Spitfire

By the 1930s, the RAF was feeling left behind by developments in Germany so requested the development of a suitable fighter.  Supermarine came up with a slim, aerodynamic plane, with wings slim enough to carry four machine guns.  Rolls-Royce’s Merlin engine was to power it.  What to name the new plane?  The chairman of Vickers, who owned Supermarine suggested naming it after his daughter Ann, ‘a little spitfire’.  On that whim, a legend was born.

The day after its maiden flight, Hitler’s troops marched into the Rhineland.  In June of 1936, the RAF ordered 310 Spitfires and 600 Hawker Hurricanes.  Meanwhile in Germany, Willie Messerschmidt has developed the Me109.  By early 1937, the Me109 was at war in Spain helping Franco’s nationalist government.  Production of the Me109 was far advanced compared to that of the Spitfire, and the Luftwaffe had many more pilots at the ready.

On September 3, 1939 Britain declared war in Germany.  It wasn’t long after this that the first Spitfires were in action, however there weren’t very many available.  Fighter Command quickly learned that the machine guns had to be refocused to be able to down enemy planes.

When Germany unleashed its Blitzkrieg on France, head of Fighter Command, Sir Hugh Dowding warned that if the Spitfires were sent to France, not only could France fall, but so would Britain.  Churchill listened to him.  The Spitfires would be used at Dunkirk, but many of the soldiers on the ground thought that the RAF had abandoned them.  The German airmen knew otherwise.

Hitler was incensed that Churchill planned to never surrender.  He ordered invasion plans to be made, but first the British Air Force had to be dealt with.  Could the small numbers of the RAF withstand the might of the Luftwaffe, which was now just across the English Channel?

The Spitfire needed pilots and they came from every class of society, and throughout the British Empire, plus many other nations.  Some of the fiercest pilots were those from countries occupied by the Nazis.  Death stalked them all, although they tried to forget about it and get on with the job.

Goering’s plans changed when Hitler demanded the bombing of London after the RAF bombed Berlin.  Before that time, the Luftwaffe had been concentrating on the air bases, causing much damage and wearing out the pilots.  Now, the Hurricanes could focus on the German bombers while the Spitfires concentrated on the fighters of the Luftwaffe.

Once the Battle of Britain had been won, the RAF planned to take the war to the Luftwaffe.  As the war progressed, new versions of the Spitfire were introduced.  The Germans responded with the Fockewulf 190, which in turn was superior to the Spitfire.

1941 saw the Nazis invade the Soviet Union, which in turn took much of the Luftwaffe east.  Late in the year saw the bombing of Pearl Harbour, resulting in Americans wanting into the war to fly the Spitfire.  They had no confidence in their own P-38, and wanted to be flying the Spitfire.

Men weren’t the only ones who fell in love with the Spitfire.  Women did too, and with their capabilities, many were hired to fly Spitfires from factories to air bases.

The Mark IX was built to out perform the Folke-Wulf 190, and with an enhanced engine, cannon and machine guns it did, throughout all the theatres of war that they fought in.

Author John Nichol’s history of the Spitfire isn’t just a story about the plane; it’s a story that would not be complete without the stories of the men and women who flew it.  The stories are of love for the plane, stories of its capabilities and of course stories of combat, life and death stories.  This reader felt as though he was in the plane with the pilots.  Sadly many of them are gone, but their stories live on in this book.  I highly recommend this book for any fan of aviation, history and of the brave men and women who served in these fierce little planes.