fw 190a5 flight model

[lonewulf]

I think there are two issues that should be noted in relation to the performance of Spitfire aircraft transferred to the Soviets during the War.

Firstly, all or most of the Mk Vs that went to Russia were well and truly second hand. The machines were essentially considered obsolete in terms of the WTO when dispatched. In 1943, even if they had all been brand new (which they most certainly were not), they would have struggled with the latest Luftwaffe types.

Secondly, despite the actual condition of the Spitfires sent to the Soviet Union, any official statements and reports prepared during the Soviet era, (about Spitfires or anything else for that matter) must be treated with tremendous scepticism. The simple truth is that any comments that were made by individuals (any individual at all) that could be interpreted as defeatist or in some way critical of the soviet system or the products of soviet industry, could and would get you killed or would be otherwise career threatening. No one in their right mind would be associated with such statements, whether he or she had penned them or not. If you knew what was good for you during this time of intense fear and paranoia, you most certainly didn't go around praising the war equipment of a foreign power, not even an allied foreign power.