Spitfire in Combat

The Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous fighter aircraft of all time, with a distinctive shape and sound that mark it out from most other aircraft of the World War II period. Alfred Price employs first-hand accounts to evoke a series of snapshots of the Spitfire, showing what it was really like to fly this legendary aircraft in combat. From the biplane era of the 1930s to the Jet Age of the 1950s the Spitfire, through continuous adaptation and development, proved itself the equal of any of its competitors, whether friend or foe. The author explores important aspects of the Spitfire's evolution, from the specially modified "speed" Spitfire of 1938 to the history of the top scoring Spitfire, EN398, and the postwar Spitfire PR19 recce missions over China.