The genius who sent the Spitfire flying into action

As we mark Battle of Britain Day, a brilliant new biography of Reginald Mitchell throws fresh light on the designer who perhaps more than anyone else helped arm the RAF for its dramatic clash in the skies of southern England 85 years ago

- By Paul Beaver

THE STIRRING words of Spitfire designer Reginald Mitchell have entered legend. “I’m going to build a plane that will move just like a bird... I want to build a fighter. The fastest and deadliest fighting aeroplane in the world.” There’s just one problem, the chief engineer at the small firm of Supermarine never uttered them.

They come from a clifftop scene in the wartime propaganda film, The First of the Few, leading generations to believe Mitchell designed the Spitfire pretty much single-handedly while persevering against painful cancer.

While there’s no disputing Mitchell was a national hero, he didn’t create the Spitfire alone. It’s true he had rectal cancer but much of the 1942 film, starring and directed by Leslie Howard as Mitchell and featuring David Niven, is fabrication.

So let’s explore the real man: a true national treasure. Over the years I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the liberties taken with facts about the Spitfire and its creation. As we mark the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this year, it was time, I thought, to find the real Reginald Mitchell. And the truth is, he’s much more brilliant than we ever suspected.

Mitchell was the father of the Spitfire. But he was not the sole designer of the aircraft; he created a team of some of the most talented young men and a few young women available at the time. He offered jobs to those with skills across the industrial sectors. They learned on the job and were rewarded well. Most “Supermariners”, as they were known, were lifers.

The Supermarine S6b racing seaplane, winner of the sought-after Schneider Trophy in 1931, was the fastest flying machine of its day and the first to break the 400mph barrier. It proved a string of new technologies.