Page 84 - All About History - Issue 18-14

1. COCKPIT
The fully enclosed and streamlined
cockpit grants its pilot good viewing
angles when in control of the fighter,
a crucial factor in aerial dogfights.
4. POWERPLANT
AbeastlyRolls-RoyceMerlin45supercharged
V12 engine capable of a whopping 1,470hp
grant the Mk VB an excellent top speed of
595km/h(370mph)andarapidrateofclimb
of 13.2m/s (43.3ft/s).

Beforethe20thcentury,humanshadmastered
ways to kill on sea and on land, but the air
remained unconquered. That all changed at the 2. FUSELAGE
outbreak of WWI, when the fighter plane was
The Spitfire’s airframe is incredibly
invented. Within years of the Wright Brothers advancedforitstime,withasemi-
firsttakingtotheskiestheaeroplane monocoqueduraluminfuselagemade
upfrom19smallerskeletalsectionsthat
hadbeenconvertedintoafearsome
begin immediately behind the propeller.
machine of war.
Equipped with braces of high-
calibremachinegunsandpiloted 3. WINGS
bymenwithnervesofsteel,thesenew The Spitfire is installed
fighters specialised in ripping enemies apart in 5. WEAPONS with revolutionary
intenseaerialdogfights.Themostfamousof The Spitfire’s primary weapon are elliptical wings, which
twin Hispano Mk II cannons capable of
notonlyhavethe
these men, such as the Red Baron, utilised these throwing out 60 high-calibre rounds per thinnest possible
amazingnewkillingmachinestorackuphuge minute. Four Browning Mk II machine cross-section of
bodycounts,withrivalsoutmanoeuvredathigh gunsarealsoincluded. any contemporary,
butalsoexcellent
speedandthenblownawayinahailofhigh- speed and handling
calibre rounds. characteristics.
Fighterswouldcontinuetobedevelopedright
through the interwar period, leading to world-
famous aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire DEATHFROM
andMesserschmittBf109toelevatetheartof
human-on-human aerial combat to an even higher “Piloted by men with ABOVE
level.Indeed,thenewneedbyhumanstokillin
the air produced over 20,000 Spitfires during its nerves of steel, these KILL EFFICIENCY:
service lifetime, with the aircraft prized for its COLLATERAL DAMAGE:
prowess and killing ability. The latter was aided by newfightersspecialised
itspowerfularmamentoftwin20mmHispanoMk SHOCK FACTOR:
IIcannonsandfour-gangof.303BrowningMkII in ripping enemies apart” ENGINEERING GENIUS:
machine guns.

COLLATERAL The V-2 introduced
a new, terrifying
dimensiontowarfare
VENGEANCE
If war had become increasingly
detached thanks to the invention of KILL EFFICIENCY:
the tank and aeroplane, then with the COLLATERAL DAMAGE:
inventionofrockets,itenteredatruly
modern age. The Germans began SHOCK FACTOR:
developing rocket technology in the ENGINEERING GENIUS:
1930sandthefirstoftheirso-called
‘A’ rockets flew in 1933. These rockets
developedintothe‘V’seriesandsaw GUIDED MISSILE FAST FACTS
real success with the V-2 (Vengeance
Weapon2)rocket,theworld’sfirst RANGE OF FIRE
long-range ballistic missile. The V-2
could deliver an explosive warhead V-2 (1944) 320KM (200MI)
capable of levelling entire buildings,
killingmassesofpeopleand
disrupting enemy installations. In the SSM-N-8 REGULUS (1955) 926KM (575MI)
last year of World War II over 9,000
soldiers and civilians were killed by
deadly V-2 blasts. TOMAHAWK (1983) 2,500KM (1,550MI)