Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of Prime Minister Chamberlain's return to London from Munich after the settlement about cessation of the Czech Sudetenland to Nazi Germany has been reached between Germany, France, Britain, and Italy.

It is at that day that the above photograph was taken at the Heston aerodrome, Chamberlain showing the paper containing the resolution to the press. Later that day, speaking to the crowd outside 10 Downing Street he said: "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time." He received cheers and "hear hears" from the crowd.

The news headlines on the following day were full of praise and relief. The 2-hour alert, introduced on 26 September on most RAF stations, was recalled.

The peace for our time represents the apex of Neville Chamberlain's policy of Appeasement. The rights or wrongs of this have been the subject of debate ever since. The historian's assessment of Chamberlain has ranged from condemnation to the judgment that he had no alternative and acted in Britain's best interests.

The peace, as we know, proved to be so short-lived. The settlement gave Germany the Sudetenland under Hitler's promise to go no further. It took only six more months for Czechoslovakia to disappear completely, destroying whatever meaning the Munich Agreement ever had. And a mere another six months lead to the German invasion of Poland and the inevitable British declaration of war.

Seeing it from the perspective of the subsequent war, the Sudeten crisis marked a new epoch in the history of British rearmament and general war preparations. Despite Prime Minister's public declarations, the government was under no illusions. All armament programmes were rapidly reviewed and remedies sought to speed them up. Among them was the problem of production delays at Supermarine. At the time of the Munich conference only five Spitfires had been delivered from the Eastleigh factory. Although No. 19 Squadron at Duxford had four of them at their disposal, the testing phase was not complete and the unit was called to readiness on their old Gloster Gauntlets.

It is difficult today to understand the sense of seriousness of the Sudeten crisis as it appeared at the time to the public mind. Trenches were dug in the city parks. Gas masks distributed among families. Children evacuated from the cities. Ration cards prepared. Newspapers published articles on how to build an air raid shelter. All these attributes of war which we are used to connect with the images of the Battle of Britain manifested themselves for the first time right then, in September 1938. In the same year the Air Ministry was expecting a million casualties during the first month of the war, 3 million refugees and the majority of the capital destroyed.

Brett Hollman, the author of the Airminded blog, is into an unique project connected with the described events. His experiment on post-blogging the Sudeten crisis day by day has been seemingly succesful, and offers a day-by-day account of the events based on contemporary press articles and commentary. I can highly recommend this reading for anyone interested by history of the World War II.

Labels: history

Several user notified me recently about the HTTP error 403 appearing in some portions of the site. Some browsers would display a message saying “ You are not authorized to access this page”, or even suggest that a login is required.

This problem should have been solved now, please let me know if there are any remaining issues.

Reviewing the press from the recent weeks we have a few interesting Spitfire sales.

• Chinese businessman pays record price for WW II Spitfire
  A Chinese businessman paid what is believed to be a record USD 1.81 million (1.3 million Euro) for a World War II Spitfire Mk. XVI auctioned in New Zealand. [Zee News]
  
  More about this auction and the Spitfire sale can be read here and here.
  
• Spitfire pilots celebrate Duxford's 90th anniversary
  The Duxford airfield celebrated its 90th anniversary last week. [Telegraph]

Sadly, we also have another obituary. Roy William Hook, D-Day veteran and former Spitfire pilot died on August 18 at the age of 88. Roy flew Spitfires with No. 167 Squadron staring in 1942. He then went on with his unit to the continent, fyling with the 2nd TAF.

Labels: history, warbirds, webmaster

Steve Darlow, military aviation author and the editor of the Fighting High online magazine has advised me that the third Issue of his publication is now avaliable for download (as PDF file) via the following link. Among other interesting reading, this issue is including a few bits concerning Spitfires.

www.stevedarlow.co.uk/fightinghigh.htm

Labels: history

Recently a reader in Belgium have sent me the following pictures with a request for help. The question puzzled me and I am therefore passing it along.

I have an unknown wheel of a small airplane that crashed in Vlissegem, near the Belgium coast in WWII. It's a Dunlop tyre 'made in France', with traces of green camouflage on the axle; the sizeof the tyre is 600x150. Can you tell me from which type aircraft it should come?

I for one, can tell for sure it is not a Spitfire tailwheel. Can you recognize the type of aircraft it belonged to?

Click to enlarge images

Labels: history

Without further delay, here's the update for today.

• A new article in History Articles is dedicated to Uncle Sam's Spitfires - Tom Cleaver's summary of the Spitfire's career in the USAAF service. Although the aircraft was never given a US designation, the USAAF used over 600 Spitfires during the war and it had a long and succesful service record with 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups.

Labels: history, site updates

Without further delay, here's the first update for this week:

• Among the History Articles, new additons are the two concluding parts of 1941: The Difficult Year - Day Air Operations by Fighter Command, November 1940 - December 1941, an account by Sholto Douglas, C-in-C of Fighter Command in the described period.
  
  
• New pair of models has been added in the Modelling section; both represent the Spitfire Prototype K5054, albeit in two different finishes. By Mark Davies.
  

Labels: history, modelling, site updates

Review of recent press brought the following articles related to the Spitfire or the people flying it.

• Spitfire wings its way to county - the Welsh Pembrokeshire Aviation Foundation Trust will tour a fuselage of their newly-acquired Spitfire Mk. VIII JG668 around the country in the hope to raise the funds needed to restore the complete aircraft. [Western Telegraph]
  
  
• Another Spitfire touring the roads in the UK this season will be a replica towed by a Land Rover, wings detached but otherwise transferred on ordinary roads. [The Northern Echo]
  
  
• Diana Barnato Walker, acclaimed British pilot, died at 90. She started her aviation career as one of the ATA "Spitfire Women" and later become the first British female pilot to fly at supersonic speed. [New York Times]. Here's also Diana's obituary in Times Online.
  
  
• Another wartime fighter pilot, Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp, DFC, AFC, passed away on April 16, 2008, aged 87. Barthropp happened to be one of those unfortunate victims of the Fw 190 suprtiority over the Channel in 1942. Shot down over St Omer, he spent the rest of the war as POW. There, in Oflag XXIB, he escaped, but was caught and put back in the camp. After the liberation, he returned to active service with the RAF, flyig the Meteors and advancing to the rank of Wing Commander. [Times Online]
  
  
• Former Australian Spitfire pilot Ted Sly has returned to flying at the age of 90 [Ballina Shire Advocate]
  
  
• The campaign to raise a Spitfire moemorial in Southampton has now been backed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown [Daily Echo]
  

Labels: history, warbirds

Additions to the site continue today with the following new articles.

• A new addition in History Articles is part 3 of AVM Sholto Douglas' report 1941: The Difficult Year. This part covers the first offensive operations (Rhubarbs and Circuses) of the RAF after the Battle of Britain.
  
  
• A new image has also been added in the Historic Photographs section. Clipped, cropped, clapped - YO-Q offers a picture and a story about an interesting Spitfire LF Mk. Vb.
  

Labels: history, site updates

Without further delay, here's the first site update in May. As announced previously, it is a new addition in the History Articles section.

• In many respects, 1941 was one of Fighter Command's most difficult years. Delpeted during the Battle of Britain and still the sole line of Britain's defence, the condition of RAF's fighter arm remained rather fragile throughout the year. Yet the command was ordered on the offensive with the limited means there were at hand.
  
  I'm pleased to introduce 1941: The Difficult Year, a report written by AVM Sholto Douglas, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fighter Command during that period, and one of the orchestrators of the Circus offensive. This detailed account brings to light the many factors governing the conduct and success of operations at the time.
  
  Today we're posting the first two parts of this feature, with parts 3..5 to follow soon.
  

Labels: history, site updates

Almost exactly one month ago I have initiated the RAF 90th Anniversary Festival to celebrate this important milestone and try to populate this site with more articles, photographs, art and other material related to the Royal Air Force and its long history.

How did we succeeed? Let's have an overview of all the festival contributions in April and new additions pending this month.

• The Variants and Technology section was enhanced with two important reference features. A two-part Concise Guide To Spitfire Wing Types provides an overview of of the basic wing types of the Spitfire and the differences between them. Inherently related to Spitfire wing design is also The Hispano Cannon, the weapon which gave the aircraft the punch and a characteristic element of its silhouette.
  
  
• Four new colour profiles added during the month in Camouflage & Markings were NH550, in Royal Norwegian Service accompanied by another Norwegian Reconnaissance Spitfire, EP706 - The Malta Defender Spitfire Mk. Vc and "Bogle" Bodie and his Spitfire Mk. I, X4321.
  
  This adds up to six new reference articles, a good record indeed, with no less than three additional features currently waiting to be published.
  
  
• The pace in the History Articles section was rather more leisurely, with two articles added. Independent Air Force - Tracing the Origins of the RAF, an essay by Brett Holman and A Lifetime of Aviation, another essay by Martin Waligorski.
  
  This month I will be adding much more in this section, with five-part coverage of the 1941 Circus offensive as a main theme.
  
  
• Images added to the Historic Photographs section were: a portrait of Sqn/Ldr Jiří Maňák,
  photos of RAB Spitfire of W/Cdr Berg, UZ-Z of No. 306 Squadron, Northolt, Spitfire Mk. VII in the United States, launch of Operation Bowery and K5054 prototype prior to her maiden flight.
  


• The Video Section grew with just about as many videos, including the footage of Mark Hanna leading Spitfire formation display, Spitfire in IL2, Best of Chino's contraprop Spitfire Mk. XIX and Public debut of Seafire Mk. XVII SX336.
  
  
• The new Gallery Section, established at the beginning of the month, grew up rapidly and is already offering several hundred quality images. Collections added this month were: Spitfire Models by Tim Prosser, images from Old Warden 2007, The Joy of Flight Testing the Spitfire Mk. V BL628, Seafire Mk.XVII SX336, 90th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force, April 2008 celebration flypast over London, BBMF 50th Anniversary, 2007 and finally Ronnie Olsthoorn Photo Gallery with many beautiful Spitfire images.
  
  I'm happy that the technology behind the galleries worked out. Image collections I have been receiving from our visitors since last autumn can now finally be posted online and I will continue to do so during the months to come.
  
  
• Modellers have proven to be eager and knowledgeable supporters of this site. Their interest was demonstrated last month through a collection of 1/72 Spitfire Models by Tim Prosser , Spitfire in Saigon, a tribute to the Memory of A/C Paul Webb, Tamiya Spitfire Mk. V backdated to Mk. Ib, Kenley Wings beer-carrying Spitfire and another Malta Spitfire Mk. V.
  


• Another group which keeps giving this site a "push" are aviation artists; many new great pieces can be enjoyed in the Art & Memorabilia gallery and Pavel Rampír has been spoiling us with an entire series of drawings. Enjoy A portrait of Clive Caldwell, Spitfire Mk. VIII in Italy, "The Last", Chasing the V-1, "The CO's Query", Typhoon trouble, Beware of the low-flying Mosquitos, "Se va la Primera". For collectors, there was also a set of RAF 90th Anniversary poststamps.
  

Summarizing, it is apparent that April was one of the most fruitful months on the Spitfire Site so far. It is fantastic, and showed up well through the editorial workload - I had a hard time coping with all the material I've been receiving. I'd like to direct a warm thank you to everyone who contributed their work and material to make it happen. My apologies to those few who are still waiting to get their contributions published - none has been forgotten and they will appear online as soon as I can possibly manage.

The RAF Anniversary Festival will continue for some time to come, so please keep the articles and photos coming.

In the meantime, I'm into some serious programming trying to establish a discussion forum for all of us Spitfire buffs. I'll keep you posted.

Labels: history, modelling, reference, site updates, videos, warbirds, webmaster

According to my declaration in the previous post, I should have been working with technical issues, but this course changed yesterday as I couldn't resist all the new wonderful submissions residing in the editorial pipeline - some of them long overdue! So instead, here's one of the biggest daily updates on this site so far, and a worthy conclusion to the first month of the RAF 90th Anniversary Festival.

Many thanks to all the contributors and please keep them comin'!

• In Historic Photographs, we celebrate two foreign personalities who served with the RAF, Czech Sqn/Ldr Jiří Maňák and Norwegian Rolf Arne Berg.
  
  
• Another great Spitfire pilot is commemorated in the Art & Memorabilia gallery through a portrait of Clive Caldwell, one more great submission by Pavel Rampír.
  


• In Scale Modelling, we have a photo gallery of Spitfire Models by Tim Prosser, now complete with sixty-five(!) 1/72 Spitfire and Seafire models presented in realistic settings and lifelike photography.
  
  
• Other models presented today are Spitfire in Saigon by Brian Ballew and a personal tribute to the memory of A/C Paul Webb by Chris Doherty.
  
  
• In Photo Galleries, there is another set of images from Old Warden 2007 air display season. Photography by Rover75.
  


• Looking into the Event Calendar clearly shows that the airshow season begins now, with many interesting events in the UK and France scheduled for May.

In all, this update includes 75 web pages, which together with the recent update of the IPMS Stockholm Magazine (also posted yesterday) is clearly a personal record. I hope that you will enjoy the results!

Labels: history, modelling, site updates, warbirds

Yesterday's review of the recent press brought the following results.

• Army bomb experts were called out after a "Second World War Spitfire mortar shell" was found at a household tip in Staffordshire. Unfortunately, the news doesn't say more exactly what piece of ammunition has been found, or how its connection with the Spitfire is known. But then perhaps it's too much of a requirement. [The Press Association]
  
  
• Bentley Priory plans submitted - the plans to turn the 18th Century RAF Bentley Priory, the former Fighter Command headquarters, to residential facility, have been submitted by the developers. [Harrow Times].
  
  See also Plans revealed for historic wartime site [Property News] and Plans for residential redevelopment of Battle of Britain base ... [Property Week News]
  
  
• Canadian Spitfire pilot Ian Maclennan, DFM makes a moving return to former battleground - Malta. [Canada NewsWire]
  
  
• Scottish Spitfire pilot Russell Lyon killed in France during World War II, whose body was recently found, is to be honoured with a memorial in Larmor-Plage, Brittany. [Glasgow Daily Record]
  Another article about this subject can be found here. [Evening News]

Labels: history

Today's contribution to RAF Festival consists of another pair of historic photographs.

• New in Historic Photographs section is the nice photo of Spitfire Mk. IX, UZ-Z of No. 306 Squadron phtotographed in Northolt.
  
  
• Another photograph today shows Spitfire Mk. VII in the United States. This aircraft should be well known to those who visited mithsoniat Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Labels: history, site updates

The RAF 90th Anniversary Festival continues. It's been a while since we've had new additions in the Historic Photographs section, so I'm particularly glad to present these new photos.

• The launch of Operation Bowery
  
  
• K5054 prototype prior to maiden flight
  

Also, if you enjoy plastic models, here's one surfing tip not to be missed. Spitfire is the current theme on one of Hyperscale's Theme Pics forum. Visitors of that prolific modelling site have been invited to post photos of their Spitfire models, and there is plenty of them to see!

Labels: history, modelling, site updates

The RAF Anniversary Festival continues. Following Saturday's update, here are a few additional articles for your enjoyment:

• Preparing yesterday's addition in the Variants & Technology section about the Spitfire wing types, I noticed that I could fairly easily add another short pictorial about the Spitfire's main armament, the Hispano Cannon - so I here it is.
  
  
• Also, I have added another excellent profile artwork of Olve Dybvig, showing NH550 in Royal Norwegian Service. Post-war Norwegian fighter units retained living connection with their wartime history and the RAF.

I'm happy to see that contributions from the readers keep flowing in, but we'd like to see even more, so don't hesitate!

Labels: history, reference, site updates

Added last night is a new Spitfire profile in the Camouflage & Markings gallery:

• The story of Norwegian Reconnaissance Spitfires is described and exemplified by the colour artwork kindly submitted by Olve Dybvig.

Labels: history, reference, site updates

While the central Royal Air Force anniversary festivities are behind us, the web offers perfect opportunity to continue celebrating its 90 years. Today at the Spitfire Site we're launching the RAF 90th Anniversary Festival!

What is the RAF 90th Anniversary Festival?

Simply speaking, we're aimig at creating a broad collection of articles, memories, photographs, documents, drawings, art and other material connected to the Royal Air Force and its long history. It is our hope that it can be developed by collective voluntary effort, whereupon visitors, friendly bloggers and webmasters submit any suitable material and the Spitfire Site acts as host, putting it all together.

The history of the Royal Air Force suggests different things to different people, so this festival aims to be as inclusive as possible. This means that we'll accept anything fitting into its main subject, not only the Spitfire, Fighter Command or World War II.

The festival means that material can be submitted by anyone - meaning you, the readers.

What kind of submissions are we looking for?
- Articles, essays or other forms of writing
- Photographs, individual or collections
- Personal recollections or experiences of your relatives / friends
- Documents, letters etc.
- Drawings, artwork
- Photos of collectibles
- Scale models
- Book & movie reviews

If your material has already been published elsewhere on the web, don't worry. We will still gladly post it here to make the collection available in one place. Should you prefer to link to your original page or site, we can do that, too. Naturally, all sources will be properly credited.

It’s a good way of creating a sense of community around RAF history, cross-promoting good resources on the web and offering future readers the best material on this worthy topic.

The festival is planned to last until May or June 2008, depending on the scale of public response.

Please help us to spread the news about RAF 90th Anniversary Festival on your favourite discussion forums, blogs and sites around the web. It will help us greatly to succeed with our aim. Thank you!

All submissions should be directed to

Now without further delay, let's have a look at the first festival update:

• In history articles, Brett Holman traces the origins of the birth of RAF as the Independent Air Force.
  
  
• Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding is the subject of our second article today. A Lifetime of Aviation describes the very beginnings of his aviation career and reflects upon the development witnessed by Dowding during his military career. By Martin Waligorski.
  
  
• In Photo Galleries you can find a collection of stunning photographs from the BBMF 50th Anniversary air display at Duxford, 5 May 2007. By Rover75.
  
  
• Spitfire images by Ronnie Olsthoorn is our second gallery entry in this update, with many stunning images.

Enjoy.

Labels: history, site updates, webmaster

It's the day after RAF's big anniversary celebration, and press reports and interviews commemorating the event keep pouring in.

• 'We were the blue-eyed boys' - Interview with Frank Blinkhorn, WWII Spitfire pilot [BBC News]
  
  
• Interview with Henry Allingham, 111-years old and the only surviving member of the RAF from its first day on April 1, 1918 [The Sun]
  
  
• Interview with Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, head of the RAF [BBC News]
  
  
• Reports of local celebrations:
• York [York Press]
• Cambridge [Cambridge News]
  
  
• Also, The Royal Air Force has issued a commemorative diamante-encrusted... bikini swimwear for the occasion. What they were thinking is not entirely clear to the humble writer of these words, but I guess it's as good a collectible as anything else... [The Press Association]
  
  
• Not all news were joyful this week. By rather unhappy coincidence, a cash plea for a memorial to the 55,500 RAF bomber crew killed in the Second World War has been recently rejected by the Government [people.co.uk]

Labels: history

Click to enlarge images
[Photo: Ian Visits]

Today is a special day. Royal Air Force celebrates its 90th Anniversary.

The main event of the day occurred exactly at 1 o'clock pm as nine Red Arrow Hawks and four Typhoons flew in formation along the Thames through London. It was spectated by a large crowd gathered along the river and on London's bridges as well as the offical party gathered at the MOD building at the Embankment.

• To celebrate this occasion, I decided to launch today a long-awaited section on this site, Photo Galleries. Fittingly, the first entry in this chapter is the photo gallery showing the anniversary flypast. The many great images contained in this collection are courtesy of many fantastic people at Flickr who shared their photos from this day. (By the way, fans of vintage aircraft and the Spitfire should be delighted by the two other galleries which offer some truly beautiful photos from other airshow displays, so don't forget to check out the entire section.)
  
  
• There is also a video clip, albeit I will have to send you over to the BBC site to view it. Watch the BBC reporter flying onboard one of Red Arrows' Hawks

[Photo: John Linwood]

Articles about this event appear in all major newspapers, read about it in Daily Mail or BBC.

If you prefer information from official sources, there is a press release from 10 Downing Street, or this news article at the MOD site. A nice touch at the Royal Air Force site is the timeline of its 90 years-long history.

Official celebrations took place at many RAF stations around the conutry, and Red Arrows were very busy putting up additional flybys - over the parade at RAF Halton on their way to London and at RAF Coningsby on the return route. There were also congratulations from the Prime Minister and a huge seven-stone cake adorned with pictures of aircraft. Also, as I write these words, guests are gathering for a dinner reception at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon.

Happy Birthday RAF.

[Photo: aburt]

Labels: history

Two new articles have been added to the Spitfire Site today.

• In the Articles section, a report about the most recent Spitfire excavation undertaken this month in County Durham in North-East England. Spitfire Emerges From its Peat Bog Grave - About Spitfire Mk. II P8563. Written by Elfrieda Waren (welcome onborad, Elfrieda!).
  


• The Historic Photographs section has been enhanced with a set of photographs entitled Homecoming, showing the arrival of No. 312 (Czechosolovak) Squadron in Czechoslovakia after VE-day.

Labels: history, site updates

We have a number of new additions to the site this week. At the same time I'm still experimenting with the placement of the ads on different pages.

• First of all, there is a new section - Event Calendar. My intention is to share and spread information about the events interesting for a Spitfire enthusiast: airshows, exhibitions, modelling contests, meetings, museum events. To start with, I have assembled a list of this year's airshows which offer a chance to see a Spitfire in the air, in UK and worldwide.
  
  If you want any other event to be included, do not hesitate to email me, stating the name, time, location and short description of the event and I will add it to the calendar.
  
  
• Today there are also three new additions in our Art & Memorabilia gallery. Spitfire artwork of Pavel Rampir, "Spitfires over Darwin" by Noel Barnes and "Eagles Above Dieppe" by Vladimir Urbanek. Pavel Rampir is a debuting contributor to this site and we're glad to have him onboard.
  
  
• I have also reviewed the previous article Jungle Survivor - A Spitfire Pilot's Escape from Japanese-Occupied Borneo, adding new quotes and some additional clarifications in the initial part of the text. If you haven't read this feature before, now is the perfect time to do it.
  

Labels: history, site updates

• I'm glad to be able to deliver the second rather sizable addition for this week. Considering the subject of our site, it was inevitable that we would include a story about Reginald J. Mitchell, the engineering genius behind the Spitfire. Personally I'm not very fond of formal "encyclopedia-style" biographies, so I'm particularly glad to present John Dell's essay which takes on a rather personal view of Mitchell's life and achievements. Enjoy his two-part story Mr. Mitchell, Designer of the Spitfire - In Memory of a Brilliant Mind in the Articles section
  
  
• In Modelling, we have a beautiful 1/32 Spitfire Mk.II "Borough of Lambeth" modelled by Hans-Peter Tschanz from Switzerland.

Another new occurrence on the site, introduced yesterday, are commercial ads. Why ads? Well, it is my long-term objective to support - wholly or partially - the cost of the site's operation with ads, and today I'm taking the first step in this direction. I'm not hoping to get a profit - considering the amount of man-hours I'm currently putting into it - but perhaps be able to expand the site with photo galleries, forum and other interactive features, many of which require more sophisticated hosting, more bandwidth or additional software. Time permitting, there's so much more I would like to add.

In this initial period, I will be trying Google textual ads to see how they will perform. Obviously I would like the ads to be relevant to the interests of our visitors. With the Google system, the ads are supposed to be matched automatically with the subject of each page. I understand that it may take one or two weeks for the Google system to "learn" which ads are the right ones, so I'm eager to see how good the results will be.

I hope you will find the ads a meaningful addition to the Spitfire Site.

Labels: history, modelling, site updates, webmaster

This week's updates include:

• A new image has been added in Historic Photographs section. This is one of the series showing early Spitfires of No. 611 Squadron at Biggin Hill in December 1942.
  


• New video in the Video Section is the computer animation showing the Spitfire Mk. I cockpit. The level of detail and accuracy in this one is such as to be sufficient to serve as modellers' reference.
  

I have also started a new section of the site, Variants & Technology. Articles in this category will be devoted to the variants of the Spitfire, it's construction and design. I am currently working on preparing the first features and will announce them as soon as they're ready.

Labels: history, site updates, videos

Today I'm back from a wonderful skiing week in Swedish Åre. Everybody enjoyed rich snow cover of over 1 meter, temperatures just below freezing and good weather; could one ask for a better winter holidays? I return to my usual updates with a review of recent press:

• A gala performance is to be staged later this year in order to raise funds to pay for the upkeep of the Battle of Britain memorial on the top of the cliffs at Capel le Ferne. The Battle of Britain Memorial concert will take place in London Palladium on September 7th, 68 years to the day after the Luftwaffe launched its first mass attack on London.
  
  Battle of Britain Memorial concert [kentnews.co.uk]
  
  
• A simple stone memorial has been unveiled in a field in Kent to mark the place where a Battle of Britain New Zealand Spitfire pilot Flt Ltn Jimmy Paterson crashed in 1940.
  
  Battle of Britain pilot honoured [BBC News]
  
  
• Ex-ATA women comment on the recently received special merit award
  
  Spitfire heroine's joy over medal [BBC News]
  Recognition for Spitfire heroines [The Cornishman]
  Honour for WWII Spitfire pilots [BBC News]
  
  
• An interesting bureaucratic incident suggests pending US embargo on Spitfire exports :)
  
  Spitfire downed [New Zealand Herald]
  
  
• An interesting replica Spitfire built by members of the Ripon branch of the Royal British Legion has found a new home at RAF Leeming.
  
  Replica of flying legend finds a home with RAF squadron [Northallerton Times]
  
  
• Another interesting Spitfire restoration project in New Zealand is Brendon Deere's Spitfire ZK-SPT/PV270, here in the report of TV3:
  
  Pilot's nephew works to restore Spitfire [TV3 News]
  
  

Labels: history, warbirds

Yesterday's addition to the site is this new article in the Camouflage & Markings section

• Jean-Marc Berthe presents colour views of arguably the most important Spitfire of them all - the K5054 prototype.
  
  

On the subject of the Spitfire prototype, a site well worth visiting is www.k5054.com. As name implies, this is site devoted entirely to the Type 300 Prototype K5054, and the initial Spitfire production that followed. Well worth your surfing time.

I'll be away travelling next week and probably away from this blog. I'm looking forward to adding more features when I'm back, maybe including that vast library of walkaround photos that are waiting in my editorial pipeline. See you then.

Labels: history, site updates

Here are a few Sptifire-related articles found in last week's press:

• The project to build a Spitfire Memorial in Southampton seems to be off to a start. Designers are to be approached to submit their proposals for the 50 metres (165 ft) landmark monument that that will be visible from the road, rail and air.
  
  Time to find design for a Spitfire memorial [Hampshire News]
  
  
• A new Spitfire wreck seems to have been unveiled in Bosnia.
  
  Bosnian villager reveals location of Spitfire shot down in Second World War [Times Online]
  Bosnian villager ‘finds’ crashed WWII Spitfire [Khaleej Times]

Labels: history

New articles have been posted online last night.

• A new two-part article in the History section is entitled Jungle Survivor - A Spitfire Pilot's Escape from Japanese-Occupied Borneo. The article tells the story of F/O Fred Inger, pilot of No. 457 "Grey Nurse" Squadron RAAF, who had to bail out over Borneo and managed to escape back to his unit.
  
  
• A review of Spitfire-related aviation art in the Art & Memorabilia gallery continues. Two new paintings added today are Stanislav Fejfar's Spitfire Mk. VB and Sqn/Ldr McKay's Spitfire Mk. VIII - by Vladimir Urbanek and Noel Barnes respectively.
  
  
• Readers' comments pour now at a steady pace in the Historic Photographs section. Prompted by one of these posts, I have further researched and revised the text accompanying the image of Enigma Bare-metal Spitfire, and I think I'm closer to the definitive description of this aricraft.

Labels: history, site updates

This week we have a few new additons to the site which are as follows:

• A new article in the History section is How Blitzkrieg Became the Blitz. Perhaps not strictly about Fighter Command ot the Spitfire, i feel that this essay by Brett Holman is relevant to the overall subject of this site.
  


• In Videos, we have two new clips provided by Stewart Hecht, showing two Canada-based Spitfires filmed during the 2007 Geneseo Air Show.
  

Labels: history, site updates, warbirds

Another World War II ace passed away recently. Raymond "Cheval" Lallemant, one of Belgium's leading World War II Aces, died after a long period of illness on 30th January 2008.

Lallemant is perhaps best remembered for pioneering the Allied "tank-busting" tactics flying the Hawker Typhoon.

Lallemant was one of the Belgian pilots that in 1940 escaped to France and later to Britain. When he arrived in England, his training hadn't been completed, so Lallemant was initially posted to an RAF flying school. In September 1941, he was assigned to No. 609 Squadron at Biggin Hill. He flew with Spitfires Mk. I and Mk. V.

In 1942, No. 609 Squadron became one of the first to re-equip with the then-newest RAF fighter, the Hawker Typhoon. It is on this aircraft that Lallemant really showed his ability, shooting down five Focke Wulf Fw 190s and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in March 1943.

Promoted to Flight Lieutenant, he was posted to No. 198 Squadron, also on Typhoons, as a flight commander. With this unit, Lallemant destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and shared another.
In August 1944, he was promoted to Sqn/Ldr and became the CO of No. 609 Squadron. The unit took very active part in the battle of the hedgerows in Normandy and the Falaise pocket.

He was nearly killed on 14 September 1944. Lallemant's aircraft was shot down by flak over Arnhem and crashed into the ground with him trapped in the cockpit. He suffered severe burns and spent several months in the hospital. For his exploits in France he was awarded the second DFC.

Returning to active duty, Lallemant became CO of the No. 349 (Belgium) Squadron in Holland, flying on Spitfires. This squadron remained in as part of the occupation forces in Germany until being transferred back under the Belgian control on 24 October 1946.

After the war, Lallemant remained with the Belgian Air Force. He retired from active service in 1972 as a colonel. He passed away at the age of 88.

Labels: history

The review of recent press and blogs brought the following articles:

• Call for forgotten women Spitfire pilots to be honoured [ic Wales]
  The veteran women of the ATA may not have taken part in the Battle of Britain, but they certainly deserve recognition. The survivors of a group of women who flew Spitfires (why only Spitfires? - my note) in non-combat roles during the Second World War are expected to be honoured with a special badge.
  
  Additonal reading on this issue:
  Women Spitfires (pilots that is) [WeeksMD]
  Special badge for Spitfire girls [Sepoy Agent blog]
  
  
• Bid to demolish and rebuild museum [Daily Echo]
  Another piece of aviation heritage may yield room to a housing project. Southapmton's Solent Sky Museum could be knocked down and rebuilt as part of an apartment complex in a bid to secure its future.
  

Labels: history

Although the Battle of Britain is one of the best covered battles in contemporary World War II literature, a reader interested in its immediate predecessor, the aerial war over France had hitherto to contend himself with various rather sketchy summaries. The RAF casualties alone amounted over 1,000 aircraft and airmen, so it is easy to see that the entire area had been in need of an in-depth study. A new major book by Peter Conrwell promises to close this important gap once and for all. Entitled The Battle of France Then & Now, it will be released in mid-February.

Cornwell's 600-pages long account begins in September 1939 when the first squadrons of the newly-formed British Air Forces in France were sent to the Continent. He goes on describing the events of the Phoney War and the fateful campaign of May-June 1940 on the day-to-day basis until June 1940, the evacuation of the BEF from France and its aftermath. The level of detail covered in the book is reportedly fantastic, going down to the fate of individual aircraft and crews. Cornwell's work covers aerial operations of six nations: Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany and even Italy.

As far as RAF fighter squadrons in France were concerned, it was an all-Hurricane show, except for the last phase of the battle in the skies over Dunkirk.

The Aviation Bookshop has announced the launch of The Battle of France Then & Now with the opportunity to meet the author and the veteran pilots participating in the battle. The date for the event is February 23rd 2008, time: 11am – 3pm at The Aviation Bookshop, 31-33 Vale Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1BS. You can also reserve your signed copy of the book by contacting the bookshop.

Labels: history

During the last few days I've been busy adding new articles to the site. Rather than announcing each new addition directly, I am summarizing the entire series below. Announcing all articles posted over a period of a few days in a single post has some advantages. It should leave more room on this blog for other interesting subjects which otherwise might get obscured by rather repetitive daily posts. And, might I say, this procedure should be time-saving for the editor and therefore leave him more time for adding content! So far, it is an experiment and I will evaluate its effects before setting for any permanent routine. Opinins on the suggested change are welcome.

This way I have a quite sizeable update to announce today with the following contents:

• In Historic Photographs, we have a pair of photographs showing an interesting aerobatics display Spitfire from Czechoslovakia. Readers will note that we're looking for more specific information about this aircraft and its use.
  


• Nostalgia attack awaits in the Video Section - how about watching Spitfires flying to the music of Vera Lynn's The White Cliffs of Dover? Guaranteed to bring the mood of the past years.
  


• New contributions in the Art & Memorabilia gallery have been kindly provided by aviation artists Troy White and Vladimir Urbanek. There are six works in all:
• Skalski's Circus
• "Tiger's Strike"
• "Eagles"
• "Entrevero Total"
• "One Hawk Breaks Up Many Crows"
• "Moesi Illir"
  
  
• Last but not least, we have two new models on display in Scale Modelling section. Both are Tamiya kits: Spitfire PR Mk. IF conversion by Fabrice Fanton and Yellow Nose QV-K modelled by Charlie Whall.

Enjoy!

Labels: history, modelling, site updates, warbirds

I have just received information through a friend that RAF Squadron Leader Cyril "Bam" Bamberger passed away on 03.00 Sunday morning.

Bamberger was one of the surviving members of "The Few", having flown Spitfires with No. 610 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. During the Battle he scored five victories, achieving the ace status.

In November 1940, Bamberger volunteered for Malta, flying a Hurricane off HMS Argus to the island on 17th November. Serving with No. 261 Squadron, he shot down two Junkers Ju 87 in successive days over Grand Harbour in January 1941. He was subsequently posted to No. 185 Squadron and returned to England in May of that year.

In 1942, Bam joined No. 93 Squadron and followed with that unit to Tunisia. He returned to Malta in 1943 and shot down another Ju 87 on 13 July over Sicily. In August, No. 243 Squadron moved to Sicily.

On 28 september 1943, Cyril Bamberger was awarded the DFC. On 16 October he claimed a Bf 109, another on 25 May 1944 and a Macchi Mc 202 damaged on 15 June.

In July 1944 Bamberger returned to the UK. In November that year he was awarded the bar to his DFC. Released from the RAF in 1946, he was recalled during the Korean crisis. He finally retired from the RAF in 1959.

During his retirement Bam became known as a great friend to many and remained active in the aviation circles to his last days, most recently with the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust (BPBBT). He was 88 years old.

Labels: history

A sad controversy is developing around the fate of RAF Bentley Priory near Stanmore in northern London. The grandiose and historically significant estate, owned by the RAF since 1926 and most remembered as Air Chief Marshal Dowding's Command Headquarters during the Battle of Britain, has been sold. The buyer is the development company VSM Estates which has the intention of converting the mansion to luxury apartments. Further residential buildings are planned in its gardens.

RAF Bentley Priory Officers' Mess [Photo Gme7]

This sale is a part of restructuring programme conducted by the Ministry of Defence whereupon six RAF sites will be disposed of and the new headquarters established in RAF Northolt. Stations to be closed and sold include Uxbridge, Bentley Priory, Eastcote and West Ruislip.

The three remaining RAF lodgers at Bentley Priory - the Defence Aviation Safety Centre (DASC), the Air Historical Branch and RAF Ceremonial are scheduled to move to Northolt in February 2008 and the possession vacated by the end of April.

Formal closing ceremony of RAF Bentley Priory, 19 July 2007 [Photo David Whiting]

The problem is that the historic significance of Bentley Priory exceeds that of any other RAF property on the sales list. Built in 1766 and extended in 1788 by Sir John Soane, Bentley Priory is most widely recognized as the headquarters of Fighter Command during World War II. The offices of Air Chief Marshal Dowding are still there, with his leather-topped desk, many of his papers and other effects. The Operations and Filter Rooms (now the Ante-room and the Ladies room) were the ones from which Dowding lead the defence of Britain. Later during the war, Bentley Priory continued to act as the headquarters of Fighter Command and assumed additional importance as the planning headquarters for D-Day.

Many of the Battle of Britain veterans and aviation enthusiasts, including the family of ACM Dowding, expressed their grave disappointment by the fact that what they consider to be the spiritual home of the RAF will be lost to future generations. In their opinion, the historic significance of the place justifies its continued use as a national heritage museum. Sadly, this possibility seems to have evaded MoD's attention prior to the sale. Consequently, the issue is being processed as an afterthought between the MoD, the new owner of the premises and the local planning authority.

A group of pilot veterans have set up the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust (BPBBT) under the chairmanship of Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridgewith, with the target of at least saving the ground floor of the mansion as a museum and retaining Dowding's wartime office. Of course, these plans contradict with financial interests of VSM Estates and may not go down too well with those who wish to buy the proposed luxury apartments. For example, VSM has already expressed their requirement for "completely soundproofing" the museum premises.

Regardless of the conflict of interests, the museum initiative would require considerable funding. Just basic maintenance of the mansion was costing the MoD an estimated £200,000 annually, not including a serious repair work which is needed. Setting up a museum requires additional modifications to allow public access, insurance cover, security and fire equipment and salaries of staff - a dauting financial task without a government commitment.

As of today, discussions continue between local planning authority (Harrow Borough Council), the Trust, the RAF Museum and VSM Estates in order to identify a comprehensive solution. There are still no binding decisions for "what form any future development might take, or the level of public access that might be possible."

Interest of the media for the matter has been rather small, with the exception of the recent article in Daily Telegraph.

I would like you to have your say in this matter. How imporant is it to preserve Bentley Priory as a museum? Is the Trust's battle meaningful? I promise to forward all responses to this post to the interested parties should you wish to support their stand. You can use the Leave your comment link below to post your voice directly at this page.

Labels: history

Last night, a smaller photo update resulted in two new additions to the site.

• A new image in Historic Photographs section with another great example of hand-painted D-Day stripes is the one showing Spitfire spotters of the US Navy.
  


• I have also added an article by STeven D. Hill telling the history of VCS-7, the only US Navy unit operating Spitfires during the war. Entitled Spitfires of the US Navy, it is available in Articles.
  

Labels: history, site updates

Two new articles have been posted online today.

• In Camouflage & Markings, we have a portrait of one of the most colourful Spitfires to be flown in the ETO after D-Day - personal aircraft of Norwegian W/Cdr Rolf Arne Berg.
  


• Today we have also have an addition in Art & Memorabilia gallery. Its a sculpture to be installed at Rolls-Royce factory in Bristol, symbolising both the Merlin and the Spitfire.

The latter sculpture together with other recent works of the same artist can also be seen at Messum’s Fine Art gallery, London, starting on Wednesday 6th February. The exhibition will last until 1st March.

Labels: history, site updates

One of the wonderful and exciting aspects of the Spitfire saga is the way this aircraft has in