Supermarine Spitfire: libros - historia y despliegue

In a combat career that spanned the entirety of the Second World War, the Spitfire earned a reputation as the iconic fighter that friend and foe alike wanted to fly. Affectionately known as the 'Spit', the aircraft played a vital part in helping to lift the morale of the British public at home during the Second World War, where many a donation of pots and pans was made to support Spitfire production.
Yet it was the RAF pilots responsible for flying the Spitfire in combat who knew, respected and loved this aeroplane the best.

In this book author Ken Delve re-examines the Spitfire's reputation using a wealth of important primary materials, including combat records, official trial reports and the personal accounts of those who flew the aircraft. The Story of the Spitfire charts the combat evolution of arguably the most important aerial fighting machine of the Second World War.

Chronicles the combat operations of the USAAF units equipped with the iconic Supermarine fighter whilst employed in both the European and Mediterranean theatres of war, from the summer of 1942 right up to the end of the conflict.

Only a handful of British combat aircraft wore the stars and bars of the USAAF during the Second World War, with the Beaufighter, Mosquito and Spitfire being the key types to see action with American crews in American squadrons. The Spitfire was, by some margin, the most widely used of the three, and the Yanks that flew it in combat rated the fighter very highly.

Employed primarily by the six squadrons of the 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups, initially from airfields in the UK and then in North Africa and Italy, the Spitfire was used both as a fighter and fighter-bomber until it was replaced by the P-51 Mustang from the spring of 1944.

The final star-spangled Spitfires in the frontline were the Eighth Air Forces high-flying, and unarmed, PR XI photo-reconnaissance aircraft, flown by to the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group alongside F-5 Lightnings from November 1943.
Ranging as far into Germany as Berlin, the PR Blue Spitfires provided critical target imagery both pre- and post-strike for the Mighty Eighths heavy bombardment groups through to April 1945.

All feature here across a series of black and white and colour images that all capture some unique aspect of the star-spangled Spitfire's illustrious service career.

Incredibly, the men who designed the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Bf109 lacked any experience of designing a modern fighter. R J Mitchell had begun his career working on industrial steam locomotives, Willy Messerschmitt had cut his aeronautical teeth on light and fragile gliders and sporting planes.
Yet both men not only managed to devise aircraft which could hold their own in a world where other designs went from state-of-the-art to obsolete in a staggeringly short time, but their fighters remained competitive over six years of front-line combat.

Despite the different ways their creators approached their daunting tasks and the obstacles each faced in acceptance by the services for which they were designed, they proved to be so closely matched that neither side gained a decisive advantage in a titanic struggle.
Had either of them not matched up to its opponent so well, then the air war would have been a one-sided catastrophe ending in a quick defeat for the Allies or the Axis powers, and the course of twentieth century history would have been changed beyond recognition.

This book tells the story of both aircraft, which were both essential to the air campaigns of World War Two.

Spitfire Mk Is and IIs served only briefly in the frontline with the RAF, but their pilots were responsible for achieving impressive scores against the Luftwaffe during 1940/41.
This volume details the RAF's first aces of World War 2 who helped stem the German tide during Britain's struggle for survival in the bitter years between 1939 and 1941.
Early-mark Spitfires were notorious for their light armament, overheating engines and short range, but during the dogfights over Dunkirk and south-east England, then the first tentative sweeps across France, many pilots achieved scores of note.

Contents: Introduction - Initial Encounters - Improving the Breed - Battle of Britain - Further Improvements and New Tactics - Over to the Offensive - Top Spitfire Mk I - II Aces - Two Aces Profiled - Appendices.

Of all Allied airmen, Polish pilots had had the most experience of fighting the Luftwaffe by the time the war came to Britain. As the Battle of Britain raged, they quickly proved themselves as highly aggressive and skilful interceptors, especially when flying the famous Spitfire.

The Polish Air Force eventually became the largest non-Commonwealth Spitfire operator, using some 1,500 Mks I, II, V, IX and XVI to devastating effect. Top scoring USAAF ace of the ETO, Francis "Gabby" Gabreski and a whole host of other Allied and Commonwealth aces flew with Polish squadrons, adding even more to their fighting quality.
Conversely, several Polish pilots were attached to other Allied squadrons throughout the war, demonstrating their prowess alongside airmen from a whole host of nations.

From an expert on Polish fighter aviation, this is a peerless account of the fiery, talented Polish "Spit" pilots, whose country had been overrun and whose aggression and determination to shoot down Axis aircraft was unmatched.

Contents: Get the Spitfire - Defending Britain - Hot summer of 1941 - Against the Focke-Wulfs - Dieppe landings - Mk IXs - Mediterranean adventures - Tactical air force - Get a Spitfire - Appendices.

With stunning artwork and detailed analysis, this volume provides a pilot's view of the dramatic clashes between these two legendary fighters, as some of the most gifted and 'big name' aces of World War II went head to head in the skies of North-West Europe.

As the Battle of Britain approached its conclusion, two new versions of the famous Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109 arrived on the scene. The RAF could see that the Luftwaffe were stepping down their incursions into British airspace, and went on to the offensive.
The Spitfire Mark II, and increasingly the Mark V, would fly over the picturesque English channel in fighter sweeps, or to escort vulnerable Blenheim bombers - waiting for them was the Bf 109F 'Friedrich'.

Yet despite the reversal of offensive and defensive dispositions, and despite the Luftwaffe deploying the bulk of their fighter strength to the Eastern Front in 1941, the Jagdflieger were able to inflict severe losses on their RAF counterparts.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Strategic Situation - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Further Reading - Index.

Describes the Battle of Britain, the clash between the Spitfire I/II and the Bf 109E - detailing not only the key elements of both aircraft types - the airframe, engine, armament and flying characteristics, but also the pilots' training and tactics accompanied by diagrams of actual flight formations.
The growing influence of radar and the efforts of British air defences are also examined, as are real-life engagements - from both German and British perspectives.
With a wealth of first-hand accounts from the veterans who strapped themselves into these legendary machines as well as illustrations and cockpit-view artwork, this book puts the reader in the midst of a dogfight, providing a unique insight into one of the greatest duels of history in the world's first major aerial battle.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Strategic situation - Design & Development - Technical Specifications - Combatants - Combat - Analysis - Conclusion - Bibliography and further reading list.

80 years after the Spitfire was first developed it remains an icon of military aviation. Though many associate its victory during the Battle of Britain as the high point in the history of the Spitfire, the years following were of equal importance. Having weathered the initial storm, at the start of 1941 Fighter Command took the fight to the Germans with offensive missions over the Channel.

This book reveals how first using the Spitfire I and II, and then following the introduction of the Bf 109 the cannon-armed Spitfire V, RAF squadrons embarked on a range of missions which included one of the most important air battles of the war, over Dieppe on 19 August 1942.

Alongside British pilots were squadrons manned by exiled Europeans and pilots from the RAAF, RCAF and RNZAF. In just three years over 100 of these pilots were to rack up ace status in the Spitfire.

Contents: Background - Fighter operations from UK bases through 1941 - Operations over France, Belgium and Holland through 1942 - Operations through 1943 - Last operations and victories 1943 - Appendices.

The inability of the Italians and Germans to invade Malta proved decisive for Allied victory in the Mediterranean during World War II, as the islands provided the Allies with a base from which to project air power.
Early Italian efforts to pound the islands into submission were supplemented by major German forces from January 1942 and in a few weeks the situation for the defenders reached a critical stage; in response, in March 1942 the first Spitfires were delivered to Malta.
Throughout the summer C.202s fought over Malta, escorting tiny formations of Cant Z.1007s, SM.79s and Ju 88s. The fighting subsided in August and September, but grew in strength with the arrival of more C.202s. In October the Regia Aeronautica could muster three Gruppi with a total of 74 C.202s. For ten days the Italians pressed a relentless attack before attrition brought the offensive to a halt. Throughout the bombing campaign the British were able to supply Malta with ever increasing numbers of Spitfires.

This title deals with this topic.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Strategic Situation - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Bibliography - Index.

The Mk V was the workhorse of the wartime marks, being built in sufficient numbers to serve in the Far East, Australia, North Africa and Russia.
Initially produced in haste to combat the arrival of new German fighters (the Bf 109F and the Fw 190) on the Channel front, the Mk V had been created simply by pairing a Mk I or II fuselage with the new Merlin 45 engine - so successfully that some 6479 airframes were eventually built.
Although often outclassed (particularly on the Channel front by the Fw 190) by later generation fighters, the Mk V nevertheless proved to be a worthy opponent when flown by pilots of the calibre of Malan, Tuck, Johnson, Beurling, Caldwell and Duke, who all enjoyed success with it thanks to its agility and increased armament.

This volume completes the "Aircraft of the Aces" trilogy on the elite pilots that flew the Spitfire in World War II.

This book traces the achievements of the pilots flying the iconic Spitfire in Northwest Europe, and examines how the steady technological improvements that were made throughout the Spitfire's service life improved its capabilities in the air.
Based at airfields throughout southern England, Merlin engine Spitfires provided the bulk of the air cover for the D-Day landings and it was an RCAF Spitfire which claimed the first ever Me 262 jet kill.

36 colour profiles covering a broad spectrum of nationalities, units, pilots, theatres and markings complement thorough research throughout this comprehensive account of these crucial fighter aircraft.

Contents
1) Background to 2nd TAF and description of initial victories by Merlin-engined Spitfires in 1944 via personal accounts
2) Fighter operations from UK up to D-Day, and operations during the invasion.
3) Operations over France, Belgium and Holland in advance to German border up to end of 1944
4) Fighter operations during the advance through Germany to the final surrender, including successful combats against Luftwaffe jets
5) Last operations and victories by Merlin Spitfire aces, followed by occupation duties

Appendices - Merlin Spitfire Aces 1944-45 - Aces with some Merlin-Spitfire claims 1944-45 - Aces who flew, but did not claim on Merlin Spitfires 1944-45 - Merlin-engined Spitfire Sqns of 2nd TAF and ADGB 1944-45 - Colour Profile captions

The first few American volunteers in World War 2 flew Spitfires with the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Many more joined their ranks, often posing as 'Canadians', eventually forming three Eagle squadrons who earned a fierce fighting reputation.
When the United States entered the war its fighter sections were issued with Spitfires and eventually the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the Eighth Air Force.

Discover the experiences of a variety of American aces in their own words through first-hand accounts, interviews and combat reports, in a thrilling read that transports the reader from the Battle of Britain to the deserts of North Africa and Fortress Europe itself.

WK275 is a unique historic airframe and the only Supermarine Swift F4 left in the world. The aircraft spent 46 years outside an army surplus store before being purchased off eBay in 2012 and restored by Jet Art Aviation to static display condition.
It now resides with Vulcan to the Sky which draws 1,500 paying visitors a month who will see WK275 and the other famous artefacts on site.

Guy Ellis sets the scene of the importance of Britain's early jets, covers the development of the Swift, which puts WK275 in context, then traces the heritage of that aircraft, its operational life, how it was acquired and finally the full story of its restoration with a plethora of detailed photographs, drawings and publicity images.

The Swift pioneered the second generation of jet fighters and by recording the full story of one special aircraft, Guy Ellis has delivered a fitting tribute to British ingenuity. Ideal for exhibit visitors, vintage aircraft enthusiasts, restorers and Supermarine aficionados.

Renowned naval aviation author Matthew Willis tells the story of the Supermarine Seafire - a navalised version of the famous Spitfire adapted for use on aircraft carriers.
Some 2646 examples were built and saw action with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from November 1942 until after the Korean War in the early 1950s. It was involved in combat during the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, the D-Day landings, and Operation Dragoon in southern France.
With the Pacific fleet, the Seafire proved capable of intercepting and destroying the feared Japanese kamikaze attack aircraft.

Products of vastly different design philosophies, the Seafire F III and the A6M Zero were never intended to meet in combat, and never should have.
The Zero, extremely nimble at low speeds was purpose-built as a shipboard fighter. In contrast, the Spitfire was intended to operate from established airfields, and needed to be adapted as a carrier fighter.
The book examines these two iconic fighters and their two very different histories, using fantastic artwork and first hand accounts to illustrate the last aerial duel of World War II, as the British Seafire overcame its critics to emerge victorious over the Japanese Zero.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - The Strategic Situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and analysis - Aftermath - conclusion - Bibliography - Further Reading - Glossary.