0:01 It's one of the most iconic fighters of
0:04 all time, but how good was the Spitfire
0:06 really? This is its full and turbulent
0:08 story from the Battle of Britain in its
0:10 darkest hour all the way to the Pacific
0:12 and the carrier battles against Japanese
0:15 zeros. Let's set the
0:18 stage. In the summer of 1940, Britain
0:19 was looking straight at what felt like
0:21 an inevitable invasion of its own
0:24 mainland. Nazi Germany had just swept
0:25 through most of Western Europe in a
0:28 matter of weeks. Then came France, which
0:29 fell faster than anyone in Britain had
0:32 thought possible. What followed was one
0:33 of the most desperate retreats in modern
0:35 history. Hundreds of thousands of
0:37 British and Allied troops were evacuated
0:40 from Dunkirk in a chaotic operation
0:42 where the British army left behind most
0:44 of its military equipment. It had
0:45 narrowly escaped complete destruction,
0:48 but it was now nearly disarmed. Now
0:49 Britain had to prepare for what looked
0:51 like a looming German invasion, and they
0:53 didn't have much time. The Royal Air
0:55 Force, already stretched thin, was
0:57 scrambling to recover from the losses in
0:59 France. And to make things worse, many
1:01 of the planes they had seemed completely
1:03 outclassed by the German Luftvafer.
1:06 German Mesosmmit BF 109s were fast,
1:08 well-armed, and battle tested at the
1:09 time. British pilots, on the other hand,
1:12 were flying older Glouester Gladiator
1:13 biplanes and the more modern Hawker
1:15 Hurricane, which was sturdy and
1:17 reliable, but slower and less agile than
1:19 its opponents. And then there was the
1:22 Spitfire. At first, the British were
1:23 hesitant to risk their newest and most
1:25 advanced fighter in the chaos of early
1:27 battles like the fall of France. So, it
1:29 was the older Hawker Hurricanes that
1:31 went first, but when the Luftwaffer
1:33 turned its full attention to Britain in
1:35 the summer of 1940, there was no holding
1:38 back anymore. The Spitfires would now be
1:39 fully deployed, and they were about to
1:41 prove themselves in one of the most
1:44 legendary air campaigns in history. As
1:46 the Luftwaffer launched wave after wave
1:48 of air raids, first targeting radar
1:50 stations and airfields, then factories
1:51 and eventually cities, Britain's
1:53 survival came down to what could be kept
1:56 flying and fighting. The RAF, battered,
1:58 and under constant pressure, began
2:00 throwing everything it had into the
2:02 skies. The Spitfire now stepped into the
2:04 spotlight. It was fast, it was agile,
2:06 and it gave British pilots the first
2:08 real chance at going head-to-head with
2:10 the Luftvafer's best. The Battle of
2:12 Britain was raging and the Spitfire was
2:14 at the center of it. But it was far from
2:17 easy or simple. The design was advanced,
2:19 the construction complex, and the
2:20 British production system wasn't ready
2:23 for it. Promises of five Spitfires a
2:25 week didn't happen. In fact, the delays
2:26 were so bad that by the time the war
2:29 began in September 1939, only a few
2:32 squadrons had Spitfires at all. But what
2:34 really made the Spitfire so special? And
2:35 how did it stack up throughout the
2:38 entire war? Let's first cover the
2:40 Spitfire's armament. Eight 303 caliber
2:42 Browning machine guns were intended to
2:44 be its main weapon. However, due to
2:47 supply shortages, many early Spitfires
2:48 had only four installed, and the rest
2:50 were added later as production caught
2:53 up. But even with the full eight guns, a
2:55 couple of problems began to show
2:57 immediately. The RAF's version of the
2:59 Browning had been modified to fire from
3:01 an open bolt. This was done to prevent
3:03 accidental ignition from heat buildup
3:05 when firing ammunition that used cordite
3:07 propellant. However, at the high
3:10 altitudes where the air was -30° C, it
3:12 rushed through the barrel and the open
3:14 bolt, freezing the internal components.
3:16 This caused the guns to fail during
3:18 combat. The problem was eventually
3:20 solved when Supermarine engineers routed
3:22 hot air from the engine's radiator ducts
3:25 directly into the gun bays. To protect
3:27 the barrels from dirt and moisture, red
3:28 fabric patches were doped over the
3:30 gunports. These patches were blown off
3:32 the moment the guns were fired, a simple
3:34 but effective method of keeping them
3:36 clean before the fight. Now, the next
3:39 issue. Even with all eight machine guns
3:41 fully operational, pilots were still
3:43 struggling to bring enemy aircraft down
3:45 efficiently. Statistics showed that on
3:48 average, 4,500 rounds were needed to
3:50 shoot down a single plane. To make
3:52 matters worse, the Spitfire could only
3:54 carry around 350 rounds per gun, giving
3:57 the pilot just about 15 seconds of fire
3:59 before running out. Another problem was
4:02 the low caliber itself. The 303 caliber
4:04 lacked the destructive force needed to
4:06 reliably disable enemy fighters or
4:08 bombers. American aircraft, by
4:10 comparison, used 50 caliber guns, which
4:12 was significantly more effective. But
4:14 even beyond that, there was a problem
4:16 known as dispersion. Because the guns
4:18 were spread across the wings, even when
4:20 perfectly aimed, the bullets didn't all
4:23 strike the same point. At just 100 m,
4:25 the shot pattern was already too wide,
4:26 meaning that even well- aimed bursts
4:28 might only land a few hits. And if those
4:30 hits didn't strike vital systems, the
4:33 enemy aircraft remained in the fight. It
4:35 became clear that RAF fighters would
4:37 soon need heavier weapons. Trials were
4:38 already underway to arm the Spitfire
4:41 with 20 mm Hispano cannons, but early
4:42 prototypes had to mount the cannons
4:45 sideways inside the wings using drum
4:46 magazines that limited capacity and
4:48 required large blisters on the wing
4:50 surfaces. These created aerodynamic
4:52 issues and cost the aircraft precious
4:54 speed. On top of that, the cannons
4:57 constantly jammed. Eventually, a new
4:58 feed mechanism solved many of the
5:01 problems, and the 20 mm Hispano became a
5:03 reliable part of the Spitfire's evolving
5:05 armament. It was usually paired with
5:08 four 303s or in later variants with 250
5:11 caliber guns. The Spitfire's airframe
5:12 was constantly being pushed to its
5:14 limit, trying to solve one problem after
5:17 another. But through trial, error, and
5:19 hard one frontline experience, the
5:21 Spitfire gradually transformed into a
5:23 fighter capable of dealing with faster,
5:25 heavier, and more dangerous aircraft.
5:28 Although it was far from easy, the
5:29 aircraft's famous elliptical wing gave
5:32 it both reduced drag and better lift,
5:33 which helped the Spitfire turn tighter
5:36 than most opponents, it was powered by
5:38 the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Early
5:40 versions provided over 1,000 horsepower,
5:42 with later marks pushing above
5:45 1,400. That gave the Spitfire a top
5:48 speed of about 370 mph, which was fast
5:49 enough to keep pace with the best
5:51 fighters of the era. The engine also had
5:53 a unique growl that became part of its
5:55 legend. But despite all this, there were
5:58 still problems. While the German BF 109
6:00 used fuel injection, giving it a
6:02 reliable fuel flow even under negative G
6:04 forces, the British Merlin engine in the
6:06 Spitfire still ran on a carburetor
6:08 system. Now, that sounds like a
6:10 disadvantage, and in many ways it was,
6:13 but it was also a calculated trade-off.
6:14 By feeding fuel in before the
6:16 supercharger, it caused evaporation,
6:18 which in turn cooled the intake air by
6:22 about 25° C. That cooler air made the
6:24 supercharger more efficient. directly
6:26 boosting engine power, especially at
6:28 higher altitudes. In practice, that gave
6:30 the Merlin a noticeable performance edge
6:32 when climbing or cruising at elevation.
6:34 But here's the catch. During hard
6:36 maneuvering, especially in a steep dive,
6:38 the Merlin's carburetor couldn't handle
6:40 negative G's. The fuel would either
6:43 flood the engine or cut out completely.
6:45 German pilots had no such issue, and
6:46 they quickly learned how to escape the
6:49 Spitfire. They could simply dive away.
6:50 If a Spitfire pilot tried the same
6:52 thing, the engine would sputter or stall
6:54 completely. They later learned to do a
6:56 half roll first, then dive, flipping
6:58 their aircraft upside down to keep
7:00 positive G's on the fuel line.
7:02 Eventually, a solution came from a
7:04 technical officer named Beatatrice Tilly
7:06 Schilling. Her fix was a small metal
7:08 washer installed in the fuel line. This
7:10 restricted the fuel flow just enough to
7:11 prevent the carburetor from being
7:14 overwhelmed during negative G maneuvers.
7:16 It didn't fix everything, but it was a
7:18 lifesaver. It kept Spitfires in the
7:20 fight until proper pressure carburetors
7:22 were eventually introduced in
7:25 1943. The Spitfire's first major
7:27 opponent was the Mesashmmit
7:29 BF109. In many ways, this was the
7:31 Spitfire's equal. In some technical
7:34 aspects, the 109 even had the edge,
7:36 especially at higher altitudes and in
7:38 climbs. But once over British airspace,
7:40 German fighters had only about 10
7:41 minutes of fuel for dog fights before
7:42 they had to turn back across the
7:44 channel. And that made all the
7:47 difference. German bombers needed escort
7:49 and the 109s could provide it only
7:51 briefly. British radar gave early
7:53 warning and Spitfire squadrons scrambled
7:55 to meet the enemy in the sky, knowing
7:57 exactly where they were. While the
7:59 slower hurricanes focused on the
8:01 bombers, the Spitfires would attack the
8:03 escorting fighters in ferocious dog
8:05 fights. Later, when the Germans began
8:08 launching V1 flying bombs, Spitfires
8:09 were again scrambling to intercept and
8:11 down them before they reached the
8:13 cities. One quite terrifying tactic came
8:15 into play when a pilot ran out of ammo
8:17 and couldn't bring the rocket down.
8:19 Knowing it would hit a civilian area,
8:21 the Spitfire pilot would carefully edge
8:23 their wing tip beneath the V1's wing and
8:25 gently tip it. This would throw off the
8:27 rocket's gyroscope and send it crashing
8:29 out of the sky. By the end of the
8:31 4-month campaign, the Luftvafer had lost
8:33 over 1,700 aircraft, including many of
8:36 its best fighter pilots. Britain lost
8:39 about 1,250, but crucially, it held the
8:41 line. Hitler's plans for Operation Sea
8:43 Lion, the invasion of Britain, were
8:45 postponed and eventually abandoned. For
8:47 participating in saving its country, the
8:49 Spitfire became a national symbol. But
8:51 its war was only just beginning, and it
8:54 was going to be progressively more wild.
8:56 By 1941, the Luftwaffer wasn't gone. Far
8:59 from it. The German Air Force remained
9:00 strong, especially over continental
9:02 Europe. The Allies were now beginning to
9:04 take the fight across the channel. And
9:06 this meant escorting bombers, attacking
9:08 enemy targets in France and beyond and
9:09 flying in environments far different
9:11 from what the Spitfire had been
9:13 originally built for. So the upgrades
9:16 began. Later marks of the Spitfire
9:18 received boosted Merlin variants with
9:20 more horsepower, better superchargers,
9:21 and much improved high alitude
9:23 performance. Eventually, the Merlin
9:25 would be replaced in the top-end
9:27 variants with the Rolls-Royce Griffin
9:29 engine. The Griffin produced well over
9:31 2,000 horsepower, pushing the Spitfire
9:33 into a new performance bracket entirely.
9:35 As the war moved into new theaters, the
9:37 need for carrierbased aircraft
9:39 increased, and so the Sefire was born, a
9:42 navalized version of the Spitfire. This
9:43 might sound simple, but it was actually
9:46 a tricky conversion. The Spitfire had
9:47 narrow landing gear, which made already
9:50 dangerous carrier landings, let's say,
9:52 adventurous. It also had a long nose,
9:54 which limited visibility on approach.
9:56 The first sea fires were essentially
9:57 standard Spitfires with some naval
9:59 tweaks. An arresttor hook for carrier
10:02 landings, catapult spools, strengthened
10:04 landing gear, and later folding wings.
10:06 However, the Spitfire's narrow
10:08 undercarriage and relatively fragile
10:09 airframe were never really suited to the
10:12 punishing conditions of deck landings.
10:14 As a result, seaires had a reputation
10:16 for, to say the least, being a bit
10:18 tricky to land on carriers, especially
10:21 in rough seas. Still, it gave the Royal
10:23 Navy a fast, high-performance fighter
10:25 when they needed one the most. In North
10:27 Africa and the Mediterranean, the
10:29 Spitfire found itself up against Italian
10:31 and German fighters above the desert.
10:33 After D-Day, they flew tactical missions
10:35 over Normandy, performed armed
10:37 reconnaissance, attacked ground targets,
10:39 and encountered new Fauler Wolf 190
10:41 fighters, which were a much tougher
10:43 opponent now. But one of the most
10:45 interesting chapters of the Spitfire's
10:46 journey came when it was deployed to the
10:49 Pacific and Southeast Asia. Facing a
10:50 completely different kind of enemy, the
10:54 Japanese Zero. The Zero was incredibly
10:56 light, agile, and deadly at low speeds,
10:59 especially in close quarters dog fights.
11:01 Spitfires had to adjust their tactics.
11:03 British and Commonwealth pilots learned
11:05 to avoid turning battles with the Zero.
11:07 And they learned that because everyone
11:10 who tried it usually died. Instead, they
11:12 would use the Spitfire's superior diving
11:14 power and speed. They would engage the
11:16 Zero only when conditions were in their
11:18 advantage, using hit-and-run tactics to
11:20 decimate the light, unarmored Japanese
11:22 aircraft. By the end of the war, the
11:24 Spitfire had been adapted into more than
11:26 two dozen variants. It was one of the
11:28 few fighters that stayed in production
11:30 before, during, and after the war, and
11:32 its final versions could still match or
11:35 outperform many newer designs. So, how
11:37 good was the Spitfire really? Well, good
11:39 enough to help save Britain, fight
11:41 across the world, and keep flying long
11:43 after the war it was built for had
11:44 ended. If you found this video
11:46 interesting, check out our other videos
