The Spitfire, one of the best fighter airplanes ever built, was developed by a group of British military engineers on the eve of the Second World War. It addition to being fast and heavily armed, this monoplane aircraft, designed by R. J. Mitchell, has retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit with oxygen replenishment. The first Spitfire prototype took to the air on March 5, 1936. Greatly impressed by the plane's performance, the British High Command immediately ordered 310 examples of it. The Spitfire quickly became one of the single-seat fighters most widely used by the Royal Air Force and allied troops.

The Spitfire Mk IX, the most common version of this aircraft, was propelled by a powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin 63 engine capable of developing up to 1.720 horsepower (1,283 kW) and could reach a maximum speed of 650 km/h (404 ml/h). Its basic armament consisted of two 20 mm cannons, four 7.7 machine guns and two 227 kg (500 lb) bombs. Each variant had a distinct wing suited to its function. Thus, low-altitude fighters had clipped wings while the high- altitude version had extended wings. Spirited and highly maneuverable, the Spitfire was an excellent escort aircraft and a formidable ground attack plane. It proved to be a most valuable asset in several decisive Second World War battles.

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