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Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend

A love story

Leo McKinstry
John Murray, 435pp, £20,

Daniel Swift

Wednesday, 5th December 2007

Daniel Swift

The pilots called it ‘the Spit’, ‘my personal swallow’, ‘a real lady’, or, simply, ‘the fabulous Spitfire’. It was not a perfect machine. Due to its long nose, forward visibility during take-off was poor; it was freezing cold in the cockpit, and so small that the pilot did not have room to wear a bulky flight suit. He had to make do with chamois leather gloves and wool socks. Yet all who flew it marvelled at its grace and power, and it was equally adored by those on the ground. As Leo McKinstry notes, in his thorough and engaging new account of the invention and development of this most glamorous machine, when in 1940 Spitfire funds were established throughout the country, ‘It is the only time in British history that vast numbers of citizens have voluntarily, even enthusiastically, donated money directly to the government.’ The history of the Spitfire is above all a love story.

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Paul Corrigan - New Zealand

December 9th, 2007 7:33am

'The elegant little fighters, . . . are most famous for combat during the Battle of Britain, when they held back the Luftwaffe’s attempts to destroy British air defences, and therefore arguably prevented the long-planned German land invasion of Britain.' I don't wish to comment about the aircraft. I've heard New Zealand fighter pilots say it was the finest aircraft they'd flown. But that remark appears to perpetuate the myth that the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain. Pilots flying Hurricanes inflicted most losses on the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain -- I believe as high as 80 per cent. Nearly two-thirds of Fighter Command squadrons engaged in the battle flew Hurricanes.

Steve Halstead

December 10th, 2007 5:39am

The Spitfire is / was a beautiful aircraft without doubt, but I want to echo Paul Corrigans comment. The Hurricane was the backbone of fighter command during the B of B. It did not have the cachet of the Spitfire but was a rugged well developed fighter in its own right and has been sadly eclipsed by its prettier sister.

Derek Sole

January 13th, 2008 10:29pm

I enjoyed reading this , particularly the early political wrangling. However I was disappointed that he referred to the V1 as a rocket. it was powered by a pulse jet engine