Supermarine Spitfire

The best of the British fighters, and the most widely built, is the Supermarine Spitfire. This aircraft may arguably be the best fighter of WWII. It featured stressed skin design and a low drag elliptical wing. Along with its sleek aerodynamic design and PV-12 Merlin engine made it the best cornerer in the air. During WWII, Adolf Galland was admonished by Herman Göring for his squadrons poor performance against the British. Galland then asked Göring to procure Spitfires for the Luftwaffe and things would change.

The first prototype flew in 1936. The RAF quickly placed an order for 310 Mk Is. This was soon increased with a follow on order of Mk IIs. The first operational Spitfires belonged to the 19th RAF squadron. The aircraft could out-fly the veteran Hurricanes, even though the Hurricane could turn inside the Spitfire. At the outbreak of WWII the aircraft was given a 3 bladed, variable pitch propeller, bullet proof windscreen, the famous Malcolm Hood, and 20 mm cannon.

The introduction of the Fw-190 caught the British by surprise, both in performance and numbers produced. This sparked a modification program for the Spitfire to counter this threat. The Spitfire Mk V was equipped with a 60-series engine with two-stage supercharger and intercooler, driving a 4 bladed prop. Radiators were placed under each wing. The Mk V was an marked improvement over the Mk I, but the Mk V fell short of taking command of the air from the German front line fighters. The newer model, the Mk IX, was introduced next and was still in production until 1944. 5665 were delivered to the RAF. Many versions of the Spitfire were to be built. The Mk VI and Mk VII were high altitude versions and had pressurized cockpits.

The RAF had squadrons of volunteer and exiled foreign nationals under its command. Poles, Norwegians, Dutch and Americans to name a few. The Americans flew with the 71, 121 and 133 squadrons, which were called the "Eagle Squadrons." In 1942 the 8th Fighter Command was established, and in September of that year the Eagle's were transferred and into the 4th Fighter Group. The three Eagle Squadrons became the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons respectively. They would continue flying the Spitfire for the remainder of 1942 until the P47 became available in January of '43. Their Spitfires retained their squadron markings, but the British roundel was replaced with a Star.

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Spitfire Mk IX statistics:

Wingspan: 11.227 m (36' 10").
Length: 9.538 m (31' 3.5").
Weight: 2545 kg (5611 lbs) empty, 4309 kg (9500 lbs) max.
Engine: 1520 hp Merlin 61.
Speed: 657 km/h (408 mph).
Service ceiling: 13410 m (37200').
Range: 1610 km (1000 miles).
Armament: 2 20mm cannon, 4 7.7 mm MG, 1 454 kg (1000 lbs) bomb.