American Reacts Supermarine Spitfire | The Most Effective WW2 Fighter Aircraft?
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Original Video: • Could You Survive as a...
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My late partner just before he died had a flight in a Spitfire. Thanks to all that made his day so very, very special. He flew over The White Cliffs of Dover, in formation, with another Spitfire, Did, a loop the loop and I have it all on video from the cockpit. It was on his bucket list. He feet literally didn't touch the ground for weeks. A great explanation of the Roundel is explained brilliantly on Wikipedia.
The RAF roundel came from WWI where the Union flag was painted underneath the wings to identify British aeroplanes. That was ok from a short distance but from a long way away only the cross was visible and it was possible to mistake it for a German aircraft. The decision was made to opt for the French roundel method but in the red, white & blue colours of the Union flag.
It also made it easier for ground troops to know friendly planes have roundels
Instead of knowing all the different types simbols
The sound of the Spitfires Rolls-Royce Merlin engines are so legendary - and they were very powerful too.
A number of tanks used them too and they were bloody fast including the cromwell.
Yeah, the Battle of Britain memorial flight is one of the most iconic sights/sounds I can think of. When you hear them coming you cant help but get Goosebumps and feel warm inside. I dont know of any family that were in the RAF, but I feel so much pride and gratitude to those that served.
The sound of the Spitfire in aircraft is what the Ferrari is to cars - unique and special
I dont think RR were against fuel injection, it appears to be something one of the top Air Ministry officials objected to (with no clear reason), The Germans tried fitting a ME engine to a spit frame / design and it went slightly better than the ME109, but they did not think it was worth changing their existing designs, MEs etc were also held back by a command to stay pace as bomber escort rather than going full on
Grew up hearing those engines, loved the sound. Also used in the unlimited hydroplane boats some years back. The Spit is one of the sweetest planes, but the Hurricane was the workhorse of the Blitz and in other arenas, much easier to patch up and return to the air. Have seen the Spit fly and always wanted to be in the cockpit. The theatre was one of short distances vs range. Over Britain, the Brits had the advantage but over France the Germans did.
Duxford is a great place to explore. It was also where the USAAF arrived in 42, was there for the memorials 50 yrs later.
More than one city took heavy damage in the early years. Coventry and Plymouth come to mind, but London was the main focus. Later on, Germany paid the price with massive devastation, including the fire bombings.
The planes evolved quite rapidly through the war. The Germans had the edge but not the resources of supplies or pilots.
Simply the most beautiful machine ever built. Ever. Bar none.😍
Possibly the most beautiful oblect full stop, up there with Michaelangelo's David.
hmmm, what about Concorde?
@@levitated-pit Aye, nice enough but still...na. Spitfire. "The sort of bloody silly name they would choose..."
@@levitated-pit Or the mossie
@@dylanburston7453 Yep. The Wooden Wonder is also, possibly, the most beautiful aircraft ever built. Bugger. What about the Hornet? Winkle reckoned it was the best he'd ever flown. Still can't cheat on the Spit though. First love, and all that...💗
During the Battle of Britain the Hawker Hurricane accounted more victories than the Supermarine Spitfire. Which is why I'll always love the Hurricane first. Them engines when you hear them sends shivers.
Not really. The fighter force was 2/3 hurricanes 1/3 spits. Hurricanes accounted for 2/3 of kills and spits 1/3. Kill for kill by type the hurricane and spit were even.
To get the story of how the Spitfire was created you need to watch the film "The First of the Few" about it's designer R J Mitchell. He starts with a seaplane called the Supermarine, which won the Schneider Trophy and went on to become the Spitfire. Unfortunately, Mitchell died of cancer before it got into full production. Also try the film "The Dambusters" about Barnes Wallace and the bouncing bomb, used to destroy a number of dams in Germany.
A lot was also pushed through behind the scenes by his daughter ?
Supermarine was the company that built them. S.6B was the ultimate model of the Schneider trophy racers. A beautiful machine. You can see the winning aeroplane in the Science Museum, London.
I remember watching "The First of the Few" years ago - an great film and an inspirational story. I've watched "The Dambusters" several times and even though it's in black and white it too is a great film about an incredibly visionary inventor, Barnes Wallace, his truly brilliant conception and its remarkable implementation.
Watched it yesterday. I have seen it many times before what a coincidence.
@@mairiconnell6282 I watched the Dambusters over the weekend myself. Haven't seen it for years. I wonder what happened to the supposed remake of it.
"How does a propeller propel". I remembe my Dad, who flew in the RAF during the war correcting me when I called it a propeller. He said it was an airscrew. That implies it pulls you through the air rather than pushing you through it.
I also have happy memories of wearing his sheepskin flying boots. He used them in winters till around 1970 - happy memories
Apparently Douglas Bader was a bit like that if you called it a "Plane" or "Aircraft" rather than an "Aeroplane". To be fair though, all my mates on the various Squadrons that were "Sooties" (Engines), just called them "props" or "propellers". I was only an Armourer though, so what would I know?
My uncle bought a spitfire after the war for £35 had it in his front garden for years just by Coventry airport
The zero was good in a turning dogfight. However, it had no armour and got beaten by faster and more heavily armed aircraft.
As a rule of thumb, the temperature drops one degree centigrade per thousand feet from what it is at sea level
Also beaten by Thatch Weave.
@@williambranch4283 I think the problem was the Oscar, the armies Zero but I accept if I'm wrong. Thatch was a very clever guy either way
The zero changed very little over time. It lacked crucially sealing fuel tanks, which with incendiary rounds from allied planes was bad news for the Japanese pilots.
I was at Duxford for a 17 Spitfire flypast. Most emotional thing ever..., cried like a baby...
Cried, just imagining It. Remember them flying during the war. I was in the bath one, day heard a Spitfire about 20 years ago flew out of the bath, wrapped a towel round me.just managed to see it heading towards R.R. got told off by my Mother because it had started to rain. I've never seen the Victory Roll over the Factory though which they do every time they fly over there.l hope that I live long enough to see that.
I live about 5 minutes flying time from Duxford and most weeks get Spitfires flying over, wonderful sound
I think you made an excellent point that I hadn't thought of before. If we lost the Battle of Britain then probably the whole war would have been lost. I didn't realise there were American pilots, I knew there were Canadian. So I am happy to join the convention of thanking them for their service.
Churchill's words, "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few" still resonates deep inside my soul. The whole of the western world, including the USA owes those RAF pilots a huge debt of immeasurable gratitude. Without their success in the Battle of Britain Nazi jack boots could have marched on our streets with Nazi flags hanging on all public buildings both here and in the USA. Hitler would likely have been unstoppable if Germany had invaded and commandeered Britain's air, naval and land-based resources along with our manufacturing facilities.
@@gdok6088 ...and the pilots reckoned he was talking about their mess bills 🤣
There were also very talented polish pilots who made their way to Britain to fight the Nazis, they are often overlooked in history but they deserve a mention as they were very accomplished pilots who risked their lives in the hope that their efforts would lead to the liberation of their country. Many didn't get to see the conclusion of their efforts.
@@Guevara1015 You are absolutely right polish pilots played an important role. I think another major driver for polish pilots to come over to Britain was the deep appreciation felt by the Polish people for the Britain's steadfast opposition to the Nazi occupation of their country. I have known many Polish people over the years and have always found them to be very polite, helpful and friendly. I somehow feel that there is a special bond between our two countries and peoples.
@@Guevara1015 the polish pilots were amongst the highest scoring aces of the battle and war. Unfortunately the raf brass viewed them with contempt and tolerated them more than anything else.
Our roundels are the reverse of the roundel the French adopted during the early days of WW1. Initially we had Union flags doped onto the aeroplanes. However, it was felt that the Union flag could be confused with the German black cross'. If you look at US aircraft of the Western front in 1918, they also had another version of the roundel. French had a Blue central dot Red outer, Britain had a Red central dot, Blue outer and the US a white central dot with a Red outer ring. This was all before the White star with the centre Red dot was adopted by the the US.
BTW, 20:40. I worked with 19 Sqn. Mind you, that was a few years later when they flew Phantoms.
I've just said what you are saying before reading your comment.
@@PassportToPimlico Not a problem, maybe Connor will read one of them to answer his question? I doubt it though?
It could be said that the best American fighter was the Mustang which had a Rolls Royce Merlin engine as used in the Spitfire.
I think the highest kill ratio was the Grumman Hellcat (US carrier borne aircraft..on the allied side)..But over all it must have been the Me/BF109....My fav being the P-51...BUT!!..there is no better aircraft to see fly than the Spitfire.....The Mustang used an American built version of the Merlin...made by Packard.
@@Bodneyblue Yes i was aware the Mustang used a Packard i just mean the basic engine was a Merlin.
French,American and some other nations only had a few pilots in the R.A.F. during the Battle of Britain but there were more Polish, Canadian and Czech pilots .
I believe there was even an Indian..a Sikh if I recall.
The two Polish squadrons (302 & 303) had the best kill percentage out of all the squadrons.
"You don't get in, you strap it on".
Weapons were pointed slight inward so the bullets from both wings converged at a pre determined distance
Good explanation. We still do it today but obviously in a linear fashion. We had to re-harmonise all the Mauser's on the Tornado's at the start of the first Gulf War.
Also had to learn what was called "deflective" targeting/shooting...meaning instead of firing directly at an aicraft (unless it was directing front of you of course)..You fired at a point infront of the aircraft you were attacking so as the bullets and the aircaft would converge at a given point and time so that the bullets would actually hit the aircraft...If you fired directly at an aircraft which was travelings across your field of fire, the bullets would lag and chances are you'd miss..So it was about timing, and judging speed and distance..to to get hits..
@@iriscollins7583 Yep!.(it was also on tv not so long ago.)...I have many books on WW2 aircraft...Been an interest of mine since I was a kid!...Also making models....And flying flight simulators since 1998...Started with MS Combat Flight Simulator....I also had my own websire dedicated to an American WW2 pilot..Even though I am British....Unfortuantley the company who hosted my site has now gone..So my site is no more...But it was up and running from late 99 to about 2014...maybe a little longer...Dont recall the exact date...I created it myself from scratch using MS Frontpage...I had contact with the pilots relations and have signed copies of his autobiography (written by his hephew)...And signed books about the US fighter group he flew with..Which is where my nik here comes from.....And the craziest thing I discovered is I have a distant family connection to twin brothers who flew in the same fighter group as the pilot my website was dedicated to!...I was totally taken aback to find that out..I had been interested in the pilot since I was about 12 years old...Then to find out I have a connection to pilots he would have known in the same group..is mind boogling!..Anyway...what I am saying is..I am pretty keen on aviation.😁🛩
@@iriscollins7583 The thing with history is that it can get lost over time...Those who ..grow old and die..So more and more information etc is lost...At he time it may not have been seen as important as we see it today..."There is a war going on!"..haha(reference to Dads Army)...And those who know...don't always realise other don't....As not everyone knows everything...Knowing something is taken for granted until you find out other don't know....As for my pilot..I know about him through my interest in aircraft...especially WW2....When I found out very few people knew of him (those in my circle of aviation fans)..I decided to get his story out there. So when I brought a first PC in 98..I brought it for 3 reasons...1. Because I knew in the future folks would need to know how to use a PC. 2. To play Flight Simulators and 3. To get online and have a website..And the pilot was to be the subject of my website...So I'd like to think many more people now know of this pilot than there was becuase of my efforts and website...You won't know of him I'm sure.....In the same way..others didn't know the story about the girl....If you know you know...it's taken for granted...If you don't...It's not in your thoughts..like many folks...One day you didn't know..the next you do..That's apart of life...learn something new everyday!
My hometown, Sunderland, in the northeast of England was heavily bombed during the war due to it being the biggest ship building town in the world,( about a quarter f the worlds annual tonnage of ships from our town alone) Newcastle the next city north also famed for ship building was hit a lot too, the 'stripes' of missing houses are still visible today. Some of my family were bombed from their homes, a house a few doors down got hit and my relatives rushed out to help in which time their house was bombed my great grandmother was in bed upstairs at the time and ended up in the rubble by the front door with a broken hip. I'm lucky to even exist to be honest...
I was at the 75th anniversary of the battle of britain (Duxford) a few years back, such an amazing day - if you visit the UK Mc Jibbin, Duxford is a must see + the aircraft museum is fantastic, you can go inside many of the larger aeroplanes including a early test flight Concorde.
I concur...Duxford is an absolute must see...even for just the main hangars and the aircraft conservation center. But then you add in the vary large armor museum building AND the American Air Museum in its own amazing hangar, and it becomes a place you really should spend multiple full days at. I was there in 2008, and spent one full day there, and definitely felt like I needed another full day to really see everything. 💯✌
That Concorde was a shock by how small it is inside, to be expected. There is also the B17 that was used for exterior shots in Memphis Belle.
A weakness of the Hurricane was the seoaration between the cockpit and the fuel.
You should look up the story of Douglas Bader, he had lost both legs in an accident pre-war but flew and led with two tin legs. Was shot down, survived as a POW in stalags and then Colditz. Quite a bulldog.
It's a grand day out, I agree. I only live twenty minutes away and shamefully I haven't been there for over a decade. I do watch the Spit's, and Hurricane flying over though most decent weekends, on the way to practice aerobatics over Grafham Water.
@@johnp8131 The day I was there they were flying, of course...and I was lucky too, the RAF was doing practice on the field that day as well. While I was there, C-130s were doing touch and go landings, and practicing short field takeoffs...and then an Apache came in for a few practice landings and takeoffs too. Needless to say, almost everyone stopped to watch that. LOL
Once the P51 Mustang was fitted with the Merlin engine from the spitfire its performance helped the P51 become an outstanding fighter for the USA
Love the channel and your reactions bro, keep them up. My Grandfather was a squadron leader who flew a Spitfire in WWII. He volunteered from New Zealand at 19 and is recorded as the first pilot to score a kill in the Battle Over Bombay. He never flew in the Battle of Britain but had a wild time during his service. On one occassion when he landed after a successful kill the mechanics tried to find where he had been hit as there was oil splattered on his Spitfire. It turned out he hadn't been hit, he'd simply followed his kill so closely as it fell - to make sure it was a successful kill - that the oil from his kill flew back onto his Spitfire... nothing I do will ever be as important as his five years in service.
Have you already reacted to the video '13 hours that saved Britain. It's about the Battle of Britain. It has some air action, the story is told with comments from men and women who were children when the planes fought overhead.
If you've not seen it the film Darkest Hour is well worth a watch.
The circle logo of the RAF is based on the early pip type gun sights.
In the 1970's documentary series "The secret war" they show how from the wreckage of a German reconnaissance plane that had crashed in England British scientists discovered the enemy had developed an extremely accurate transmitter for the bombers. Luckily they found a way to jam the signal.
The first target was the only factory at the time manufacturering the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine
Based on the book ‘Most Secret War’ by R V Jones.
@@andrewmorton9327 I'll have to find a copy.
It was quite something watching the series as RV Jones was talking to realise millions of people were alive at the end of the war because of this calmly speaking man I wouldn't have given a second glance to passing on the street
@@nigelmcconnell1909 I inherited the book from my father in law. It’s a fascinating read.
The guns did not fire straight ahead, they converged at varying distances, originally four or 500 metres ( I forget the figure), but the convergent point was reduced as time went on as experience showed the most effective distance to shoot from.
This is why planes like the mossie and lightning were deadly as they didn't need the converging and could be more accurate with much more concentration of fire. Similarly the me109 with its guns above the engine and cannon through the engine could pack a very concentrated amount of fire, though the slower rate of fire of the cannon countered it a bit
3:38 This shows how very little of the original Spitfire was carried through to the final models. The pilot's seat and the core instruments were, I guess.
4:27 ...and cut to Hawker Hurricanes.
20:18 Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941. The Battle of Britain lasted through the summer and fall of 1940.
24:12 Underwear is vest plus pants. From the nether regions out is vest, shirt, jacket, overalls, Irwin fleece flying jacket and life jacket - and you'd still be cold at 20 000 feet.
Ah yes, the Hurricane. Often overlooked and under valued given it was the RAF's workhorse.
What Americans would call pants we'd call trousers of course.
The German pilots were asked
QUESTION:
What do you need to win? We’ll give you anything!
ANSWER:
a squadron of Spitfire!
I think that says it all!
I think this may be a piece of propaganda or later myth. Spitfires did not have as much range as the Me 109… Put bluntly a Spitfire if flying from France would have no dogfight time over London.
I live east of London (Southend) where we have had many air shows over the years the sound of the Merlin Engine was unmistakable. My father was in school in 1940, and a dozen or more spitfires would come out from RAF Hornchurch at once to intercept raids. Several times he and his friends just rushed out of class past the teacher to watch WW2 live in the sky.
The RAF roundel ( target) dates from the Great War. British aircraft (RFC and RNAS) were operating in France in cooperation with French aircraft, they adopted round identifiers to distinguish from the German aircraft with Black crosses. Later Italians also adopted roundels. Much later in middle of WW2 in the SE Asia/Pacific region British and Commonwealth aircraft eliminated the red from the roundel so as not to be mistaken for Japanese.
Hey Conor👍 great stuff mate as iconic fighters of WW2 go Brits had the Spitfire, Germany had the bf 109,Japan had the Zero fighter and you guys had the extremely capable and rugged p51 Mustang, a great fighter in its own right. Lots of other fighters for all nations obviously but these usually stand out because of the achievements they were involved in and as with all machinery some were superior to others in various areas, rate of climb, ceiling, aerodynamics, armaments etc. So yes the Americans did have an excellent fighter most likely because the engine was British😂😂 the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, very distinct sound and power.
The guns were set by the pilot and his ground crew as to how far ahead of the plane the two or four streams of bullets would converge. This was done by parking the plane facing a wall, built for this job, and firing the guns. Adjustment of the guns and the distance of the plane was carried out until the pilot was happy. You don't want a 109e exploding in front of you only find that you're too close to avoid the debris at 250+mph!
Fighter guns were designed to be zeroed for certain engagement distances. They were not completely perpendicular to the wingspan, but slightly inverted towards the propellor so that the rounds would converged at certain distances.
You just saved me explaining it. lol.
And different pilots would adjust the angle of the guns to suit their preference of attacking firing distance.
I remember once checking the car. I heard a noise I recognised. Of a spitfire. Looking up. It was very graceful flying through the air
Yes, you are right Connor, United Kingdom was the 'last stand' between you and Germany
The initial Nazi response at the war was to take out all the RAF bases in SE England prior to an invasion of Britain, to get air superiority over the British. Bombing London wasn’t the first priority. My mother-in-law was a 16 year old civilian at RAF Kenley, I believe it was a Hurricane squadron, she walked to the air base every day expecting to be attacked by the Luftwaffe and doubting whether she would return home that day. On the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (1990) we had a petrol (gas) strike of delivery drivers to gas (petrol) stations on Battle of Britain Day (Sept 15th each year). I helped a lady fill up with fuel at a petrol station that day and she thanked me and said “this must be just like the Battle of Britain”. I thought “NO you are going to drive away from here alive, my mother-in - law had serious doubts about living through this day 50 years ago..
In world war one the Royal Flying Corps didn't issue parachutes so it was bad luck if mechanical or structural failure occurred or enemy fire shot you down.
In world war two they had parachutes issued but it wasn't a guarantee of survival as you could hit the tailplane as you exited.
As an air cadet I wore the helmet and parachute over my tunic jacket, trousers and boots on air experience flights in a DeHaviland Chipmunk, the RAF's post war replacement for the DeHaviland Tiger Moth trainer.
The procedure in an emergency was that the instructor pilot would give the warning and we would open our section of canopy and the aircraft would be rolled upside down and the command "Jump, Jump, Jump!" given.
You then released the seat strap buckle and fell out of the aircraft hopefully missing hitting the tailplane and your parachute opening properly. You were trained to jump and land from a jump tower wearing a parachute harness attached to a controlled cable. The jump wasn't that bad it was being on the edge of the platform waiting for the order to jump whilst looking down from the height that was worse.
The guns were set at an angle so that the bullets from both guns met at a certain distance in front of the aircraft. There was a gun sight in the cockpit.
Try and find vids on the mosquito. If the spitfire is the public king of planes, then the mosquito is the hidden king
Biggin Hill sector calling in. My local area, lots of WW2 airfields in the area.
The Merlin engine also powered the later version of the P51 Mustang as the P51B as a replacement for the Allison engine, which was under powered at heights which were flown by the bombers.
Memory-wise, I will try my best attempt to answer your many and varied questions in order for you, Connor . . .
1) Height - yes, the higher you fly the less oxygen there is in the air to breath - (hence the term, the air is thin up top) . . . Typically more bottled oxygen was mostly used by high-flying bomber crews and those who did similar photo reconnaissance in unarmed aircraft . . .
2) No, ejector seats were not a thing back in WW2 - you either had to try and turn the aircraft upside down and fall-out of it - or manage to pull yourself out of it against the wind (if you could) . . . Bombers often had escape doors or hatches to use, but for some crew, still not easy to climb over any internal obstructions to reach them . . .
3) Ejector Seats - The ejector seat was invented in 1945 by Sir James Martin, who was born at Crossgar, Co Down, in 1893. A brilliant engineer, in 1924, aged only 29, he set up the Martin Baker Aircraft Company in England along with his friend, Captain Valentine Baker. (And they're still making them to this day!)
4) Taking-off without moving - in the winds you were talking about, it would be more likely for such a wind to just flip the plane over rather than help it to take off . . . The same reason why planes still need runways and catapults on carriers to help them gain enough speed to lift. Not counting VTOL's like the Harrier and F-35.
5) Machine guns or cannons - newer pilots had their guns angled to merge at say 250-300 yards for wider ranged shots . . . whereas the more veteran pilots could ask their armourers to have their own guns/cannons trained to merge at 100-150 yards for a more compact aiming angle. But, that was only after having been in battle and then asking for a closer stream. But, you then also had to get a lot nearer to whatever you were gong to shoot at for the full force of your guns to work better . . .
I hope that this may have helped you out a bit info wise . . .
The defense of Britain during the Battle of Britain depended on the courage of just 2,937 British and Allied aircrew. The average age of the Battle of Britain pilots was just 20 years old!
The famous RAF Roundel was originally devised during WWI when it became apparent that markings of some kind were needed on aircraft in order to avoid confusion between enemy and friendly machines.
The Spitfire was a pre-war design short range fighter. It's greatest strength was that the original design was so good, that it could be constantly upgraded and modified until it was replaced by jet fighters. So the original Mk1 top speed of 364mph, was upped to 450mph by the end of the war with the MK 21.
3:38 This shows how very little of the original Spitfire was carried through to the final models. The pilot's seat and the core instruments were, I guess.
the average lifespan for a ww1 pilot is 17 days compared to 4 weeks in ww2
There is a Time Team episode where they dig up a previously unrecovered Spitfire crash in France. The pilot died in his first engagement with the Germans, when his squadron was jumped by double their number of Messerschmitts.
The Battle of Britain was effectively over after 15/9/40, Barbarossa started in June 1941 & as you said Pearl Harbour was December 1941. The guns on fighters were positioned so that the fire would converge at a certain distance, like a cone of fire on the target.
Barbarossa was launched more than a year after the Battle of Britain.
That aircraft is so iconic. A few days ago I posted a poll on FB as to the best looking aircraft. This and the SR71 came out joint winners.
When firing either machine guns or cannon it's where the shots converge at a certain distance that's where the gun sights are set usually. Some of the Luftwaffe aces had a preferred distance to fire from at a target as did some RAF aces. One pilot would wait until he was about 300ft away as it guaranteed maximum damage inflicted.
I agreed with you. I was surprised though when looking this up, "Sailor" Malan, the South African Ace, had his guns harmonised to @450ft but Air Chief Marshal Dowding (At that time) suggested 1500ft to allow for the pilots that couldn't shoot that well!
In the Falklands, headwinds on the runway can often be 200mph. Seeing a jumbo jet land in a headwind is like watching a Harrier or F35 land. By the time the tyres touch down, there is no forward movement. The engines stay running to stop the aircraft sliding backwards.
An acquaintance of mine lost all his fingers to frost bite .During WW2 he was part of a crew on board a badly damaged bomber. he had to hang on to another crew member who was seriously injured and trapped hanging half way out of a hole in the fuselage.It was so cold his ungloved hands literally froze but he managed to hold on until they got back to base.
There’s a FANTASTIC vid by duxford or farnborough museum taking you through all the changes from mk1 to mk22(?) , different wings, engines, canopy’s, high back low back, long nose short nose etc
I think they said by the end of the war, the spitfire was twice as heavy and twice as powerful than the early models.
Or something along those lines.
I have a book called 'The Flying Units of the RAF' which gives the ancestry, formation and disbandment of all the flying units from 1912. That Spitfire behind them at the start with the Identification QV was from 19 Squadron and that identification was used from Jan 1944 to April 1951, the one with identification SW was from either 43, 253, 517 squadrons, 1678 Conversion Unit or 1678 Flight. The plane featured was most likely (according to the book) from 253 Squadron that was reformed on 30th October 1939 at Manston and were disbanded on 16th May 1947 at Treviso, Italy. They flew the following planes: Battle, Hurricane, Spitfire and the trainers Magister and Master 1
please consider watching the Timeline documentary, 13 hours that saved Britain,
The guns don’t shoot in a straight line they are angled slightly so the projectiles meet and cross over. Off the top of my head I think the cross over point was 500yds from the aircraft although I’m probably way off.
Varied but 1500ft isn't far off? Dowding suggested about that plus or minus. However that was for the benefit of pilots that were not the greatest shots. 'Sailor' Malan, the South African Spitfire Ace, had his rounds converge at half that distance. By the time I was harmonising guns it didn't matter though, as Adens and Mausers only had to fire straight ahead by then.
The RAF Roundel - the 'target' as you described it - on the wings, was introduced in 1915.
It was a way of identifying friend from foe, as all planes were routinely shot at from the ground. (Apparently they had tried using the Union Jack, but at a distance it was indistinguishable from the German Iron Cross.)
The Roundel was first used by the French, so the British changed the order of the colours; this design was the adopted by other countries, including Australia who changed the central red dot to a red kangaroo!
The US Mustang P-51 was a fine aircraft. It was upgraded with a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine giving a much better performance at altitude.
The USA used roundels on aircraft in WW1. They were red (outside), blue (inside) and white (middle).
The spitfire guns and canons were calibrated to meet together at 100 or 200 yards. The gun sight in the plane would give the pilot an idea of the distance if he waited until the wings of the enemy plane filled the circle on the gunsight he was roughly 100 metres away. There is a short video on RUclips called spitfire gunsight tutorial witch shows this well. Sometimes if the spitfire was high enough when the pilot wanted to bail out he would turn the plane upside down so he could just fall out. In the early days of ww1 the pilots had no parachutes how brave would you have to be to go up in one of those things knowing if you got shot down there was no escape. RJ Mitchell the man who designed the spitfire contracted bowl cancer and was told that if he didn't stop working right away and start taking it easy he would die in less than 6 months. He kept working right to the end and died shortly after finishing the plane. Unfortunately before hearing if his plane was excepted by the RAF and mass produced so he never knew what a success his plane turned out to be .
There was eight 303 machine guns four in each wing in both the Spitfire and Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, cannon had been tried but tended to jam in combat. Later a mix of cannon and machine gun was used, with the cannon taking over by wars end these arranged in two in each wing. All wing weaponry was aimed to cross at a chosen distance, the Polish pilots had their guns converge in a matter of feet and they would get in really close before firing a trait taken up by Douglas Bader
On your question about an aircraft taking off from a stand still if the wind was strong enough, it has happened when a plane was not secured. that was its last flight.
One last reply; ejector seats where not properly developed till after the war, Germany used a gunpowder charge to blow the pilots seat out of a stricken plane in some types (a real bang seat)
Hope this helps you
In WW1 pilots weren’t allowed parachutes!
My Grandfather was ground crew for Mosquitoes out in Burma in WW2; he lost a lot of fingers bomb loading. He was a carpenter who helped maintain the Mosquitoes.
My Father trained on jet Meteors in the 50’s.
A friend of mine is now qualified to fly Spitfires, it’s taken years, so he’s part of the crew that can demonstrate Spitfires and other period aircraft at shows :)
I believe German aviators had them right at the very end of WW1. Apparently Ernst Udet (The Ace and later a Luftwaffe General) used one after tangling with a French two seater?
Nice to know about "Mossies" too, my father built them at Hatfield during the war and at night he was on the 3.7 inch anti aircraft guns in London.
On a side note been to Duxford and seen the Spitfire, Hurricane, but it was the American Hanger, with a SR 71 Blackbird, That blew me away, What a airplane, spaceship? ,the Technological jump between the Hangers is Astounding.
Amazing to see their collection, including the Vulcan. Wonderful place.
I actually work at a aircraft factory that made mosquitoes during ww1 and made Avro lancasters in ww2
Interesting. Was that one of the satelite factories or overseas? Just asking as my Father worked for De Havilland at Stag Lane and Hatfield for over 50 years from 1931 onwards. BTW. The Mosquito was WW2, just a typo I'm sure.
Hi Connor, to answer some of your questions, being a WW1 pilot was more dangerous, as they were not equipped with parachutes. The wing guns were harmonised to converge at a set distance in front of the plane, an experienced pilot could choose what range he wanted his guns harmonised too, the really ballsey ones would go for 100 yards. Does anyone know of anyone who flew Spitfires? Yes I do, my father flew them in Italy, and was awarded an American DFC in 1944. Incidentally, the ejector seat wasn't invented until after WW2, by the British aircraft manufacturer Martin-Baker, they still make the vast majority of ejector seats in the western world. The Irvine flying jacket is also still made, so you can buy a brand new one, but they are not cheap!!!
Wing mounted guns were angled inwards to converge at 200 to 400 yards ahead of the aircraft. The distance between the cannons of a Spitfire (or the inner cannons of a Hurricane MkII or Typhoon or Tempest) is slightly less than half the wingspan, or about four to five yards.
My dad went school with a boy whose father was in the Lafayette Escadrille (WWI mercenaries for France). But no anecdotes ;-( The biplanes were easier to break (wood and canvas), but they were lighter and could easier land on or take off from grass at lower speeds. Today takeoff speeds/landing speeds are higher, you have to have a prepared runway. Early fighters had relatively little ammunition. Flying requires talent, aerodynamics isn't part of our evolution. I worked with a WWII American pilot who flew Mustangs, at 17. But no anecdotes. Veterans rarely talk.
To answer your question about the red white & blue roundels .... in WW1 by 1915 it soon became obvious that aircraft need markings to prevent pilots shooting down their own aircraft, or their allies.
So in WW1 german aircraft were all marked with a black & white cross, similar to the shame of the Iron Cross medal. French fighter aircraft started to use roundels in the colours of the French flag - a red circle, with a white circle inside, then a blue dot in the centre.
The british RFC (Royal Flying Corps) and RNS (Royal Naval Service) aircraft started having union jacks painted on the sides and the wings for identification - but from a distance the design looked too much like a cross (like the German insignia) - so to avoid accidental 'friendly fire' incidents with AA guns or fighter interceptions, the British soon changed to a rounded symbol, like our French allies, but with the colours in the reverse order
The same basic principal is still used today, but painted symbols aren't important for identification nowadays, Radar, IFF and electronic means are used instead now to identify NATO or other friendly or hostile aircraft, instead of the pilots eyeballs, or the binoculars of AA gunners
If you want a good insight into the Battle of Britain and like a good book check out "First Light" by Geoffrey Welum late of 92 Squadron he was very young and was given the nickname "Boy".
There is also a made for TV movie also called First Light.
Geoffrey only passed in mid 2018 and was well known around aviation circles.
Another good one is "Gun Button to Fire" by Tom Neil another BofB icon.
16 different nationalities fought with the RAF during the Battle of Britain including 11 from the USA (who were neutral at this time ) and also an Austrian, Alfred Lammer from Linz ( near Hitler's birthplace )
There were plenty of US airman of German origin who flew in US bombers against Germany..If I recall Herman Goering's own nephew, Werner George Goering,flew US bombers against Germany..Son of his brother Karl. I believe that one of the crew had secret orders to shoot Werner if he ever tried defect to Germany with the aircraft. My aunts brother-in-law was killed while a member of an Avro Lancaster bomber crew....The family of pilot, Julius Kramer, were German Jews who had emigrated to Canada before the war.
Youre absolutely right.The battle of Britain was pivotal.If Britain had fallen,then the world would have.It would have been a domino effect
1) Helicopters are usually used as modern day cavalry units ...hence the term Air Cav
2) the guns are slightly pointed inwards to focus on a point a certain distance away from the plane ..so no you fire them both at the same time
The "roundel", not target, was based on the French WW1 roundel, but the red and blue where swapped over. The reason was for ease of recognition, so that you could see who were friends and who were foes, in the heat of battle.
The French had a red-white-blue roundel, the British had a blue-white-red roundel, the Germans had a black cross, the Japanese had a red disc, and the Americans, eventually used the white star. Other countries had other symbols and colours.
In WW1 the low performance biplanes could hover in the air or actually go backwards if the wind rose and they could make no headway ,This was very dangerous to the pilots due to the low airspeed of the airplanes generally they only flew in favourable conditions, in WW2 this was not a problem as the aircraft were so much faster wind speed made very little difference. Also at the start of WW2 British aircraft factories went to a 24 hour 3 shift production status which the Germans didn't and they never realised so we were producing vast numbers of aircraft which we kept secret from the enemy but were running out of experienced pilots. The guns were zeroed to the pilots specifications so at his favourite killing range they would all hit the same point and the enemy was toast.
The number of air craft shot down by the spit, in the video, is misleading the 55% score for Hurricanes (it's more than that) IS the huricane total. The other 45% was accounted for by Spits ofther fighters and anti aircraft guns and some naval gun fire.
Mate, to be fair tanks are the cavalry of modern warfare, British tank soldiers still have their cavalry names.
I live in Eastbourne in we have an Airbourne festival and when the Spitfire goes over the roar of its engines make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
By the way, some of the film clips are showing Hurricanes which was a great aircraft too. Will.
13:40 The speed of the air over a wing is what generates the given amount of lift. In theory, if the winds were strong enough and pointing directly at the aircraft, they would lift the aircraft off the ground. That's why aircraft carriers always turn into the direction of the wind before they launch aircraft. I would certainly not call it "taking off" though lol!! If I remember, Spitfires could get airborne at about 80 mph. The roundel on the wing just makes it easier to spot from further away. Hope that helps.
There’s a wonderful trade shop in my city. You can get a lot of WW2 stuff for a small price. I love that shop, be it great music, old coins, ww2 items or anything really that you didn’t know you wanted :)
Though their countries were neutral, 10 Irish and 11 United States citizens fought in the Battle of Britain. Pilot Officer William ‘Billy’ Fiske was the first American airman to be killed and a plaque was later unveiled to his memory in St Paul’s Cathedral which read:
“An American citizen who died so that England might live.”
One of the major differences for first world war pilots was they had no parachute because the military felt this would encourage people to bail out unnecessarily. and since their planes would often catch fire when hit by bullets it was not going to be a nice end and most pilots would carry a revolver to save themselves from being burned to death
The major factors that won the Battle of Britain were Radar (backed up by The Observer Corps), Sector Control (particularly the Sector Clock), The Rolls Royce Merlin engine (powered Spitfires and Hurricanes) and immensely brave young men some had as little as 8 or 9 hours training on Spitfires or Hurricanes.
I would like to point out that there were Pilots form 16 nations flying in the Battle including Free French, to answer your question.
The original guns were. 303 machine guns and were adjusted to converge at around 200 yards so that the converged bullets would strike a bit like a cannonball and were capable of inflicting a lot of damage
It was the Hurricane who did the donkey work during the battle.
What he didn't say was the spitfires engine would cut out in a dive.
I thoroughly recommend the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain' if you haven't seen it. It's a classic war film still shown on a regular basis on British TV and the best re-enactment available.
Of course like all war films there's a fair bit of patriotism and some artistic license, but it's more accurate than most, as well as being entertaining.
Spitfires are arguably the most beautiful planes ever built, especially the iconic elliptical wing.
The Americans were a little behind at first but they stepped up to the plate when they designed the mustang, but they had to put the Spitfire Merlin engine in it because the Allison engine wasnt very good at high Altitude , with drop tanks it escorted the bombers all the way to Germany at back.
My Grandfather during WWII as a cabinet maker worked as a foreman in a factory in Birmingham UK that built wooden fuselage for the DeHavilland Mosquito. This was an unusual plans in WWII as it was wooden mostly.
That should be planes.
Went to a museum in Dumfries Scotland in the summer and seen the spitfire they have there, could stand close to it but not touch it. I have some great photos of it. My granddaughter, aged 5, liked the jets more, those you can touch and photos of her trying to reach to touch the wings.
You made some great points in this review. I think you are right, had Great Britain (aircraft carrier) fallen, things could have been a lot different. Obviously D-Day couldn't have happened. Great video, well done!
Dog fighting typically took place at about 10,000 ft some planes could climb to 20,000 but you would want to be above your enemy as to generate more energy as you dive on them.
My grandfather flew out of Biggin Hill, I would always Google his name and see if anything came up, a short while back something did, a person was writing a book on plane crashes off the coast of Britain, and he wrote about my Grandfather being the soul survivor of a crash when his crew didn't make it to land after they bailed and drowned in the ocean, funny thing is my grandfather only made it because his parachute buckle came loose and he had to step back and fix it, which meant he was closer to land when he jumped, something my gran told me about, but it was nice to see actual documentation about it. He also flew one of the spotter planes who found the Bismarck. He also flew the Spitfire. He never spoke of the war, at least his part in it, he did his duty and that was the end of it. Though he did talk about the horrors the Jewish people went through, I think that haunted him more then his own tragedies, which always reminded me of what a good man he was, a man deserving of respect.
Fascinating story, God Bless your Grandfather and those of his generation to whom we owe so much. 🙏
Adrian Kerrison is American but has spent most of his life in the UK. He is a graduate of Durham and Newcastle Universities in the UK
I did know someone from Norway who flew in the RAF when he escaped occupied Norway to join the RAF to fly the spitfire but the war ended, and did know people who built the spitfire as well
I still prefer the Hurricane over the Spitfire, because it could still out manoeuvre the 109's. Admittedly the 109's could go faster and higher. The Hurricane could shoot further, but the Spitfire could shoot more rounds. The Spitfire also cost around 3 times as much and I think it took longer to build, but I'm not sure. Time and money/resources is paramount in war time.
WW1 pilots are all gone and WW2 pilots are few and soon they will be all gone.
The Hurricanes went after the Bombers the Spitfires went after the Fighters. The Spitfore could out turn anything. It was also the first aircraft to break the sound barrier many times when it went into a dive. A strong wind that lifeted an aircraft would blow it on it's back. The first REAL Ejector Seat was Invented in 1944 by James Martin, he was British. There is a big difference between Machine Guns and Cannons. The later Spitfire had both.
I’m an ex RAF Armourer and we harmonise the guns to converge the rounds at a single point which is linked to the gun sight
Hi Bob, Ex plumber too. Did twenty odd years. Other than at Halton and a play around with a Hunter gun pack, I only ever harmonised the Mausers on Tornados at Brüggen in ASF. It was a panic job for first Gulf War as I don't think they had all been done before. No wonder prior to that they never hit anything at Deci'?
@@johnp8131 Hi Mate, I worked on Suu, Aden and Mausers in my time used to enjoy Gun work,
@@bobbralee1019 Never really had that honour. Closest I got to a SUU gun was whilst detached to Akrotiri with 100 Sqn running one of the "Banner Party shifts" for your pilots target practice. Good fun though.
Mainly did seat fits and removals and always from centralised Armouries like Waddington and Scampton on Vulcans and later two tours on Canberras at Wyton, interspersed with Jag's and Tornados, both times at Bruggen.
@@johnp8131 Spent a few good nights out with the Tatty Tonne boys in Cyprus, Great times on APC. Started on Phantoms then Harriers, Moving onto Tornado's at Bruggen before finishing off on EOD.
@@bobbralee1019 Still local (ish) to Wyton now after I left in '95, I'm sure our paths must have crossed in our previous lives? Where were you at Bruggen? I was in ASF '89 to '93. Did Deci only once with 31Sqn back then. "Granby" and what followed curtailed that. In ASF we didn't get that much contact with the Squadrons as they had me on "Cross servicing" on excercises, mainly working on Luftwaffe Phantoms. We had to go up to Rheine-Hopsten air base every year for "drinking practice" with the German Armourers. It was a hard life!
Just checked and you can buy the original design Irvin RAF Flying Jacket from the RAF Museum for an eye watering £960.00.
Got one, there brilliant, keeps out the cold, well worth the money.
So few of those archive shots were Spitfires. There were even P-40s and Mustangs, as well as Hurricanes. The "American" guy at Duxford sounds pretty Irish. RE Aircraft in high winds, since the takeoff speed of a MkI Spitfire is only around 70 MPH - in theory, a wind of that speed could make you hover - briefly before you died in the resulting crash. I once worked on Chipmunks (a trainer mentioned in the video), and the Squadron commander decided to fly in pretty windy weather, against advice - it took him 3 or 4 attempts to get down, the wind was so high, he was almost hovering. There were a few hundred "Foreign" pilots during the Battle of Britain, Mostly Canadian, and other Commonwealth nations, some Belgians, Czechs, French, Irish, Polish, and of course some Americans. I think a few Americans got in pretending to be Canadian. Barbarossa was a year later than the B.O.B. At this time The Soviet union had a peace pact with Hitler. The cannon, and MG, converge on an area in front of the aircraft - It is adjustable on the ground, and set depending on weapon type, and role, but usually 250 to 500 yards.
I live in Cambridgeshire not that far from Duxford, and sound of that Spitefire engine is so distinctive. You hear it and run outside to catch a glimpse.
You can't be far from me? Have you seen them practice aerobatics over Grafham Water?
Sadly no. But it sounds amazing.