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November 1942 photo of a very early Mk IXb of 306 (Polish) ToruĊski Squadron.. The Supermarine Spitfire, the only British fighter to be manufactured before, during and after the Second World War, was designed as a short-range fighter capable of defending Britain from bomber attack [1] and achieved legendary status fulfilling this role during the Battle of Britain. [2]
At the time the record of 352 mph (566 km/h) was held by Howard Hughes flying a Hughes H-1 racing aircraft. [nb 6] Although an early Spitfire I was capable of 362 mph (583 km/h), this was at a full-throttle height of 16,800 ft (5,100 m); the regulations for the world speed record demanded that the aircraft fly a 1.86-mile (2.99 km) course at an ...
Although many earlier Spitfires had been modified to carry bomb racks capable of carrying 250 lb (110 kg) bombs the first Spitfires to be specifically modified for the fighter-bomber role (known as Modification 1209) were those of the Second Tactical Air Force. The first Mk IX Spitfires started being used in the role in June 1944. [7]
It is one of only four flying MK 1 Spitfires in the world. The aircraft fetched a record £3.1 million at auction on 9 July, beating the previous record for a Spitfire of £1.7 million set in 2009. [173] In 2021, Duxford hosted an exhibition of the Spitfire's evolution with twelve of the aircraft on display.
The missions were specific: Spitfire Mark XVI's with clipped wings, flew in formations of four aircraft (some Mark IX and some Mark XIV were also used occasionally) and dive-bombed the sites, sometimes through breaks in heavy cloud. Each Spitfire carried a 250lb bomb under each wing and a 500lb bomb under the fuselage.
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Between the war's start last October and recent days, the United States has transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air ...