Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire has quite a history. When a Supermarine float plane beat all others and achieved a world speed record in a race in 1931, the military became interested. Supermarine designed a plane that would be better than the floatplane, and would take off from land. They came up with the Spitfire. Through out World War II, it was constantly updated, and went through over 15 models.
The pilot of the plane pictured, Douglas Bader, was one of Britain's first heros. He shot down 12 German aircraft from the start of the war, until August 7, 1941, when he was downed by a collision with a German Messerschmitt over France. He spent the rest of the war as POW. This feat was only enhanced by the fact that he had been in a car accident before the war, and flew with two artificial legs!
This camoflauge was designed to blend the Spitfire in with the ground.
Aircraft of Douglas Bader, November 1940, England.
| Crew | One pilot |
| Armament | Eight .303 in Browning machine guns |
| Maximum Speed | 360 mph |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Merlin XII |
| Other Weapons | 200 pounds of bombs, or two 58-gal. droptanks |
| Uses | Used in Europe and North Africa as a fighter, and sometimes ground attack. |
