Dogfight techniques : tutorial video

[NZtyphoon]

WGG Duncan Smith, who flew Spitfires from near the end of the Battle of Britain and ended the war as a Wing Commander with 17 victories got into a tricky situation returning from a bomber escort mission to Lille:

First he was nearly flipped over by a Bofors 40mm as he was approaching the English coast...then, to add to his problems...

"Relaxing my tense muscles I looked over my shoulder and caught my breath as I saw a 109 over on my right,...and saw another on the opposite side....flogging the last pound of boost out of my engine, eased my aircraft down even closer to the tops of the waves. The 109s opened fire, first the one to the right...I skidded my aircraft to the left....the one on the left opened fire...and I repeated the manoeuvre in the opposite direction. I soon realised that each time I did this it slowed me down....There was only one thing left to do: I heaved back on the stick and zoomed up in an off-centre loop to the left....I watched over my shoulder and saw the 109 pull up after me, firing. Harder, I pressed on the stick until I felt the wings start to judder. Suddenly the 109 flicked and spun - the horizon came back into view above my head and quickly I rolled out into a tight turn....I picked out one of the 109s, also in a turn, but circling away from me." After which Duncan Smith headed back to sea level and got back to base (Spitfire Into Battle, 2002, pp 73-74)

Trying to dodge and weave can just kill your speed, so Duncan Smith saved himself at sea level by using his momentum to pull up into a hard turning spiral which the 109s couldn't match...don't think the one chasing him ended up in the 'oggin, but it might have been close.