Quote:I think it was on Spitfire Ace that one of the BoB pilots told how he (British Spitfire pilot) was shot down by another Spitfire. I also remember reading an account by a 485 (New Zealand) Squadron pilot who, on or around D-Day, was forced to shoot down a Seafire that continued to attack him even though his own Spitfire IX was painted in full invasion stripes. I'm certain this kind of thing happened quite often. Johnie Johnson wrote in his book Wing Leader that he saw on one occasion an Fw190 shoot down a 109.
Sadly I think this was more common than most people would admit.
Quote:Tragically, the first aircraft to fall to a Spitfire's guns were two Hurricanes of No 56 Squadron, shot down by aircraft from No 74 Squadron over the Medway on 6 September 1939. This episode, in which a Blenheim was also shot down by friendly anti-aircraft fire, became known as 'The Battle of Barking Creek' and was caused by a technical fault in the fighter control system. The Spitfire pilots were subsequently exonerated from any blame at a court martial, and as a direct result, the highest priority was given to the production of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment, forerunner of the modern encoding transponder.
http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/spitfire/into_act.htmRegarding the old debate about the Hurricane & Spitfire. It really depends who you listen to. The pilots of each will usually say that they think theirs was the better aircraft. From official reports there was very little to choose between the turning circle of either & the superiority of the Hurricane in this repect is actually a myth. Again, it all comes down to experience. Both could out-turn the Bf 109 unless it was flown by a very experienced pilot. The Spitfire would warn the pilot of an impending stall with a little judder & he simply had to ease off a little to regain control. The Hurricane was tougher & could take more combat damage.
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