The Supermarine Spitfire was much more than just a highly successful fighter. It was the material symbol of final victory to the British people in their darkest hour, and it was probably the only fighter of the Second World War to achieve a truly legendary status. Certainly no other fighter is more deserving of its place among the famous. In its forty major variants, it was built in greater numbers than any other British aeroplane; it flew operationally on every front between 1939 and 1945, and it was engaged in every major air action fought by the RAF at that time.

The Battle of Britain, fought during 1940, is still very much in the minds and hearts of the English people and the victory in the air was largely due to this plane and the men that flew them.