Operating from an ex-Luftwaffe base at Culot in Belgium, Johnnie Johnson's Canadian Wing were in combat most days the weather permitted. The Luftwaffe had staged a remarkable recovery after their defeat at Normandy and by September 1944 were operating in strength from airfields east of the Rhine. Big formations of Fw190 and Me109 fighters were pitting themselves against the RAF's ground-attack Typhoons, and it was the Canadians' task to get to the Luftwaffe fighters first. Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV.  Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to  1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MK's V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI.  The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service.  To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine.  The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires.  The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced.  The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954.  Greycap Leader by Robert Taylor   Signed by Danny Browne, Stocky Edwards, Hartland Finlay, Hugh Godefroy, Johnnie Johnson, Don Laubman, Andy MacKenzie, Robert Middlemiss, Larry Robillard, Roderick Smith. A new limited edition specially commissioned to commemorate the Canadian Fighter Pilots reunion, Ottawa, 1998. "Kenway to Greycap. Bandits flying down Rhine towards you. Steer One Three Zero".   "Greycap to Kenway. Roger. How many?" "A small gaggle - about a dozen. Out".   Leading 433 (Canadian) Squadron, Johnnie Johnson swings his twelve Spitfires to the south-east, following the course of the river at 12,000 feet. All eyes are peeled.   Operating from an ex-Luftwaffe base at Culot in Belgium, Johnnie Johnson's Canadian Wing were in combat most days the weather permitted. The Luftwaffe had staged a remarkable recovery after their defeat at Normandy and by September 1944 were operating in strength from airfields east of the Rhine. Big formations of Fw190 and Me109 fighters were pitting themselves against the RAF's ground-attack Typhoons, and it was the Canadians' task to get to the Luftwaffe fighters first. "Greycap from red three. Nine bandits below".    With all the essentials of tactical success - speed, height and surprise, the Canadians plummet into the enemy fighters. Within seconds the air becomes a tangle of twisting, turning fighters. Robert Taylor takes up the story moments after the attack. Greycap Leader - Johnnie Johnson - has already bagged an Fw190, and is hauling his Mk IX Spitfire around looking for a second whilst to starboard his wingman draws a bead on another Fw190. In the distance more enemy fighters appear; they too will shortly receive the attention of the Canadians. An aerial dog-fight scene portrayed as only Robert Taylor can, now issued as a limited edition signed by no fewer than TEN Spitfire pilots who flew in combat in Johnnie Johnson's legendary Canadian Wing.