May Flying Officer ‘Bob’ Young destroyed a Fw 190 and two days later an He 111
bomber fell to the guns of Flying Officer ‘Fred’ Town. - TB 752’s ‘FINAL VICTORY’ which is
depicted in the superb painting by Michael Turner (prints of which are obtainable from the
sales area). After years of neglect ‘752’ was removed to Manston in 1955 and stood for many
proud years as station gate-guardian - but sadly corroding away at an ever increasing rate.

However, in 1978 the Medway Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society offered to restore her
and on 7th July TB 752 was removed to Rochester Airport. Some 15,000 man hours later ‘752’
re-emerged in pristine condition and returned to Manston on 15th September 1979. The
decision was then made that such a finely restored aircraft must be properly housed and fund
raising started immediately: such was the response that TB 752 moved into her permanent
'quarters' early in 1981.

It is worth noting that out of 22,000 Spitfires built only 179 survive and many
of these are 'wrecks'.

Spitfire Mk XVI Technical Data

Entered
1944
production
32’ 8"
Span
31’ 4"
Length
12’ 7"
Height
7,500 lbs
Weight
405 mph at 22,000’
Speed
40,500’
Ceiling
980 mls
Range
Packard Merlin 266
Engine
2 x 20 mm cannon
Armament
4 x .303 machine guns

For full details of TB 752's history, her wartime and peacetime flying life, her eighteen traced
pilots living in the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia plus her restoration at
Rochester Airport, etc. a booklet has been published entitled 'The Manston Spitfire - TB 752'.

This makes enthralling reading and is reasonably priced at £2.50 from the sales counter.

Extracts from this book, detailing the wartime pilots of TB752, can be found here.
 These 4 images of Spitfire F-UP are reproduced with permission from http://www.nzfpm.co.nz

27 Oct 03: I received the following Email from a gent in America. If anyone
can help him
please contact him direct:

We are starting a restoration of a Seafire from

Burma, it is badly corroded and needs some new
pieces, if you have resources for sheet metal ribs
and parts please let us know.

Jim Cooper
Ozark Management Inc
11500 S Airport Dd
Columbia, Mo 65201
USA
T6JIMCOOPER@AOL.COM
573-443-7037
 Acknowledgements & Useful Sites:

http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/spitfire.html

http://www.nzfpm.co.nz

http://freespace.virgin.net/frank.haslam/rafesmus.html

http://www.cimttz.tu-chemnitz.de/colditz/

http://www.acm.cps.msu.edu/~kortasma/spitfire.html

http://www.trasksdad.com/PopsProg/poem.HTM

Miscellaneous Spitfire Images

These 6 latter
images were
taken at
Cranfield in
1986 by Pete
Porter
These 4 images
are of Castle
Bromwich
Dec 2002: 10 years after it was severely damaged in a fatal crash at
Woodford on 27th June 92, Spitfire Mk 14c is being rebuilt to flying
condition at Filton. Initial work has started and replacement parts
being sourced from around the world. RM689 was built in 1944 at
Chattis Hall, eventually entering service with 350 (Belgian) Squadron
on 1st Mar 1945. In April 1945 it received battle damage and, after
repair, was delivered to 443 (RCAF) Squadron in Germany in 1946. It
went into store until 1949, then purchased by the Ministry of Supply
for Rolls Royce where it was used as an engine test bed. In 1967 it
was used in the film Battle of Britain repainted as RM619 of 130
Squadron. Used in regular air shows it was repainted back in its
original livery. Although badly damaged during a low level loop it was
retained by Rolls Royce and the parts are being used for the rebuild.
As a footnote to this: I live near the Castle Bromwich region where the
Spitfire factory was based - I have heard, only recently, that there is
(allegedly) a huge stash of Spitfire parts buried underneath a parkland
region of the Castle Vale Housing Estate; which was once the airfield
for the CB Factory. I also understand that the (Labour) Birmingham
City Council have repeatedly refused permission for these parts to be
"exhumed". Surely we should be doing everything we can to ensure
our historical heritage, important heritage, should be kept flying and if
this stash should prove to be there, used to ensure the continued
flying of these princes of the air?

Kiernan van doorn