Even though, aesthetically, Spitfires with 'clipped' wings are inferior (just my opinionI), clipping the wings did improve the roll rate. I've got one 'clipped' wing Spit in the collection, a Mk V in DAF colours, but then came across a later (Mk IX) model in more 'normal' camouflage colours. Needless to say what happened when I saw it on eBay (pesky finger couldn't keep still)...
During WWII, several pilots, including Johnnie Johnston, used Spitfires and other aircraft to carry kegs of beer to the squadrons based in France. This practice wasn't exactly stimulated by the powers that be, to put it mildly ...
Once I found out that there is a 1:24 diecast model of such a 'beer truck', I of course had to add one to the collection!
As to the pilot in the cockpit of the model, could it be Johnnie Johnston himself??
About a year ago, Penny, a friend of us, gave us a leaflet on the Shirley Spitfire Trail. And that sparked our interest in all things Spitfire, so far culminating in the Spitfire Makers plaque unveiled at the university yesterday.
Between xmas and new year, Penny said she had something for me. And that something was a brooch in the shape of a Spitfire that her father, Sidney Ody, made from an old penny for his wife Mary in 1940 (they were married earlier that year). At that time, the Battle of Britain had made sure that Spitfires were very much on people's minds. Penny isn't the sentimental type, and said she would much rather that someone who appreciates the brooch has it, rather than it being "thrown in the bin when I die".
Definitely a unique and very special brooch, and I proudly wore it at the unveiling of the university plaque yesterday.
So things have come full circle: Penny initially gave us the leaflet that triggered our interest in Spitfires, and now, a year on, I'm wearing a Spitfire brooch, made by her father ~84 years ago, at an official Spitfire ceremony.
Addition: the unveiling (and the brooch!) made the local news!
In an earlier blog post, I briefly mentioned the design department of Supermarine moving to huts on what is now the University of Southampton's Highfield Campus. Time for a plaque to be installed near where those huts were!
Because I am a lecturer at the university, Alan Matlock, the chairman of the Spitfire Makers, asked me to see if I could maybe get the ball rolling on permission and possibly even (part-)funding of the plaque 'from inside'. To make a short story even shorter, my first email to that effect was met with enthusiasm and permission as well as (full) funding was secured very quickly!
Today was the day of official unveiling.
I mentioned in an earlier blog post that, to my knowledge (but please, let me know if I was wrong!), there was only one occasion where Spitfires fought Spitfires. And this was in the Israel-Arab war 1948-9. Both the Israeli Air Force and the Egypt Air Force used Spitfires, and, to add to this, RAF Spitfires were there as well, more or less caught in the middle.
I managed to get my hands on a diecast model of a Spitfire flown by the Israeli Air Force:
And this is, for as far as I can tell, a picture of the actual Spitfire that the model is based on:
One of my other interests, besides Spitfires, is the history of chess and other board games. I have a collection of chess sets, either bought or made myself, as well as a similar, but smaller, collection of hnefatafl sets. Guess it was inevitable that those two interests would overlap at some point!
First of all, Aviation chess was invented in 1913, and played during WW I. In most aspects, this chess variant is identical to the form of chess that most people are familiar with, but there is one difference: the pawns on the b-file and g-file are replaced by 'aviators'. These 'aviators' fly diagonally, over any number of pieces, to either an empty square, or a square occupied by an enemy piece (which is then captured and replaced). I decided to adapt Aviation chess slightly by having Spitfires as 'aviators'!
Off eBay, I got a full set of 32 laser cut chess pieces (of course, I don't need four of the pawns) as well as four laser cut Spitfire shapes. They smell really nice as a result of the laser-cutting process!
Then I used two colours of wood stain ('pine' and 'mahogany', respectively) to create the 'white' and 'black' pieces.
I decided to use the board of my Kyrgyz set, as it had the right size squares and also looks relatively old.
So there we go: a Spitfire-inspired set for Aviation chess!
I said two board games, didn't I? Second one is a board game actually called Spitfire! which I stumbled across on eBay.
Totally different game from chess! It's a pretty complex strategy game, partly determined by the roll of dice, and with simultaneous moves.
I don't think I'll ever actually play the game; too complex and intricate for me. Also, I prefer to keep the game 'mint', as it is now.
I've got Spitfire models with German, Soviet and Australian markings, but not one with USAAF markings. Until now, that is!
The registration of this Spit is LN853, which wasn't listed in my Spitfire International book ...
Even though, aesthetically, Spitfires with 'clipped' wings are inferior (just my opinionI), clipping the wings did improve the roll ...
