Spitfire, the legend, the facts and its opponent (4 of 5)&fmt=18

Battle of Malta - Spitfire Mark 5. Ladie Lucas tells about Malta and the hard period later with the Focke Wulf FW190 and of the releif, when Spitfire Mark 9 became available.
In this period Johnnie Johnson scored a good deal of his many air victories, that made him the highest scoring of all allied fighterpilots (USSR excluded) with 48 victories in his Spitfire - all over enemy FIGHTERS (when a fast and well armed fighter shot down a slow and unarmed enemy transportplane it too counted as an victory).
The US-figures for their aces' victories are in most cases far from reality and are only aknowledged by people, who do'nt know, how they came to (ref. R.L. "Dixie" Alexander, who flew with the American Eagle-squadrons and later with US 8th Army Air Force on day-raids against Germany, Ladie Lucas - leader of the highest scoring quadron during the Battle of Malta, and Group Captain W.G.G. Duncan Smith).
It is a fact, that Pat Pattle from South Africa, Johnnie Johnson from Great Britain and Richard Bong from USA - three extremely competent fighterpilots - in all had 129 air victories - an average of 43.
The german aces with astronomical figures for airvictories, scored the main part against outdated russian planes and later against ineperienced russian pilots.

September 12. 1942 there was a dogfight in thinner air than any other. A special lightened Spitfire Mark 9 fought a Junkers Ju86R spyplane and bomber from Höhenkampfkommando, and at a time both airplanes were highher than 43.000 feet (and there really is'nt much air there). Nobody was hurt and the Junkers got away, because the right wings cannon on the Spitfire was frozen, and when the left cannon fired the recoil caused the Spitfire turn leftwards. After the war both pilots met and had a friendly chat about their duel.
But the fighter, that flew highest of all, was a Spitfire Mark 5 with laughter gas injected in the engines air-intake. The plane which had no pressure cabin! reached 50.000 feet over the Mediteranean.
The photo recognaissance Spitfire Mark 19 flew much higher than any of the contemporary jets.
The Spitfire Mark 9 shown in the museum has a five-bladed propeller. In reality the standard Mark 9 had a four-bladed propeller. But during the war there constantly were modifications and experiments and during repairs and maintenence in the field there often were used parts from one Mark on another. Besides all Marks could have clipped wings or fulllength wings, that again could be chosen among 2 - 3 and finally 4 types with different armament. So at times one could hardly find two identical Spitfires in the same squadron !
As the war went on, Spitfires served on all fronts the world over. Last Mark was the Mark 14 with over 2.000 HP, two cannons plus two or four 0.50 machineguns.
Chieftestpilot Alec Henshaw along with other testpilots tested all the different Spitfires from the fatories to locate problems, so that they could be corrected. At times it could be a dangerous job and Alec Henshaw flew more different Spitfires than any other - he simply flew all Marks and their subtypes - and got away with it.

(You are here, because you have chosen a series of quality videos. Another series (very big) of high quality videos is to be found here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FF93A9257EAD7950

Carl Vendler

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Supermarine
• Spitfire
• Merlin
• Battle
• of
• Malta
• Laddie
• Lucas
• Focke
• Wulf
• FW190
• chieftestpilot
• Alec
• Henshaw

[SmiertSpionem]

The plane at 02:36 is not a spitfire mk.IX but a mk.XIV (see griffon engine bulges)

[Olfux]

. . . . and take a look at the five-bladed propeller too.

[blert88]

According to this only three Spits were retained by the RAF after the aircraft was retired, but I think I'm right in saying that the RAF nowadays have twelve in flying condition which are part of the Battle of Britiain memorial flight.

[Olfux]

You are absolutely right. Many Spitfires of all marks are now restored to flying condition around the World - I think there's at least 50-60.

[paddy6062]

"Iain. Did your Dad know a flyer called Keith Park? He worked in Malta too"

Dont try and tell us he was a yank too!!

You go on other RAF films and abuse them making statements like it was the yanks who were the few and that you won the battle of britain!

then come on here and ask about Sir Keith Park as if you know him!!!

your mad mate!!

[larcomberowan]

at 04:22, what is this man on about? has he ever heard of the Hellcat or the Corsair?

[videomonkey2009]

thanks for these. Its nice to see a comparison video. As an englishman I have a lot of respect for the 109 and the fw 190. The 109 was more reclined in the seating position which meant you could handle higher G turns. lol if germany and uk had fought as allies the world wouldnt have stood a chance I think. Both fantastic enginering countrys

[sigurd1979]

It is incorrect to say that the Americans didn't have a fighter that was worth anything until the Merlin was put into the Mustang. The P-38 Lightning was a very capable fighter. It was only marginally less maneuverable than the BF-109 yet it was faster. It had the benefit of contra rotating engines which eliminated torque problems. was well armed and had the best roll rate of any fighter in the European theater after the addition of hydraulicly assisted ailerons.

[TheSpiritof1969]

@STOPTHEEU

Some years ago there were many Hurricans and Spits doing gate duty at the entrances to RAF bases up and down the country. Most, if not all, were replaced with replicas and the original aircraft taken into storage and eventual restoration. I am glad they did this rather than leave them to rot out in the open.

Restored airworthy Spitfires are worth between one and three MILLION pounds.

[nibornodrog]

The Spitfire shown with 5 bladed prop is not a MK IX ! IX had merlin engine with props turning opposite way ,this one is Griffon engined probably MK 16 ? Also nose cowling is longer and "chunkier"

[STOPTHEEU]

@blert88 Well my grandfather seems to think that there are only three in service but I said that was imposible because we have at least two double seat spitfires in flying condition which would mean we only have one single seat spit. That is also impossible because of the memorial flights.

The key point is that there is restoration done by certain people and most of the ones that were in museums were restored to flying condition and the museums now have dummy spitfires!

[paddy6062]

@ceboym this has nothing to do with planes...it was to do with pilots and as you said yourself there was not that many... I am not knocking the overall help the yanks gave!!

[ceboym]

@paddy6062 Lad in some degree the yanks were right that they also won the Battle of Britain Why? because the production-manufacturing whatever of Spitfire was speed up due to American help they have modern machine tools that help a lots in manufacturing the the spitfire thereby enabling the british to replace the lost aircrafts,the yanks dont mean in terms or air battle everybody knew there were only few US pilots that contributed in the Battle of Britain DONT QUARREL FOR THIS YOU WERE ALLIES