The Supermarine Spitfire's Forgotten First Victory

Did you know that the legendary Supermarine Spitfire, a symbol of British defiance and aerial prowess, claimed its first aerial victory not over the skies of England, but in the unexpected setting of Scotland?
Join me as I unravel the details of this historic encounter. Who was the skilled RAF pilot behind the Spitfire's first triumphant battle against the Luftwaffe? What were the circumstances that led to this momentous event? And why is this victory, a crucial turning point in air combat history, often overlooked?
Note: I had a bit of an issue with the audio on this video, working on it for the next one.
💗 If you'd like to support my channel please follow this link for more details: calibanrising.com/support/
You can also now find me on Patreon: / calibanrising
🧥 Want to get a great deal on an authentic leather flying jacket? Check out the range from Legendary USA here: calibanrising.com/flying-jacket/
🎁 Grab one of my unique WW2-themed designs. great on t-shirts, hoodies or mugs: bit.ly/3GLPNBJ
📰 You can also support me by subscribing to one of these great aviation magazines: calibanrising.com/magazines/
💰 Want to start an online business with KZbin?
This KZbin channel is no accident and the success I've had so far was no mere fluke, it's all been planned out and executed in a very meaningful way. However, I can't take credit for knowing how to do all that, I had to learn and I learned from the best!
Listen to my advice for building a successful KZbin channel: • How Does Phil From Cal...
📕 Welcome to my channel where I share my love of history and aviation. I first fell in love with military aviation when reading Biggles books as a boy, then I studied history at university. I like finding interesting stories and sharing them with others.
I also followed this passion into the real world and managed to get a Private Pilot's Licence on 10th May 2014.
🕹️ My gaming equipment for getting footage:
Joystick: amzn.to/2TP6h40
Rudder Pedals: amzn.to/38c3YAx
Elevator Trim: amzn.to/3oQWNn8
Head Tracking: amzn.to/34Qpvwd
3D print your own gaming controls
Get an Enders 3 Pro like me: amzn.to/3dFXts3
Go over to authentikit.org/
Wishlist: amzn.to/385dXHD
⏱️ Timestamp:
0:00 intro
Images: other than where stated, images used in the video have been found on commons.wikimedia.org/
#aviationhistory#history

[@user-ty5zo1xm8n]

Archie Mckeller's grave is in Thornliebank New Cemetery near Glasgow. The whole cemetery is starting to look uncared for but there are wreaths laid every Remberance day, one from the RAF i think. He was shot down and killed in late 1939 over London i seem to remember ? My mother's family graves are in the next row .

[@CalibanRising]

Archie McKellar fought in the Battle of Britain, claiming an amazing 5 victories in a single day, and was shot down on the 1st of November 1940 over Maidstone while serving with No. 605 Squadron. I'm glad he's still remembered back home.

[@jaws848]

@@CalibanRising can you do a video on the Spitfire Tr Mk9....the "Forgotten" Spitfire as only 20 were made,was NOT used by the raf and didnt exist until 1950

[@eliott.6997]

A Firth of Forth video would be very interesting. Smaller battles like that quite often go without much coverage, so this would be a refreshing change from the norm!

[@CalibanRising]

Great. I was finding the build up to this raid pretty interesting, so glad to hear I wouldn't be the only one to think so.

[@Pablo668]

That first aircraft shot down was a Hurricane (as you mentioned) in what was called the Battle of Barking Creek. Good vid btw.

[@CalibanRising]

Correct!

[@josephking6515]

Malan was an r-sole.

[@davidbarrass]

RAF Turnhouse is now Edinburgh Airport, most flights out (and in) fly over the Forth, recreating the planned escape flight path. RAF Drem is near the Scottish Museam of Flight (another ex RAF airodrome) which has an information panel on this battle

[@AbelMcTalisker]

Not just near, East Fortune IS Drem.

[@davidbarrass]

@@AbelMcTalisker I did check this, I was about to write exactly what you said :-). RAF Drem was North of Drem, you can still see some of the buildings when you travel the road to Dirlton. Look left after you cross the bridge over the burn just before Fenton Barns The Museam of Flight is to the east of Drem

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

I would greatly appreciate it if you would do a full analysis of the battle please.

[@sirbarringtonwomblembe4098]

I used to visit that museum regularly. On my last visit several years ago, the legendary Eric 'Winkle' Brown's many medals were on display.

[@richardthornton3775]

What an amazing story. Thank you for retelling it😁🙏

[@CalibanRising]

Thank you for watching Richard, I really appreciate it.

[@sirbarringtonwomblembe4098]

I was a schoolboy in the early 70s and lived near Glasgow airport. In 73 or 74 the Red Arrows were due to give a display there. But a local Turkey farmer objected because the loud jet noise could have panicked/killed the birds; so the display was cancelled. Ironically the objector was Pinkerton! I spoke to his son once at that farm in the 90s through my work activities then. On a wall there was a wartime black and white photograph of the Spitfire factory at Southampton.

[@CalibanRising]

I hope they listened to him.

[@davidelliott5843]

We regularly get The Red Arrows over Torbay. The noise is really not that bad. If you are driving you’ll probably not even hear them.

[@Roverswelsh]

Flt Lt Gifford has a memorial in the village town where he lived -Castle Douglas in SW Scotland.

[@CalibanRising]

Glad to hear he is still remembered there.

[@Roverswelsh]

@@CalibanRising - and IIRC he’s the second AAF officer to lead a regular RAF unit. The first was Roger Bushell

[@Roverswelsh]

@@CalibanRising - I will be in Castle Douglas today; I will get some photos and send them to you

[@CalibanRising]

@@Roverswelsh Thank you, I would appreciate that.

[@philipsink9786]

Great video - I'd love an analysis of the battle of the Firth of Forth!

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks Philip, I'll put it on the list!

[@janlindtner305]

Through resercret with convincing arguments, it is a pleasure to receive your lectures👍👍👍

[@CalibanRising]

Many thanks

[@IndianaDel1]

Certainly would be interesting to see the first test of the "Dowding System" over the Firth please.

[@CalibanRising]

Great. I will put it into the schedule.

[@Jon.Cullen]

Somewhere, and I have tried to find it again, there is a brief clip of one of the Ju88's being chased by a Spitfire as they pass to the North of Edinburgh Castle, over Prices Street Gardens. It looks like it was filmed from Princes Street, at the foot of the mound. The clip was shown on BBC 2 years ago, in a programme of Scotland at War, showing home movie clips and photos from the period. 20 years ago now, I would guess. At least one RAF pilot was shooting over the city, as the only civilian injury was to a painter and decorator who was shot in his backside, and it would appear that the bullet was 0.303 in , not the German 7.62 mm. I think that the Lord Provost's house was also hit by stray rounds. A long standing story of Pat Gifford was that he could drive the 90 miles from Castle Douglas to the 603 Squadron headquarters in Learmonth Terrace in record time, about 90 minutes. One hell of an average speed for those days. He had a reputation for driving fast cars - owning a Frazer Nash and an MG - and one story about him is that for a bet he left Castle Douglas clock tower by car at 10am for RAF Turnhouse and was back over the town within two hours in an aeroplane.

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks for this extra information. As I said in the video, a lot of information didn't make it into the script. If I remember correctly the painter was wounded in the stomach, but survived and the stray round hit the mirror in the Lord Provost's bedroom.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@CalibanRising >>> Great video...👍

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks for watching, I appreciate it Allan.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

New subscribe. Will watch your your older videos as I can.

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.

[@jackray1337]

Thank you.

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks for watching Jack, and for your support!

[@hawnyfox3411]

Great presentation as always - Glad to see Aerial combat covered off the Scottish coast even tho' I'm English One thing that ALWAYS really rattled me (with hindsight) & would've been a real smart sensible move... To employ both 264 & 141 Sqdn (esp' 264 Sqdn) & their B.P. Defiants in Scotland to act as defenders, for real That way the Defiant COULD've been employed for the role it was actually intended for To employ them within 11 Group to me seems like a real stupid & bollocks daft decision Always grieves me that Sqdn Ldr Phillip Hunter & his 264 Sqdn men were "wasted" in the S.E corner of England Basically a real stupid tactical decision It would've freed up (far) more Spitfire units for Hornchurch, Manston, Biggin' etc And also employ the B.P. Defiants to their natural strengths - To take on UN-ESCORTED BOMBERS In other words, THE actual role they were intended for, with ZERO interference from '109's In the words of the Meerkat : "Simples"

[@CalibanRising]

I think you've made an interesting point here. Obviously, as you said, with hindsight it's easy to see this. Without doing more research into it I'd say that by this point the Defiant's vulnerabilities hadn't been exposed yet and within a few months the RN had pretty much packed up shop for the West of the British Isles, so such raids became less frequent. But as you said, I can't think of another fighter-free environment that they could have worked in.

[@davidelliott5843]

Deviants were strongly demanded by the War Office. That doctrine of “defensive” armament that began WW1 had a seriously long tail. They refused to admit this massive error long after it was blatantly obvious.

[@Jon.Cullen]

@@CalibanRising I believe that Defiants were stationed at East Fortune, about 2 miles away from RAF Drem, after the Battle of Britain, and used as night fighters.

[@DotepenecPL]

Have you every thought about writing a book? I assume it's a lot of hard work. But your materials are so interesting, and enjoyable to listen to at that. It would be great to have them in a written form. Great job anyway. Looking forward to the next story or analysis.

[@CalibanRising]

Maybe one day! For this topic I can really recommend "Birth of the Few" by Henry Buckton.

[@DotepenecPL]

@@CalibanRising Great, thank you for recommendation!

[@ninjaproofreader8289]

Nice video

[@CalibanRising]

Thanks

[@Cuccos19]

Hm, interesting. I also didn't know (or would guess) that Spitfires were stationed up there North of GB. Would you make sometime a video comparing the three major German bomber types use, numbers, sorties (numbers, bombs dropped, losses, etc), chance of survival against British interception (I mean like in the Ju88 you had the best chance to run away, or in the He111 you had the best chance keep flying with serious damage, things like that) for the Ju88, He111, Do17/Do215? Thank you! 😊

[@sirbarringtonwomblembe4098]

There were shipyards in the West of Scotland, RN bases in the East (this attack), and the fleet up North in Scapa Flow. There had to be some fighter protection from long range bombers ( without fighter escort).

[@Ob1sdarkside]

Firth of forth vid would be excellent!

[@CalibanRising]

Great! I'll put it on the list.

[@CitroenGS]

I want to know more, please.

[@raymondyee2008]

Omg an interesting story.

[@stug41]

What about the battle of firth of third?

[@davidelliott5843]

Go Forth young man.

[@eckyhen]

My mother used to talk about the raid People on the streets in Edinburgh waving to the planes thinking it was an exercise only realizing it was the real when bullets started falling in the streets.

[@CalibanRising]

It's hard to imagine what it must have been like experiencing that as a child.

[@eckyhen]

She was not a child at the time. She would have been 29 in in 1939.

[@IndianaDel1]

Battle of Barking Creek

[@CalibanRising]

Exactly!

[@MartinHarvey]

The aschematic at c. 4:00 is a later Spitfire than 1939 surely? A Mk V?

[@CalibanRising]

Yes, It's a Mk V I believe.

[@davidelliott5843]

Spitfires evolved considerably during the war. The first big change was Mk9 with Merlin 61 two stage two speed supercharger.

[@geordiedog1749]

The first kill by a British plane flown from the UK was by a……………. Lockheed Hudson!

[@robertknight5429]

First Spitfire kill was.... a Hurricane!

[@tommiatkins3443]

Hitler saying he didn't want innocent people killed is like trump saying he will never build a wall and wants America to be a land of peace safety and freedom for humanity.

[@geordiedog1749]

…..And make the video!