AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES – The Legendary SPITFIRE Mk1/11 1939-41
Dr Alfred Price (1996) $19
Spitfire Mk Is and IIs served only briefly in the frontline with the RAF, but their pilots were responsible for achieving impressive scores against the Luftwaffe during 1940/41.
This volume details the RAF's first aces of World War Two who helped stem the German tide during Britain's struggle for survival in the bitter years between 1939 and 1941. Early-mark Spitfires were notorious for their light armament, overheating engines and short range, but during the dogfights over Dunkirk and south-east England, then the first tentative sweeps across France, many pilots achieved scores of note.
The exploits of names like Malan, Tuck, Bader are covered, as are some of the perhaps less celebrated aces like leading Spitfire NCO ace George Unwin.
CONTENTS:
· Initial Encounters
· Improving the Breed
· Battle of Britain
· Further Improvements and New Tactics
· Over to the Offensive
· Top 10: Spitfire Mk I/II Aces
· Appendices
FACT FILE: Although R. J. Mitchell is justifiably known as the engineer who designed the Spitfire, his premature death in 1937 meant that all development after that date was undertaken by a team led by his chief draughtsman, Joe Smith, who became Supermarine's chief designer on Mitchell's death. As Jeffrey Quill noted: "If Mitchell was born to design the Spitfire, Joe Smith was born to defend and develop it."
There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. These covered the Spitfire in development from the Merlin to Griffon engines, the high-speed photo-reconnaissance variants and the different wing configurations. More Spitfire Mk Vs were built than any other type, with 6,487 built, followed by the 5,656 Mk IXs.
Different wings, featuring a variety of weapons, were fitted to most marks; the A wing used eight .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, the B wing had four .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns and two 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannon, and the C, or universal, wing could mount either four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon or two 20 mm (.79 in) and four .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns.
As the war progressed, the C wing became more common. Another armament variation was the E wing which housed two 20 mm (.79 in) cannon and two .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machinegun. Although the Spitfire continued to improve in speed and armament, its limited fuel capacity restricted range and endurance: it remained "short-legged" throughout its life except in the dedicated photo-reconnaissance role, when its guns were replaced by extra fuel tanks.
PUBLISHER: Osprey Aviation Del Prado Publishing, Sydney. Cardcover 250mm x 182mm. 64 pages. Full colour and black and white photographs and illustrations. ISBN: 8483722070. Weight: 230g.
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