Spitfire

The Me 163 that intercepted a Spitfire PR XI but failed to engage because the rocket powered fighter ran out of fuel just as its pilot was about to commence his attack

The Me 163 that intercepted a Spitfire PR XI but failed to engage because the rocket powered fighter ran out of fuel just as its pilot was about to commence his attack

Although the Me 163 rocket powered fighter had a frighteningly high-top speed and rate of climb, its endurance was very… Read More

3 months ago

The story of the “Messerspit:” when Germans fitted a Spitfire with a DB 605A, they found it was better than the Merlin Version.

A new engine support structure was built onto the Spitfire’s fuselage and the DB 605 engine and cowling panels added.… Read More

4 months ago

The Spitfire Mk.XIV (and not the P-51D) was the best piston-engined fighter of WWII in Europe even according to Adolf Galland. Here’s why.

There were around 20 high performance fighter types at least nominally in service in Europe when World War II there… Read More

4 months ago

The Story of when Ford UK Refused to Build Rolls Royce Merlin Engines because the Tolerances Rolls Royce allowed were Looser than Ford was Willing to Work With

Ford re-drew the blue-prints for the Merlin, making it more suitable for mass production, and by 1944, over 400 engines… Read More

6 months ago

The day Legendary Luftwaffe Ace Adolf Galland asked Reich Marshal Hermann Goering a Squadron of Spitfires

Goering turned to Galland. "And you? What do you want'?" “l'd like a squadron of Spitfires for my Geschwader!" On… Read More

9 months ago

Belgian Air Force’s 349th Squadron has painted a nearly 50-years old F-16 in a special paint scheme to commemorate the unit’s 80th anniversary

The F-16 was presented on Nov. 4, 2022 to an audience of enthusiasts, including in flight, escorting a Spitfire fighter… Read More

11 months ago

Legendary German Ace Adolf Galland tells the story of when He nearly Burned to Death after his Messerschmitt Bf 109 was badly damaged by a RAF Spitfire

On Jun. 21, 1941, Galland had blasted a Spitfire out of a formation north-east of Boulogne. He watched the flaming… Read More

2 years ago

The Dogfight where Italian Macchi C.202 Fighters damaged the Spitfire of Future ranking Malta ace Sgt George Beurling

No Spitfires had been lost, although Plt Off A S Yates’ fighter had been so badly damaged he was forced… Read More

2 years ago

WWII Canadian Pilot Jimmy Abbotts had his parachute hooked on the radio mast while bailing out from his stricken Spitfire. Yet he survived because the Spitfire landed by itself.

In World War II not seldom happened that airmen got hooked up on or struck their aircraft while abandoning them.… Read More

2 years ago

High Flight: the story of WW II Anglo-American Royal Canadian Air Force Spitfire pilot John Gillespie Magee and of how The Most Famous Aviation Poem is Born

It was while on a training flight on his Spitfire Mk I to above 30,000 feet that John Gillespie Magee… Read More

2 years ago

During World War II Germans re-engined a Spitfire with a DB 605A. It was found to be better than the Merlin version.

Performance of the Spitfire with the DB 605 was superb - significantly better than the Merlin version. The Supermarine Spitfire… Read More

2 years ago

Lightning Vs Spitfire: why the iconic Mach 2 interceptor struggled to win mock dogfights against the legendary WWII plane during the trial flights conducted by the RAF between the two types

“We did find that the piston-engined fighter presented a very poor target to infra-red homing missiles, especially from the rear… Read More

2 years ago

Here’s why Clive Robertson “Killer” Caldwell, the “Top Gun from Down Under,” is the most Australian thing ever

You can't get much more Australian than Clive Robertson “Killer” Caldwell. Flying ace, ruthless killer, bootlegger, mutineer, successful businessman, national… Read More

2 years ago

Spitfire Vs P-51 Mustang: which was the better Merlin-engined fighter?

Both the Spitfire and the P-51 Mustang, two of the best fighters of World War II, were powered by the… Read More

2 years ago

During WWII Axis pilots tested captured Allied aircraft: they deemed the Spitfire a miserable fighter, the LaGG–3 poorly maneuverable and the P-51 disconcerting

‘The Spitfire handles well, is light on the controls, faultless in the turn and has a performance approaching that of… Read More

2 years ago

During the Battle of Britain, a lone German Arado Ar 196 reconnaissance seaplane fought against six RAF Spitfires. And shot one down.

The RAF learned that the Ar 196 could be a surprisingly dangerous opponent if flown by an able pilot. Beating… Read More

3 years ago

Here’s why Luftwaffe lost 20% of its Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers during the Battle of Britain even though they were escorted by fighters

The Ju-87 Stukas were the nearest thing to precision bombers the Germans had, and they were used as such right… Read More

3 years ago
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