Spitfire Ace

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History, War, Technology Documentary published by BBC in 2004 - English narration

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The Battle of Britain in 1940 is one of the most famous air battles in the history of warfare, But at its heart is one particular figure, the RAF fighter pilot. Famous for their dazzling technical skill and tremendous bravery, they are also part of a romantic mythology, with a combination of valour and glamour that has endured through to our modern age. But equally as legendary are the planes the men flew, and one in particular � the Supermarine Spitfire.

"All our hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Winston Churchill, 20th August 1940

It's July 1940, and Britain's fate lies in the balance. Across the English Channel is the greatest threat that Britain has ever faced: the belligerent might of Nazi Germany. Hitler's troops have already overrun large parts of Europe with staggering speed, and Britain's last remaining ally, France, has fallen in just six weeks.

Britain would be saved from invasion, though, thanks to the 3,000 pilots of RAF's Fighter Command � the famous 'Few', and many of them flew that most iconic of aircraft, the Supermarine Spitfire. The pilots were ordinary young men, some just nineteen or twenty years old, but they were part of some extraordinary events that summer, and by October, the threat of invasion had passed.

Hearing the testimony of the surviving pilots is compelling, but in Spitfire Ace, we also find out what it was really like to fly a Spitfire. Four young volunteers are put through their paces in a Tiger Moth, the plane used for preliminary training by the Battle of Britain pilots. The two strongest pilots then get the chance to fulfil every young boy's dream, to fly a Spitfire for themselves. Our twenty-first century Spitfire class is then narrowed down to just one pilot who goes on a nine-hour advanced operational training course.