Spitfires

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Spitfires were the nemesis of the Luftwaffe and the instrument which halted Hitler’s plans for invasion. After relentless bombing of the Spitfire factories in Southampton, the Germans were convinced they had halted the production of the Spitfires for good. However, the British had a secret plan…

The secret was that much of the work force creating almost 50% of the Spits were women and girls, old men and boys, bit by bit becoming highly trained and motivated, working around the clock in secret and sometimes tiny “manufacturing centers”…

In 1940, the Germans destroyed the Spitfire factories in Southampton and wrongly believed they had ended the threat from their nemesis. But unknown to them, the British were building Spitfires in secret. Salisbury, Trowbridge, Reading and the return of Southampton become the new major manufacturing centers for Spitfires hidden in sheds, garages, bus depots, a hotel, even bedrooms. Secret workforce, mainly made up of initially unskilled young girls, boys, women, elderly men and a handful of engineers, built almost half of 22,000 Spitfires, other half built at the shadow factory in Castle Bromwich. An achievement that was instrumental in winning the Battle of Britain.

Fun was provided by included GI dances, a Glenn Miller concert and a Joe Louis boxing match!

[Subdeacon Joe]

The British used a lot of cottage industry in their war production.  Maybe not a huge percentage of overall production,  but enough to take a significant load of major production facilities.   

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

When the RCAF was phasing out the "SPITS" they were lined up on the tarmac in front of #2 Hangar, at RCAF Rockliffe..

Flying one day, turned over to Crown Assets the next day, just stripped of their guns and sold for $50.00 each.

 

Edited April 6 by Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474