The Spitfire Story

by Alfred Price

The Spitfire is probably the most famous Second World War fighter aircraft. Alfred Price, international authority on the Spitfire, traces the life of the aircraft that has become a living legend. From the original design concept of Reginald Mitchell to the first flight in 1936, and on through 12 years of continuous development, this extensively illustrated history of the Spitfire has benefited from the help of many people engaged in the design, production and testing of the Spitfire, in particular Jeffrey Quill, the former Chief Test Pilot for Supermarine.

Genres: World War II, Aviation, History, Reference, Military Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Alfred Price seved for 16 years as an aircrew officer in the Royal air Force where he specialised in electronic warfare and air fighting tactics.

He left the RAF in 1974 and thereafter he worked full time as a writer on aviation subjects.

He holds a PhD in history from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Jesper Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny thing is that I do acknowledge the Spitfire as one of the most iconic and significant fighters ever designed but never really got 'caught' by it as such.

Mr. Price's book changed that to a degree. Amazing to read about the development from the first Mk I to the later Mk. 24. As an example; The increase in gross weight from the first Mk. I to the last Mk 24 equals 30 airline passengers plus their luggage. That's something . . . .

As mentioned I haven't read many books about the Spitfire so I cannot say whether this book is better than others or if it is just another book on the subject. But I had a good time reading it. And the book contains a lot of pictures to enjoy. (In my opinion early and 'mid-life' Spitfires where by far the best looking of the lot. The late Marks lost their harmonic and elegant look)

So I can only recommend it.

Take care

J

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The closest thing to a definitive history of the Spitfire, from 1935 prototype to the mark 24 13 years later (and the 20,400 Spitfires in between).

This is a well written, superbly researched and VERY technical account of Britain’s most famous fighter for those with keen interest in aviation. It does a good job of making the complicated engineering and seemingly illogical mark system of Spitfires more simple. There are some brilliant photos and fascinating anecdotes, but I can’t get that excited about a book that essentially contains no human characters and emotions.

Three stars feels harsh given the book never intends to do this and I could easily give it five if criteria was for a technical, start to end, straight as they come history.

[Don Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has got to be the premier, most, in-depth documentation of the life of the Spitfire. I can't imagine any other book on the Spitfire being more comprehensive.

I did not read every page, but I read the chapters to get a gist of the overall life-cycle of this amazing machine.

If you need information about the Spitfire - this is it!

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book on the Spifire. Brilliant.

[Brads · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one knows Spitfires like Dr. Alfred Price. Rather than more stories from well-known RAF pilots, this book is full of anecdotes by the rest of "The Few". My favorite so far is the story of the second operational Spitfire deployed to Duxford with 19 Squadron. On taxiing, the landing gear began to collapse, and the ground crew ran out without being ordered to support the wing and prevent the propeller from digging into the ground.

[Cort Ockfen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mainly browsed it, checking out the photos.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best and most enjoyable book on the spitfire.