Spitfire's 90th Anniversary: British Icon's Wartime Legacy

0:00On March 5th, today marks 90 years since the first flight of the Super Marine Spitfire. The fighter plane that became a symbol of British courage in World War II. On March 5th, 1936, Tess Pyle Captain Joseph Summers took the prototype up from Eastley Airdrome near Southampton for an Anne, 8-minute test run. Aviation Design Original Mitchell created it at Super Marine Aviation Works as a fast single-seat interceptor for the Royal Air Force, featuring sleek, elliptical wings and a powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine for top speed and agility. It joined service in August 1938 with the 19th Squadron at Ducksford just in time to help defend Britain during the battle of. Britain in 1940, where pilots flew it alongside hurricanes to fend off German bombers. Over 20,000 Spitfires rolled out in various models, fighting across Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific, and today restored. Versions still soared airshows, keeping its wartime legacy alive.