The Royal Air Force

A polish pilot from 303 'Kozciuszko' Squadron patrols the skies above Britain in his Supermarine Spitfire
Fox Photos / Getty

Lethal Grace
An exiled Polish pilot from 303 'Kozciuszko' Squadron patrols the skies above Britain in his 1942 Supermarine Spitfire. The 'Spit' assumed iconic status during the Battle of Britain two years earlier, when RAF fighter pilots blunted Hitler's bombing offensive, drawing Winston Churchill to proclaim that "Never in the field of human endeavor has so much been owed by so many to so few." The aircraft, powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin engine, won the enduring love of its pilots for its speed and handling.

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