Supermarine Spitfire

Designed by R.J Mitchell, built by Supermarine of Southampton (and many shadow locations around the country), the Spitfire was one of the pair of Merlin engined single seater fighters of WWII which defended Britain’s shores during September 1940 and beyond.

The photo shows a Mk IX which would not have been flying during September 1940, but the basic design and elliptical wing shape never changed. This one would be wearing the universal C wing.

Was it the best fighter of all time? It wasn’t always the fastest, and it couldn’t go into a dive like the BF 109 could, but most Brits would say ‘yes’. In truth, the German BF109 was equally good. It came down to the quality of the pilot and the way in which each pilot and aircraft was deployed.

What you have to understand is that the Spitfire was seen to have saved ‘Blighty’, so there will obviously be a soft spot for it. People ‘in the know’ have a healthy respect for both.

However, it is generally accepted that the Spitfire was the most beautiful aircraft to ever take to the skies, and it still is. The sight and sound of a Spitfire has universal appeal, and everybody within visual and aural distance will always turn to the direction of the noise, even Germans. The video below shows a Spitfire XIX flying at a German airshow.

The XIX was powered by the Rolls Royce Griffon, developing twice the power of the original Merlin. Griffon engined Spitfires turned a five blade prop, and sometimes a pair of contra-rotating four blades to counteract the immense torque of the Griffon. Pilots of the Spitfire would most likely tell you that the Merlin was the nicer to fly.

Enjoy the video. There are many more on YouTube.

If you would like to know more, see here..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire

The Royal Air Force

Formed in 1918, it is the oldest air force in the world and was originally called the Royal Flying Corps. It isn’t the largest, and it doesn’t always have the best equipment, but put pilots with the right aircraft and miracles happen.

A link to the RAF’s official website… http://www.raf.mod.uk/

The RAF’s finest hour was the Battle of Britain, fought through the summer and autumn of 1940, where pilots from all corners of the British Empire plus Poland, Czechoslovakia and Palestine took to the skies over Southern England and the English Channel, gallantly fighting off the German Luftwaffe and the threat of invasion.

Winston Churchill in part of a speech made in August 1940, said “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. Too right. Pilots didn’t grow on trees and we were running out of serviceable aircraft at the time.

A few of the mechanical heroes from different times:

• Sopwith Camel
• Bristol F.2
• Avro 504
• Hawker Hurricane
• Supermarine Spitfire
• De Havilland Mosquito
• Avro Lancaster
• Avro Vulcan
• Gloster Meteor
• Hawker Hunter
• Hawker Harrier

There were many others of course, far too many to mention here. Also, one must not forget the guys who had the guts to get into the aircraft, some with minimum training, and take on enemies of our British Isles and its Empire.

Challenger II

If you look at any list of 'World's top ten tanks, you will never see it at the #1 position, except maybe in battle..
It has the best armour, shares the best gun with its allies, and has been proved to be durable in the extreme. However, the lists mark it down on 'fear factor' because there simply is not enough of them. I don't know about you, but I would be fearful if one of them had its sights on me. This tank can take out anything with one hit, regradless of whose side the recipient of the hit is.
Only three have ever been lost, which shows a better survival rate than either the Leopard 2 or M1A2. Make no mistake, the German and US tanks are amazing machines, but I think that the Challenger is every bit as good, and all should be = 1st.