![]() ![]() But it was still that higher victory-to-loss ratio in the Battle of Britain that sealed the aircraft's legendary status. Although mostly related to the earlier World War ll battles the Spitfire was actually more effective later in the war with the later Mk IX's over the most built V's (6,487) and it was by then a far more formidable weapon and more so as high-speed photo-reconnaissance aircraft. Take the aircraft into the wrong G - force or steep dive and the power spluttered, but it was a miracle in manoeuvrability and could out-turn almost anything, but mostly Bf-109's. The Spitfire aircraft also had an achilles heel in that it was a carburettor design on its powerful Rolls Royce Merlin (PV-12) V-12 piston aero-engine of 27-litres (1,650 cu in) capacity. But the Supermarine Spitfire was a class aircraft on it's own, only problem was we couldn't build them fast enough. In reality it was the numbers of the cheaper Hawker Hurricane that was the backbone of the RAF in 1939/1940 and in the Battle of Britain in that fateful summer. It is an iconic quote and usually accompanied by the usual iconic image of a Spitfire, the fighter machine that was flown by the few that we owe so much to. The quote is from a wartime speech made by the British prime minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. ![]() "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" Classic Aircraft Review : Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc by FlyingIron ![]()
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