The Spitfire and the Hurricane were, however, defensive weapons and relatively short on range.Īs the European war entered its fifth month, officials in the British defence establishment finally realized that the RAF needed a fighter of greater range to meet the threat of Italy to Egypt and that of the Japanese to Singapore.
There was simply no match for the speed, manoeuvrability, and fire power of the Spitfire at the time. Air Ministry officials had little interest in any other fighter types and none in anything then being produced in the United States. The British Air Ministry believed that it’s Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane (both Rolls-Royce Merlin-engined fighters) could easily meet RAF Fighter Command’s requirement for the defence of Great Britain in the coming conflict. Winston Churchill, who would later replace Chamberlain as prime minister, said of the appeasement of Hitler that the prime minister had had a choice between war and dishonor. He beamed proclaiming that the paper meant peace for our time. It was that piece of paper that Neville Chamberlain waved at reporters later that day when his plane arrived at Heston Aerodrome, near the London Heathrow airport of today. On the 30th, Chamberlain asked Hitler to agree to a peace treaty with Britain, which the German leader promptly signed. Britain and France informed the Czechs that if they wanted to resist Germany, they would be on their own, and, seeing the futility of their position, they reluctantly agreed to the annexation and de facto German control of Czechoslovakia. In a meeting with Hitler on September 22nd, Chamberlain was told that the German army would occupy the Sudetenland by the 28th and, in the hope of avoiding war, the British premier got Hitler to agree to a last-ditch four-power conference over the disputed territory, a meeting that was convened on the 29th and attended by Hitler, Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier of France, and Benito Mussolini of Italy.Įarly the next morning a deal was struck that essentially sacrificed Czechoslovakia in return for peace. Italy, too, was unready for such a conflict. Britain and France both perceived Germany as outgunning them and they were struggling to achieve parity. The nations of western Europe were anxious to avoid another war. Hitler had already annexed Austria in March and most western observers thought that he would demand the Sudetenland next. The primary signatories of the agreement, Britain, France, and Italy, had chosen to appease Hitler in the belief that their action would prevent a new war. Chamberlain and the others had agreed to permit Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, to annex the Czech Sudetenland, an area on the Czech-German border inhabited mainly by ethnic Germans. Only Czechoslovakia had not been represented. On September 30th 1938, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to England from a meeting in Munich of the major European powers. Late in the 1930s it was apparent to many people on both sides of the Atlantic that a new war in Europe was all but inevitable. A vivid and enthralling history set to appeal to aviation enthusiasts looking for more than just a mere operational history of the Mustang's exploits.
While the Spitfire may have a slight edge in light-touch handling, if I have to go to war in one type, Ill take theMustang every time.This comprehensive account of the Mustang aircraft charts the operational history of the craft and also relays a the personal stories and experiences of the men who flew the 'Cadillac of the skies' as it has been described. One common thread exists among those who have experienced both of these fine machines an opinion that seems to hold up even after a lifetime of flying the best the aviation design community has created. Of these, the Spitfire and Mustang stand out and remain extra special to the majority of pilots who have been privileged to fly them. For most that little list includes the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire, the Douglas DC-3, the Hawker Hunter, the Lockheed Constellation, the Concord, and the North American Mustang. The list is short but distinguished and the proof is in the enthusiastic common view of most pilots who have flown themfor nearly all, it was love at first sight and first flight. Think if you will of the handful of aeroplanes that most people would probably agree are the best-looking examples of all. If it looks right, it will probably fly righta tired old saying among airmen, but one that persists.
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