Original Item: One Only! Scroll down for more photos. International Military Antiques is offering a section of WW 2 Spitfire cowling for sale.  This is the fuselage skin just in front of the windscreen.  Originally rectangular in shape, the section was attached to the plane with a combination of quick-detach fasteners and countersunk screws.  At the front end of the cowl are three circular openings, the larger being about 5-15/16 inches in diameter and the smaller two holes being about 1-3/8 inches in diameter.  The larger hole provides access to the fuel tank.

Appearance

Some traces of camouflage paint remain, being primarily khaki and sand with what looks like a dark gray. The aluminum itself is in surprisingly good condition with no corrosion.  The steel fittings for the QD latches have rusted.

Dimensions

Since this item was recovered from a crash site, it is distorted from the impact.  These dimensions represent our best effort at measuring the piece:

            Length:  Approximately 36 inches. 

Width:  Estimated at 54 inches.  It measures 27 inches from one edge to the center of the large circular opening, and it is assumed that the part is symmetrical, making its original width at this point about 54 inches.

Weight:  In its present condition, it weighs approximately 8.2 kilograms.

History

The fate of this aircraft has been recorded on page 523 of the monumental work The Battle of Britain Then and Now1:

66 Squadron, Gravesend

Spitfire X4170.  Shot down in combat with Bf 109s over Tunbridge Wells.  Crashed in orchard near Capel 9.00 a. m.  Pilot Officer R. W. Oxspring baled out slightly injured.  Aircraft a write-off.

Site excavated by Malcolm Petit

This piece was recovered from the crash site.  There can be no more dramatic relic of the Battle of Britain, the great struggle the outcome of which was decisive in determining the fate of Western Civilization, than an actual piece of a Spitfire, itself one of the most famous of all fighter aircraft.

1 The Battle of Britain Then and Now

Ed. Winston G. Ramsey

An After the Battle Publication

Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd. Publisher

3 New Plaistow Road

London E15 3JA

England