Could You Survive as a Spitfire Pilot in World War Two?
304,733
Published 2022-10-12
Arguably the most famous British fighter aircraft in history, the Spitfire, also called Supermarine Spitfire, was the most widely produced and strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War Two. Over 22,000 Supermarine Spitfires were built during the course of the Second World War.
The iconic fighter aircraft won immortal fame during the summer months of 1940 by helping to defeat the German air attacks, proving an overwhelming match for the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt 109's during the Battle of Britain.
The original prototype, designed by engineer Reginald Joseph Mitchell CBE, made its first flight four years earlier as Britain’s industry geared up to re-arm against the threat from Nazi Germany. From the beginning pilots recognised it as a thoroughbred combining a perfection of design with superb handling characteristics.
In this video, History Hit presenter Luke Tomes visits the Battle of Britain Airshow at Imperial War Museums Duxford to learn about the battle that cemented the Spitfire’s place in history, the pilots who flew in them during the Second World War, and why it occupies such a special place in British hearts to this day…
At the airshow Luke speaks to senior curator Adrian Kerrison, comparing the Spitfire and Hurricane's performances retrospectively during the Battle of Britain before meeting Spirit of Britain reenactor Jamie Delaney to learn more about the lives of Spitfire pilots and what clothing and equipment they would have worn. Finally, Luke converses with Director of the Aircraft Restoration Company and one of the pilots flying at the airshow, John Romain MBE, about the process of training to become a Spitfire pilot and the unique characteristics of the aircraft that made it so iconic.
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#worldwartwo #spitfire #battleofbritain
00:00 Introduction
01:21 Battle of Britain
11:49 Clothing and Equipment
21:36 Spitfire Mark IX
28:31 Big Wing Formation
All Comments (21)
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Was the P-51 more iconic than the Spitfire? Have you got any personal/family Spitfire stories? Let us know in the comments! 👇
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The wool uniform would have been a level of fire resistance. When training as a Police Officer in the UK, we were shown the effectiveness of the uniform by being petrol bombed and walking through the flames. This was to give us confidence in our kit. When you added woollen overalls on top, it gave you a good 30 seconds of burning time before you would feel the heat. Time enough for a colleague to put you out with their fire extinguisher.
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My Uncle Phil died flying a Spitfire so every time i see these videos and see the pictures of a Spitfire it always reminds me of him. I never met him as I was born in 1947 but I think I have missed not knowing him. RIP Sgt Pilot Philip D. Seaborne
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My dad was a Lancaster rear gunner. The only one of his ops he ever recalled involved being attacked by ME262's on a daylight raid. Mustangs from Polish Squadrons jumped on the German jets and shot down 4 for the loss of one 50 Squadron Lanc and one from 61 (my dad's Squadron) According to the Squadron ORB's and combat reports there were Spitfires there too but don't get a mention. The Spitfire is a beautiful and iconic aeroplane that stirs even the coldest of hearts but to my dad the Mustang was king.
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They missed some very important details. Until the mark IX the Spitfire was incapable of sustained inverted flight. Also, they didn't talk about the training enough. Many of the young men who fought in the Battle of Britain truly had inadequate flight time, as few as 50 hours with only 8 to 10 hours in Spitfires or Hurricanes because the need for them was so great. That they did what they did was incredible and speaks very highly of them.
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The spitfire and the hurricane was one of our best fighter planes built by a great nation of people
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My aunt worked with R.J. Mitchell during WW2 and, after he passed away, she placed flowers on his grave every week for the rest of her life in honour of his contribution towards keeping Britain safe. Thanks for the video, a great piece looking at many different aspects of being a Spitfire pilot. Well done.
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An American teaching and Englishman on British history. I love it! 👍
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I was born in 1950 and lived in Hucknall, Notts. There was a Rolls Royce testing plant at Hucknall aerodrome and they had a spitfire which flew regularly. Back then we saw all the V bombers high in the sky and the spitfire landing and taking off. You never forget those sights.
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My Mother, a Londoner during the war, a war bride after, spoke fondly of the heroism of the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots and the planes themselves. She lost a cousin in battle who flew a Spitfire. Tactically, fighters were the only way England could defend itself against the bombings. It was a defensive weapon, the only defense they had which is the reason for the great sentiment. The British population heard every word Churchill spoke during the war and his iconic words of the bravery of those pilots was held deeply by the people. I heard my mother repeat them many times. The tactical use of the two planes was genius. Use the Spitfires to keep the 109s off the Hurricanes while they attacked the bombers.
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The Spitfire is not a airplane, it is flying art......
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Spitfire was cutting edge in 1936, Mustang cutting edge in 1942. Spitfire and Mustang were both updated, revised, improved continouosly into the 1950s, when jet aircraft began to overtake them in range and reliability. Some planes, such as the Skyraider, were cutting edge in 1943 and went on well into the 1970s. It's how a plane is improved and IF it can be improved. Another measure is how many roles (and new roles) it could take on successfully.
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So many comments about the Hurricane being the more important or successful fighter in the BOB, and I'd like to just put my 2 cents in. Yes. It shot down more aircraft. If you look purely at numbers it was more successful. What people tend to leave out is the strategy used to allow this. The Hurricane was a better, more stable gun platform, with the guns themselves being tightly spaced to give a bigger punch. It was a worse dogfighter as it lost energy more quickly than the Spitfire. (in initial contact I believe it could actually out-turn the Spitfire) This pointed it towards being the bomber-hunter of the two. The Spitfire, as mentioned, was a better dogfighter. It could sustain turns for longer and keep pace & altitude up better during those turns. It wasn't as stable, and didn't have as concentrated firepower as the Hurricane. These attributes made it more suited to taking on the 109's than the Hurricanes It's much harder to shoot down a maneuvering fighter than it is a level bomber, no matter what aircraft your in, so it's really no wonder the kill ratio between the two was the way it was. But the Spit pilots did succeed in occupying the 109 pilots for long enough to allow the Hurricanes at the bombers. Both aircraft were pivotal in the BOB. Saying one did more damage than the other is like saying a striker scored more goals than the goalie. They deployed their aircraft into positions where they would be the most useful to the fight and it wasn't a competition to see which plane would shoot down more aircraft (tho the pilots made it so) it was merely a total stat.
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Thanks for the great video. The final fly past by the Spitfires sent goosebums up my arms and what a beautiful sight and sound to behold. Long live the Spitefire!
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It reaches a spot in my heart because my grandfather was born in 1921, I was born in 1987; and I had the privilege to hear some of his stories of his time during WWII as an RAF aircraft technician with rank of leading aircraftman. He repaired S Spitfires and H Hurricanes. He also had a certificate to repair another Hawker aircraft which even I had never heard of until I saw it nearly 20 years after his passing in 2003. I have all his documents in my possession though and if anybody is interested I'll search it out. Great documentary though. P51 was a brilliant aircraft, but it didn't really help my grandparents when the US wanted to stay out of the war which I can't blame them for.
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I used to go to the CNE air show every year with my Dad, just to see and hear that beautiful Spitfire. The sound of it as it flew over Lake Ontario was music. What a wonderful thing!
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Really enjoyed the video. 📹 Thank you for sharing. 😊
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In my humble opinion,the most beautiful fighter of the Second World War. The classic pointed wing tips and the roar of the Merlin engine. I’ve been next to one at the aircraft museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It’s quite a small craft with quite a reputation.
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As a major aviation and warbird enthusiast, I have many faves-P38, P51D, Mosquito, P40, Sea Fury. But my heart will always belong to the Spitfire-there's just something about it that no other aircraft has. A timeless icon, long may it fly🇬🇧🔥❤️
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The Spitfire was not only iconic, it was a beauty
