Spitfire World War 2 Fighter GAV 1020
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries from Second World War until the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied design. The Spitfire was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire was designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs. He continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer.[4] Its elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane and many other contemporary designs. The distinctive silhouette imparted by the wing planform helped the Spitfire to achieve legendary status during the Battle of Britain. There was, and still is, a public perception that it was the RAF fighter of the Battle although the more numerous Hurricane actually shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the potent Luftwaffe. After the Battle of Britain the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command and saw action in the European Theatre, Pacific Theatre and the South-East Asian theatre. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire saw service throughout the whole of the Second World War, in most theatres of war, in several roles and in many different variants. The Spitfire was to continue to serve as a front line fighter and in secondary roles for several air forces well into the 1950s. GAV 1020
Size: 6069px × 4029px
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: .hillary, /, 00hrs., 19, 109, 29th, 350, 603, 1940, august, bf, browning, city, crash, edinburgh, gun, guns, landed, machine, richard, rounds, shot, spitfire, squadron
