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The point(s) are two fold. The sterling qualities that made the Mks-I to V such delightful planes to fly vanished with the Mk-IX.
It took a very long time from first flight to operational service and then longer to demonstrated superiority over the FW-190 and the steady stream of kills that went with it.
The Mk-XIV was much worse. Even after entry into squadron service it was, IIRC, over one year to the first kill in combat.
These facts by them selves prove that the later Spit was a handful and not a very effective combat weapon.
The Mk XIV's first combat sorties were 8 January 1945. Its first actual encounter with the enemy was 7 March 1944, when a claim for a probably destroyed was made.
So, if we look at the time between starting combat sorties and actually claiming, the Mk XIV and the Merlin Mustang are about the same, roughly three months. If we look at prototype test flight to first claim, its 25 months for the Mk XIV and 15 months for the P-51B.
The Mk-XIV was much worse....Pilot complaints about heavy controls, bad manners and "Snaky" Yaw tendencies are rife. The Spitfire never regained it's sterling reputation after the Mk-V became obsolete. The Mk-IX became better than good enough, but was never equal to the Mk-V as related to fighting qualities. The Mk-XIV was an unmitigated disaster on those lines, but was the only plane the Brits had that could hope to compete late war, so they flew it anyway.
F/L J. B. Lawrence of 402 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 6th October, 1944:
We were scrambled after Huns coming in from Venlo - Wesel area. I was flying Red 1 and led the squadron south. On following the vectors from Kenway we came up underneath the Huns as they were approaching Nijmegen. We climbed under a loose gaggle of 15 plus 109's when I sighted one 109 alone crossing in front of me. I turned into line astern and closed quickly. I fired one very short burst and the 109 went into a diving turn to starboard. I turned inside him and at about 20° off 200 yds. range I fired another burst of about 2 secs. Strikes were observed on cockpit and engine. Pieces flew off, and white and black smoke poured out. The enemy a/c turned into a steep spiral to port. He dived into the ground two or three miles S. of Nijmegen. I saw no parachute. I claim one Me 109 destroyed. All observed by Red. 2.
After this engagement, five of us reformed and headed S.E. climbing. Red 2 and myself observed a lone 109 flying east at about 18,000 ft. We headed towards him and he went into a dive which steepened to the vertical. When near ground level, he attempted to level off. On pulling out, his aircraft disintegrated and fell in just N.E. of Cleve. I claim this for the squadron. 61
F/O W. H. Whittaker of 402 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 6th October 1944:
When at approx 17,000 ft. a Me 109 passed above and in front of my No. 1 who turned towards the e/a while in a steep climbing turn. Red 1 however was not able to get a shot at the e/a which then passed directly in front of me turning and climbing steeply. I fired a two secs. burst from about 200 yds. at 40° - 50° angle off. The a/c seemed to shudder and stall and went down in an almost vertical spin. The e/a then disappeared under my nose as I climbed to regain Red 1.
F/Lt. J.B. Lawrence however saw the action and saw the strikes near the cockpit. He saw the e/a go down in the spin and hit the ground 5 miles south of Nijmegen near a small wood. I claim this e/a destroyed. 62
F/L A. R. Speare of 402 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 6th October, 1944:
I was flying as Yellow 1 when Kenway reported Huns at 25,000 ft. S.E. Nijmegen. Soon afterwards we sighted them at 12 o'clock above and we climbed into them. I picked out two that were diving away. I lost one of them but followed the other FW 190 from 20,000 ft. down to the deck. The Hun took evasive action by doing steep climbing turns to starboard and then diving down again. I kept on his tail and took one 1 sec. burst when he was in a turn but did not allow enough deflection. I finally got to within 100 yds. range line astern and as he ws doing a climbing turn I gave him a 2 secs. burst. I saw strikes on the engine, cockpit and wing and black smoke began to come from the e/a. He half rolled to port and dove striaght into the ground where he exploded. I claim this e/a destroyed. 63
F/O Harry Walmsley of 130 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 8 December, 1944:
On 8th December I was Yellow 3, and my squadron had been detailed on armed recce to cover Dulmen, Hamm, Munster. There were 9 aircraft airbourne at 1409 and W/Cdr. Keefer was leading. About 1505 we approached Burgstein. Red and Blue sections went to one side of the town and my section went to the other. We saw a locomotive with about ten trucks. We had made one attack on the loco. and two on the trucks and were preparing to make another when about a dozen aircraft appeared from the east and they dived straight past us as if they wre joining in the attack on the train. These aircraft had cigar-shaped drop tanks slung under the centre of the fuselage and I thought at first they were American aircraft. I then saw the crosses on the wings and I could see that they were Me 109's and FW 190's. A dog fight started with everyone milling round. After about five minutes I found myself alone. I saw another train pulled up in a station so I went down and had a squirt at it and saw strikes on the locomotive. When I pulled up I saw a Spitfire in trouble. It was smoking and the undercarriage partly down. I joined up with it to protect it. There were five Spitfires there. I do not know what happened to the damaged Spitfire for suddenly six e/a probably some of the ones I had first seen came diving down out of cloud. They had obviously climbed and reformed after the initial attack. This second attack made from 10/10th. cloud at 1,500 feet was obviously directed against the damaged Spitfire. Some of the others in the Squadron chased them off. I went for two which were making an attack. I made a quarter attack on one of them, an Me 109, closing to 300 yards and giving a two second burst with all guns. I saw strikes behind the cockpit the e/a dived straight into the ground. I found I was being fired at by two e/a so I used full evasive tactics for about five minutes and finally got away into cloud. I landed at Heesh as I was short of petrol and made my claim to the Intelligence Officer there. I then returned to base. I claim this Me 109 destroyed.
I am sure that on the sides of the fuselage there where white roundels. The e/a were very persistant, the leaders certainly were very well clued up, I have never seen Huns fight so well. Their tactics were good in that obviously after the first attack they climbed to cloud and reformed. They definately caught us by surprise. I think they had either been on patrol, or had been scrambled, and when they saw smoke from the train they knew where we were and attacked out of cloud. The Spitfire XIV is definitely better than the 109 as I could do a better climbing turn even with my tank on. With my tank on the e/a could almost follow me but could not get a deflection shot at me. The e/a were using tracer and self-destructing ammunition. The camouflage was earth green and brown and blended well with
Do you mean 8 January 1944?
I think your calcs for the XIV are out by a year. If the Prototype first flew 25 months before the first claim, then it would have been flying in February 1942. I think it more likely that it was February 1943, since the XIV prototype was a converted VIII (known as the VIIIG), and the VIII itself was delayed by the crash program to get the IX into service.
While I disagree with Shooter, IMHO it is true that Supermarine had to struggle to keep Spitfire truly combative during the WWII, that wasn't a surprise because technical development was so fast during 40s but still the all major wartime production versions of Spit were stopgap solutions (Mk V, IX and XIV) while the planned improved versions (III, VII/VIII and 21) were pushed aside, more or less missed the war or were built in significantly lower numbers than their stop-gap sisters. Mk IXs and XIVs showed that "shotgun marriages" can be very successful as did Fw 190D in Germany and Ki-100 in Japan but things didn't went accordingly the planned development cycle.
Juha
While I disagree with Shooter, IMHO it is true that Supermarine had to struggle to keep Spitfire truly combative during the WWII, that wasn't a surprise because technical development was so fast during 40s but still the all major wartime production versions of Spit were stopgap solutions (Mk V, IX and XIV) while the planned improved versions (III, VII/VIII and 21) were pushed aside, more or less missed the war or were built in significantly lower numbers than their stop-gap sisters. Mk IXs and XIVs showed that "shotgun marriages" can be very successful as did Fw 190D in Germany and Ki-100 in Japan but things didn't went accordingly the planned development cycle.
Juha
But as stop-gaps go, the XIV was pretty awesome. And the IX wasn't bad either.
SHOOTER's ridiculous claims cannot go unaddressed
Best to just ignore his gibberish nonsense as much as possible.