Britain's New "Spitfire"
A colour cutaway of a Spitfire shows engine, guns and pilot, with 37 numbered parts and a text box giving speed, climb rate and dimensions. It is mainly technical and informational; the tell for card-stacking is the selection of favourable performance figures with no comparison aircraft, and the closing line that 'Achtung Schpitfeuer' are the last words many a Nazi airman will hear.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- No issuer or printer named on the item
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Reassure
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Issuer not named on the item, National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-116.
Text on the object
BRITAIN'S NEW "SPITFIRE" With an even more powerful Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engine, the "Spitfire" enters the lists again, re-engined and re-armed. It is now armed with two cannon and four machine guns. The official speed of "Spitfire I" was over 366 m.p.h. at 18,500 feet. The rate of initial climb was 2,300 feet per minute. Points in "Spitfire" design are its all-metal construction, stressed metal covering, outwards retracting undercarriage. Fixed tail wheel, radiator under starboard wing, are other points. Wingspan is 36 feet 10 inches; height, 11 feet 5 inches. The Supermarine "Spitfire I" was evolved from the seaplane which won the Schneider Trophy, for the third successive time and outright in 1931. "Achtung Schpitfeuer" are still the last words many a Nazi airman will hear. 1 METAL-COVERED WINGS 2 CANNON 3 THREE-BLADED CONSTANT-SPEED AIR SCREW 4 TANK 5 ROLLS-ROYCE "MERLIN" ENGINE 6 EXHAUSTS 7 OIL TANK 8 ENGINE BEARERS 9 CARBURETTOR AIR INTAKE 10 SUPERCHARGER 11 FIREPROOF BULKHEAD 12 RETRACTED UNDERCARRIAGE (STARBOARD) 13 METAL RIBS 14 RADIATOR 15 MACHINE GUNS 16 AILERON 17 LOWER FUEL TANK 18 UPPER FUEL TANK (Total Fuel Load - 85 Gallons) 19 INSTRUMENT PANEL 20 CONTROL LEVER 21 FIRING TRIGGER 22 GUN SIGHT 23 MIRROR 24 SLIDING HOOD 25 UNDERCARRIAGE CONTROL HANDLE 26 LONGERON 27 BATTERY BOX 28 PARACHUTE FLARE 29 METAL RIBS 30 DITTY BOX 31 STRINGER 32 RADIO 33 AERIAL 34 FIN 35 RUDDER 36 ELEVATORS 37 TAIL WHEEL LENGTH 29 ft. 11 in. SPAN OF PLANES 36 ft. 10 in.
