The man who saved the u.k.

I stumbled across a remarkable piece of film, titled, "The First of The few" the story of how this one man, R.J. Mitchell, very likely saved the U.K. in 1940 from the Nazi air armada. Everyone has, of course, heard of the Super Marine Spitfire, but how many really know how that marvelous fighter plane came about ?
Most folks understand that the Battle of Britain was a close run thing. Britain, at the start of the war, was out numbered in the air 5 to 1. Had it not been for the development of the Super Marine Spitfire, it is entirely possible that the Battle of Britain might very well have taken a very different turn.

On Amazon.com Prime videos, The First of the Few. well worth the few pennies it cost to rent this film.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_of_the_Few. Have seen it a few times over the years..

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

Oh yes, I know all about that special fighter with its RR Merlin and Packard Merlin engines, but it was not just about the hardware and we must never forget those brave pilots (the software) who collectively flew those fantastic machines.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

Chatting to a very elderly client she was a quiet gentle ordinary lady . I asked what she did as a young woman , she told me she flew spitfires and was an airplane mechanic , her job was to service the spitfire then fly it to check her work !

I was dumbfounded, what an amazing older lady , she smiled and shrugged her shoulders as if it was just normal . I've forgotten her name now but I'll not forget her story .

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

The film gets shown here on TV every now and again. It is a remarkable story, as was the continuous effort to improve the engine and airframe.

Initially the engine would cut out during inverted flight. Whilst a permanent solution was being worked on, a young lady called Beatrice Shilling came up with the idea of installing a restrictor in the fuel line as a temporary fix. This gave the few seconds of fuel flow needed to keep the engine running whilst the aircraft was brought back to "normal" flight.
This restrictor was unofficially known as Miss Shilling's Orifice.

A thirteen year old schoolgirl did calculations that proved to the War Office that eight machine guns were needed on both the Spitfire and Hurricane, not four. The idea had to be presented by the girl's father otherwise it would never have got off the graph paper.

Hurricane wings are thick enough for the guns to be mounted side by side in a group of four each side.

The breach-blocks of the original Browning .303 machine guns were two high to be mounted in the Spitfire's slender elliptical wingplan, so had to be fitted on their sides. This is why the gun positions are spaced out on a Spitfire wing, the inner being pair mounted with the breach blocks close together, back to back.
Even then, the inner pair of guns had to be slightly staggered.

As the enemy increased the amount of armour on their aircraft, the guns became less effective. This was resolved by fitting 20mm Hispano canon to the Spitfire. Again, these had to be mounted on their sides.

Most Spitfires used in the BoB were armed with machine guns, but a few had cannon mounted in the latter part of the Fight.

Yes, a remarkable man, a remarkable aircraft, and remarkable people who flew and maintained these iconic aircraft.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

For some reason, the Packard Merlins could never withstand the full boost pressures that could be achieved by the RR Merlins, so were slightly less powerful as a result.


No, we must not forget the brave men flew and fought in these aircraft, or the brave women who tested and ferried unarmed 'planes

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

There might have been one or two other "people who saved the UK"

The inventor of Radar.

The men, on the Merchant Ships , who brought in most of the aircraft fuel and the food, to keep us alive.

(Note that, when Torpedoed", as many were, if they weren't drowned, they had their pay stopped by the shipping Companies!)

The Navy, who did quite a bit to stop the German Naval vessels.

The Armies, from around the world, who also got involved, and gave many lives to help..

Those members of the public who lived & worked in support.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

I heard of another old lady who told when she was younger, flew aircraft from the factories to their airbases. All she said she needed was a map of the UK, a compass and a stopwatch to navigate anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Apparently she flew hurricanes, spitfires, Avro Anson transport planes, medium and heavy bombers, to the slack jawed reception when she got to her destination.

A really modest self effacing woman.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

She would have been one of the "Spitfire Women":









https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tw1m1

Spitfire Women

The legendary Amy Johnson was a Spitfire Woman. Sadly, on 5 January 1941, while flying an Airspeed Oxford for the ATA from Prestwick via RAF Squires Gate to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, Johnson went off course in adverse weather conditions. Reportedly out of fuel, she bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay.

A convoy of wartime vessels in the Thames Estuary spotted Johnson's parachute coming down and saw her alive in the water, calling for help. Rescue attempts failed and her body was never found.

Re: The man who saved the u.k.

Also the Packard engined versions had a lower ceiling height than the RR jobs.