I still think the Seafire wasn't as '2nd rate' as all that...they had external fuel tanks afterall, later in the conflict, and the Griffoned Mk.XV entered service in 1944, although it didn't make a noticeable impact as the enemy was on the run by then...The Seafire's contribution was large, as far as the FAA went, coming on stream in 1942. They weren't 'ideal', but they played a significant role in all Allied amphibious landings, in fact they were the first onto the hastily-made landing strips on D-Day, only a few kms from the German positions...I think Britain 'made a silk purse out of a sour's ear' with them.....