Posted on 03/05/2006 9:06:59 PM PST by proud_yank
The Supermarine Spitfire, a plane that became an emblem for the British and Canadian air forces in the Second World War, marked its 70th anniversary Sunday.
Five Spitfires flew in a V formation above Southampton in southern Britain, 70 years to the minute after the first flight.
Decades after he was the chief test pilot for the plane, 93-year-old Alex Henshaw called the Spitfire a thoroughbred.
"Very, very accurate assessment because with a thoroughbred racehorse as you know, if it's got a tender mouth it'll respond or it will reject it or resent it. And a Spitfire was exactly like that. If you treated a Spitfire badly, it would tell you."
More than 20,000 Spitfires were built, and it fought as a fighter, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance plane for many Allied air forces.
Fourteen RCAF squadrons flew Spitfires, and many Canadian pilots – as well as flyers from Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Czechslovakia and other countries – flew the planes in British squadrons.
A Canadian also helped out with a critical part of the design.
Beverly Shenstone was an aerodynamics specialist who helped create the thin, elliptical wings that gave the plane both speed and elegance.
For historian David Watley, Sunday's ceremonies prove that the Spitfire holds a special place in military history.
"The Spitfire had that certain something, it had the edge. It was the airplane that the British pilots had great confidence in and the Germans were afraid of."
The Spirfire is associated with Britian's victory over the German air force in the Battle of Britain, although it went on flying all through the war and for many years after.
"Of the 103 Canadians who flew in the Battle of Britain between July and October, 1940, 23 lost their lives while 30 others paid the supreme sacrifice later in the war," the Department of National Defence website says.
military history ping
Spit' ping.
Yes she is!
No prob!
Don't know if this is ping-worthy or not.
Good plane but the Hurricane shot down more enemy planes than the Spitfire did. hurricane doesn't get enough credit IMHO.
Do you have a pic to post? I love planes and have really want to get my pilots license since I was little, but I really need to learn more aircraft history!!
Once the Germans upgraded the ME -109 to the 'F' and 'G' models, and once they developed the FW 190, they weren't afraid of the Spitfire anymore. The P-51 Mustang on the other hand....
Just do a search a yahoo or google image search for "Hawker Hurricane"
Thanks Echo, not a bad looking plane!
Is it correct that the Mustang could out-fly the Messerschmidt (sp?), but the ME out-gunned the Mustang?
I think the Spitfire, "looks" better and is a better fighter overall but the Hawker did a lot in the war.
The ME-109 had either a 20 or 30 mm.gun in the nose, plus MGs. As I recall the P-51 carried machine guns.
Canada Ping! Please FReepmail me to get on or off this Canada ping list.
His son, Sir Max Aitken, himself a decorated pilot who flew against the Germans, was chancellor of UNB where I went on to acquire two hard earned degrees.Both of those men had iron in their souls, and UNB reflected it.
As young Canadians, many of us wanted to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors. Air Cadets attracted many of my young peers, and me as well.
But of course the Liberals ( Hellyer) and the " Quiet Revolution" ruined the Canadian Military.
The Spitfire was as mythic as a God.Even in the early sixties, we would have cut off several fingers to have been able to fly one.
I am still hooked, and wish I had been born born early enough to have done this:
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