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

Code breakers

This is Bletchley Park today, front facade. It was here that Axis codes were broken during World War II. It is also home to the first modern computer.

In 1938, the GPO laid a lot of telephone lines in, and the first code breakers moved in during August 1939. The location was picked because it was close to London, and an LMS Railway station was close by. There was also easy access to and from the most revered of British learning establishments, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, both supplying more than a few of the ‘brains’ behind the mission.

It is now home to the National Museum of Computing and the Radio Society of Great Britain, and is also open for corporate functions.

They say that the activities here by British and American cryptologists shortened the duration of the war by as many as four years. Three cheers for Bletchley Park and all who served there.