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Regarded
by many as the most beautifully designed single seat fighter of
WW II, the Spitfire saw action in practically every theatre of
battle where it fought with distinction. Spitfires were in great
demand and many countries were eager to equip their air forces
with them. I believe it was only the Russians who were not so
enamoured by the Spitfire. Among the reasons the spitfire
V was not considered so successful by the Soviets was
friendly fire incidents when Spitfires were fired upon being
mistaken for German Bf109s. Poor serviceability and high landing
accident rates at rough forward fields also created problems for
the Russians.
Along with the Hurricane,
the Spitfire had been greatly responsible for turning the tide
in England’s favour during the Battle of Britain. And it
soldiered on in an ever evolving series of improvements that
were made to provide pilots with a fighting edge during the long
struggle to victory.
The MkV model here was flown by RAF Squadron no. 243.
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