[Franek Grabowski]

Graham
As standard as Mk VC trop could be. It is indeed surprising after reading so many performance figures, but I would say it was just reality. Soviet propaganda for years worked to prove the world the Soviet Union is a leading country in all respects. It was so unrefined that some people here laughed that within few years Yaks will break the sound barrier.
Trials were described in a Yugoslav booklet about Spitfire. I was unable to obtain a copy of the report, but I would hardly call it anecdotal. Climb - I presume steady climb, please note that superior climb was already noted by 57 GvIAP in 1943. One possible explanation is that Spitfire was not loaded to achieve gross weight. The fuel does not matter, as Spitfire needed 100, so any deviation would be unfavourable for the aircraft.