Originally Posted by
adavis
Spitfire with DB605 engine?
Best Regards,
=Adrian=
That's the one, Adrian. Good job; and you are now up! Thanks; Ernie P.
Question: What warbird do I describe?
Clues:
(1) Of all Spitfires, this one was truly unique.
(2) There was only ever one.
(3) Any yet, any RAF pilot would have agreed, that one was one too many.
Answer: The German Daimler Benz powered Spitfire
VB
German Daimler Benz powered Spitfire
VB
In November 1942 a Spitfire
VB EN830 NX-X of
131 Squadron made a
forced landing in a turnip field at Dielament Manor, Trinity,
Jersey,
under German occupation at the time. This aircraft was repairable and started being test flown in German markings and colours at the Luftwaffe's central research facilities at
Erprobungsstelle Rechlin. There it was proposed that the Spitfire's Merlin engine should be replaced by a
Daimler-Benz DB 605A inverted Vee-12 engine; the Spitfire was sent to
Echterdingen, south of
Stuttgart, where Daimler-Benz operated a flight testing division.
When the Merlin engine was removed it was discovered that the fuselage cross section was virtually identical to that of the engine nacelle of a
Messerschmitt Bf-110G. Consequently a new engine support structure was built onto the Spitfire's fuselage and the DB 605 engine and cowling panels added. A propeller unit and supercharger air intake from a Bf 109 G completed the installation.
Other changes made were to replace the Spitfire instruments with German types, and to change the 12-volt electrical system to the German 24-volt type. In this form the Daimler-Benz Spitfire started flying in early 1944. It was popular with German pilots and was flown regularly until destroyed in a USAAF bombing raid on 14 August 1944.