IN FOCUS
LATE-MARK SPITFIRESIN FOCUS
LATE-MARK SPITFIRES50 Airfi x Model Worldmore so when the war in Europe
ended during May 1945, in addition
to changing priorities, conspired
to ensure the final production
Spitfires were not very prolific.
Revised fuselage
Developed virtually in parallel
to the F.21 was the F.22 – also
called Type 356. This version was
markedly different in featuring
a cut-down rear fuselage, and a
clear teardrop ‘bubble’ rearwards-
sliding canopy. Although this
gave the Mk.22 a very purposeful
appearance, the major alteration
to the rear fuselage shape (again
a new feature in the Spitfire line)
gave directional stability problems.
It was followed by the final Spitfire
production model, the Mk.24 (also
Type 356). The latter was very
similar to the Mk.22 apart from
minor modifications, increased
fuel, and a slight armament
revision in later airframes.
Mk.22/24 production and final
assembly has been the source
of considerable confusion
in subsequent years, but
manufacture of the Mk.22 is now
generally agreed as 260 airframes;
the Mk.24 appears to have been
derived from Mk.22 contracts,
including 24 (or possibly 27) final
examples of the Mk.22 finished as
the Mk.24, six Mk.22 assumed to
have been converted to Mk.24, and
54 completed as Mk.24.
The Mk.22 served in a limited
manner with the RAF post-war,
mainly with Royal Auxiliary Air
Force (RAuxAF) units, but an
important frontline user was 73
Squadron at Ta Kali airfield, Malta.
The final production Mk.24 was
the last of all Spitfires to be built. It
was serial number VN496, and as
with other concluding Spitfires it
was assembled at South Marston,
Wiltshire; the Castle Bromwich
factory where so many Spitfires
were formerly built was closed
during December 1945. VN496 was
delivered, according to its record
card history, during April 1949 (but
completed in February 1948). The
Mk.24 was a rare beast for frontline
use with the RAF, although 80
Squadron flew the type in West
Germany and then Hong Kong;
several Mk.24s were later passed to
the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
(later re-named with a ‘Royal’ title).Griffon power
The Griffon 61 supercharged inline
engine was the powerplant of the
Mks.21/22/24, with a maximum
power rating quoted by its
manufacturer of 2,050hp on full
supercharger. With this engine,
the Mk.24 was discovered in
service trials to have a creditable
maximum speed of 454mph
(730.64km/h) at 26,000ft
(7,925m); the climb rate was quoted
as 4,900ft/min (1,494m/min),
considerably greater than early
1940s Spitfires. Service ceiling was
43,000ft (13,106m), the Griffon 61
giving the late-production Spitfires
a useful high-altitude capability.
Armament comprised four (two in
each wing) 20mm British Hispano
cannons, with 175 rounds per gun(RPG) for the inner, and 150 RPG
for the outer; the Mks.21 and 22
had the long-barrelled Hispano
Mk.II, but later Mk.24s had the
short-barrelled Hispano Mk.V.
The Mk.24 could also carry three
500lb (227kg) bombs, or unguided
rockets on zero-length pylons
(three under each wing).
Although most Mk.21/22/24
Spitfires had Griffon 61 power, a
limited number were fitted with the
Griffon 85 engine, driving contra-
rotating propellers.
In addition to RAF use, a small
number of the late mark Spitfires
were exported, with Egypt,
Southern Rhodesia and Syria
receiving examples of the Mk.22.Racing Spitfires
Following the end of World War
Two, the pursuit of air racing
was revived in Britain and this
occasionally included participation
by RAF aircraft. Staged on Sunday
July 31, 1949, there was a special
race for RAuxAF aircraft (the year
is sometimes said to have been
1948). A trophy for this event was
donated by Wing Commander G
Cooper, the Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough West. The race
was a handicap over four laps of
the 20-mile (32.19km) course at
Elmdon airfield (now Birmingham
Airport), and included Spitfires
racing each other and against a
potentially faster de Havilland
Vampire. Among the Spitfires was
Mk.22 PK553 (race number 64,
abbreviated to just ‘4’ in temporary
paint on the airframe) of 607
(County of Durham) Squadron,
RAuxAF, intended to be piloted
by Flying Officer I Baxter.One of the contestants in the Cooper
Air Race was Spitfire Mk.22 PK553 of
607 (County of Durham) Squadron,
RAuxAF, which was numbered ‘64’...
with ‘4’ alone being painted on the
airframe. (John Batchelor Collection)Revised, Supermarine Spiteful-style tailplane surfaces were fitted to later-production Griffon-engined Spitfires, as seen on this
US civil-registered Mk.24, N7929A (ex-VN332), which crashed during April 1953.