Spitfire mk viii

[jhutchi]

I have seen pics of a mk viii clipped wing operated by SAAF, was this LF version also used by Australian Air Force too please?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[Graham Boak]

I don't recall seeing any photos of clipped wing RAAF Spitfires, but perhaps others have. The majority of the Mk.VIIIs were LF variants, but it was the engine (Merlin 66) that decided the designation, not the clipping of the wings.

[Magpie22]

I have seen pics of a mk viii clipped wing operated by SAAF, was this LF version also used by Australian Air Force too please?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

The RAAF did not operate clipped wing Spitfire VIII aircraft. I know of only one occasion, when Wing Commander Bobby Gibbes had the wings of one of his LF Spits clipped. RAAF HQ heard about it and made it quite clear that clipping the wings of Spitfires was 'not on'!

As Graham says, it was the engine, not the wings, that determined whether it was an LF or HF. Interestingly, the RAAF regarded all their Spitfire VIIIs as high altitude interceptors, regardless of whether they were LF (Merlin 66) or HF (Merlin 70).

Magpie 22

[Graham Boak]

"LF" is a bit of a misnomer in the case of the Merlin 66, having a full throttle height only a few thousand feet below that of the "F" variant (Merlin 61/63). It was considered a better compromise setting, giving a bit more power at all altitudes below this. It does depend upon where the fighting was going on. The "LF" rating on the Mk.V (Merlin 45M, 50M, 55M) really was a low full throttle height - 5000ft if I remember correctly. This made the machine very sprightly up to 10000ft but pretty dead above that.