As a result the Hawker Hurricane fighters, which also had Merlin engines, were tasked with shooting down the German bombers, while the Spitfire pilots were given the more glamorous (and more dangerous) job of duelling head to head with the experienced Luftwaffe aces.

The battle was fierce and a close run thing, but eventually the Luftwaffe's losses became unsustainable and the German invasion was cancelled. The Spitfire emerged from the Battle of Britain with flying colours having destroyed over 520 German aircraft and went on to become the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war. To this day it remains the ultimate symbol of British wartime heroism and engineering prowess.

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