History
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British fighter aircraft used by the RAF and many other Allied countries during World War Two. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war.
Photo: A Spitfire in flight, circa 1939. (Photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images)
Features in:
The Battle of Britain
Introduction
Supermarine Spitfire
Highlights from BBC programmes Video (10)
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Ewan McGregor gets a surprise from his brother Colin
Ewan McGregor flies in a Spitfire over the White Cliffs of Dover
Brother Colin gives Ewan McGregor the surprise of his life as he tells him he is to fly in a Spitfire over the White Cliffs of Dover.
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Colin McGregor starts Spitfire training 1940's style
Colin Mcgregor's first day of Spitfire training in a Tigermoth
To learn to fly the iconic Sptfire Colin McGregor begins three days of training in a Tigermoth
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"An aeroplane beyond all compare"
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck recalls his Battle of Britain.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck, a highly decorated Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, is interviewed in 1979 by David Jacobs. The Wing Commander recalls his Battle of Britain, what it was like to look the enemy in the eye and how he loved to fly a Spitfire.
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Mark 1 Spitfire in Flight
The production of Spitfires during World War Two.
Raymond Baxter, BBC presenter and former Spitfire pilot, describes the production of Spitfires during the war.
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A pilot is captured
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck recalls his capture and escape from a German prison camp.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck, a highly decorated Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, is interviewed in 1979 by David Jacobs. The Wing Commander recalls his crash-landing in enemy territory, escaping from a prison camp and befriending a Luftwaffe ace.
More information about: Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only British fighter in continuous production throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. Where speed was seen as essential to carrying out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers, the Spitfire's thin cross-section elliptical wing allowed it a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane.
During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. The Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,035 hp (1,520 kW).
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