History of the Spitfire
The combination of superb
aerodynamics and one of
the best aero engines ever
produced, the Supermarine
Spitfire created by R.J.Mitchell
was a true thoroughbred in
fighter design that was to
become an aviation legend.
The original design for the ‘Spit’ can be traced back to
the Supermarine seaplanes
of the early 1930’s that
successfully represented
Great Britain in the Schneider
Trophy international seaplane
competitions for speed
and endurance.
R.J. Mitchell’s first monoplane fighter, the Type 224 was rejected in favour of the Gloster
Gladiator biplane. However a new design, the Type 300 featured the famous elliptical wing
and was combined with a new Rolls Royce 12-cylinder engine (soon to be named Merlin) that
offered an excellent power to weight ratio for the fighter.
At this time (the mid 1930’s) the rapid development of monoplane fighter designs in Germany
posed a real threat and it was clear that the RAF needed a new fighter for the home defence
interceptor role.
The first prototype (K5054) flew from Eastleigh, near Southampton on the 5th of March 1936
with Supermarine’s Chief Test Pilot ‘Mutt’ Summers at the controls. A production order for 310
Spitfire Mk1’s followed in June 1936. The first of these aircraft with a RR Merlin rated at 1,060hp
and armed with eight Browning machine guns arrived at No.19 Squadron, RAF Duxford in
August 1938.
Considered by many to be the Spitfires ‘Finest Hour’ came in September 1940 when, along with
the Hawker Hurricane, a relatively small number of pilots, ground crew, and machines assisted
by ground control, repelled the might of the Luftwaffa’s fighters and bombers as they attempted
to destroy the RAF over Southern England in the aerial combat immortalised as ‘The Battle of
Britain’. Prime Minister, Winston Churchill summed up this momentous victory with the famous
quotation “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.
From the initial Mk 1 design, over 20 distinct variants were to follow in the development of the
Spitfire & Seafire (Naval version) with the final aircraft, a Mk 24 coming off the assembly line in
February 1948 completing a total of over 20,000 aircraft produced.
