Supermarine Spitfire: General Information

Supermarine Spitfire
My study is named British airplanes - the Supermarine Spitfire. I have chosen this subject
because I strongly believe that the Spitfire is one of the most fascinating and important airplanes
which have took part at the World War Two.
I also believe that the Spitfire has contributed significantly to the winning of the Second World
War by the Allies because of its numerous successful missions carried on fronts all over the
world.
My study has five chapters: Chapter I: Development and production, Chapter II: Design, Chapter
III: Operational History, Chapter IV: Variants, and Chapter V: Survivors.
Now I will present the most interesting information regarding each of the five chapters.
General information
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air
Force and many other Allied countries during and after the Second World War. The Spitfire was
built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers
than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production
throughout the war. An interesting fact is that all production Spitfires were flight tested before
delivery. When the last Spitfire rolled out in February 1948, a total of 20,351 examples of all
variants had been built and tested, with some Spitfires remaining in service well into the 1950s.
I. Origins
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J.
Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works. In accordance with its role as an
interceptor, Mitchell designed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest
possible cross-section; this thin wing enabled the Spitfire to have a higher top speed than several
contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design
until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief
designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants.
II. Airframe
In the mid-1930s, aviation design teams worldwide started developing a new generation of allmetal, low-wing fighter aircraft. Mitchell's design aims were to create a well-balanced, high-
performance bomber interceptor and fighter aircraft capable of fully exploiting the power of the
Merlin engine, while being relatively easy to fly. At the time, no enemy fighters were expected to
appear over Great Britain; to carry out the mission of home defence, the design was intended to
climb quickly to meet enemy bombers.
III. Operational History

During the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire was perceived by the public to be the RAF fighter,
though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden
against the Luftwaffe.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane to become the backbone of RAF
Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East
Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including
interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and trainer, and it continued to serve in these
roles until the 1950s.
IV. Supermarine Seafire
The most popular variant of the Spitfire is the Seafire. The Seafire was a carrier-based adaptation
of the Spitfire which served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 through to the mid-1950s. Although
the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing
1,030 hp, it was strong enough and adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and, in
later marks, Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,340 hp. The Seafire was able to
outperform the Japanese Zero at low altitudes when the two types were tested against each other
during wartime combat exercises.
Performance was greatly increased when later versions of the Seafire were fitted with the Griffon
engines. Unfortunatelly, these were too late to see service in the Second World War.
V. Surviving Spitfires in Burma

After hostilities ceased in Asia in 1945, a number of Spitfire Mk.XIVs were reportedly buried,
after being greased, tarred and prepared for long-term storage, in crates in Burma. However,
excavations carried out in early 2013 failed to locate any of the rumoured aircraft, and the search
was called off.
The Supermarine Spitfire was the only British fighter aircraft to be in continuous production
before, during and after the Second World War.
Nowadays, the Spitfire continues to be a popular aircraft, with approximately 55 Spitfires being
airworthy, while many more are static exhibits in aviation museums all over the world.

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Supermarine Spitfire

III. Operational History

V. Surviving Spitfires in Burma

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