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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1297.PDF
JUNE I8TH, 1942 FLIGHT . 6*5 " BEHIND THE LINES Service and Industrial News from the Inside of Axis and Enemy-occupied Countries The Spitfire in Germany IT is always interesting, and sometimes instructive, to hear what the enemy thinks of one's efforts. . The February- issue of the German aviation journal Lujtwissen devotes no less than eight pages to an illustrated description of the Spitfire, and this is followed by a three- page article on the Spitfire's under carriage. The author of the first article, Dipl.-Ing. Theo. Kranzle, of Berlin- Aldershof, considers that for propaganda , ^j^fisons the performance of the Spitfire was more or less exaggerated "in English technical circles. Not until it became possible to test captured examples was it possible to get the true figures, he says. After these tests it is possible to say that the Spitfire, Mark II, with 1,100 h.p. Rolls-Royce Merlin III, has a top speed of about 550 km./h. (343 m.p.h.) at 5 km. (16,400 feet). The author does not believe, in spite of the in stallation of a Merlin XII and certain structural improvements, the English claim of 600 km./h. (375 m.p.h.). Performance Details THE German engineer states that the ground-level speed of the Spitfire is 460 km./h. (286 m.p.h.) and gives the landing speed as 115 km./h. (93 m.p.h.). A new picture of the Focke Wulf F.W.190 which shows the fuselage and wing forms and also the semi-retracted tail wheel. The twin rear turrets now fitted to the Junkers Ju 88. An advantage is that attacks from two quarters can be dealt with simultaneously. Vision through such small bullet-proof panels must be very restricted. His figure for rate of climb from ground level is 12 metres per second (2,360 ft./min.)j and 10 metres per second (1,970 ft./min.) at 16,400 ft. A height of 4 km. (13,000 ft.) is reached in 5 minutes, and a height of 8 km. (26,000 ft.) in 14 minutes. The service ceiling he estimates at between n km. and 12 km. (36,000 ft. and 39,500 ft.). At a cruising speed of 480 km./h. (300 m.p.h.) the duration is 1.8 hours and the range 850 km. (525 miles). Comments HERR KRANZLE admits that the low wing loading benefits the manoeuvrability of the Spitfire "but con siders that the low '' wing power '' (horse-power per square foot of wing area) limits the top speed, although he admits that the service ceiling is good, and puts this down to the low wing load ing and low span loading. German pilots who have flown the Spitfire comment on the low fore-and- aft stability, but stress the excellent mancevrability of the machine. The German writer sums up his im pressions as follows: •'' After a thorough examination, the Spitfire shows much which is not common in German aircraft design. It must be pointed out that in the course of the war many modifications and improvements in performance have been carried out. Although in various respects many instructive design solu tions are to be found, this fighter, which must certainly have been ahead of its time when it first appeared (i935"36)> does not show, even in its latest form, anything revolutionary, it must never theless be regarded as an opponent to be taken seriously when flown by an ex perienced and determined pilot."
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