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.
BEWARE OF THE LION BY GEOFF LEA 602 City of Glasgow Squadron patrol the Normandy beaches.
NORMANDY BEACH HEAD PATROL BY GEOFF LEA
Spitfire Mk9. of 56 squadron patrol the D-Day landings.
Summer of 44 by Stuart Brown MkIX Supermarine Spitfires take off for evening patrol of the Normandy
coast, June 1944. Signed by Raymond Baxter, WWII Spitfire pilot and well known
broadcasting voice of British Aviation.
Muscateer
by Robert Tomlin Squadron Leader John Plagis, Commanding Officer of 126 Squadron, in his
Spitfire LFIX, returns from France on 24th July 1944 after shooting down
an Me109. Plagis went on to score 15 aerial victories before the end of
World War II.
Deadly Chase by Ronald Wong
Battle Line by Philip West On the 6th June 1944 the invasion of Normandy commenced. The RAF
was, of course, a major combatant and formed part of a dedicated Allied
force tasked with freeing Europe. VE Day finally signalled the end
of hostilities on the 8th MAY 1945. During those bitter months many
great air battles were fought in the unforgiving skies and individual
combats ensued. One such combat is depicted here, displaying the
eerie feeling of the victor and vanquished between two of the greatest
aircraft ever built.
Never before in the history of war had such an impressive and awesome
gathering of aircraft come together. The Allies' quest was for
freedom, with the Luftwaffe fighting for its very existence - the battle
lines were drawn.
Signed and numbered by the artist and countersigned by the late Air
Vice-Marshall J. E. 'Johnnie' Johnson.
Friendly Ordinance (Beer Run to Normandy) by Ronald Wong
D-Day, A New Dawn for Europe by John Young The ever-popular and ubiquitous Spitfire is shown landing somewhere
in Europe, bearing its invasion strips on the fuselage and wings.
D-Day most certainly did mark a new day for Europe, the sacrifices and
suffering well documented as Allied troops fought to give Europe back to
its rightful Governments. This print is signed by both the late and highly decorated Johnnie
Johnson and the production test pilot, Alex Henshaw MBE and is a limited
edition
Victory Over Gold by Nicholas Trudgian Spitfires of 401 Squadron over the Normandy beaches, June 1944.
Signed by Pete Brothers, Bunny Currant, Tom Neil.
The Longest Day by Adrian Rigby
Normandy Breakout by Nicolas Trudgian Wing
Commander Geoffrey Page had no business risking life and limb at low level
in a Spitfire in the maelstrom of D-Day and the heavy fighting that
followed. On 12th August 1940, during the height of the Battle of
Britain, he had been shot down in his Hurricane in flames. Page
scrambled out of the inferno, baling out into the sea, but his burns were
so severe he spent most of the next two years in hospital undergoing skin
grafts. Most would have called it a day, but not the young
Page. Showing the hallmark determination common among fighter
pilots, he was back in the air by the spring of 1943. Immediately
successful, on 29th June he and another pilot shot down 6 enemy aircraft
in one ten minute encounter and by the following summer he was given
command of 125 Wing. By D-Day Geoffrey Page commanded 132 Squadron's
Spitfires, taking an active role in the invasion, and the heavy fighting
in the weeks that followed.
Over the Beaches by Philip West In the early hours of 6th June 1944, the campaign to liberate europe
began following many months, if not years of planning and
preparation. The RAF was heavily committed in support of allied
land and sea forces flying combat air patrols, ground attack and
reconnaissance missions. After a further year of fighting a hard
fought victory was achieved.
