Supermarine 1913-63

Great Britain was once filled with a plethora of aircraft manufacturers. The seeds of many of them were sown as the demand for aircraft gained pace following the outbreak of World War One. However, not all survived after the war, and while Supermarine managed to keep going by the skin of its teeth, it certainly did not settle into a profitable aircraft manufacturing business until the mid to late 1920s. However, with the genius mind of Reginald Joseph Mitchell on board, the company could do no wrong, and the colossal orders received for the company’s most famous product, the Spitfire, set Supermarine on a steady post-war course which, once again, was a period that saw other companies fall by the wayside. The Spitfire was not the company’s only success story; the Southampton flying boat set the standard in the 1920s, as did the Walrus in the 1930s. Then came the Seafire, which remained in production for ten years, ultimately ending its service career in Korea. With over 130 images, this new book edition of Aeroplane’s Supermarine Company Profile 1913-1963 provides insight into the aircraft produced by Supermarine, including those that did not quite make the grade.