RED STAR SPITFIRES

摘要

"Ishot down my first Spitfire in I Russia. It was at Krymskaya, I and when I reported it there was a lot of talk... Next day, there they were - we saw many of them." That's how Luftwaffe 'ace' Gunther Rail recalled his first Spitfire 'kill' in May 1943, highlighting an all too often overlooked combat theatre for R J Mitchell's superb fighter. Soviet personnel got their first taste of a Spitfire in the most surprising of places: Germany. In March 1941 - before the outbreak of war between the two nations - the Germans showed a captured Mk.Ia to a'Soviet delegation and allowed test pilot S P Souproun to sample it. He made two flights and was clearly impressed. He liked its excellent stability and controllability. The only shortcomings noted were its low fuel capacity and lack of cannons and large calibre machine-guns.