The Spitfire In Action

The initial order for 310 Spitfires and the Hawker Hurricanes to return to their airfields. There had never been any German aircraft in the area. The fiasco cost the RAF three aircraft destroyed; two Hurricanes shot down by Spitfires of No. 74 Squadron and a Blenheim shot down binate-aircraft fire. One RAF pilot was killed.

Following the action Fighter Command launched an official inquiry to determine what had gone wrong and prevent recurrence. One lesson, which has to be re-learned for each war, was the folly of opening fire on aircraft that had not been positively identified as’ hostile’. Another was the looking at the reports from one radar in isolation (stations had reported seeing no aircraft, but the absence of plots had been ignored). A further lesson waste need to fit IFF (identification friend or foe) radar equipment in all RAF fighters, and the programmed to build and install this equipment received top priority.

The Spitfires first encountered German aircraft en mission on 21 May 1940, when rapid advance of the German army into Belgium and France brought the war to within reach of RAF fighters operating from airfields in Kent. During the following weeks, Spitfires and Hurricanes flew large numbers of sorties to cover the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk.