[NickS]

I was lucky enough to attend a preview recently. This not just another Spitfire documentary, cashing in on the RAF100 celebration. This is a celebration in its own right. A celebration of what is arguably one of, if not the finest aeroplane ever built.

The film tracks the development from Supermarine’s Schneider Trophy seaplane racers of RAF High Speed Flight to the Griffon-engined post-war Spitfires, also looking at the place it holds in the present day. The modern flying sequences are fabulously shot and the use of the correct marks as the story developed will not be lost on those with a real interest in the subject. The way that this new film was intercut with digitally remastered contemporary wartime footage was very cleverly done, adding interest and context to the narration. The subtle musical score did not overwhelm the sound of the Merlin engines.

What adds so much to the film are the interviews with the airmen and women who flew them - their stories are fascinating, particularly when they discus their feelings and emotions, going beyond the merely technical. It is this element that lifts the film above being just another Spitfire story and it is these personal stories that make the film much more interesting to those less interested in the technical aspects. There are poignant memories and emotional reunions. Many will be familiar faces, some less so, and some no longer with us

It is a film that is certainly worth seeing and it undoubtedly benefits from the cinema screen and sound where you get a real sense of the “big sky” and the grace of this wonderful aeroplane.

SPITFIRE will receive its World Premiere on Monday 9 July at Curzon Mayfair, London followed by a One Night Only event screening in cinemas across the UK on Tuesday 17 July, which will include additional exclusive footage from the filmmakers and the premiere. Spitfire will then be released in cinemas on 20 July. http://www.spitfiredocumentary.com

[Bill McCarthy]

For every pilot who climbed into a Spitfire and said that they strapped the aircraft on and it flew on thought, there would have been many more who thought it was a stinking oily heap. There remains much hype I’m afraid.
By the way a Spitfire carried out an attack at the Battle of Jutland.

[oldbiggincfi]

Showing at Bluewater
Sunday 1st July 2PM


About The Secret Spitfires

In 1940, the Germans succeed in destroying the Spitfire factories in Southampton, believing they have ended the threat from their nemesis. But unknown to them, the British decide to build Spitfires in secret. Rural Towns and cities such as Salisbury, Trowbridge, Reading and Southampton in the South of England become a major centre for manufacturing Spitfires, hidden in sheds, garages, back gardens, a bus depots and even a hotel. With a workforce mainly made up of unskilled young girls, boys, women, elderly men and a handful of engineers, thousands of Spitfires were built, becoming instrumental in winning the war. Witnesses account this never before told story of amazing achievement, recounting times of terrible sadness as well as joyous times that include GI's, a Glen Miller concert and a Joe Louis boxing match. Set against a backdrop of picturesque English countryside, the RAF pilots who fly them today and of course, the iconic Spitfires themselves. This incredible story concludes with Vera Lynne reciting a moving poem written by a Spitfire pilot.

[kanga]

..the use of the correct marks as the story developed will not be lost on those with a real interest in the subject. ..

I hope there was mention of the Rotol light-weight, 3-blade, CS airscrew whose introduction in 1940 was said to add 7,000' to the service ceiling as well as providing a faster climb rate and better handling at all speeds; with analogous improvements to Hurricanes. The later and commoner 4-blade (Merlin) and more (Griffon) airscrews for Spitfires were also from Rotol. These developments were enabled by the addition in 1939 to the Rotol test fleet of the first production Spitfire (K9787).

All at Staverton, of course ..

[The heirs, 'Dowty Propellers', now part of GE Aviation, suffered a catastrophic fire at the original Rotol factory at Staverton not that long ago. Production, mainly of carbonfibre propellers for the C130Js, was uninterrupted but moved to a temporary site in the Forest of Dean. It is now due to move back to a permanent home on the Gloucester Business Park, ie on the former GAC airfield at Brockworth]

[ChrisRowland]

Interesting to see Trowbridge mentioned. My mum lived there during the war and afterwards we lived nearby. She pointed out the factory where they built aeroplanes, not sure if she knew what type.

[Lefty]

For every pilot who climbed into a Spitfire and said that they strapped the aircraft on and it flew on thought, there would have been many more who thought it was a stinking oily heap. There remains much hype I’m afraid.
By the way a Spitfire carried out an attack at the Battle of Jutland.

Petty navy jealousy again ...... disappointing.

[oldbiggincfi]

Just returned from seeing " The Secret Spitfires" at Bluewater Cinema.

Very well attended particularly by the older generation.
Well worth seeing and what can be done in time of need .
Big change in attitude from then to now, not only the need to know, but work ethic.
Secret factories working two shifts a day 8am to 8pm and 8pm to 8am , alternating monthly.
Just think how quickly you could build your RV if you get all the family involved.
I like the bit where the man was making magnesium alloy hydraulic couplings on his lathe and wife making bolts on a unimat lookalight ,all in the back bedroom.

The location of the secret factories are still identifiable in some of our towns and perhaps we should take note of the airfields which are being lost to developers as reminder of the rights our Grandparents fought for.

[Bill McCarthy]

Lefty - jealousy, what on earth are you on about. Has the sun got to you ?

[Maxthelion]

The Spit was out performed in every way by the 109, including in the turning fight. At least that's what Connie Edwards thought, and he owned and flew them both, back when they were toys rather than museum pieces and he could rag them as hard as he liked knowing he had another 20 spare merlins in the shed. You can easily see why he thought that too, the Spitfire carries an awful lot of wing compared to the 109 and its merits were as much in spite of that wing as because of it. All that wing, with it's maximum thickness very far forward meant that it wasn't great for speed. It is indeed a triumph of hype over substance, and whilst good, it was the second best aeroplane in the fight during 1940.

It was also expensive and complicated to build, meaning that all that effort building sub-assemblies in furniture workshops across the land could have been halved if the component count had been similar to the 109, or to put it another way, we could have had twice as many Spitfires if Mitchell had made the aeroplane more mass production-friendly. That quantity would have had a quality all of its own..

All that said, I'd still give my left nut for the keys to one, and I would choose it over any other aeroplane ever if I were given the choice. I'll certainly be watching the documentary.

[Bill McCarthy]

I might add that I do hope that the piece has given credit to the Polish pilots who flew the Spitfire and taught the RAF how to fight.

[Dave W]

It is indeed a triumph of hype over substance, and whilst good, it was the second best aeroplane in the fight during 1940.

The best, of course, being the Hurricane.

[chipmeisterc]

Bruce would seem to agree

[kanga]

I might add that I do hope that the piece has given credit to the Polish pilots who flew the Spitfire and taught the RAF how to fight.

And, as far as I know, the first Polish pilots to fly with the RAF, before any of the all-Polish squadrons were declared operational, were with 501(County of Gloucester) Squadron RAuxAF. The more experienced Poles were assigned to 501 to replace pilots lost by 501 in the Battle of France. There and in Battle of Britain 501 were, of course, flying Gloster-built Hurricanes with, by then, Rotol airscrews.

There are, of course, relevant displays at JAM

[BobD]

SPITFIRE will receive its World Premiere on Monday 9 July at Curzon Mayfair, London followed by a One Night Only event screening in cinemas across the UK on Tuesday 17 July, which will include additional exclusive footage from the filmmakers and the premiere. Spitfire will then be released in cinemas on 20 July. http://www.spitfiredocumentary.com

Just a reminder that the One Night Only event is tonight. I'll be at the Sheffield screening with MrsD ☺

[Paul_Sengupta]

I'll be at Nantgarw tonight.