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| A POEM OF SPEED AND PRECISION | 85 years ago this month, the Supermarine Spitfire took off for the very first time.
The photo above was taken a little over three years later, in May 1939. A row of Supermarine Spitfires were lined up outside what we today call our Battle of Britain exhibition at IWM Duxford. A journalist there at the time described the aircraft as ‘a poem of speed and precision’.
To appreciate the importance of the Spitfire, we need to understand what came before the Spitfire. Duxford was home to 19 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, who at this time were flying ageing Gloster Gauntlet biplanes.
When the Spitfire came to Duxford, pilots had to quickly learn new skills as they changed over to the new aircraft.
John Banham was a member of 19 Squadron at the time. He recalls trying the Spitfire for the first time.
“We each of us flew for about half-an-hour in the thing. Oh, it was a tremendous thrill. But of course it was so different from a Gauntlet. It was more restricted forward vision then flying the Gauntlet with the old radial engine.”
The Spitfire wasn’t immediately to everyone’s taste. Fighter Pilot Gordon Sinclair initially couldn’t get on with the new aircraft he was flying.
“I must confess I didn't terribly like the Spitfire to begin with. But then, I had a reason not to because the first flight I ever did in one I turned it upside-down on the aerodrome landing. And it gave me an in-born fear of it. It took me quite a lot of hours to get over that.”
It wasn’t just 19 Squadron flying Spitfires at Duxford. 611 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, had arrived at Duxford for a summer camp in August 1939. However, as soon as war was declared they were made a full-time unit. |
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| THE SPITFIRE: A VIRTUAL TOUR | 2 & 25 April 2021 | 6pm
This weekend we launched our virtual Spitfire tour. With a chance to ask our expert guides your questions, the tour dives deep into our collections for the full picture on the design, development and flights of one of the most famous fighter aircraft in history. | |
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| They shared the teething errors that 19 Squadron had found. However, they discovered one practical solution to the newly encountered lack of visibility.
Their Commanding Officer went into Cambridge to buy some car mirrors to fit to his Spitfires because they didn't have means of looking behind them during flight. Later, pilots during the Battle of Britain would report that these mirrors were one of the most important additions to their aircraft.
Gordon Sinclair soon overcame his issues with the Spitfire, and gave a very vivid account of fighting over Dunkirk.
“It was exhilarating. I've got to say that, it was. I think everybody found that. And flying in and out of the cloud over Dunkirk, you never knew whether you were going to see a Messerschmitt or a Junkers or another Spitfire or a Hurricane or even a Defiant.”
Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who commanded the group within which Duxford sat, wanted to form a large assembly of aircraft as they flew in battle. Richard Jones gives a very good account of flying the Big Wing, as it became known.
“I personally thought we were wasting too much time getting up. But then, as a mere junior Pilot Officer sitting in his Spitfire, and you were going to meet the enemy, and you looked around you and you saw 65 to 70 Spitfires and Hurricanes – it completely changed your idea and gave you terrific confidence.”
There were up to 22,000 Supermarine Spitfires built over a period of 10 years. A long list of different upgrades and improvements resulted in 24 different marked variants. Many of these marks flew from Duxford during wartime – a testament to what an extraordinary aircraft it was.
To this day Spitfires still fly at IWM Duxford. Click here and read more unforgettable stories from our archives. |
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| MORE ONLINE TOURS | | We've launched a range of virtual tours that promise a deeper dive into our collections. Hear a comprehensive account of the events that would become known as the Holocaust, discover what life was like at Churchill War Rooms during the Second World War or, for the first time ever, travel through all five of IWM’s iconic branches in one virtual tour. | |
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