South West Pacific[edit]

Supermarine Spitfire VIII in the markings ofNo. 457 Squadron RAAFTheRoyal Australian Air Force, theRoyal Indian Air Forceand the RAF also used Spitfires againstJapanese forcesin thePacific theatre. The first Spitfires in the Far East were two photo-reconnaissance (PR IV) aircraft which operated from airfields in India from October 1942.In the far east they Spitfires found a worthy adversary in theA6M "Zero"long-range fighter that, like most Japanese fighters, excelled in manoeuvrability. To fight it Spitfire pilots had to adopt a "slash and run" policy and use their superior speed and diving superiority to fight, and avoid classic dogfights.Japanese air raids on Northern Australiahastened the formation in late 1942 ofNo. 1 Wing RAAF, comprisingNo. 54 Squadron RAF,No. 452 Squadron RAAFandNo. 457 Squadron RAAF, under the command ofWing CommanderClive Caldwell, flying the Spitfire Vc(trop). The wing arrived atDarwinin February 1943, and saw constant action until September. The Mk Vc versions received by the RAAF proved unreliable and, initially at least, had a relatively high loss rate. This was due to several factors, including pilot inexperience, engine over-speed due to the loss of oil from the propeller speed reduction unit (a problem resolved by the use of a heavier grade of oil),[175]and the practice of draining glycol coolant before shipment, resulting in internal corrosion of the Merlin engines.Another factor in the initial high attrition rate was the relatively short endurance of the Spitfire: most of the sorties were, as a matter of course, flown over the wide expanse of ocean between Australia,New GuineaandTimor. Even when fitted with drop tanks the Spitfires could not afford to fly too far from base without the danger of running out of fuel over water. As a result, when an incoming raid was detected, the Spitfires were forced to climb as fast as possible in an attempt to get into a favourable position. In the prevailing hot, humid climate this meant that the Merlin engines were often overheating even before combat was joined. The Spitfires were fitted with the Vokes tropical filters which reduced performance: in an attempt to increase performance the filters on several Spitfires were removed and replaced by the standard non-tropicalised air intake and lower engine cowlings which had been manufactured by the base workshops. The experiment proved to be a failure and the Spitfires were quickly refitted with the tropical filters.

TwoNo. 79 Squadron RAAFSpitfire VCs and ground crew in April 1944Many of the Australian and British airmen who flew in 1 Wing were experienced combat veterans, some of whom who had flownP-40swith theDesert Air Forcein North Africa, while others had flown Spitfires over Europe. They were used to being able to outmanoeuvre opposing fighters and were shocked to discover that the Zeros they were now flying against were able to outmanoeuvre the Spitfire. Several Spitfires were lost before the pilots learned not to attempt to get into a turning dogfight with the agile Japanese fighters. In spite of these problems the Spitfires were reasonably successful and at times were able to catch theMitsubishi Ki-46reconnaissance aircraft which had hitherto flown fast enough and high enough to evade interception.[176]The first of 410 Spitfire Mk VIIIs started replacing the Mk Vcs from Octob