How many late war spitfire were flying with rack?

[adamliu]

I see people saying that there are biase in Spitfire Mk XIV versus Me 109 G/K They said that spitfires in the test were not with rack.
However, IRL How many late war spitfire were flying with rack?

 

[MiTasol]

Sorry but the translation software you used means your question is not clear.

Can you write in your language and then people can use their translation software of choice to understand what you mean.

 

[pbehn]

Sorry but the translation software you used means your question is not clear.

Can you write in your language and then people can use their translation software of choice to understand what you mean.

I presumed it meant bomb or rocket racks.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I presumed it meant bomb or rocket racks.

I was thinking beer racks..

 

[TheMadPenguin]

Bomb rack, rocket rack, drop-tank rack... How did they affect handling in dog-fight-type flying?
The OP question is what portion of late-war spitfire XIVs had racks of whatever kind when engaging 109 G/Ks?

 

[pbehn]

Bomb rack, rocket rack, drop-tank rack... How did they affect handling in dog-fight-type flying?
The OP question is what portion of late-war spitfire XIVs had racks of whatever kind when engaging 109 G/Ks?

Approximately half were fitted with cameras as fighting PR versions, I suspect there were more slipper tanks fitted than any post war photo collection reveals.

 

[gomwolf]

The main role of the spitfire 14 used in the british mainland was the interceptor of V-1 missiles, so it flew without a rack. They needed more speed for their work. Meanwhile spitfire 14 under the 2nd TAF, which have start service from dec 1944, was ordered to high altitude combat patrol, so they used racks for fuel tank.

But AFAIK, most of Spitfire 14 were used in mainland and only small number of spitfire 14 under 2nd TAF, so generally spitfire flew without racks.

 

[Airframes]

As I understand it, the Spitfire Mk.XIV employed a "slipper" tank, beneath the fuselage, which did not use a rack. The tank was fitted directly to mounting Points on the underside of the fuselage. Once jettisoned, the aircraft was "clean", with no rack to cause drag.
Note also that those Mk.XIV's used by ADGB in the anti "Diver" role, against the V1, were also lightened by removal of armour plate in some instances, and had the rear-view mirror removed from the top of the windscreen to give a slight speed increase (from memory, around 4 mph).

 

[MiTasol]

Yes. The Spitfire, like the Ki-43 and A6M had few protrusions once the tank was dropped. From memory just a couple of small hooks where the front of the tank located on the Spitfire, a hole about 150mm diameter in the belly for the A6M and two roughly 30mm square holes in the belly on the Ki-43.