Griffon Spitfire Aces: No. 81 (Aircraft of the Aces)

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Distinguished Flying Crosses, six Air Medals and five Gold Stars in lieu of additional Air Medals. [110] Spitfire Mk IA, marked 5+2, was used for comparison flying tests against Bf 109s and Fw 190s of 5/JG.2 in October 1942. Another Spitfire was used by 5/JG.2 in April 1943, marked 3+9.

Here, the Mk Vcs were also used as tactical fighter-bombers, being equipped with a maximum load of 500lb of bombs. Mark Vbs equipped the 4th, 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups of the USAAF in the summer of 1942, and the latter two groups continued flying them until succeeded by Mk VIIIs in mid-1943. By this time, Spitfire Mk Vcs with stronger wings and extra ammunition began to carry four 20mm cannon. Many Mk Vs also had the new, smaller and much more efficient "Aboukir" filter instead of the ram air effect nullifying Vokes filter. The new filter was named as such due to its creation in Aboukir, Egypt by RAF mechanics. No new ground was broken in the design of the Firefly, being a low wing stressed skin design featuring manual wing folding. Early Fireflys used a 'chin' type radiator mounted under the engine. With the introduction of the two stage powered aircraft, the radiators and oil coolers were relocated to the wing leading edge. Griffon Spitfire The Mk Vb was the first Spitfire to see extensive overseas service. On 7 March 1942, 15 Mk Vs carrying 90-gallon fuel tanks under their fuselages took off from HMS Eagle off the coast of Algeria on a 600-mile flight to Malta. [158]German ace Heinz Bäer said "Of course the quality of the Spitfire needs no elaboration. They shot me down once and caused me at least six forced landings". [180] Fellow ace Gunther Rall, who test flew captured versions of practically all of the top Allied fighters, stated that he preferred the Spitfire. This was a common sentiment among Luftwaffe fighter pilots, who regarded the Spitfire as their most dangerous foe. Some of these aircraft were used in the so-called Zirkus Rosarius – 2.Staffel Versuchsverband Oberkommando der Luftwaffe. Aircraft in this unit were used for combat training and for develop new dogfight techniques. Spitfires used in Zirkus Rosarius were reequipped with R/T FuG 7 or FuG 7a for better communication between instructor and pupil. At least one Spitfire MK V was re-engined with a DB-601 in the fall of 1942. The Mk XII's speed advantage at lower altitudes again became useful near the end of its front line service in summer 1944, when its pilots were credited with 82.5 V-1 Flying Bomb kills. The Mk XII variant was retired in September 1944. The Mk XII flew operationally with their rounded wingtips replaced by shorter, squared off fairings; the single-stage supercharger of the Griffon II or IV used in the Mk XIIs meant that it was rated and used as a low altitude fighter and the LF prefix used by Merlin-powered Spitfires was never applied. The first Mk XIXs entered service in May 1944, and by the end of the war the type had virtually replaced the earlier Mk XI. A total of 225 were built with production ceasing in early 1946, but they were used in front line RAF service until April 1954.

During D-Day, Spitfires were operated as Spotters by U.S. Navy Cruiser Scouting Squadron Seven ( VCS-7) in support of United States Navy and Royal Navy cruisers and battleships bombarding land targets. In this role the Spitfires would locate targets and guide the fire of the ships onto the target. US spotting units normally used floatplanes, either SOC Seagulls or OS2U Kingfishers but because of their vulnerability against fighters, it was decided that 17 Cruiser Spotter (VCS) and Battleship Observation (VO) pilots aboard the heavy cruisers Augusta (CA-31), Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and Quincy (CA-71) and the battleships Arkansas (BB-33), Texas (BB-35) and Nevada (BB-36), would be trained to fly RAF Spitfire Mk Vbs and Seafire IIIs. [106] [107] This unit, along with two RAF squadrons, 26 and 63, also flying Spitfire Vbs and four FAA squadrons 808, 885, 886 and 897 flying Seafire IIIs and forming no. 3 Wing, provided valuable target coordinates and fire control during 20 days of operations. [108] On D-Day "pooling" of the spotting units' aircraft meant that all units flew either Spitfires or Seafires. [109] In total, 957 Mk XIVs were built, over 430 of which were FR Mk XIVs. [36] After the war, second hand Mk XIVs were exported to a number of foreign air forces; 132 went to the Royal Belgian Air Force, 70 went to the Royal Indian Air Force and 30 of its reconnaissance variant went to the Royal Thai Air Force.Spitfire night fighter [ edit ] Spitfire Mark I of 602 Squadron at the gun butts having its eight .303 Brownings sighted in, early 1940. The single-stage Griffon engine (II or IV) gave the aircraft superb low and medium level performance, although the Mk XII's performance declined at higher altitudes: because of this all production aircraft had "clipped" wings. In comparative tests with a Mk IX it was 14mph (23km/h) faster at sea level, but above 20,000ft (6,100m) it had become slower. Handling, however, was considered to be better than previous Spitfire marks, and the clipped wings conferred excellent manoeuvrability through enhanced aileron response. [17] it must be emphasised that although the Spitfire 21 is not a dangerous aircraft to fly, pilots must be warned... in its present state it is not likely to prove a satisfactory fighter. No further attempts should be made to perpetuate the Spitfire family. [42]