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Re: Australian Spitfires
Yeah Jeff, the table at the back of the book details the loss of almost 160 Spitfires, all but 21 due to 'operational causes' eg, fuel starvation, crash landing, engine failures, crashes on take-off, collisions whilst taxing etc.
And a study of No.80 Fighter Wings' maintenance records on Morotai Island tells a similar story. Frightful wastage of aircraft due to 'operational causes'.
Although arguably that the Spitfire was perhaps the greatest dogfighter aircraft of WWII, it's performance in the Pacific Theatre - Darwin, Morotai and Burma - leaves a lot to be desired. It just was not suited to such a demanding environment.
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