Yesterday March 5 was a very historic day in aviation and warbirds in particular. And with both DUNKIRK and DARKEST HOURS, having just won Academy Awards it is current. The 5, 1936th first flight of the prototype of the Spitifire, by Mutt Summers and the Supermarine factory at Eastleigh on the south coast of England. It came just in time to allow England to meet the German threat three years later, with the ME109, etc. Eventually over 23,000 Spitfires would be built, including as a carrier fighter. Some even served in Korea. Speed increased 75mph, armament included 20 mm cannons and special models were superb photo recon planes reaching to 50,000 ft and with a max dive speed to .92 Mach, higher than an early Lear. The first Me 262 shot down was by a Spitfireand they fought from the first to the last day of the war, and all over the world. Unllke some other combat planes it is both beautiful and easy to fly. Its only real disadvantage was short range, but they developed drop tanks. A derivative, the Spiteifull had 4 20mm cannons, 2300 horsepower and 492 mph top speed.
Today, March 6 is also a day which has left a mark. For those of you unlucky enough to have been born somewhere up north, and may not know, it is the climax of the battle of the Alamo in 1836. In brief, Mexico had invited settlers . but began to govern as a dictatorship. It came to a head at a old mission fort in San Antonio. Gen Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna had a real army of about 4000 men, and a uniform and horse and an ego to match anyone. The Texans,had 182 men, led by William Travis and with larger than life Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie, famous for the knife of that name. After 13 days they finally broke through the walls the fort fell. Santa Anna called it a small affair, but the Texans had taken out almost half his army with 1582 killed. Gen Cos said, "we brought 700 of the finest calvary and we left 660 of them dead on the ground". Six weeks later at San Jacinto outside Houston, about 800 Texans overwhelmed the army of about 1200 and Texas was free. Amazingly they let Santa Anna live.
Letters survive from Travis so we know that the 182 men chose to fight, and chose that time and place to be worth their lives. And for their sacrifice the immense wealth and power of Texas is know U S. One should visit both sites particularly the Alamo.